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Kayla Church
Kate Kimball
ENC 2135
5 December 2021

Multi-genre Project: Spend that Money

Part 1 – Email Format
(Refer to next page for full text)
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From: IRS-USDOT.gov <no-reply@irs.gov>

Date: Sun, March 14 (8 months ago)
Subject: CARES Third Stimulus Distribution

Internal Revenue Service

United States Department of Treasury

Dear IRS User,

This is an important announcement regarding the distribution of the third stimulus package. Our
systems indicate that you should be receiving a direct deposit into your registered checking
account in 2-3 business days. If there is an error in the amount received, or if you do not receive
any money at all, please email us through our website, or call using the phone number provided
on our website.
The money that you will be receiving was made possible by the signing of the CARES
(Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act. The purpose of this money is to provide
compensation for any loss of funding such us recent unemployment or newly gained expenses.
We suggest that the remaining money be put back into the U.S. economy through market
spending to stimulate circulation and counteract future inflation.
In advance, we appreciate your contribution to your government.
Note: Please be cautious of phishing emails and scams that originate from fake emails. Do
not divulge any personal information through email, text message, or telephone.
Regards,
Internal Revenue Service
United States Department of Treasury
In God We Trust
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Part 2 – Infographic

(Refer to the submitted PowerPoint file)

Part 3 – Budget

(Refer to the submitted Excel file)

Part 4 – Rationale

Intended Purpose, Audience, and Context

When beginning my multi-genre project, I wrote out my intended purpose, my intended

audience, and the context of all my pieces. This helped as a defined guide to keep me in line

when producing each of my compositions. I want to persuade those who receive stimulus

payouts to spend their checks on other things besides bills, such as their wants and demands. I do

not want to steer my audience away from saving money because that may push them away and

give them wrong idea however, I am convincing them to do both, saving and spending. By

presenting both options for saving and spending, it gives people the mindset that they can save

some and spend some. The money that they spend will be cycled back through the economy to

help boost the rapidly declining economy. The economy needs this boost in order to counteract

the inflation that was sure to arise as a result of the pandemic. For example, gas prices and

grocery product prices rose sharply. As many have experienced, the price for products such as

toilet paper, Lysol, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, etc. increased because of the high inelastic

demand. The population was so eager to buy these products and the companies could raise the

price because they knew that the people would still buy the products. This inflation is unfair and

could be disastrous for the market economy. As the economy attempts to regrow from the
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financial downfall caused by the pandemic, the inflation rates will begin to slowly decline so that

we may go back to some sort of “normal”.

The intended audience of my project includes everyone who received compensation and

monetary payouts from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Bill, better known

as the CARES Bill. Mostly my compositions are geared towards taxpayers (adults), and those

who are still working such as those working from home or are essential workers. I do include

some information for the unemployed, however, they would generally have a lesser amount of

expendable funds. I wanted to focus on those who would be more open to the concept of

spending money on wants as well as just needs even while in the pandemic. The stimulus checks

are not free money; they are compensating for any losses experienced during the pandemic. The

context of each of my pieces is that the money left over, after paying bills and necessary

expenses, should be spent boosting the economy before the nation experiences further downfall

into major inflation and social uprising over the high prices.

Voice

In the first composition, the email from the Internal Revenue Service, I strived to use a

voice that could be heard as automated when read. The email presents no real emotion; it is

meant be non-specified to individual readers, and it is meant to sound very professional and

“government” like, as it does stem from the United States Department of Treasury. The readers

of the email should feel like this is a general message sent to everyone. It is written in an email

format, but almost reads like the transcript of an automated voice message sent from the Internal

Revenue Service. This monotone voice allows the readers to really focus on what is being said

and help establish the seriousness of the matter.

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Next, in the second composition, the infographic about tips on how to save and spend

money, the voice used is meant to be helpful and guiding, like a friend or colleague. The readers

should feel comfortable taking advice from this infographic and feel comfortable listening to the

voice in which it is presented. I phrase the wording in a manner that it is not attacking the reader,

nor is it aggressively persuading them to do what I would prefer. The voice is simply offering

advice and friendly suggestions for what the reader should do in order to save money and spend

money. The infographic also provides some objects of fact to consider, some tips and activities

that the reader may not have thought of already. This friendly voice will gently persuade my

readers to spend their money, but the voice will make them feel as though they are in a

comfortable enough state to spend the money that is left over from their necessary expenses. It

will also inspire the reader with new ideas on how to save and spend their money. Ultimately, the

voice is meant to be inviting and helpful to the readers.

