Chapter 1 Response
Chapter 1 covers many important topics, and I appreciate how it was able to refresh my memory when it comes to writing. I particularly like the section about appealing to an audience, because when I write I notice that I don’t really consider the perspective of the audience. I also like how this chapter covers ethos, pathos, and logos. I haven’t covered those in an English class since middle school, and I had almost completely forgotten their meanings. On page 18 and 19 there is an analysis of an article, and it was extremely helpful to see what the book was discussing earlier in action. The book gave examples of style, design, and rhetorical appeals in the article. In my personal opinion, I think that it was more helpful to see the rhetorical situations and genre conventions in an actual example, because it is easier to understand. The questions that they posed on page 22 about Paul Henderson’s press release and Shaan Hurley’s blog post allowed me to think deeply about both of their words about the wall arch collapsing. The student case study was also an interesting read, because it actually made me feel like I was the person writing the project. I believe that was the purpose of it, because it gave me good tips on how I should approach a paper. It did seem a little forced and my papers are usually off the cuff, but if I tried the approaches that Kristen uses I could possibly become a better writer. I also enjoyed seeing the final product of the paper, because it showed that all of that planning was worth it in the end. It was extremely solid, and it inspired me to think more about a writing plan and to compose my papers systematically.
I'm unable to post my reading response elsewhere so I'm posting it here:
ReplyDeleteThe Bedford Book of Genres proposes the following thought: “Why bother thinking about genres? Because they represent possibilities” (5). This insight and perspective lingered in my mind as I continued my reading. However, the mention of music as an example of one of the various genres we, as both people and students, are exposed to, coincidently struck close to home.
The chapter discusses the various forms genres can come in. Outlining how there is no clear layout or purpose and identifying the key components to take note of when reading or analyzing a piece of work, which can include situation, rhetoric, style, and audience. The same applies to music, which in itself is a composition that is then divided into genres. When artists are composing a song, the same key components must be taken into account. Audience, situation, rhetoric, and style all play a key roll in dividing music into beautifully allocated genres, which sometimes contain one or more sub-genres.
The quote referenced to above provides a very intuitive response that reads, “Because they represent possibilities” (5). Within my career as a student I have written various papers and essays, each pertaining to a question, situation, and/or person; however, what differed in these papers was whom I was writing to, why I was writing, and how I was writing. These variations allowed for a different end result every time, all of which fell under a different genre.
Perhaps it was the courses I took in high school, but close attention has always been paid to the audience, style, and rhetoric of the piece. This chapter allowed for a good refresher on the significant roles each component play in composing a piece of work that is unlike any others.
I agree with your connection to the girl doing the project. It was much easier to see the chapter in action through this detailed of an example.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the fact that this chapter did cover the three branches of rhetoric appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. I feel like this definitely would make any writer grow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about how the chapter helped refreshed ethos, pathos, and logos. I also barely learned them in school, just a brief lesson in AP Comp. And I also agree with how in the past I've never realized the connection with my audience when only writing for school essays not to focus on the audience but following the prompt.
ReplyDeleteHi Sydney
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear the student cases helped you understand genre in a different manner. They are also good examples to be followed in your own drafting process. Also, the audience of a text is indeed very important to consider. I'm looking forward to seeing the influence of the student cases in your writing.