Writing With Authority

Authority can be used in many different ways, for various reasons. In the reading “Authority & Belonging”, the writer breaks down different uses of authority in writing and in life. For example, it states that you can speak as an authority or with authority. The difference being one has its opinions while still keeping others in mind, while the other disregards any other way of thinking, an egocentric way of taking authority. In Ostfeld’s “There are Infinite Correct Ways to Communicate”, she speaks a lot about her experience with her mother’s grammar and pronunciation, being that English was her second language. Although this writing doesn’t directly speak on authority, it shows it in different ways. An example of this her topic of Kyle Wiens and his qualifications on his employees. She states that he has a “zero tolerance approach” for grammar mistakes, and makes all employees take a mandatory grammar test. This is a state talking with authority, as used is “Authority & Belonging”, for Kyle Wiens because he has his opinion on correct and incorrect grammar and doesn’t take other opinions into matter. Using these when writing can have different effects on the reader, whether you’re persuading them into something or on a level of relatability with them.