How To Find The Author's Purpose

Unveiling an author's purpose is like detective work for the mind, piecing together clues hidden within the text to understand the "why" behind the words. It's about going beyond the surface level of the story or information presented and delving into the author's intentions.

Why Understanding Author's Purpose Matters

Grasping the author's purpose unlocks a deeper level of comprehension, allowing you to:

• Engage with the text more critically: You're not just passively absorbing information; you're actively analyzing the author's choices and motivations.
• Improve your reading comprehension: Understanding why something is written helps you remember and process the what.
• Evaluate the text's reliability and bias: Recognizing the author's agenda helps you assess the validity of their claims.
• Become a more discerning reader: You learn to question, analyze, and interpret texts with greater insight.
• Enhance your own writing skills: By analyzing how authors achieve their purposes, you can improve your own ability to communicate effectively.

Common Authorial Purposes: PIE'ED

A helpful mnemonic device for remembering common authorial purposes is PIE'ED:

• Persuade: The author aims to convince the reader to adopt a specific viewpoint or take a particular action.
• Inform: The author intends to educate the reader about a topic or subject.
• Entertain: The author seeks to amuse or captivate the reader with a story or engaging content.
• Explain: The author wants to clarify a process, concept, or idea.
• Describe: The author focuses on creating a vivid sensory experience for the reader.

While these are common, an author's purpose can be more nuanced and complex. They might combine several purposes within a single text.

Step-by-Step Guide to Unearthing Authorial Intent

Finding the author's purpose is a process of careful observation and analysis. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you:

Step 1: Preview the Text

Before diving into the main body of the text, take a moment to preview it. This will give you initial clues about the author's potential purpose.

• Title: What does the title suggest about the content? Is it informative, persuasive, or intriguing?
• Headings and Subheadings: These provide a roadmap of the main topics and arguments covered in the text.
• Introduction: The introduction often states the author's main point or thesis statement.
• Visuals: Examine any images, charts, graphs, or illustrations. What information do they convey?
• About the Author: Does the author have any known biases or affiliations that might influence their writing?

Step 2: Identify the Genre

Understanding the genre of the text provides context for the author's purpose. Different genres have different conventions and expectations.

• Fiction: Novels, short stories, and plays often aim to entertain or explore human experiences.
• Non-fiction: Essays, biographies, and news articles typically aim to inform, persuade, or explain.
• Poetry: Poems can serve various purposes, including expressing emotions, telling a story, or exploring themes.
• Academic Articles: These texts usually aim to inform, analyze, or present research findings.
• Advertisements: Advertisements have a clear persuasive purpose: to convince you to buy something.

Step 3: Analyze the Language and Tone

The author's choice of language and tone can reveal their attitude toward the subject and their audience.

• Word Choice: Are the words formal or informal, objective or subjective, positive or negative?
• Tone: Is the tone serious, humorous, sarcastic, or passionate?
• Figurative Language: Does the author use metaphors, similes, or other figures of speech to create a specific effect?
• Bias: Does the author present a balanced view of the topic, or do they seem to favor one side?

Step 4: Identify the Main Idea

What is the central message or argument that the author is trying to convey? Identifying the main idea is crucial for understanding the overall purpose.

• Thesis Statement: In non-fiction texts, the thesis statement often explicitly states the main idea.
• Topic Sentences: Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that introduces the main point of that paragraph.
• Supporting Evidence: What evidence does the author provide to support their main idea?

Step 5: Look for Persuasive Techniques (If Applicable)

If the author's purpose is to persuade, they will likely use specific techniques to influence the reader.

• Appeals to Emotion (Pathos): Does the author use emotional language or anecdotes to evoke feelings in the reader?
• Appeals to Logic (Logos): Does the author use facts, statistics, or logical reasoning to support their claims?
• Appeals to Authority (Ethos): Does the author cite credible sources or experts to lend weight to their arguments?
• Rhetorical Questions: Does the author ask questions that are meant to persuade the reader rather than elicit an answer?

Step 6: Summarize and Synthesize

Once you've analyzed the text, summarize the main points and synthesize your findings to determine the author's purpose.

• Review your notes: Look back at your observations about the title, genre, language, tone, main idea, and persuasive techniques.
• Ask yourself: What is the author trying to accomplish with this text? What do they want the reader to think, feel, or do?
• Formulate a hypothesis: Based on your analysis, make an educated guess about the author's purpose.

Step 7: Consider Multiple Purposes

Authors may have more than one purpose. A novel might entertain, but also subtly explore social commentary. An informative article might also try to subtly persuade you towards a particular viewpoint. Be open to the possibility of multiple, interwoven purposes.

Step 8: Support Your Interpretation

Any interpretation of an author's purpose requires evidence. You can't just say, "I think the author is trying to persuade me." You need to show how they are trying to persuade you by pointing to specific examples from the text.

