OTHER ASPECTS OF CRITICAL READING

A. The Author’s Competence

There are many factors that affect what an author communicates through his writing. These factors cover
scope of background knowledge and experience, education, habits, and skills. Their combination forms
the author’s competence which makes some authors more competent than others do in certain fields.

B. The Author’s Intention

An author’s intentions in writing a passage may be various. There is usually a particular purpose that an
author wants to achieve by writing a particular material at a particular time. The particular purpose must
be one of the general purposes of the use of language, i.e. to maintain rapport, to inform, to convince, to
persuade (and to move to action), and to communicate experience in esthetic form.

1. To Maintain Rapport 

Maintaining rapport is exemplified by the conversation which takes place upon chance
encounters with strangers and casual acquaintances when conversation demands that we speak
in order to avoid seeming rude. Thus, language is used primarily not for the communication of
ideas, but for the establishment of appropriate social relationships.

2. To Inform

To inform something to somebody else is the most common activity that people carry out using
language. To inform means to explain and to share. To successfully achieve this type of purpose,
professional writers often present their facts in a way that piques curiosity. Some times, they do it
by offering explanations in a guise that both interests and informs.

3. To Convince 

A writer who intends to convince always starts by cautiously discovering ideas he knows are non-
controversial. Then he examines the opposing viewpoints fairly and dispassionately; admits the
strength and shows the weaknesses; relies heavily on facts and evidence; takes care to present a
complete and logical picture; and, if possible, uses testimony from competent and acceptable
authorities for reinforcement.

4. To Persuade 

To persuade or to move to action is the most difficult purpose to achieve, because in persuasion,
the final appeal is to the volition and most human beings are reluctant to change. It is difficult
because everyone has reasons, often deeply hidden and unknown, for clinging to familiar ways,
and because action may mean giving up opinions lived with a long time, overcoming fears, and
altering habits.

5. To Present Experience in Aesthetic Form

This purpose is the goal a literary artist wants to achieve through the creation of his works.
Although at times he may inform, convince, or persuade, that is not his real purpose. Moved by
the significance of some aspect of life, he seeks to share his insights concerning human values
and human conduct.

C. The Author’s Attitude

An author’s treatment of a subject reflects an attitude toward it. Attitude can range from sad to happy,
angry to delighted, sympathetic to unsympathetic, tolerant to furious.
D. The Author’s Bias

To be biased means to be prejudiced about or to have a special leaning towards something. Recognizing
bias is very important in reading.

E. The Time of Publication of the Reading Material

The validity of ideas depends greatly on time. An idea that was valid some years ago may no longer hold
true at the present days.

F. The Policies of Publication

The policies of the publication often determine the type of the published material.