Close Reading

While in the past I have enjoyed the close reading and analysis of both poetry and prose, I have never thought to apply this tool to my written communications. Given this assignment, I was (and still am, to some degree) apprehensive about the close-reading of such a casual exchange.

This e-mail, from my RA on behalf of HFS, is a simple check-in regarding those effervescent red emergency packs given us at the beginning of the Fall Quarter. The tone is casual, noted not so much by the somewhat inconsistent punctuation, but primarily by the witty side-comments included in parenthesis throughout the message. The message conveys her speaking-style quite clearly, using typical Michelle-vernacular, from her habit of saying "Hey guys!" to the intriguing subject line 'Remember that red backpack...' and opening line '...you were given?' that is just so English major, she uses her casual tone to invite us to respond to a rather dull question which, if otherwise presented, probably would not have elicited any sort of response. 

Acting as HFS messenger (a dangerous task) she was able to turn one of those horrid ‘Please visit this link and respond regarding ’ messages into a simple correspondence from our almost-friend asking for a quick response which may be as brutally honest as we choose. Because of its casual and friendly nature, typical Michelle-style language and tone, this message was infinitely more effective. From her tone, however, you also gather that she knows this and is almost trying to make the best of a bad situation: you can tell she is obligated to send this message, not entirely thrilled about this prospect, but wants to elicit a widespread response instead of a few non-committal replies.

Though I do not think I could misread this message or misinterpret the subject, this is likely due to the very straightforward, unembellished nature of this correspondence.