In the beginning of chapter one, it describes many different purposes for writing that any person will use in different points of his or her lifetime. According to the book, we will be learning about informative and explanatory writing in chapter two, and persuasive and argumentative writing in chapter three. One of the most important words that is emphasized in mostly every paragraph is the word rhetorical. From what i have read and understand, rhetorical is being able to obtain or remember what you have read in your mind, and being able to project it for someone else to understand.

Later on the book goes on to describe the importances of writing in each phase of our lives. These parts include academic, professional, civic, and personal instances. It also relates people who have to do a significant amount of writing for their jobs to a high income, and also vise versa for people who don’t necessarily write as much for their job.

The Council of Writing Program Administrators has set up a standard set of goals for writing. These goals include rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, reading and writing, writing processes, and knowledge of conventions. For the rest of the chapter, these goals are briefly explained.