Identifying Effect on Reader

Purpose

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As part of each of these modules, there will be a purpose that connects back to VCE English.

Effect on reader is pretty much the reason why students study Argument Analysis. Learning this properly is quite important.

Don’t mistake this for what readers will react with, but rather what readers may think, feel, or react with after reading a persuasive technique.

This means that the effect on reader ties closely with the persuasive techniques used.

Post-Module Learnings

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Following this module, these are the following skills you should have.

I am able to define what the intended effect on reader means.

I am able to identify a specific target audience for a persuasive technique.

I am able to determine the difference between the intended effect on reader in terms of what they may think, feel, or react with.

Content

Definition of Effect on Reader

This is the most important element of Argument Analysis, so it’s important you understand how it works and the different types of effect on reader.

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The intended effect on reader refers to what the author may want readers to think, feel, or react with after they have read or been exposed to a persuasive technique.

It is important that you can break down this definition into its individual components, and then from there be able to unpack exactly what it means.

Let’s do so.

The Intended Effect

First thing to note is that the effect on reader is only the intended effect.

We don’t know whether or not a reader will ACTUALLY have a certain reaction, only that it is probably what the author intended.

What does this mean in practise?

When you are writing your intended effect on reader, you need to avoid being definitive in your phrasing.

We need to be more measured, and propose what readers may react with, not what they will definitely, 100% feel.

E.g. AVOID this: The reader WILL feel sad… OR The reader MUST be angry… OR The reader IS happy.

E.g. DO this: Readers MAY feel… OR Readers are LIKELY to feel… OR Readers are PROMPTED to believe…

When you are mentioning the intended effect, it is okay to be unsure if it’s actually what the author wants.

For example, if you read a persuasive technique and you’re unsure whether it’s supposed to make readers feel angry or happy, don’t panic. Just go with more moderate wording.

E.g. AVOID this: Readers are extremely angry or depressed…

Instead make it a bit more passive: readers are likely to feel disappointed.

Structure of an Analysis of a Technique + Effect on Reader

Every chunk of analysis in Argument Analysis follows the same core framework. Understanding this structure is non-negotiable. It determines how your marks are distributed.

The Framework: Identify → Analyse → Effect

Your marks split roughly as follows:

Identify the Technique: ~20% of the chunk's marks

Analyse the Quote/Words: ~30% of the chunk's marks

Effect on Reader: ~50% of the chunk's marks

This means that half of every analytical chunk you write should be dedicated to the effect on reader.

Most students do the opposite. They spend 80% identifying and quoting, then rush one generic sentence of effect at the end.

What each part looks like in practice:

Identify (1 clause or short sentence): Name the technique and embed a direct quote from the article. Do not just label it ("the author uses emotive language"). Instead, integrate the quote into a sentence that also names what the technique is doing.

Weak: "The author uses emotive language."
Strong: "Through the visceral depiction of children “deteriorating day by day”..."

Analyse (1 to 2 clauses): Examine the specific words within the quote. What do they connote? Why did the author choose these words over softer or more neutral alternatives? This is about the meaning carried by the language, not the name of the technique.

Weak: "This is emotive and makes the reader feel sad."
Strong: "‘Deteriorating’ carries clinical connotations of irreversible medical decline, while ‘day by day’ emphasises the agonising, drawn-out helplessness of watching a slow unravelling rather than a sudden crisis..."

Effect (1 to 2 sentences): What does this make the reader think, feel, or be prompted to do? Be specific about which type of reader. Use tentative language (may, likely, could). Aim to include at least two of the three effect types (think + feel, feel + react, or think + react).

Weak: "Readers will feel sad about this."
Strong: "Parents of teenagers may recognise echoes of their own child's behavioural shifts in this account, transforming vague background concern into crystallised fear. Such personal recognition could prompt previously passive parents to investigate their own household more urgently, shifting from comfortable assumption to protective action."

