Who's Reading?

One thing that English 111 has taught me a lot about is audience awareness. I've learned that a paper can be written using excellent grammar, perfect punctuation, and great organization but still miss the mark. An author that can target their audience and stay focused throughout the writing is able to better convey the point of their writing. An author that knows their audience is much better able to adjust their writing style and language usage to identify with that audience. Since we will be writing argumentative papers, it is of utmost importance to identify with the audience in order to make an effective argument.
For example, I could write a paper arguing for the legalization of marijuana. If this paper was targeted at marijuana users, I would use very different language and style than if I was writing it to a legislator. It isn't very likely to make an impact with a legislator if I use terms like grass, weed, etc., although these terms may appear in a version written for the marijuana user.
I'd like to say thanks to Stephanie for teaching me about audience awareness. This is one part of my writing that was really lacking. In previous classes, I hadn't even considered the audience, other than the instructor. I believe that with this knowledge I will definitely become a better writer. Hopefully, I will also become a more effective writer when it comes to argumentative writing. I know that I will be considering the audience from the first steps of writing a paper from now on.