Please post your two questions and response to your peers' questions about chapter 1 of the Bedford Book of Genres by commenting on this post!
Please include your full name as well.
Questions should be posted by 10PM the night before class, and comments should be finished by the time we meet in class.
Marissa Latham
ReplyDeleteHow does the genre and mode affect the style/amount of detail in the work?
What are the three purposes of writing presented in the textbook (using blogs as an example) and how do they relate to narratives as opposed to blogs?
Different genres and modes warrant different responses. Genres like horror may offer less details about individual characters than say a drama because the two have separate goals. Horror aims to cause terror in its audiences while a drama takes its time introducing characters and their backstories so that one can get to know them and relate. The styles of genres are also contrasting. A horror film will shoot from unsettling angles and hidden behind shrubs to keep their audiences alert and uncertain of the surroundings while a drama may view large open spaces to familiarize the audience with their settings and characters.
DeleteModes of different types change in their amounts of detail to cater to the type of audience that is expected. Text-based modes will often provide greater detail than visual because imagery is required for the audience to envision the setting and characters. If the type of mode was some sort of audio, the audience would also expect more detail to gain insight into the ideas/story being presented and the speaker’s voice would need to be specific about the tones they use to correctly convey what is happening and how the creator intends to make their audience feel.
Ashleigh Forehand
ReplyDeleteConsidering that each genre has its own conventions, what can an artist/director/composer manipulate in order to create a piece of work that follows expectations while still maintaining originality?
Differentiate between style and design. Does one seem to be more important than the other?
Damian Williams
DeleteSomething that many artists/directors/ composers do to maintain originality while manipulating their work is making alterations to the Style, and Design. An example of this could be in movies. Movies are often adaptations of other ideas, plots, and scenarios. However, where many movies get their originality is in the tones, languages, and the attention they draw to certain details. Movies also use changes in design to captivate audiences in new ways that may not be original in content but original in how they display things. I see this a lot in scary movies. The movie will follow a plot that similar to movies before it, but surprise you by sudden changes in style.
Style refers to the techniques used to communicate ideas. If you want to emphasize an idea you use harsher tone by changing your choice of diction. Design refers to the parts of a composition that you can see/visualize. If an author wants to draw attention to a picture on a will, then he will describe it in great detail, hinting to its importance to the story. Neither one of these two techniques are more important then the other because they both work together to drive originality in works of literature. With out style many stories would be similar in things like tone and without design many stories would be similar in how they draw attention to detail.
Damian Williams
ReplyDeleteWhat do believe is the most effective rhetorical appeal?
How can you use the rhetorical appeals in your writing to captivate your audience?
The most effective rhetorical appeal is pathos. Pathos can trigger ones emotional thoughts that one may not uncover on their own. Pathos can often make one person feel special because they can encounter a relatable scenario that they believe was made for them. Pathos can also make someone think about others and another person's emotion. It can make one reflect on their own actions and possibly offer advice they might not seek out for on their own. By knowing your audience and the topic of the situation you can then decide which rhetoric appeal best suits the situation. For example, if talking about the media with a group of business students you could use ethos to show an example of how a famous business man used the media to become successful in his field of work. By seeing that this man is well known, successful, and using today's form of media communication they will feel motivated to then do the same
DeleteI believe that the most effective rhetorical appeal is Pathos. While ethos and logos deal with "cold, hard facts", pathos appeals directly to every member of the audience and their own personal experiences. When using pathos, every person in the audience can relate to whatever message/ information is being given in their own unique way. In general, people tend to remember information best if it is associated with some type of emotion, whether or not it is a good or bad feeling. Since pathos directly feeds into the emotions of the audience, they will remember the composition and what they were told because of the feelings they felt during the presentation. Pathos also helps the audience help empathize with whatever anecdotes are thrown into the presentation. for example, in her project, Kristen created an obituary for a man named Robert C. Ernst who suffered a fatal heart attack as a result of prescription drugs.
DeleteBianca Nogueras
Delete2. There are quite a few ways rhetorical appeals can be used to persuade and captivate an audience. To show credibility, authority, and even trustworthiness, then ethos would be present. For example, if you were to write a memoir, you need to get readers to see you as an expert and to accept that the information you're presenting is credible. If you want to appeal to the audience's emotions or values, take the pathos route. Pathos is especially present during advertisements when they're trying to persuade someone to purchase their product(s). And the use of logic and connection of facts and evidence to make a point is referring to logos, which is commonly used in argumentative essays. You need to get the reader(s) to agree with your conclusions or to make them think logically from a different perspective. To really captivate an audience though, you could use a little bit of everything to connect with them in all the right ways.
