Wardle’s article about authority provides the story of Alan, a computer support specialist and graduate of a large Midwestern university. This story is an example of how important authority is and how the use of standard English language has certain situations in which it is imperative to use. Alan has a god complex in his work position. He believes that because he helps program the computers, everyone below him is a user of the computers he helps out with. This is detrimental to his future and career, especially since he claimed he is a poor writer. His superiority complex is what caused him to send emails to the entire university rather than merely the target audience. Alan believes that he can write however he wants, and that is what caused his emails to be a running joke among the community. I am in no way like Alan; when I make grammatical mistakes, they are few and far between. I am very much wary of chain emails I send and who to send it to, and of course – I possess no superiority complex. I only write like Alan when I am allowed to for creative purposes. A possible solution to the issue Wardle identifies would be for Alan to take a writing class. If he is in a position that requires writing professional emails for a target audience, he needs to learn the proper way to write these emails. He also needs to learn about his own authority and be aware of his position among others in his job, or, as the end of the story suggests, find employment elsewhere.
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