Writing Reasons Essay, Research Paper

Let’s look at the question, "Why write?" There are many reasons in

which people choose to write, too many to list here. However, in the following

pages you will find a categorization of the main reasons authors choose to

transfer their thoughts from their mind to paper. To begin, we will start with

writing to record a memory. This is one of the most common motives for people to

write. There are two types of recording memories, keeping a journal and writing

a memoir. Both accomplish same purpose, preserving the memory for future

reference and bringing some sort of order to the experience. The act of keeping

a journal is for personal reflection. Many refer to a journal in the same manner

they refer to a diary, but they are two separate forms of writing. A diary is a

daily accord of the events that happened, whereas a journal will include

reflections and observations of the events. Journals give somewhat of a snapshot

into the time in which it was written. Memoir appropriately comes from the Latin

word for memory. The focus is usually on the writer’s experiences with a person,

place, or event. In comparison to a journal, the main difference lies in the

intended audience. A journal is for the writer only, while a memoir is written

with the purpose of communicating the memory to others. In ‘Finishing School’ by

Maya Angelou, she writes a memoir to tell of her upbringing as a black child

being taught white female etiquette. Here, her intentions of the piece is to

give an understanding of what it was like for her as an underprivileged slave

child to interact with her white peers in the 1930’s. Writers write to explore

the self. To most, this is the easiest form of self-discovery. While this

purpose is somewhat similar to writing to record memories, the emphasis is

different. The writing is produced to give a medium to look into your past,

present, and even future. You can mediate on your feelings or examine

relationships. In the end, it will provide the writer a deeper knowledge and

understanding of themselves. Writers write to explore an idea. Here, the work is

written only for personal uses, to aid the writer in discovery of yet unobtained

thoughts and ideas. It is much like thinking out loud, just without the oral

effort. Usually, the writing is without structure. It resembles Freud’s free

association in many ways, you start at nothing and a chain of thoughts will lead

you to a conclusion. Writers write to interpret information. It is used to tell

the why’s and the how’s. Information is presented within the work to reveal what

isn’t readily apparent to the audience. Why is Africa a desert? How did it

become a desert? These are the types questions in which the answers will be

explained to the audience in a descriptive, analytical way giving facts,

interpretations, and definitions. Writers write to amuse others. The purpose is

to bring pleasure others, making them laugh or smile. Humor, the most often used

form of amusement, is a great tension breaker poking fun at things we all make

fun of but would greatly miss if abandoned. Satire is another form of amusement,

and personally my favorite. It is used to point attention at the flaws of

society through a sometimes comical, sometimes cruel reference. One of my

personal favorite satirical works is ‘A Modest Proposal’ by Jonathan Swift. In

this, he solves the burden of the growing number of Irish children by suggesting

the more affluent population eat them. Writers write to persuade others. This

persuasion can range from simple advertising to scholarly arguments. Whether you

are applying for a job, trying to sell personal items, or maybe placing a

personal ad, you are trying to convince others to do something you want. With

all situations, and probably the reason you are writing to persuade rather than

to explain, you will face opposition. Whether you are writing to respond or

attack, the focus of the paper will remain the same, to make people do what you

want. What I have outlined is just a large categorization of writers reasoning

to put thoughts to paper. A guideline as to why someone writes hasn’t been

created, and definitely will never be. A writer writes for numerous reasons

ranging from making a convincing argument to making a shopping list. All do one

thing. The work created serves the purpose the author intended to. So write, I

say.