The Three Chunk Lengths:

Two-sentence standard (recommended): First sentence covers Identify + Analyse with a touch of Effect. Second sentence is primarily Effect on Reader. This is your default.

One-sentence quick: Identify + Analyse + Effect compressed into one sentence. Only use this when the technique is minor or you are running short on time or space.

Three-sentence joint: Two techniques combined into one chunk, producing a compounding, overwhelming Effect on Reader. Use this when two techniques appear close together and serve the same argumentative purpose.

Think, Feel or React

This is extremely important to understand and unpack to be able to actually analyse correctly in Argument Analysis.

For many students, they struggle with breaking down what the different types of ‘effects’ there are.

Simply put, there are three key types of effect on reader:

What a reader may think

How a reader may feel

How a reader may react

Normally speaking, it is good to have a mix of these three types of effect on reader for your own analysis. This is the part that most students struggle with.

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Students tend to focus on just one of the three, generally the feel, and end up in a situation where they repeat similar ‘feel’ effects each time they mention effect on reader.

It’s important that you understand what each of the three above mean.

Think

This refers to how readers may have a new understanding or belief after reading a sentence or article.

For example, especially after including a statistic or expert opinion, it is common for readers to re-evaluate what they previously knew, and have a new perspective.

This is what think refers to. It is how a reader’s perspective or perception has changed after being exposed to a persuasive technique.

E.g. The crypto ownership rate in Australia is 17%, which is higher than the global average of 15%. [Source: Finder]

After reading the statistic above, it is likely a reader is going to now believe that cryptocurrencies are a lot bigger in Australia than one might first imagine.

Feel

This refers to how readers may have a new feeling or emotion after reading a sentence or article.

As with most advice with Argument Analysis, try not to go overboard when describing the emotion. Avoid emotions that are extremely strong (e.g. furious or exuberant). Try and stick with words that are more moderate.

For example, especially after an appeal to family or wellbeing, some sort of inclusive language, or an anecdote from a writer, it is common for readers to have a new emotion, or strengthened emotions around a certain situation.

E.g. “I wanted to get to $500,000 (£414,000), then take half out. I had over $300,000 around Christmas,” Duncan says (cryptocurrencies). However, speaking from his home in Edinburgh, he confesses to having lost almost all of it in the recent digital assets market rout. He is left with a portfolio worth (at the time of writing) about £4,000 – a fraction of the estimated £40,000 he poured in. He remains sanguine: “I’ve got friends who have lost eight-figure sums of money.”

This is what feel refers to. It is how a reader may develop new or stronger feelings after being exposed to a persuasive technique.

React

This refers to how readers may be pushed or prompted to have some sort of reaction (in terms of an action they should take) after reading a sentence or article.

This one is the hardest to define, so I’ll try and give some practical examples in terms of what this actually means.

For example, especially after some sort of call to action or proposal by the author, it is common for readers to have a reaction, to see a need for themselves to get involved in some way.

Readers may be prompted to speak out, or help spread the word, or denounce or challenge a belief.

This is what react refers to. It is how a reader may be prompted to take some sort of action or stand.

Including a Persuasive Technique

Just make sure you understand every effect on reader is based on a persuasive technique.

The problem is when students believe that persuasive techniques have to have an obvious, clear name for the technique (e.g. rhetorical question, statistic).

Most students are (wrongly) taught that the way to analyse a persuasive technique is by name-dropping, e.g. ‘the use of rhetorical question’ or ‘statistics’.

Remember, it is not the name of the technique that is convincing, but rather the words used within the technique.

Just because something is a rhetorical question does not make it convincing.

You really need to analyse the specific words within the rhetorical question for it to make sense.

It is not the name of the persuasive technique that makes a technique convincing.

Don’t just analyse the name of the technique.

Putting it Together

The key to good writing in Argument Analysis is following the steps I have outlined below.

If you can do that, then you will easily be able to analyse a strong persuasive technique and effect on reader.

You need to use the
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Identifying Basic Persuasive Techniques in order to select a persuasive technique to analyse.

