Jenna Pepperman

WRT 303
February 7th, 2016
Professor

The Power of Writing

In beginning of this course, I asked myself if I knew what public writing meant,
and if I would consider myself a public writer. My initial thought was, no, I am by no
means a public writer. Then I asked myself, how often do I check Instagram, or post
pictures of my friends on Facebook, or tweet something about whats going on in the
world? And shockingly enough my answer was quite often. My question of whether or
not I am a public writer was then changed to yes. In the simplest of terms, public writing
is taking a stance on an issue or concept while trying to gain attention of the public.
Whether it is taking a stance on a debate, or sharing an article on Facebook, your ultimate
goal is to gain the attention of others. Public writing is the way you express yourself
regarding views you acquire through writing, graffiti, or social media. The idea of public
writing is to get your audience thinking about the points you are making, and dig to find
its purpose.
Upon enrolling for this course, I initially thought that public writing was only
something written by the Federal Government, or by people who held upper level
positions. The term itself sounds heavier than it actually is. Initially, I wanted to stray
away from this term, and not explore its true meaning, but to my amazement, this

heavy term describes me as a writer. Little did I know that something as simple as
wearing a pin for a cause that we strongly supported was considered public writing.
Linda K. Shamoon spoke about different forms of public writing, and how even
though each form was different, they all represented the same thing: to gain public
attention and awareness. One form of public writing is activist writing. This specific style
was what made me look at public writing through a different lens. If we feel strongly
about a problem affecting our community, we should wear pins that speak up for the
cause, or design t-shirts that made the problem known by the people around us.
When I first got my drivers license my junior year of high school, I purchased a
bumper sticker that said, Coexist. While purchasing this sticker for the back of my car,
I had no idea that I made a point/statement to the public. I simply liked the design, and
appreciated the fact that it incorporated a Peace sign, A Male/Female symbol, the Star of
David, a Ying-Yang symbol, and a Cross. Looking back on that purchase, after learning
about the meaning of public writing, I am now aware of the impact that sticker had.
Something as simple as the sticker on the back of my car constituted a form of activist
writing. It encouraged those who drove behind me, or walked past my car in a parking
lot, to jump on the bandwagon of learning to coexist with one another. Something so
small had the power to make others take action, and spread the word about the
importance of coexisting.
According to Shamoon, there are other forms of public writing that take place
when we feel stirred by formal and informal speeches, debates, forums, position
statements, or when we read in-depth articles about a specific topic. Originally, I thought
that this form of public writing didnt relate to me at all. However, Ive reflected on how

often I have written and informal paper or speech for a Communications class, or had a
debate with a friend over which coffee place to go to for breakfast. It made me realize
that my everyday activities can somehow relate to public writing. This form is referred to
as argumentative writing. When this form of writing is used, the author aims to draw
attention to a problem, and fixes it by finding reasons and clear-cut ways to fix the issue.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article called, How Well Do you Think Standardized Tests
Measure Your Ability? After reading this article, I realized that this was a form of
argumentative writing. The writer of this article was trying to convince readers that
standardized testing does not test your level of intelligence in a fair way. This piece used
a passionate tone of voice while informing the reader at the same time. Overall, this
article increased the readers knowledge of standardized testing and reinforced the issue
of the dangers of standardized testing and its negative impact on students.
Public writing is a form of art. It comes in all different shapes, sizes, forms and
texts. It can be in the form of actual artwork or graffiti, a press release, or a bumper
sticker, or a Twitter post. In the technological and informational society we are living in
today, I believe that public writing is constantly changing. There are going to be new
forms of social media and new ways to express ourselves every single day. More
importantly, public writing attracts issues of concern. According to Linda K. Shamoon,
we are not voiceless despite our large, mass and fragmented society. We have the power
to influence those in our community and make a difference, even with a simple share
on your Facebook page. No matter what degree they acquire, no matter how big or small
the issue is. Public writing lies in the hands of the writer and how well he/she strives to
gain the publics attention to problems. We are all in our own way public writers.

WorksSited:

Shamoon,LindaK.PublicWriting.Spring2014.Print.
"HowWellDoYouThinkStandardizedTestsMeasureYourAbilities?"TheLearning
NetworkHowWellDoYouThinkStandardizedTestsMeasureYourAbilitiesComments.
N.p.,n.d.Web.07Feb.2016.