Determining Author's Purpose

As we discussed in class today, authors have many purposes when they write with an audience in mind. For any particular passage or piece of writing, you can generally classify an author's purpose into one of the following four categories:

1. Description - if a reading passage contains many details about a person, place, or thing, the author's purpose is to describe.
2. Entertainment - if a reading passage is enjoyable to read, tells a personal story, or uses a story to teach a lesson, the author's purpose is to entertain.
3. Persuasion - if a reading passage contains many opinions or tries to get readers to do something, buy something, or believe something, the author's purpose is to persuade.
4. Explanation/information - if a reading passage provides facts about a particular subject or tells readers how to do something, the author's purpose is to explain or inform.

Throughout a longer work (like the novel or memoir you might be reading for reader's workshop), you might see evidence of all four purposes in various passages.

Your task for your upcoming letter-essay is to find passages within your book and determine if the author's purpose in writing those passages was to describe, entertain, persuade, or explain/inform. Each of your three body paragraphs should have a quote/passage that you introduce and explain with your own interpretation. 

As with previous letter essays, you should also do the following:

*Write a clear introduction that includes the book's title, author, and genre.  Try to include an overarching thesis or argument you’re trying to make about your book that will link the paragraphs that follow.
*Write (at least) three body paragraphs (this time with the focus of author's purpose). Each body paragraph should include a quote that is properly cited with page numbers.
*Write an engaging conclusion that ties up your thinking, makes connections, and includes a rating of the book.
*Double space, 12 point font (ideally Times New Roman, but please just make it readable)

This assignment is due TUESDAY, April 11th. Please reach out if you have any questions.