Class writing assignment (blog assignment is below):
16.22 on p. 518 of the text
Due dates See syllabus.
One change in the assignment: I expect that you will write the letter about a group you actually support. If you support no group, pick an Ohio Wesleyan organization or event to raise money for. In fact, generally speaking, you should think "OWU organization" when you are writing the letter.
I will contribute $50 to the organization represented by the best letter in the two classes -- no kidding.
Blog assignment:
1. Who are the audiences for the letter?
2. What techniques does Penny Patterson use to manipulate (yes, manipulate) those audiences into donating to her cause?
3. Just who is Penny Patterson, anyway? What ethos does she project?
4. Are the above techniques effective? (Obviously, they are. This fundraising campaign is one of the most successful in history. However, the letter does have more than a few failings.)
5. Just what, exactly, makes them effective.
Do this blog assignment, folks. The last assignment had six participants. I will not look favorably on your fundraising letter unless you respond to this blog assignment.
- The writer does a good job of addressing a wide audience. Starting the letter with “Dear Friend of Animals” shows that she is trying to reach a significantly large group of people. However, at the same time the reader still feels an emotional connection with the writer because both of them are friends of animals. The word “friend” is useful because not only does it establish this emotional connection, but it is not too overbearing. Some people don’t love animals and choose not to have pets, but they can still be a “friend” and support animals and these types of scientific breakthroughs. This article is intended for animal fanatics as well as people interested with scientific advances.
ReplyDelete- The first technique that Penny Patterson used that I noticed was the use of pictures. These pictures strike an emotional chord with the reader. As you’re reading the letter, you can get a visual image of the actual gorilla engaging in the activities that Penny Patterson is writing about. Another technique I noticed was the use of specifics. People do not want to give money to a program that they do not know about or a program that they think is vague. Penny does a good job of name-dropping magazines, mentioning specific things that the gorilla has said, and probably most importantly, saying exactly where the reader’s money will go. If people know exactly where their money is going then they will be more inclined to donate (especially if it is a good cause). Another technique that I thought was effective was the ending. Quoting the gorilla and then having the gorilla’s signature at the end of the letter is clever and effectual.
- Penny Patterson does a good job of introducing herself early on in the letter. Once again, people don’t want to donate money to a person or organization that they don’t know much about. Penny introduces herself and establishes credibility right away. This shows that she can be trusted with the reader’s money. Her ethos project that she is a trustful person, who really cares about animals. She wants to pursue this breakthrough further, while still maintaining a caring relationship with the animals that she works with.
I think the letter is very effective. The overall set-up and look of the letter is effective. The first paragraph gets the readers attention. The letter includes many personal stories about Koko that the reader can relate to. Also, the pictures with Koko are a good touch. The pictures allow the reader to actually see Koko in her everyday life, and how the foundation interacts with her. During the letter a lot of emotional appeal is built up for the reader. I feel a great touch at the end of the letter was having Koko sign her name. When the letter asks for donations it tells what the donations will buy. The good way in which Penny asked for money was when she asked Koko what gorillas like to do most and Koko said eat. Then she said that a $50 contribution can buy Koko food. The use of contribution rather than donation also helps the appeal of the letter. The post script is also effective in having the reader react in a timely manner.
ReplyDeleteThe author does a good job of addressing a group of people.....friends of animals. I think she does a good job using photos, even if a person does not want to read every word of the letter they can still see what the letter is about, and who the letter is about. She does a good job of using specific details which is good for the reader so they know exactly what is going on. She asks for contributions not for donations which is also good. I think this is an effective letter.
ReplyDeletePenny Patterson's audience is "friend of animals." She does not say pet owners, pet lovers, animal lovers, animal activist. "Friend of animals" becomes a general audience that incorporates many. I think the most effective use of manipulation Penny Patterson uses is the pictures throughout the letter of exactly what she is talking about. Penny Patterson has created an ethos of an educated informer who has passion and emotional attachments to the gorillas. She is hoping to pass on her passion and emotional attachment onto the "friend of animals". The above techniques are obviously effective, but I feel that this letter becomes redundant at times. Especially the times when she will say to the audience, on page 1 paragraph 3 how she begins with, "If you read magazines such as..." Then again on the last page, the very last paragraph how Penny begins with, "You know our work, how we've worked tirelessly..."
