In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is a reluctant traveler. Gandalf's solution is to force the matter:

"But—" said Bilbo.
"No time for it" said the wizard.
"But—" said Bilbo again.
"No time for that either. Off you go!" (Hobbit 41)

Sometimes a target audience is willing to make the perilous descent down the cliff;

• In these instances, the reader readily relies upon the knowledge of the writer to guide that descent.

At other times, the writer's target audience is like Bilbo (above), and the writer needs to

• find a way to get the target audience to take that first step over the edge of the cliff.

After that first step, gravity is on the writer's side—arguing with the target audience to let the writer guide their descent.

1. Familiarize yourself with the content of this webpage and its linked webpages.
2. Write a 300-500 word reflective essay in which you explore how you might use some of that information in three different contexts:
• when you are writing,
• when you are interacting with classmates, and
• when you are reading a text composed by a non-student writer.
3. Submit that essay to your instructor.