HannahMagarian

WRT303
RevisedDefinitionalEssay
7/26/16
StrengthInNumbers
Towriteforpurposeisimportant,buttowriteformeaningfulchangeisimperative.Here
liesthehighlyunderestimatedpieceofpublicwriting;itsforeveryone.Withoutknowingitwe
seepublicwritingeverywherewegofromgraffitionthestreet,tosignswithparkinglaws,to
formallettersandbecauseofthispublicwritingsurroundsus.Nowthinkaboutit,ifyousee
publicwritingalmosteverywhereyougothenwhomaretheseauthorstryingtoreach?The
answerisassimpleasitsounds,thepublic.Thepieceofthisthatseemstogetlostintranslation
isthatallofthesedifferentmediumsdohaveonethingincommon,thepassionfromtheauthor.
Publicwritingisforanyonetryingtoraiseawarenessforanimportantcausethatismeaningful
tothem,andtheamazingpartofaboutpublicwritingisthattheoutletsbywhichthiscanbe
doneareinfinite.
Publicwritingcanbeusedinmultipleoutlets,andquitefrequentlypeoplearentawareof
whentheyareseeingit,accordingtoProfessorShamoonoftheUniversityofRhodeIsland.
Somedifferentoutletsofpublicwritinginclude;weblogs,signsatrallies,motivationalspeeches,
andordinances,justtogiveafewexamples(Shamoon6).Withinthesedifferentoutletsthereare
alsofivemainpurposesforpublicwriting.Thefivetypesofpublicwritingarepersonalpublic
statements,activistwriting,argumentativewriting,informativewriting,andfoundationaland
institutionalwriting(Shamoon5).Perhapstheseoutletsarethereasonswhypublicwritingisso
public,theoutletistheworld.InacasestudysharedbyauthorShamoon,AaronFriedmanis

upsetabouttherandomlyblastingcaralarmsinhisneighborhood.Inordertodosomething
aboutthisissue;Friedmandecidedtobringhisopiniontotheneighborhoodcouncil.Whenhe
didntgethisdesiredresultheresearchedaboutcaralarmsandstartedpostinghisfindings,
eventuallyheendedupbeingpartofthelocalTransportationAlternativesgroup,andfromthere
hecontinuedtofightforhisissue(Shamoon8).Inthedurationofthisstudyweseeaspoken
complaint,Internetposts,andeventuallyanactionistakentojointheTAgroup.Thisalso
illustratespersonalpublicstatementsaswellasactivistwriting.
Oneofthereasonspublicwritingisforanyone;isduetothefactthatitchangeswith
society.Partofthishastodowiththemanyformsinwhichpublicwritingcanexist.Sincemedia
andthepublicareconstantlychanging,themeansofwhichpublicwritingisexercisedisequally
changingwiththepublic.Alargeportionofthishastodowithsocialmediaandtheaccessto
informationbeingsoeasy,thatvirtuallyanyonecanbecomefamous.Letslookatthisthrough
theeyesofDorianJ.Murray,tofurtherillustratethisexample.Dorianwasthemereageoffour
whenhewasdiagnosedwithpediatriccancer,andfoughthisbattleuntilageeight.Inthelastfew
monthsofhislifeDoriandecidedthathewantedtobecomefamousandsharehisstorywiththe
world,andthatsexactlywhathedid.ThisyoungboyfromRhodeIslandstartedsharinghis
storyabouthisbattlewithcanceronInstagramandFacebookandinonlyafewweekstime,
celebritiesstartedwearingandpostingabouthiscampaigncalledDstrong.Now,sincehis
passingthereisafoundationforpediatriccancerinhisname,theDorianJ.MurrayFoundation,
andhehasmadeatremendousimpactontheworldandthesupportforpediatriccancer.Without
thepublicsphereandtheaccessofsocialmedia,thismightnothavebeenaspossible.

Notonlyispublicwritingforanyone,butitalsoaffectseveryone.Publicwritingisall
aroundus;subconsciouslycallingforyouropinionandoccupyingyourmind.JamesJ.Hiduke;a
formerprofessorattheUniversityofIowa,explainedinanarticleaboutwhatpublicwriting
meanstohim.Hidukeclaimsthattoassignstudentsapaperandhavethemprivatelywriteit,
reviseit,submitittotheprofessor,andthenprivatelyreceiveagradeandleavethepiecealone,
istodestroythemotivationforwriting(Hiduke303).Hecomparesthisprocesstocreatinga
plane;beingtolditcanfly,andthenleavingitontheground.Duetothisbeliefheclaimedall
writingshouldbeshared,ifachangeorpurposeiscallingtobeexecutedbytheauthor(Hiduke
303).Publicwritingiscreatingtheplane,testingit,andthensendingitofftofly.Between
examplesFriedmanandDorianMurray,weseetwoplanessuccessfullyandpubliclyflyingtheir
causes.
Eventhoughtheseexamplesareallvastlydifferenttheyeachhaveonethingincommon,
theyarepersonal.Doriantookhisjourneythroughwhatwasthetoughestpartofhislife,andhe
madeitanationwidemovementtoencouragepeopletofightbackharderagainstcancer.Thisis
whatpublicwritingisallabout.Publicwritingisadvocatingforchangeinavarietyofaudiences,
buttheissueisclosetoyou.