Community Profile :Article link : https://www.movingtoportland.net/suburbs/lake-oswego/
The article “A Guide to the City of Lake Oswego, Oregon” was a very interesting choice of material, because it included many of the common aspects of profile writing, but also strayed in places. This article was a profile with a purpose. Observing that that this write-up was published on a website called “movingtoportland.net", it is safe to assume this profile is a resource for people who are considering moving to the Portland area or the neighborhoods around it. This article was probably written to entice these potential new community members. Author Shelly Gowdy, a local Real Estate Broker, would personally benefit from these new additions, who would then be searching for homes in her area. Written by a current member of the community being profiled, the tone is personal and the language is lively, evoking pathos. With the intent, author and audience of this article in mind, the profile is expectedly more persuasive and therefor includes a more bias perspective. Reading even the introductory sentence, you get a sense for both angles of this article. As the 21 Genres book says is common of the usual format of profiles, the writing starts with a snappy hook phrase, expressing that Lake Oswego is “not your typical bedroom community”. Yet, this statement is also evidently a positive promotion of the town. Then, Gowdy provides some of the community's history. Not only do facts such as “the first iron furnace on the Pacific Coast was built in Oswego in 1866,” build Gowdy’s credibility (ethos) by suggesting an extensive knowledge of the town, but it also adds depth and character to Lake Oswego that might make it stand out when compared to similar suburban areas. Gowdy presents many other specific facts sandwiched between appealing adjectives which work to emphasize the interest of Lake Oswego as well as incorporate a more logical approach to her presentation. Gowdy shares that Lake Oswego is a “thriving city of almost 37,000.” She also includes more direct facts like “the summit of Mountain Park (Nansen Summit) is 975 feet in elevation”, and that “in 1976, then-U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield won approval of federal legislation declaring the lake non-navigable”. She even includes a link to the Oregon Attorney General’s Opinion considering the lake navigation, as well as many other hyperlinks such as : the Lake Oswego School District, Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation, Portland Monthly Magazine and Tryon Creek State Park, which allow the reader to explore further and see that the article’s content can be traced back to other outside sources. A link to ZipRealty is included when the article boasts that that this brokerage company declared Lake Oswego the “third best school district in the country with the most affordable homes” in May of 2013. Referencing awards and recognitions such as this, reinforces the logical appeal. An effective method of Gowdy’s is how she always follows her statements with specific examples. From the reading we’ve done, I know that adding detail is important in profile writing. When Gowdy touches on the town's interactions (another frame!), she mentions that Lake Oswego offers “a variety of community activities”, she then goes on to say, “events include the July Fourth Boat Parade and fireworks display; Earth Day, a water-quality education program; and a Christmas Holiday Boat Parade featuring lighted watercrafts”. Gowdy most likely has a wealth of personal knowledge regarding her city, yet I think it could have been beneficial for her directly cite more of her facts. She has placed footnotes at the conclusion of the article, but she could also incorporate in-text citations. Focusing primarily on framing the town itself, Gowdy mentions Lake Oswego’s residents only occasionally and refers to them in a pretty general sense. She claims that the town is largely made up of families, retirees and wealthy professionals with solid educational backgrounds. Interestingly, she also chooses to include that you can expect the to see luxury vehicles such as BMWs and Mercedes along with SUVS on the Lake Oswego streets. Gowdy selects 5 demographic statistics such as the percent of multiple methods of transportation and the average build year of the homes. Gowdy mixes selective facts, statistics, history, external sources, demographics, local insights and information with charming yet professional language to paint a favorable picture of Lake Oswego and achieve the credibility needed to successfully encourage her reader to move here.
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April 2018
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