Final answer:
The author of “Getting Through” aims to make readers appreciate the gravity of the challenges ahead and to prepare them for the book's content. The purpose of the text seems to inform and persuade, guiding the audience to comprehensively engage with the material to facilitate deeper understanding and learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the lines 1 through 8 of “Getting Through,” the author most likely wants readers to understand the importance of recognizing the severity of the challenges ahead. This impression is given by the statement, “The first step is appreciating in full the gravity of the challenge ahead.”
The purpose behind the author's writing appears to be to inform and possibly to persuade the audience about the significance of the issues being discussed. By urging the readers to comprehend the seriousness of these challenges, the author sets the groundwork for the arguments or solutions that might follow in the text. It is likely the author seeks to prepare the readers mentally and emotionally for the content discussed throughout the rest of the text, which according to the last lines could be overwhelming due to its grim nature.
From the provided information, it can be inferred that the author's main point revolves around awareness and honest confrontation with difficult subjects. The author employs the technique of relating personal experience, as indicated by the mention of compressing a perspective over many years into the book, to scaffold credibility and create a rapport with the audience. Furthermore, the author seems to suggest that a thorough engagement with the material, such as reading the text's effect on oneself and questioning assumptions, is crucial for proper understanding and learning.