Examples of Analyzing Different Text Types

Let's examine how to apply these steps to different types of texts:

1. News Article:

• Title: "Local School Board Approves New Budget Cuts"
• Genre: Non-fiction, news report
• Language and Tone: Objective, factual, neutral
• Main Idea: The school board has approved budget cuts.
• Persuasive Techniques: (Potentially) If the article focuses heavily on the negative impacts of the cuts without presenting counterarguments, it might be subtly trying to persuade the reader that the cuts are a bad idea.
• Author's Purpose: To inform the public about the school board's decision. Potential secondary purpose: to subtly influence public opinion about the cuts.

2. Advertisement:

• Title: "The All-New SparkleClean Dish Soap: Get Sparkling Dishes Every Time!"
• Genre: Advertisement
• Language and Tone: Positive, enthusiastic, persuasive
• Main Idea: SparkleClean dish soap is the best choice for clean dishes.
• Persuasive Techniques: Appeals to emotion (images of happy families with sparkling dishes), appeals to authority (claims "recommended by leading chefs"), exaggeration ("sparkling dishes every time!").
• Author's Purpose: To persuade the reader to buy SparkleClean dish soap.

3. Novel:

• Title: "The Gilded Cage"
• Genre: Fiction, novel
• Language and Tone: Descriptive, evocative, potentially suspenseful
• Main Idea: (Needs to be determined by reading the book)
• Persuasive Techniques: (Potentially) The author might use character development, plot twists, and vivid descriptions to explore themes of social injustice and inequality, subtly persuading the reader to consider these issues.
• Author's Purpose: To entertain the reader with a compelling story. Potential secondary purpose: to explore social themes and provoke thought.

4. Academic Article:

• Title: "The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health"
• Genre: Academic, research paper
• Language and Tone: Formal, objective, analytical
• Main Idea: Social media has a complex and potentially negative impact on adolescent mental health (example).
• Persuasive Techniques: Appeals to logic (presents data and research findings), appeals to authority (cites other researchers in the field).
• Author's Purpose: To inform readers about the research on social media and adolescent mental health and to analyze the findings.

Factors That Can Obscure Authorial Intent

Sometimes, uncovering the author's purpose is not straightforward. Several factors can make the process more challenging:

• Bias: Author's might have personal biases they unknowingly introduce into their writing. This can cloud the original purpose of the content, especially in persuasive articles.
• Hidden Agendas: An author might have an ulterior motive that is not immediately apparent. This is especially true in political writing or propaganda.
• Multiple Purposes: As mentioned before, an author might have multiple purposes, some of which may be more prominent than others.
• Unclear Writing: Poor writing quality can make it difficult to understand the author's main idea and, therefore, their purpose.
• Satire and Irony: These literary devices rely on conveying a meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. This can make it difficult to discern the author's true intent.

Advanced Techniques for Decoding Complex Intentions

When dealing with more complex texts, especially those with potential hidden agendas or subtle biases, consider employing these advanced techniques:

• Historical Context: Research the historical context in which the text was written. What were the major social, political, and cultural events of the time? How might these events have influenced the author's perspective?
• Biographical Information: Learn about the author's background, beliefs, and affiliations. This can provide valuable insights into their potential biases and motivations.
• Critical Theory: Familiarize yourself with different critical theories, such as feminism, Marxism, or post-structuralism. These theories provide frameworks for analyzing texts from different perspectives and uncovering hidden meanings.
• Deconstruction: Deconstruction is a method of analyzing texts that involves identifying contradictions and inconsistencies in the author's arguments. This can help you to uncover the author's underlying assumptions and biases.
• Consider the Audience: Who is the author writing for? How might the intended audience influence the author's choice of language, tone, and arguments?
• Compare and Contrast: Compare the text to other texts on the same topic. Are there any significant differences in the way the authors approach the subject? This can help you to identify the unique perspective of the author in question.
• Analyze the Subtext: Pay attention to what is not explicitly stated in the text. What assumptions does the author make about the reader's knowledge and beliefs? What implications are left unsaid?

Recognizing the Subtle Art of Authorial Manipulation

While understanding author's purpose is about comprehension, it's also a defense mechanism against manipulation. Recognizing persuasive techniques allows you to critically evaluate the information presented and resist being swayed by biased or misleading arguments.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you practice analyzing texts, the better you will become at identifying the author's purpose. Start with simple texts, such as news articles and advertisements, and gradually work your way up to more complex texts, such as novels and academic articles.

Tools to Assist in Your Investigation

While there's no magic tool to automatically reveal an author's purpose, these resources can help:

• Dictionaries and Thesauruses: Understanding word choices and connotations is crucial.
• Online Research Databases: Accessing background information on the author, historical context, and related topics.
• Literary Criticism Websites: Exploring different interpretations and analyses of literary works.
• Grammar and Style Guides: Recognizing how sentence structure and style contribute to the author's message.

Conclusion: Becoming an Active and Informed Reader

Finding the author's purpose is an ongoing process of critical thinking and analysis. By following the steps outlined in this guide and practicing your skills, you can become a more active and informed reader, capable of engaging with texts on a deeper and more meaningful level. It's about moving beyond passive consumption of words to actively deciphering the intent behind them.