Generally speaking, whatever technique you find, you should make sure it links to the Support, Condemn, Victim, Solution structure that you have found for the first body paragraph.

With the persuasive technique, make sure you can analyse a specific word or phrase within the technique itself.

Try to avoid just finding an obvious technique because it was easy to find.

When analysing the intended effect on reader, ensure that you can choose two of the three types at least.

Think, feel, or react.

Choose at least two.

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I would usually recommend spending 2 to 3 sentences analysing a persuasive technique, rather than just one.

The usual structure follows one of the three structures below:

The two sentence standard analysis.

You basically spend two sentences analysing a persuasive technique.

The first sentence is usually dedicated to introducing the technique with a little bit of effect on reader.

The second sentence is primarily effect on reader.

The one sentence quick analysis.

You cram together the persuasive technique and effect on reader in just one sentence.

This should only be used if you really can’t think of anything else for the effect on reader.

The three sentence joint analysis.

You combine together two persuasive techniques in order to create a stronger, more overwhelming effect on reader.

Overall, there are really three ways you can analyse.

Either with one, two, or three sentences.

It is best to explore what each of these three looks like, and we’ll spend some time analysing each one, so that you can see which one can be used when.

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These are good effect on reader openings, but remember, you need to make sure you expand on it.

Author-Led Effect on Reader

It means that it’s about what the author intends for reader to think, feel, or react with.

Ignites a passion for exploration within readers

Exposes readers to new perspectives

Invites readers to challenge their preconceptions

Sparks a sense of awe and admiration in readers

Impart a sense of urgency among readers

Establishes a sense of camaraderie with readers

Delves into the intricacies of readers' emotions

Unearths a deeper understanding for readers

Bolsters intellectual curiosity in readers

Provokes contemplation and introspection in readers

Disconcerts readers with unsettling themes

Instills feelings of unease and discomfort in readers

Generates tension and apprehension among readers

Sows seeds of doubt and skepticism in readers

Provokes feelings of indignation in readers

Elicits a grim and somber mood in readers

Exacerbates readers' feelings of isolation and disconnection

Accentuates a sense of disillusionment in readers

Fuels feelings of hopelessness and despair among readers

Confounds readers with perplexing complexities

Example list

"Accentuates a sense of disillusionment in readers": This phrase suggests the article emphasises the grim consequences of relying too heavily on AI, shattering any utopian illusions about its impact on students' lives, and leaving readers questioning the true benefits of these advancements.

"Fuels feelings of hopelessness and despair among readers": The persuasive article might paint a bleak picture of a world where AI has an excessive influence on students, causing readers to feel an overwhelming sense of despair over a potential future where individuals have become overly dependent on AI.

"Confounds readers with perplexing complexities": The article could delve into the intricate nature of AI and the myriad ways it can lead to addiction among students, leaving readers grappling with convoluted moral, ethical, and practical challenges tied to AI implementation.

"Provokes feelings of indignation in readers": The persuasive piece might use charged language and stirring examples to emphasise the dangerous implications of AI in an educational setting, arousing a sense of injustice and indignation in readers who then question how and why AI has become so prominent in the lives of students.

"Exacerbates readers' feelings of isolation and disconnection": The article could draw attention to instances where students relying on AI for educational support forfeit meaningful human interactions, fostering a sense of isolation and loneliness. This would evoke a sense of concern in readers, highlighting the unintended consequences of AI dependency.

Reader-Led Effect on Reader

The Principle: Different readers respond to the same technique in different ways because of their values, experiences, and stake in the issue. Specifying which readers and why they react differently is what separates surface-level analysis from sophisticated analysis.

How to Write a Reader-Led Effect:

Template: "For [specific demographic], [technique or quote] may [Think, Feel, React] because [reason specific to that demographic's experience or values]."

Key Principle: Always explain why that specific demographic would react that way. The "because" clause is what earns marks. Without it, you are just labelling demographics without analysis.

