Summary: Janet Boyd’s “Murder! Rhetorically Speaking” explains to students what writing with rhetoric is. Boyd makes her piece interactive to help students understand that writing is not just about what you have to say, it is about you say it. A writer has to think about who, what, when, where and how. You have to know what words to include and what to omit. Boyd makes her text seem like she is having a conversation with the reader and uses informal language with a casual tone to really relate to her audience, students. By making the text interactive, Boyd engages with the reader, giving them a task to help explain her main point, which is how to write rhetorically.

Response: Boyd takes a different approach to explain to her students how to write rhetorically. Rather than making a list of points that have to be incorporated, or a guide on how to write with rhetoric, she makes her explanation interactive. When a text ask questions or gives you a task, it helps the reader to interact with the writer. Incorporating the responses from her own students helps the reader relate to the students by displaying similar thoughts and responses to ones the reader may have.

This text connects well to John Swales “The Concept of a Discourse Community” when Boyd discusses jargon. Lexicon, or word choice, is one of Swales six defining characteristics of a discourse community. He discusses how each community has their own lexicon that they use to communicate a common goal. This is similar to how Boyd illustrates the importance of jargon for doctors, lawyers, etc. in communicating their goal.

Boyd relates well to her students when she adds in the reason why students know the basics of how to write like a detective. For the most parts, students learn through crime investigations shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or The First 48. If I were to write like a detective, my jargon would come from watching CSI, but as a student, I have thoughts like “am i the only one using words like this?” “how do other people know what to say?” so by Boyd adding this point about crime shows, it is comforting to know that you are not the only one with these thoughts.

Reflection: Boyd’s text has not only taught me what rhetoric is, but also how to use it. She shows awareness of who her audience is, and by speaking to them informally and casually, it keeps the attention of students. Had this been similar to an instruction manual of how to write rhetorically, most likely, students would lose interest and when reaching the end of the text, would still have no clue how to write rhetorically. When writing an essay, usually it comes out very formal, with proper language and very little emotion. However after reading this, I now have more insight into when certain language is appropriate.