{"id":13690,"date":"2014-02-13T23:27:50","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T23:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=13690"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:41:06","slug":"purpose","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Author&#8217;s Intent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_xyMV33E9ycQ\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_xyMV33E9ycQ\" data-source-videoID=\"xyMV33E9ycQ\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Understanding the Author&#8217;s Intent Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Understanding the Author&#8217;s Intent\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_xyMV33E9ycQ:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_xyMV33E9ycQ {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/712-understanding-the-author-s-intent-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_xyMV33E9ycQ\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_xyMV33E9ycQ\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Understanding the Author&#8217;s Intent\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_xyMV33E9ycQ\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_xyMV33E9ycQ\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_xyMV33E9ycQ\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction giV_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"giV\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"giV_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"giV\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#P_I_E\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">P.I.E.<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Persuade\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Persuade<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Inform\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Inform<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Entertain\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Entertain<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Charles Dickens\u2019 masterpiece <em>A Tale of Two Cities<\/em> contains one of the most famous opening lines in all of literature: \u201cIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what was Dickens\u2019 intent or purpose in writing not only that line but the whole novel itself?<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to this video about author intent and purpose. An author writes with a <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/authors-position\/\">purpose<\/a>, whether it\u2019s to persuade, inform, or entertain. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"P_I_E\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>P.I.E.<\/h2>\n<p>\nDo you like pie? I do. It doesn\u2019t matter what kind of pie you like as long as you remember the three letters that make up pie, because that\u2019s how you can remember the intent and purpose categories authors use most. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1481\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-1024x593.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-768x444.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-1536x889.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/What-is-the-Authors-Purpose-logo-2-2048x1185.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>See? It\u2019s easy as PIE.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look at the technique writers use to persuade, inform, and entertain.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it may seem really easy to determine whether the author means to persuade, inform, or entertain. But in some cases, it isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n<p>First, let\u2019s remember that writing encompasses a number of different fields. There are book authors, as we\u2019ve noted. There are reporters who write for daily newspapers. Advertising and marketing representatives write on behalf of clients. In all cases, they\u2019re writing with an intent in mind.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Persuade\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Persuade<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s start with persuasion. Persuasion, nowadays, takes a number of different forms. Companies use advertising and marketing to persuade the audience that their product is the best. Digital media platforms, in some cases, have a specific point of view and want to persuade their audience that they\u2019re right. Book authors work in the art of persuasion. Any number of diet books on the market seek to persuade you that their plan will work for you. One of the most popular books of all time relies on persuasion. Dale Carnegie\u2019s <em>How to Win Friends and Influence People<\/em> tries to persuade you that you too can become more popular. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Inform\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Inform<\/h3>\n<p>\nThen there\u2019s <em>inform<\/em>. News reporters have been informing the public for centuries on the important news of the day. But novelists also inform. They inform by recounting important historical events, or analyzing data, and presenting evidence to back up the claims. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at a few books that aim to inform. <em>The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less<\/em> explains, in an informative way, how the endless choices we have contribute to anxiety and depression.  Any cookbook, like <em>The Joy of Cooking<\/em>, informs us how to use ingredients to make certain foods. And <em>Flags of Our Fathers<\/em> informs us about the story behind the most famous war photo in American history\u2014the six men who raised the American Flag at Iwo Jima.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Entertain\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Entertain<\/h3>\n<p>\nLastly, we use writing to entertain. Entertain can have a number of different meanings. Look at it this way. If the writing has elicited an emotional response, you\u2019ve probably been entertained. The famous newspaper columnist Dave Barry and the editorial cartoonist Mike Peters each entertain with dry humor. The humorist Will Rogers entertained with his wry observations that included, \u201cEven if you\u2019re on the right track, you\u2019ll get run over if you just sit there.\u201d The classic <em>To Kill a Mockingbird<\/em> even entertains because it explores the injustices that happened during a time in American history.<\/p>\n<p>Persuade. Inform. Entertain. Remember, it\u2019s as easy as eating PIE.<\/p>\n<p>So that\u2019s our look at an author\u2019s intent and purpose. I hope this overview was helpful!<\/p>\n<p>See you guys next time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing\/\">Return to Writing Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Writing Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99751,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-13690","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","7":"page_category-writing-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13690"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":281498,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13690\/revisions\/281498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}