How to Write Effect on Reader: Step-by-Step Process

This is the practical process you should follow every time you sit down to write the effect on reader portion of an analytical chunk.

Step 1: Identify the author's argument in this section of the article.

Before writing anything, ask: What is the author trying to achieve in this part of the article?

Are they condemning something? Supporting something? Establishing a victim? Proposing a solution?

Your effect on reader must connect directly to this purpose.

For example, if the author is condemning junk food companies, your effect on reader should be about how readers feel toward junk food companies. It should not be about the issue in general.

Step 2: Identify the specific target audience for this technique.

Do not default to "readers".

Ask: Who would be most affected by this specific technique?

Ask yourself: "If I were a [specific type of reader], what would I care about most in relation to this issue?"

Step 3: Choose your effect types (at least two of three).

Before writing, decide which combination you will use:

Think + Feel: Best when a technique shifts understanding and triggers an emotional response

Feel + React: Best when a technique provokes emotion that leads to a desire for action

Think + React: Best when a technique changes perspective and prompts behavioural change

Step 4: Start moderate, then build.

This is critical.

Do not start your first chunk with the strongest possible effect (fury, outrage, devastation).

If you do, you have nowhere left to escalate in your second and third chunks.

First chunk of the paragraph: mild to moderate effects (concern, unease, curiosity, recognition, discomfort)

Second chunk: moderate to strong effects (frustration, indignation, fear, disappointment, alarm)

Third chunk: strong to intense effects (outrage, moral urgency, demand for accountability, mobilisation)

Step 5: Apply the "So What?" test.

After every sentence of effect on reader, ask yourself: "So what?"

If you can still answer that question with something meaningful, you haven't gone deep enough.

Draft: "Parents may feel concerned about vaping."

So what? → "They may begin to question whether their own child has been exposed."

So what? → "This personal recognition transforms a distant public health issue into an immediate household threat."

So what? → "Which could prompt previously passive parents to search backpacks, have difficult conversations, or demand school-level intervention."

Your final version should capture that full depth, not just the first sentence.

Step 6: Use tentative language throughout.

Never write "readers WILL feel" or "the audience IS angry".

Always use:

may feel / may recognise / may be prompted to

is likely to / are likely to

could prompt / could trigger

potentially galvanises / potentially compels

seeks to inspire / attempts to mobilise

Specific Target Audience

Generally speaking, there are a couple of common and broad ways to mention the reader.

Reader (the most generic form)

Audience (normally for presentations, but can also be used for articles)

Listeners (when it’s not an article, but rather a speech, presentation, or video)

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A lot of students tell me they can’t come up with the effect on reader. They don’t know what readers are supposed to think, feel, or react.

You need to learn how to put yourselves into the shoes of an actual potential target audience and really think from their perspective.

However, decent teachers will usually tell you to be more specific about how you mention the reader.

It is best to avoid calling the reader just ‘reader’, and to add a bit of specificity to what they are.

Obviously, there are other words that you can use.

Here’s a list categorised with the PESTEL framework to help you break it down further.

General

Enthusiasts

Parents

Whenever you have an article about kids, students, you can use parents as a target audience.

Voters

Whenever it’s about government, you can use voters.

Taxpayers

Whenever it’s about the government, specifically a new project or something, you can use taxpayers.

Shoppers or customers

Whenever it’s about a company or some sort of restaurant or business.

More conservative or liberal minded

This is for more political topics.