Daria Root
DeleteI believe the most effective rhetorical appeal is pathos. Pathos is the capturing of emotions of the reader and how they can relate based on their values and personal opinions. When an audience is reading or interpreting a piece, they will find they are interested if they can relate to that piece. Contradictory, an audience will lose interest easier if they can’t relate to the author. Ethos is the credibility the writer shows towards the reader, which is important, yet not all authors are experts or need to be seen as credible, especially referring to fiction works. Logos is the argumentative aspect of writing, used to make logical arguments and decisions, which doesn’t have to be used in all pieces of writing. All three rhetorical appeals can be used to captivate audiences in different ways. Pathos can cause a connection between the author and the audience. Ethos can cause trust between the author and the audience due to credibility. Logos can present logical facts that the audience will know is legitimate.
What life events could lead one to prefer one genre over another? What influences an attraction to a specific genre?
ReplyDeleteWhich rhetorical appeal is most effective when writing to a group of middle school students on the topic of media?
1. A person's preference of genre depends heavily on their morals, values, and beliefs. For example, if this person is more happy and upbeat, they would more than likely take preference to genres that adhere to their lighthearted personality, as they would find it more relatable. People can often be influenced by the people they are around and the environment they are raised in. Typically if their values align with a certain person, they will likely be influenced to enjoy similar genres, and to dislike genres that are enjoyed by people they disagree with. A person may also enjoy genres that are popular as they give the person a sense of social connection with those around them.
Delete2. The most effective strategy would easily be pathos. The majority of middle schoolers are still young, immature and unserious. This being the case, academic writing (logos), would likely be ineffective. Using a writing still that is unserious, humorous, and casual would be the most effective approach. They are more swayed by things they find entertaining; however, it is important to still make the writing persuasive in some way. This could be done by writing the paper primarily using pathos with instances of logos thrown in to make a point.
1. One's preference for a certain genre(s) likely depends heavily on early childhood exposures. For example, a kid growing up in a family full of Trekkies would likely have far more appreciation for the science-fiction genre than a kid growing up with comedies. Young children are extremely impressionable, so their interests are far more likely to develop earlier, rather than later, in life. Another life event that could shape one's interests would be an enjoyable experience after being introduced to a new genre by close friend.
Delete2. For middle school students, the most effective strategy would more than likely be ethos. At that age, kids still look up to those who are older, wiser, and more experienced than they are. As mentioned above, kids are very susceptible to change as they have likely not mastered the concept of critical thinking yet. If the students are not willing to take the writer seriously, then the pathos and logos strategies will more than likely not even matter.
Sofia Wennin
ReplyDelete1. When usng rhetorical appeals in a genre piece, which appeal do you believe is the most effective in persuading your audience: ethos, pathos, or logos?
2. How important do you think the mode and media is to the audience when presenting your work?
1. I believe pathos is the most effective rhetorical appeal. In the case of literature, audiences are more interested in emotionally engaging topics that they can relate to rather than fact-based writings which would fall under the rhetorical appeals of either ethos or logos or both. While ethos and logos are essential to any good argument or persuasive writing, I would argue that pathos is even more important as it forces the reader to address the emotional impact of the writing and can reinforce the ethos and logos in the writing. For example, many books written by former slaves such as the example in our book of Annie L. Burton's memoir intend to inform the reader of the horrors of slavery. The facts of the writings are often greatly reinforced by the sadness the reader feels for those who once lived in such horrible conditions. The emotional appeal (pathos) is what makes the reader remember the story and work towards never allowing slavery of any kind ever again.
DeleteRyan Moots
ReplyDelete1. What forms of mode and media do you think capture the largest audience today, and why?
2. If you were giving a speech to your business to promote a new type of soda that was healthier than leading brands, how would you incorporate ethos, logos, and pathos?
1. In my opinion the form of media that captures the largest audience today is a 'Tweet', a written and visual mode that occurs on a digital medium. 5 years ago my response to this question would be different, however as society has advanced, so has the importance of Twitter. Compared to other media outlets that focus on one aspect, a Tweet can include written word, pictures, video, audio recordings, live streams, advertisements, website links, etc. Ultimately turning Twitter into the number one online platform for marketing, communication, and self expression. It is my belief that the significance of Twitter will continue to grow in the future. After all, news outlets such as CNN or Fox News now turn to Twitter when keeping America updated on Donald Trump.
DeleteFoster Dore
ReplyDelete"As a writer, you have a specific purpose and an audience. You need to know what you want to say; you also need to know your readers' expectations and accommodate them in some way" (Braziller/Kleinfeld 8) By these guidelines, isn't the creative writing process jeopardized?
If the most effective/most popular rhetorical device within persuasive composition is Pathos, shouldn't we be worried that we aren't making decisions based on fact or credibility?
