In-class Precises

Nicholas D. Kristof, an official editorialist, published an Op-Ed, “Need a Job? $17,000 an Hour. No Success Required.” (September 18, 2008) claims that CEOs should not be making as much money as they currently do. The author illustrates her thesis by using several examples of real life. The author’s purpose is to get people aware of this problem in order to help change the salaries of CEOs. The intended audience is the shareholders of companies, since they are the ones paying for the expenses of the CEOs, who have a bond with the author through the common hatred of overly-well paid CEOs.
Reuters Wired Service, a large news corporation, was published in a small article in the New York Times: “Britain: 4 Government Laptops Stolen in Another Data Breach”, asserting that the British government has lost another 4 laptops due to thefts. The author supports this point by elaborating on the thesis and giving details. The author’s purpose is to make the public aware of this in order to have them send letters to their government to secure the data security system in the UK. Reuters establishes a formal tone with her audience consisting of citizens of the UK, and more specifically, Britain.