The text “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” was written by Jonathan Safran Foer and the text “Communication Styles” was written by Deborah Tannen. “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is a short story written in a stream of consciousness mode while “Communication Styles” is a text written in an explanatory way. There are more differences than similarities between these two texts. “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is written in a completely different way than “Communication Styles” and the audience and purpose are different, although the tone of both texts is similar.
“Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is a short story which deals with a life perspective of a husband reflecting a long marriage with his wife. The audience is consisted of anyone who will read the story and who is interested in Foer’s storytelling techniques. The New Yorker first published this story, so it was aimed at wide audiences who read this magazine. “Communication Styles” explains Tannen’s research methods which she used for writing her book about communication in class. This text was published in a journal and reprinted later for further study. Her audience is consisted of her peers, colleagues, students and anybody interested in her experience as an educator. She explains how she conducted her research: “The primary focus of my linguistic research has been the language of everyday conversation” (Tannen 345). She elaborates on the different communication styles in her class and focuses on the differences between male and female communication. She uses more formal vocabulary and the way of writing than Foer because she is writing in a formal way since she is describing a research which she conducted in her university class. Deborah mentions how many male and how many female students she had in the same class and what were the differences between them. Foer writes about his marriage and about life in general. The man is the husband and he has been trying to please his wife during the whole marriage. He describes their marriage from the beginning until the present time. He says: “I was always never complaining because confrontation was death to me, and because everything was pretty much always pretty much O.K. with me” (Foer 341). He has a unique style of writing and the audience feels as if they were reading his personal journal because of that.
The purpose of writing of “Communication Styles” is informative because Tannen is writing about her experience as a professor and about her findings which were the result of her research. She says that boys are more inclined to speak in class than girls “since it entails putting oneself forward in front of a large group of people, many of whom are strangers and at least one of whom is sure to judge speakers’ knowledge and intelligence by their verbal display” (Tannen 345). She came to this conclusion through research which is why the purpose of her writing is informative. On the other hand, “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is a creative piece of work which is written in an unusual manner and has the purpose of entertaining. However, this is not pure entertainment because the text is intellectually engaging just like Tannen’s text which is the similarity between these two texts. Foer says: We were always never mentioning it, because we didn’t know what it was. I did nothing but look for you for twenty-seven years” (Foer 342). The audience might also be his wife because that is implied by the way he writes about his marriage. People cannot avoid putting themselves in his position while reading this short story which is entertaining. The husband is talking about his point of view on life and about his experience as a married man. He seems to remember everything about the marriage, about his feelings and about his wife’s feeling and he also mentions something that bothered him when he was young. He says: “Why didn’t you lose your virginity to me?” (Foer 343). This is just a random though for the purpose of entertainment because it is irrelevant after so many years in marriage. Foer is also thinking about what could have happened but did not which suggests that he is thinking about life in general.
The tone of “Communication Styles” is formal because Tannen is explaining her method to the reader and she is trying to sound like a professional, which she is. She is talking about her first-hand experience from class and about the way she dealt with the communication. Tannen was trying to make the girls talk more and she conducted the experiment of dividing the class into smaller groups. She says: “I could see plainly from my observation of the groups at work that women who never opened their mouths in class were talking away in the small groups” (Tannen 347). Tannen did an extensive research which she used for her book and her tone in this text is formal as well because she is presenting the methods she used in class. The tone of “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is very informal because Foer is trying to entertain the public to express himself in an artistic way and art does not have to be formal. Art speaks to people in many different ways on various levels which is why his language is not formal.
The texts “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” and “Communication Styles” have many differences because of the different audiences they are intended for, but they are both informative and engage the reader’s attention. Foer’s text is entertaining and artistic, while Tannen’s is informative and written in an academic way for the academic purposes. Foer’ text is artistic which is why it can be read by anybody who is interested in his unique style. It is informative as well because it gives insight into his perspective on marriage. The audience is wide for both of the texts because Tannen’s text can be read by non-professionals who are interested in research related to the classroom experience and gender related styles of communication in academic institutions. Both texts are successful in conveying the message which was intended by the authors.
Works Cited
Foer, Jonathan S. "Here We Aren't, So Quickly." The Essay Connection. Ed. Lynn Z. Bloom. 10th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2012. Print.
Tannen, Deborah. "Communication Styles." The Essay Connection. Ed. Lynn Z. Bloom. 10th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2012. Print.