If one is solely relying on pathos to persuade an argument, the lack of fact and credibility should certainly be called into question. The combination of all three appeals is the essence of effective persuasion and arguments. By emphasizing pathos over logos and ethos, the author minimizes the effectiveness of the persuasive composition, ultimately convincing readers to lead with their hearts and not with their minds. By using ethos and logos in conjunction with pathos, a well-rounded argument can be formed through the composition. While pathos may be the most popular appeal, Aristotle argued that logos was the strongest and most reliable appeal because of its use of facts and statistics. As writers, we should effectively use all three appeals to achieve the purpose of our persuasive compositions. This way we can ensure readers are making logical, credible, and emotionally sound decisions.
DeleteBianca Nogueras
ReplyDeleteWhat do you believe is the most effective form of media?
As a writer, when do you use style?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAngelie Jean-Brice
Delete1. I believe the most effective form of media is digital media because technology is the new wave. Digital media is portable and easily accessible.
2.you use style when you compose as a writer
Angelie Jean-Brice
ReplyDeletequestion 1: How are genres flexible? give an example.
question 2: How does mode correlate with writers?
Brooke Kastner
ReplyDelete1. When writing a rhetorical situation, what are the 4 checklist items needed?
2. What is the purpose of using genres?
Sarah Mattis
ReplyDeleteHow does the introduction of genres in elementary, middle, and high school affect how we approach the different genres, especially in regards to genres we tend to compose?
Is it wise to focus solely on one rhetorical appeal rather than all three? What tends to happen if a composition doesn't use all three appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos?
While in elementary, middle, and high school, I was relatively unaware that different forms of media were all related by a composition standpoint. I did not see the correlation between genres like I do now and how that has affected the genres I use to compose. What I have composed in the past was all guided by what I learned while I was young and in grade school. I would not be surprised if the majority of my classmates compositions in the past (before college) only stretch to required and heavily structured essays and reports for class. We were taught that this is simply THE WAY to express a message or share a feeling, opinion with an audience. The reason most first and second year university students feel comfortable writing a strict essay with a rigid structure is because that is most likely how he or she was taught to write. This has the possible negative effect of not valuing all other genres and mediums as being equally important. Now more than ever I am learning about the many different ways that composing is done and I look forward to developing a greater understanding of every genre.
DeleteAndrew Stevens
ReplyDelete1. Is it possible that an author attempting to appeal to all groups/genres may end up appealing to no one in his work? Why? or why not?
2. What are some reasons (other than copyright infringement) that it is important for an author to list their sources?
This is definitely possible considering that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and are given the freedom to listen to whoever they please. An author is always trying to grab the attention of a certain audiences but because of the way in which society responds to situations, authors tend to either grab the attention of people who were not targeted or the people who he actually targeted are not interested in hearing their purpose. This is why there is a possibility that you may not appeal to anyone, even though there is a slight chance that is actually happens this way. It is important to list sources because it gives you a platform that you can always refer back to for more information. For example, if you wrote something down and want to think more on what you wrote, it is easier to refer back to an actual source as opposed to trying to find where you found the information all over again.
DeleteDavian Smith
ReplyDeleteDoes genre affect the purpose of ones work?
Would you consider social media to be the most important form of media? Why or why not?
Samantha Cote
Delete1) Yes, genre does affect the purpose of ones work. In establishing purpose, one must interpret the genre and appropriately write to an audience fitting that genre.
2) Social Media has not always been the most important form of media, but as it has grown over the years, I do find it now to be the most important form of media. Each platform of social media may reach a different generation of people, and each platform may have a different influence. As it stands now, social media is a growing industry that allows us to connect with each other and the world, and has become a great place to spread ideas and offer perspective which may be used to persuade, especially using the three appeals logos, pathos, and ethos.
Max Dou
ReplyDelete1. By using either Ethos, Pathos, and Logos combined with the three modes text-based, visual and audio. Which format or combination appeals more to elementary schoolers, middle schoolers and high schoolers? And why do you think the chosen format is the best?
2. Going back in time for a moment. Comics have played an important part in American culture since the release of the 1st Superman edition back in the thirties. How does Rhetoric, Modes & Media, and Genre play a part in the success of this type of communication?
Audrey Lugo
Delete1. Since the mind of an elementary student is still very young, they are not able to fully grasp and understand such comprehensive works of literature. Therefore, visual compositions might be able to help the student understand the literature better since they would be able to see what the literature is about rather than try to imagine it in their minds, which is why many children's books include illustrations to go with their composition. Again, for such a young age, I believe that in combination with a visual mode the rhetorical appeal of pathos would appeal most to an elementary school student. For middle and high school student, I think that any combination of rhetorical appeals and the three different modes would appeal to the group of students since the mind is more developed and there are higher expectations to what the students should be able to comprehend and interpret. All types of rhetorical appeals and modes are used in the middle and high school classrooms and I believe that the combinations wouldn't matter to the students.