In the third composition, the budget formulated in Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheets, the

voice is very professional and logical. This composition is not text-based, it deals with numbers,

calculations, and budget tables. The voice is supposed to present to its reader that they will have

a good amount of money that is expendable after paying for all of their bills and additional

expenses. Unlike the other two compositions, this one is specialized to fit the budget of one

person, but for the sake of the project it shows that the majority of my intended audience would

be able to have the same opportunities, meaning that they too could work out a similar budget.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

The rhetorical component ethos regards the authority of a piece of work and the

credibility of the source. The first composition appeals to this component. The email from the

Internal Revenue Service shows the reader that this is an “official” email on behalf of a
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government department. The seriousness of the matter just became a little more serious once the

reader sees who the sender is. This type of authority makes the information appear credible,

realistic, and most importantly, important. The urgency of the email increases when readers

come across an email, or mail that is stamped with the seal or logo of a government department.

Pathos, the emotionally fueled rhetorical component, is found in the infographic, my

second composition. Even though the infographic includes information which also applies to the

rhetorical component of logos, each section of the infographic ties in the different aspects of

adult life and expenses. It becomes very relatable as I include information about everyday

activities, children, work, bills, grocery shopping, etc. As the reader views the infographic and

relates to the information, they will feel compelled by emotion to complete the reading and

consider the information, then they can incorporate the suggestions into their own life, which is

the whole point. The infographic successfully appeals to the taxpayers of America, both

employed and unemployed, as well as parents and new adults Additionally, the information

presented appeals to those doing just fine in the pandemic and are hoping to save a little more

money, as well as those who may be struggling to stay afloat in this flood of living expenses, and

unfortunately in the case of the pandemic, dying expenses.

Logos, which is the rhetorical component that appeals to the reader’s logic, can be found

in the third composition, the budget. The budget presents the readers with numbers, facts, and

calculations that they themselves can check, double-check, and use as a guide to define their

personal budget. This budget helps the reader to keep track of everywhere in which their money

is going because if there is one thing that everybody has in common, they like to keep track of

where their money is going and how much they can keep in their pockets.

Drafted, Revised, and Improved

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I began by outlining what my purpose was, who my audience was, and what I was

attempting to persuade my audience of doing. This outline assisted me as a guide to keep me on

track on focused on the big picture: telling people to spend their money, but for a good cause. I

then made a list of all possible composition formats that are commonly used in my field and

selected the ones that would best fit my purpose and project; it came down to the email, and

infographic that could be found as a flyer in a financial office or bank, and a budget which is

used as a staple element in the career of a financial planner.

For the email I picked a sender who would grab the attention of anyone, the IRS. Then

for the infographic, I chose a PowerPoint template that had bright colors, and labeled categories

with coordinating pictures that would grab the attention of a passersby and my readers. The

budget template, which I chose from the provided Excel templates, caught my eye with titles,

pictures and the thorough organization. From there, with all compositions, I began to input my

own information and creative aspect into forming each composition. For example, I went online

to find the IRS logo, cited of course, to increase the credibility of my email, and I also found

phishing warnings so that I could imitate that as well.

After creating the baseline of each of my compositions, I went back to revise them and

perfect them to the best of my ability. Additionally, I utilized the feedback from the peer reviews

provided by two of my classmates. Furthermore, I worked on my rationale during and after I

completed my third composition because it required a 1000-word minimum, and I preferred to

work on it in parts, as I felt that it may need more of my attention than the budget. I improved the

projects by rereading everything and having it checked by another peer of mine, so that I might

have a fresh set of eyes lay rest to my compositions.

Approach to Writing
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Ultimately, I feel like I haven’t changed dramatically in my approach to writing. Here

and there I have focused on my most common problem, gearing my work towards the true

purpose and not going off topic. I feel that I have improved in that aspect as this semester went

on. I feel prepared to produce appropriate pieces of writing in the higher classes that I will be

enrolled in as I progress in my field of study. I hope to graduate with a bachelor's degree in

finance and a master's degree in business administration.

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Works Cited

“For the IRS, Standards Matter.” Logoworks, 25 Aug. 2021, https://www.logoworks.com/weird-

stuff-irs-logo/.