Question 1:
About the audience.
- "Whom is the composer including in the audience? Who is excluded from the audience-and why?" (108).
Stein wrote an academic article for a reason, for other professors. Now I understand that everyone can read the article so technically she doesn't exclude anyone, but if she really wanted people to read it the article should be a little easier to read. The way Stein went about her article was to argue that the 1984 ad was really an important thing and should be analyzed in detail. She decided to take that into her own hands and analyze the ad herself. In my eyes, Stein did a great job making the ad more understandable. Although the beginning of her text was a little confusing to read; toward the end she works in a few paragraphs about the Wizard of Oz which more people can relate to. By doing this, Stein really helped the ad come to life for me.
Question 2:
About ethos.
- "Does the composer have the appropriate background or experience for pursuing this purpose?" (109).
There's no doubt in any of our minds that Stein is more than qualified to write a piece like this. She is trying to build her ethos further by writing a piece such as this. Academic articles aren't for everyone but Stein does a good job sounding professional while allowing normal individuals to read her essays and understand them.
Question 3:
About context.
- "Where does the audience encounter the text? How might this shape their responses?" (109).
I can't imagine anyone reading this article for pure pleasure. However someone who might be inquiring about the 1984 ad would read an article such as this for more knowledge on the subject. Otherwise people may read this simply because it's a class assignment. Either way most likely, the readers are reading this for educational purposes. This shapes the way they look at it just because they probably aren't too thrilled to be reading it. However, it might have the opposite effect. Maybe someone is really into technology or Macintosh and they are just really excited to read this. Either way, most people are reading this just to be informed.
-All of these choices work together for Steins purpose: education. The article is written as an academic article and she wants people to learn more about the subject; in particular she wants them to see her view or analysis of it. Stein has her ethos already built but this article is just another tally on her board, she is still working to build up her ethos and see where it gets her. People will read her work more often if she is well recognized and well liked. These all tie in together because academic articles are important for building your ethos. The people judging her work are doing it for a particular reason and are all generally the same group of audience. I think that Stein picked and chose her choices well and knew exactly what she wanted of this article and the people reading it.