2. Since comics are a fictional type of genre, I would claim that the rhetorical appeal in this work of literature is pathos, since the comic is a story about different characters and it is read for entertainment, thus appealing to the emotion of the reader. The mode of a comic is visual since its content is mostly pictures to go with the text it contains in the comic media. The success of this type of communication is dependent on its audience and how much its audience appeals to pathos, visual composition, and the comic genre.
Daria Root
ReplyDelete1. As an audience, how do you think we subconsciously consider Ethos, Pathos, and Logos while reading a story, ad, or report?
2. How do design, style, and different genres change the way our opinions are on compositions now versus our elementary age?
Judley Joseph
Delete1) As an audience, we subconsciously consider rhetorical appeals in subtle ways. Despite not thinking about it much, we as an audience would rather read something from CNN, as opposed to a news network and/or newspaper article from someone we've never heard of. This represents our preference for ethos and credibility. In terms of logos, we dismiss people's opinion if they do not correlate with ours, unless their opinion is sensible and well thought out. Without sensibility, a composition will quickly be dismissed. When subconsciously considering pathos, we as an audience wish to have something we can connect with. If a composition is bland and uninteresting, the audience will not hold interest, therefore dismissing it.
2) I feel as if design, style, and different genres changed our opinions on composition in early years just as much as they do now. In elementary schools, a simplistic design and relatable style allowed easy access to children's mind as they are in the beginning process of thinking critically and forming ideas. Now in collegiate years, a more advanced style allows us to formulate intrinsic and complex ideas. Design is still and always will be a major factor because the format of a story allows things to be clear to us.
Judley Joseph
ReplyDelete1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of text based compositions and audio compositions?
2) What are some conventions of a narrative genre?
Some advantages of using an audio composition are that almost everyone has access to the internet to retrieve the piece. In todays century technology is at an all time high, also some people don't read as fast as they can listen so it could save time. Another big thing that I believe is an advantage is that they would be understanding the passage fully because they will hear the voice and attitude they are using. A few disadvantages are that once you start and stop it may be hard to find your place again,since technology has a few glitches. The story will also kind of curb your imagination because it is being told by someone else in your head. Lastly it doesn't really stick when it is told to you, reading passages are easier to remember when you can look at it. In my opinion I prefer audio books but everyone is different.
Delete1. How do elements of genre, style, design, and resources play a role in each of the different modes (text-based, visual, and audio)?
ReplyDelete2. How can rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) be presented across the different modes (text-based, visual, and audio)?
Christian Harnden
ReplyDelete1) Why is considering the audience of a piece important when choosing a specific genre?
2) What are some advantages of creating in multiple different genres when trying to convey a message?
Max Dou
Delete1. Different types of literal works have specific target audiences due to the content of the piece. When writing a scientific piece dealing with innovative research the content of the journal is specifically directed to a mature and knowledgeable audience and not for a five-year-old. And the reverse is also true a scientist usually wouldn't be interested in reading children stories. Therefore, for the author to capture and retain the interest and attention of the specific audience he wants to communicate with, the content and writing style should match the expected standards for that distinct group.
2. Combining multiple genres at the same time allows for more diversity in the piece that's being written as well as give more emotion to the writing. A higher number of readers might be interested in works that have specific genres and by inserting and mixing them together the number of the audience interested will also increase. One important aspect of using different genres is the benefit of the work becoming more dynamic due to multiple elements being combined and thus drifts from the monotone use of only one genre.
Samantha Cote
ReplyDelete1) How can one determine the audience of a rhetorical situation?
2) What are the main components used when interpreting a rhetorical situation?
1.You can determine the audience of a rhetorical situation by paying attention to the tone and word choice used by the writer, as they can give helpful hints as to who the to work is intended for.
Delete2. The main components in a rhetorical situation are the purpose and the audience. The purpose of the rhetorical situation is the reason why it was composed. The three main purposes are to present a narrative / tell a story, to inform, and to persuade. The audience in a rhetorical situation is who it is composed for. They are they people in which you want to convey the purpose to. When composing, it is important to know who your audience is and be mindful of what they expect to see from your work.
Quentin Damasio
ReplyDelete1. Is it better to stick with one specific genre when writing or to blend multiple genres together?
2. Does the form of media used to convey your composition matter?
When writing, it is in the writer's best interest to try to incorporate multiple genres within one body of work. This makes the work multi-dimensional and ultimately can make a story more interesting. Being able to appeal to a widely varied audience is a skill that is to be respected as a writer. If you can include multiple genres, people who love all different types of genres can come together and enjoy the same body of work.
Delete1. How can a rhetorical situation affect which rhetorical appeals are to be used?
ReplyDelete2. Is it important to think of your target audience before you start writing, or is audience something you think about after the writing is complete?