Intention

Overall intention

Generally, the three main intentions with a text are to persuade, to inform, and to entertain. Petridis’ intention with his article “Robbie Williams: ‘My main talent is turning trauma into something showbizzy’ ” is mainly to inform and entertain his readers.

The writer’s overall intention with his article is to portray Robbie Williams in his current circumstances and give readers a sense of his state of mind and attitude towards show business.

Furthermore, Petridis speaks briefly about Robbie Williams’ new album, which indicates a promotional quality to the interview. However, Petridis does not speak about the album – or Robbie Williams’ qualities as an entertainer – in strictly positive terms. This indicates that he wants to appear objective – we could, therefore, say that Petridis’ intention with the article is also to portray himself as a serious music critic and boost his own career or reputation.

Often, what gives more weight to the writer’s message and helps him achieve his intentions is the use of rhetorical devices such as references and allusion, personal stories, antithesis, humour, and irony. Through these rhetorical devices, the writer is able to make his text more compelling and his arguments more memorable.

Help readers understand Robbie Williams’ state of mind

To help readers understand the dimensions of Williams’ struggle with addiction, Petridis includes in his article a long quote by Williams, in which he explains how and why he started smoking again. The quote suggests a cycle of addiction and helps Williams prove his own stat...