ReplyDelete-The author comes off very honest and sincere
ReplyDelete-She does a good job of making the "bigger picture" clear
-She uses lots of specifics
-I like that she talked about all the emotions Koko can feel and then went right into an anecdote. It made the anecdote more poignant and thus more effective.
-I like how she veried the print a lot (lots of bold, italic, and underlined text). It draws the eyes and keeps the reader reading as well as being a tool to emphasize important points.
-I like that she gave examples of what your money could pay for every time she asked for a different dollar amount.
This letter is very effective. The pictures are a nice touch to drive points home, add interest, and break up the text. The postscript is also very good in that it pleads for an immediate response and says to make the checks out to Koko, so that it seems like the money is going directly to her. Penny Patterson includes great anecdotes that catch the reader's interest and appeal to the reader's emotions. My favorites of these were the quotes from Koko. She also does a good job of saying how each dollar amount will help the gorillas directly (except for the $100 ask, which was very poor). Penny Patterson presents herself as Koko's teacher, just a regular person who is an animal lover and lucky enough to work with gorillas, which makes her more relatable to the reader. If she had presented herself as a super-knowledgable Ph.D scientist she would be much harder to connect with.
ReplyDelete1. The audience of the letter is certainly the general audience and particularly addresses environmentalists and animal lovers. It even attempts to persuade scientists and those interested in advancing animal research. I personally was not all that moved by the letter and did not feel like Penny tried to address a broad, general enough audience.
ReplyDelete2. She describes the possible extinction of gorillas and their importance to advancing scientific causes.
3. Penny Patterson feels a little too self-promoting and I didn't really like how she describes her research as being so revolutionary and how it would change the world without really providing enough support. I also don't like the P.S. part at the bottom of the letter as it appears too forceful. However, she is successful in painting a compelling image as it explains why her campaigning has been so successful.
4 & 5. Her letter is compelling and attractive because it ties the contributions to a greater cause and paints a grand picture of how the donations will help re-write the course of history. The story described of Koko also makes it more interesting because it really provides a personal connection with the cause much like the "adopt-a-child" concept.
The letter addresses every age range for audience types. Penny Patterson uses various aspects to get people hooked into the letter. Whether it discusses Koko’s mother who was killed by poachers or her playing with her pet kitten. She pays attention to the details that people would find most intriguing to keep them reading so they pay money. To me, Jenny Patterson seems somewhat full of herself because of her word language, but it is only to keep people reading. Jenny has been Koko’s teacher since 1972 and has taught her how to speak sign language. The techniques of her using examples of Koko are effective, but some of the sentences need re-structure because they sound insincere and the language is obviously used for only raising money.
ReplyDeleteI think the letter is really effective. The pictures made me want to read it in the first place, and the writer uses emotional as well as logical appeals. A shortfall I noticed is that sometimes things aren't ordered very well, and the beginning of the letter isn't very attention grabbing. I don't think I would have continued reading it if it had not been assigned for homework.
ReplyDeletePenny Patterson describes herself as the teacher of Koko since 1972. She uses this introduction to describe the close-knit relationship between her and the gorilla as Koko learns to speak through sign language. The primary appeals found throughout this letter are emotional ones, indicating this was written to primarily reach out to "feeling" people. In particular, this letter reaches out more specifically to people who are interested in animal care and the activism to support animal rights. This is shown through the prominent descriptions of preserving wildlife as a primary goal of the project (and the introduction "Dear Friend of Animals"). The descriptions and stories of Koko and even Michael are not only emotionally moving, but thought-provoking and interesting to read. An average person, even without donating, would benefit from reading this material and would likely share this information with friends and families ("Did you hear about the talking gorilla?") which would further advertise for the cause.
