Introduction to Purpose F25

Definition of Purpose: The motives that underlie a person’s actions or words.
Function: The desired actions the author wants their audience to take after interacting with their work.
Key Questions for Purpose Analysis:
- What is the author’s background information?
- What are the author’s goals?
- What actions does the author hope will be taken by the audience?
- How do the author’s goals/expected outcomes influence their statements in the document?

Importance of Sourcing Information: Sourcing provides clues about the author's background, but analysts should consider more than just listed information.

Example: Samuel Gompers, "What Does Labor Want?" (speech before the International Labor Congress, Chicago, 1893).
Key Factors for Author's Background and Goals:
- Group Affiliation: Identify what group they belong to and its platform or goals.
- Document Type: Recognize if the document is a law and its intended objectives.
- Historical Context: Assess if the author is part of a larger historical trend (e.g., industrialization, civil rights), and what their goals are in respect to that trend.
About Samuel Gompers:
- Leader of the American Federation of Labor, focusing on better working conditions and basic labor rights.
- In the context of the Second Industrial Revolution, aimed at empowering workers.

Gompers' Speech Reiteration: “We demand a reduction of the hours of labor, which would give a due share of work and wages to the reserve army of labor…”
Stated Purpose:
- To organize local unions to improve working conditions.
- Suggested actions: Engage in strikes for higher wages and shorter workdays.

Warning About Purpose Interpretation:
- Purpose is frequently misidentified or overlooked.
- Key Requirements for a Proper Purpose:
- Must be actionable.
- It is not merely a description of the document.
- Avoid vague descriptors like “to show,” “explain,” or “describe.”
- The actionable purpose must prompt next steps for the audience, reflecting a direct call to action.
- Example of Actionable Purpose: To organize local unions to necessitate improved work conditions, including higher wages and shorter hours.

Document Impact Demonstration:
- Gompers' goals create an urgency reflected in the speech.
- His demands for better conditions aim to galvanize convention attendees to advocate for their communities.

Situations for Purpose Usage:
- When analyzing sources such as legal documents, petitions, advertisements, and speeches.
- Purpose is critical in AP Exam scenarios.

Purpose of Image: To sell Coca-Cola to average consumers and increase sales.

Purpose of Image: To assist in electing William McKinley as President of the United States.

Purpose of Document: To disqualify black voters and maintain social inequalities in the South.

Purpose of the Excerpt:
- To garner support for Bryan’s presidential campaign following his nomination.
- Targeted to inspire action among supporters to address key issues like silver coinage and criticism of big business.
Key Excerpt Insight: Addressing broader commercial and labor issues to foster a massive rallying of support against the gold standard.

Key Quote Analysis: Douglass urges enlistment in military service as a means to gain citizenship rights and respect.
Overall Rhetoric Goal: To inspire African Americans to fight for their rights and honor through patriotism.

Purpose Analysis: Emphasized dedication to unfinished work and memorialized the dead's sacrifice while reinforcing government accountability to the people.