Patriot

PESTEL

Political

Politicians
Voters
Patriots
Government officials
Members of Parliament
Army members
Retired veterans
Taxpayers
Professors (or lecturers)

Environmental

Scientists
Climate activists

Social

Parents
Teachers
Families
Grandparents
Youths
Teenagers
Sports enthusiasts (e.g. tennis enthusiasts, soccer enthusiasts)
Doctors (or medical professionals)

Technological

Analysts
Software engineers

Economical

Bankers
Investment advisors
Investors

Legal

Lawyers (or solicitors)
Lawmakers
Policymakers

Scenario 1 - Application

“paradoxical promotion of Carlton breweries and McDonald’s”, deliberately mentioning the brands of “Carlton breweries and McDonalds”

fear and concern for children, especially those vulnerable to these kinds of marketing advertisements that they can’t really separate as unhealthy

disappointment and anger at allowing or enabling these large corporations to take advantage of an otherwise healthy and happy moment for Australians and imprinting sportslovers with unhealthy habits

shock that nothing has been done to prevent such open displays of unhealthy food marketing

In deliberately mentioning the brands of “Carlton breweries and McDonalds” in exploiting young children’s excitement at sports events to prey on their desire for unhealthy junk food, it is likely that parents may feel concern at those younger generations who are vulnerable to the broad advertisements that specifically target children.

Thus, readers may feel disappointed at the lack of regulation enabling these large corporations to take advantage of an otherwise happy and healthy moment for Australians by imprinting sportslovers with unhealthy habits.

We know this first body paragraph is mainly negative. Most of the paragraphs here in the article are ‘negative’.

We know it’s a condemn (the author is condemning these unhealthy food companies and beverage companies).

We know that we’re condemning sports sponsorships from these junk food and unhealthy beverage companies.

I know now, that my effect on reader needs to be more specifically about how the author wants readers to feel about the junk food and unhealthy beverage companies.

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If you do what the standard student does and just find techniques for the sake of finding techniques, your effect on reader may not be as clear, targeted, and specific.

Title: first technique “sports sponsorships and kids health - who are the real winners?”

Raising unseen concerns [think]. [feel]. Piquing the parent’s interest and fear of their children’s wellbeing.

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Start with phrasing and effects that are a lot more moderate at the beginning of your paragraph, rather than trying to jump to the most fancy and extravagant effects on reader that you can think of.

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A lot of students say: I ran out of ideas, I don’t know what other effects on reader I can use.

The problem isn’t that they don’t have enough ideas or effect on reader concepts.

It’s rather that they started too strong and had nowhere left to build to.

Two sentence

Commencing with a title that contrasts a disparity between “sports sponsorships and kids health”, the deliberate challenging of the “real winners” off-field immediately raises minor concerns around how sports marketing may be manipulating the emotions and naivety of children.

For parents, this may be additionally concerning as their fear of children’s wellbeing is piqued, specifically at the phrasing “real winners”, which highlights the long-term danger to a child’s health despite participating in frequent sports.

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The amount of effect on reader is really what varies between a two sentence structure and a one sentence structure.

One sentence

The author commences with the unexpected contrast of “sports sponsorships” against “kids health” in the title, in order to provoke parent’s fears around their children’s wellbeing, afraid that the “real winners” are actually large corporations preying on their child’s physical health.

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You are technically making a sacrifice when you decide to spend only one sentence on the technique. You will need to rush through your effect on reader.

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Frustration, anger, disappointment, loathing have been avoided in the first technique effect on reader because this is what I mean about building up.

In the later techniques, that’s when you should be building up towards them.

“paradoxical promotion”: second technique (alliteration, harsh lexical choice)

In playing on parents fear with the alliteration of “paradoxical promotion”, the author seeks to undermine the trust parents have in fair and responsible “promotion” and advertisements, enabling them to question whether corporations are genuinely driven to nourish their children.

“hardly the fuel of champions”, Adam Goodes, Dale Thomas (name and shame)

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You should be analysing the title of the piece whenever you can.

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Yes, I would recommend you analyse chronologically if you can. Analyse in order of what the author presents in the article.

Escalating Effect Across a Body Paragraph

Your effect on reader should not remain at the same intensity throughout a body paragraph.

It needs to build, the same way the author's argument builds.

The Escalation Principle:

Chunk 1 (opening technique): Plant a seed. Use moderate, measured effect language. The reader should start to feel something, but not yet be overwhelmed.