ReplyDeleteThe most moving part of this letter, in my opinion, were the specific examples of recall and personality shown by the animals. This is notable in two instances--when Michael demonstrates strong memory and recall abilities when describing a traumatizing abuse and watching his mother killed, and when Koko explains her love to "eat good". These are specific examples that really show a personality and higher level thinking ability shining through. This is a powerful message to get across to promote donating to a cause which will further research these personalities.
The letter has a few minor problems. I would have enjoyed some more logical details about the larger picture of this project and where it might lead. I also feel that this paper was short on specific details and experiences, especially since the ones provided were so touching. Finally, I was disappointed by the images included throughout the text. Only two of the images show the personal interactions of Koko demonstrating thought and personality. The other two images are rather generic pictures which take away from the descriptions of Koko's high level of activity and character presented in the letter.
-I think this is more for people who are actually "friends of animals," to whom this letter is addressed. The language used in the letter will mostly (or only) bring emotional response to people who care about animals, particularly gorillas. It might shake the emotions of the non-"friends of animals" a bit, but I don't think it will bring a huge affect on those people.
ReplyDelete- Penny Patterson personifies Koko, and makes Koko sound like she is just like a human being, one who is capable of becoming friends with humans. The part about Koko learning to use sign-language to communicate with humans sound a bit too corny (especially your reader is not a big animal lover). The very act of naming the gorilla, giving Koko a friend, and signing the letter with her signature and Koko's signature all are "manipulations" to make the letter appeal to readers emotionally.
-Penny Patterson creates a clear image of herself as a big big animal lover. I'm not sure when this letter was written, but if it is fairly recent, we know that she has been Koko's teacher since 1972, which is a long time. She is a committed friend of Koko's. She wants to make sure that she is seen as someone who is genuinely interested in helping Koko and the friend, and that she really enjoys and is emotionally very attached the relationship/friendship.
- For those animal lovers, all of the personal stories that Penny Patterson includes in the letter are very effective and good supporting details. And by using the "you" and "we" tone in the letter, she is including the readers. And the emotions Penny Patterson tries to convey in the letter are transferred to the readers, provoking the similar kind of emotional response. But once again, it would only work if the readers are animal lovers, just like Penny Patterson.
The gorilla letter is interesting in that it does not come right out and ask for funds for the organization. Rather, it gradually builds up to that point, first introducing Koko and also the writer and building some sort of credibility and interest. She keeps us reading with her stories of Koko's amazing abilities and with her appeals to the reader's emotions. I think one of the most interesting points is that she invites us not to support her organization at first, but rather to "become a member of the amazing world of speaking with animals."
ReplyDeleteClearly, this was an effective letter. It appeals to more than just the emotional--we do get more logical reasonings, such as where the money will be used and why it is so desperately needed. Penny gives us levels of giving, but she also attaches specific things that each of those levels can buy--which helps the reader to feel more invested if they do send money.
This letter is targeting the poeple who like animals, as well as those who like scienfic research. The letter does a good job at telling stories that will get the audience to want to help to gorillas. The letter also uses numerical data to get the audience to donate, through the number of gorillas that will be extinct in 15 years.
ReplyDeletePenny tries to play the friend ethos. She takes the world wonder approach; not everyone will see the "some of natures greatest secrets." Penny does not sound like an administrator in the letter, even though she is the president. Overall the letter is effective because they show the results that have happened through the research and are trying to get more money to continue the research and make a better environment for the gorillas.
Penny Patter has skillfully create the attention-getter to the audience, those who love animals, by using the pictures of the gorilla, Koko. In addition, the letter is also very specific as Penny introduces herself, the organization and describes Koko and the friends. She use stories such as Koko and the kitty, Michael and his deceased mother (how she was killed too)to appeal the audience. She also bold and underline important paragraphs that the audience need to read (maybe in case some people just want to skim through the letter because it's in face QUITE LONG). The letter make us think of Penny as Koko's friend, teacher and her mother. Penny describe Koko as if she was a human with emotions and feelings and that helping Koko is just same as helping another human being. I also like how she specifically suggest how much money the audience should contribute. Overall, I think the letter is very effective other than the fact that the letter is longer than it should be. I would not have read the whole thing if it wasn't for homework.
ReplyDelete