Writing Styles within Non Fiction
“Hogs Wild” by Ian Frazier and “Tentacles of Rage” by Lewis Lapham are both informative articles on their respective subject matters. However, their writing styles and choice of language differs greatly. While both are interesting, in essence, Frazier adopts a more comfortable, welcoming tone, which is likely to attract more readers.
In “Hogs Wild,” Frazier discusses the rise in numbers of wild hogs in the U.S. The article is written in a conversational and accessible manner. From the first sentence, readers are provided with a decent introduction to the subject and are made to feel comfortable: “Of all the domesticated animals, none become feral more readily, or survive better in the wild, than the hog” (Frazier). On a very different subject, Lapham’s article, “Tentacles of Rage,” discusses the history of Republican propaganda. Unlike Frazier, Lapham opens with a long and word-heavy sentence, listing several names and dates. While, historically, the article is interesting, the beginning may serve to put many readers off.
Furthermore, Frazier incorporates humour into his article, for example: “The wild hog is an infestation machine” (Frazier). His writing style, especially combined with appropriate moments of humour, is far more appealing to most readers than that adopted by Lapham, who’s article is heavily laden with statistics, numeric lists and dates.
Both “Hogs Wild” and “Tentacles of Rage” are well researched and thorough pieces of nonfiction about their authors’ chosen subjects. However, the differences between them are vast. While Lapham writes in a formal, academic manner, Frazier writes in a conversational and witty manner. Of the two, Frazier’s style is more attractive and easy to read, making people more likely to finish the article.
