Exploring effect on the reader

Key learning points

When reading a text look at:

• how a writer's words create an effect
• what consequences the words have have
• how those words influence a reader's emotion and understanding

An effect is something that happens as a result of something else.

For example:

• If it rains (cause) we get wet (effect).
• If we eat lots of sugar (cause) our teeth might get cavities (effect).

The effect of something is dependent on its cause – it can be positive or negative.

When we talk about the effect on a reader, we mean the effect of a writer’s words on the person reading the text. But who is the reader?

You

Firstly, you! You are the person reading the text, so you are the person being affected by the words on the page. Being able to describe the effect of language on you is essential in analysing writing and a writer’s craft.

General readers

Consider readers in general. People can share lots in common with one another so it is possible to write about the likely effect on the general reader of a piece of text, particularly fiction or a poem.

Specific readers

A reader will have a personal response and there will be a likely general response, but it is also worth considering what specific groups of people might feel in response to the words of a writer. Think about different groups in society: different ages, cultures, locations, races, religions, genders.

Contemporary readers

Readers who read a writer’s work at the time it was published are called contemporary readers. Think about what people at the time might have thought about the writer's words, and how this might differ to a modern reader's views. Often this viewpoint can give you an interesting perspective on the effect on readers in general.

The primary effect of words are feelings. This is because words carry meaning that is often personal and specific to us. A word means something different to an individual depending on their context, background, culture, experience, and many other factors.

Feelings can be hard to pin down. Look at the word bank below and explore how it breaks down feelings into more specific ideas - becoming more intense as each column is filled. These can be useful when discussing your feelings about a text.

One way to explain the effect of a writers’ words is to choose a precise verb to make the effect clear.

Here are some examples of verbs that can really help with explaining effect in a handy acronym FAULTS.

Feel
Ask
Understand
Link
Think
Sympathise

By working through these verbs you can really unpick the effect of language in detail, adding layers of analysis to your comments and writing.

For example, a student might write about the following line of Wilfred Owen’s poem Dulce et Decorum Est using the FAULTS verbs:

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.

Owen uses the phrase, ‘bent double’ to describe the soldiers. Immediately the reader might ask what has happened to these men to have caused them to become doubled over. The simile of ‘old beggars’ helps us understand just how damaged the soldiers are. The men are also described as being ‘under sacks,’ which makes us sympathise with the soldiers because sacks make us think of heavy weights. Overall we feel alarmed at the shocking image of pain and suffering presented to us.