Daniel Hu

English 1301
Frances Johnson
29 September 2022

Synthesis Project

Writing, like art, is all about perspective, developing words and sentences in a specific

way in order to convey the author's purpose. (Roozen 2016). After a piece of art or literature is

published, its meaning no longer belongs to the artist or author, rather the interpretation of the

viewer. Writing is conveyed differently depending on the situation, through recognizable forms

that blur the line of communication (Bazerman 2016).

A reader’s interpretation can fundamentally alter the meaning of a piece of literature.

This interpretation can be heavily modified in a group setting; for example, if someone makes a

joke and everyone is laughing but you took it offensively you would probably still react with an

awkward or nervous laugh; somehow we sense our words will satisfy our needs in the situation

or otherwise amplify the situation for us (Bazerman 2016). Rhetorical situation, the modification

of other’s perspectives by an author, bring together recognition of specifics of a situation

(Bazerman 2016). Awareness that this is a reflection affects how we react and adapt to a

situation (Bazerman 2016). The true value of words is limited by the fact that the writers’

ambitions can never be truly realized due to the limitations of words and language (Bazerman

2016).

Another component of writing to take into consideration is genre. Genre is a specific

group of structural or thematic qualities of a piece of literature that categorizes it (Hart-Davidson

2016). Much like ethnic groups in the real world, genres usually emerge and are reinforced

during the rise of social groups and are reflections of the values of said groups (Hart-Davidson

2016). There is no one instance of genre, rather a category of many diverse pieces grouped

together; generic forms of genre are open to hybridization and other forms of change over time
Daniel Hu
English 1301
Frances Johnson
29 September 2022

(Hart-Davidson 2016). Genre affects how a reader may interpret the meaning of a piece of

literature by giving the reader a set of expectations to follow, thus altering how the writing

communicates with the reader. To correlate, a concept associated with genre is multimodal

writing. Mode refers to 5 ways of communicating meaning: linguistic, aural, visual, gestural, and

spatial (Ball & Charlton 2016). Multimodal writings are writings that implement one or more of

these modes, hence “multi”. No writing is monomodal, simply because communication is not

conformed to specific structure, which includes writing (Ball & Charlton 2016). This sees

similarities with genre, as while a piece can be labeled under a single genre, there will always be

other genres incorporated into the writing, and is ultimately defined by the reader's interpretation

of the piece.

Similarly, recognizable forms of writing may inhibit communication between an author

and their audience. The relationship between disciplinary knowledge, ways of writing and other

forms of communicative practices creates and communicates that knowledge is the primary way

that defines some formal disciplines (Lerner 2016). Formats such as MLA and APA contain

elements that help convey the intent of the writing, such as APA’s dating of citations helping to

convey its timelessness (Lerner 2016). As disciplinary boundaries are fluid rather than rigid, this

may cause issues with communication as the reader may interpret a genre or format as something

other than the author's original intent (Lerner 2016).

Finally, by referencing other media, writing creates connections within the reader,

allowing for a more immersive experience (Roozen 2016). For example, when writers and

readers try to give meaning to a piece of text, they refer to the past text and anticipate how the
Daniel Hu
English 1301
Frances Johnson
29 September 2022

text might change in the future (Roozen 2016). These connections help clarify and build up

towards the author’s intent, what they are trying to convey.

As such, much like art, literature is more about how the reader views the piece rather than

the original intent. Authors may attempt to direct the reader’s train of thought towards the

original intent, however at the end of the day, it is up to the reader's interpretation in order to find

the meaning of the piece.

Daniel Hu
English 1301
Frances Johnson
29 September 2022

References

Bazerman, C. (2016). Writing Speaks to Situations through Recognizable Forms. In L. Adler-

Kassner & E. Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold

concepts of writing studies (pp. 35-37). University Press of Colorado.

Bazerman, C. (2016). Writing Represents the World, Events, Ideas, and Feelings. In L.

Adler-Kassner & E. Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold

concepts of writing studies (pp. 37-39). University Press of Colorado.

Hart-Davidson, B. (2016). Genres Are Enacted by Writers and Readers. In L. Adler-

Kassner & E. Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold

concepts of writing studies (pp. 39-40). University Press of Colorado.

Lerner, N. (2016). Writing Is a Way of Enacting Disciplinarity. In L. Adler-Kassner & E.

Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold concepts of writing

studies (pp. 41-42). University Press of Colorado.

Ball, C & Charlton, C. (2016). All Writing is Multimodal. In L. Adler-Kassner & E.

Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold concepts of writing

studies (pp. 41-42). University Press of Colorado.

Roozen, K. (2016). Texts Get Their Meaning from Other Texts. In L. Adler-Kassner & E.

Wardle (Eds.), Naming what we know, classroom edition: Threshold concepts of writing

studies (pp. 44-46). University Press of Colorado.

Daniel Hu
English 1301
Frances Johnson
29 September 2022