Words to use: concern, unease, curiosity, recognition, discomfort, questioning

Chunk 2 (developing technique): Intensify. The second technique should compound the first, building the reader's emotional investment.

Words to use: frustration, indignation, fear, disappointment, alarm, growing anger

Chunk 3 (culminating technique): Peak intensity. The final technique should push readers to their strongest response. Action, outrage, or a fundamental shift in belief.

Words to use: outrage, moral urgency, demand for accountability, mobilisation, visceral horror

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake 1: Starting with "The author uses..."

Problem: "The author uses emotive language to make readers feel sad."

Fix: Integrate the technique into a clause that also begins the analysis. Drop the word "uses" entirely.

Before: "The author uses a statistic to show how bad the problem is."

After: "Quantifying the crisis through the ‘alarming figure of 47%,’ the editorial strips away any remaining comfort of statistical ambiguity..."

Mistake 2: Writing "readers" without specifying which readers

Problem: "Readers will feel angry about this."

Fix: Name the demographic. Explain why that specific group would react that way.

Before: "Readers will be concerned about the environment."

After: "Suburban homeowners who have previously treated climate change as an abstract future problem may find their comfortable detachment shattered, particularly as the flood data implicates their own postcode."

Mistake 3: Only using "Feel" effects (ignoring Think and React)

Problem: Every effect sentence is some variation of "readers may feel angry, sad, concerned."

Fix: Deliberately plan your effect type before writing. Use the combinations from Step 3 above.

Before: "Parents may feel angry. Parents may feel disappointed. Parents may feel frustrated."

After: "Parents may come to recognise that corporate sponsorship is not the benign community investment they had assumed [think], provoking a sense of betrayal at having unwittingly exposed their children to predatory marketing [feel], and potentially prompting them to raise the issue at the next club committee meeting [react]."

Mistake 4: Generic, surface-level effects that could apply to any article

Problem: "Readers may feel concerned about the issue and want change."

Fix: Make the effect specific to this article, this technique, this audience. Reference the actual content.

Before: "Readers may feel concerned about the issue."

After: "Working parents who rely on after-school care programs may feel a sinking recognition that the budget cuts documented here directly threaten the infrastructure their daily routine depends on, transforming a policy announcement into a personal logistics crisis."

Mistake 5: Starting too strong (leaving nowhere to build)

Problem: First chunk uses "outraged", "furious", "devastated". Then the second and third chunks have nowhere to escalate.

Fix: Start with moderate effects and build. See the Escalation Principle above.

First chunk: concern, unease, recognition, questioning

Second chunk: frustration, indignation, alarm, growing anger

Third chunk: outrage, moral urgency, demand for action, mobilisation

Mistake 6: Forgetting tentative language

Problem: "Readers WILL be angry. The audience IS horrified."

Fix: Always hedge. You are analysing what the author intends, not stating what will happen.

Before: "Readers will feel devastated."

After: "Readers may feel a deepening sense of despair as..."

Self-Editing Checklist for Effect on Reader

Run through this after every chunk of analysis you write.

Identify

Technique named with a direct, embedded quote (not just labelled)

Specific words within the technique analysed (not just the technique name)

Quote is 2 to 6 words, not an entire sentence

Analyse

Connotations of specific word choices explored

Comparison to neutral or softer alternatives made (why this word, not that word?)

Analysis is contextual (about this article's meaning, not a dictionary definition)

Effect on Reader

At least two of the three effect types included (Think + Feel, Feel + React, Think + React)

Specific demographic named (not just "readers")

Tentative language used throughout (may, likely, could, potentially)

Effect connects to the author's purpose in this section of the article

"So What?" test applied. The effect goes beyond one surface sentence

Intensity is calibrated appropriately (moderate early, strong later)

Overall

Effect on Reader constitutes approximately 50% of the chunk's word count

No use of "the author uses" as a sentence starter

No definitive claims ("readers WILL feel")

Effect builds from the previous chunk (escalation, not repetition)