Chapter 1 Discussion
When I first read the title of the assigned chapter, "Understanding Genres", I was a little uncertain about the depth in which the following text would go. Genre seemed like a very simple thing to me. It was just a synonym of the word "category" and is often used for describing types of music. After reading the text, I found out that I was unaware of the different components that encompass what genre is and what genre does through the creation of a composition. The example given about the the Wall Arch did a great job in presenting how things like purpose, audience, and elements of genre play a role in the way a message is delivered to an audience. I would expect a park ranger to be brief and informative when presenting a press release, but when compared to the many other ways in which the same information could be conveyed, I realized that the way the park ranger presented the information was just a "genre convention". Something that stuck out to me in this text was how persuasion is always part of writing. This is something I never really considered, but when applying logos, ethos, and pathos complexly it was very clear that forms of persuasion are evident in lots of different compositions.
I also wrote about how the articles and agree that they were good examples of presenting the genres. I also agree that some subcategories of genres does make writing more clear.
ReplyDeleteI too was a little surprised when I read this chapter and learned how in depth it was about genre! I never knew how much goes into composing a piece of writing with the correct genre but I do understand the importance now of using techniques like rhetorical appeals and modes and media.
ReplyDeleteI think we all had a wrong predisposition about what genre really was and much like you I had a realizing moment. That is probably why she assigned us this homework and book.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the information about persuasion stood out. I never thought it was a part of all writings until I read this text like you said.
ReplyDeleteWe share similiar initial views of genre. I didn’t even consider using the word outside of the description of music. I liked your inclusion of the example of the park ranger and how well it simplified the concept.
ReplyDelete