http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/opinion/the-concealed-carry-fantasy.html?_r=0
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-morrison-lythcott-haims-20151028-column.html
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-galperin-environmental-desperation-20151029-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/07/24/my-son-has-been-suspended-five-times-hes-3/?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-proposition-47-hammer-drug-felonies-20151026-story.html
Now I will answer the questions posed in the Writing Public Lives reading about this genre.
- SOCIAL CONTEXT
This genre is typically set in the setting of a newspaper like the LA Times or the New York Times, in this case an online newspaper.
The subject of the genre can be literally anything. Any opinion anyone wants to share, but generally opinions that are more emotional and pathos packed are shared in the op-eds.
Typically it is readers of the newspaper that write into the newspaper or the editorial board. I will be adhering more to the editorial board side because I feel like they have more credibility than writing as some random person.
The genre is used across from the editorial page and is used to give opinions and personal stories on the subject matter. This needs to be excluded in other genres to stay unbiased but in this genre my approach would fit right in. The people who read these get a personal opinion instead of a formal article, and the people who write these get to share their own opinion on the matter in an acceptable setting.
- RHETORICAL PATTERNS OF THE GENRE
Usually the personal opinion of the writer is included in the piece. This includes anything from scathing remarks to personal narratives. Also there are a lot of facts on the topic included to strengthen their case. There usually are only one or two pictures, so I would say that aspect is excluded for the most part.
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| Albrighton, Tom "Strong Opinions" 03/12/12 via abccopywriting.com |
There is a lot of emotional (pathos) appeal used in these pieces. Since they are using personal stories there isn't much ethos associated with this genre, but there is plenty of pathos. They try to elicit emotional reactions from the reader. There is also a lot of logic (logos) interspersed in the pieces to back up their point. There also seems to be a trend with opening with a strong emotional statement or personal story and emotional title followed by some background and some facts, after which there is mostly pathos but also logos strategically mixed in. The articles tend to close with really loaded statements that are very thought provoking for the reader. It is more common for there to be shorter sections of text and not bulky paragraphs.
There are typically a lot of complex and "nice sounding" (more wordy and poetic) sentences. There are also occasional short and bold statements used to catch the reader's attention as a contrast from the other wordier sentences. There are a lot of declarative sentences, not so many questions or exclamatory sentences.
I think that overall there seems to be a lot of more "pretty" sounding words included in these articles. A lot of adjectives are used to make the sentence more flowy. There is some of the reader's own slang included in the piece since it is an opinion article and pretty informal. But while it is informal there is still a certain distance that the author keeps from the reader, and they don't actively address the reader. There also tends to be quite a bit of sarcasm at times, which is a big YAY for me because I exude sarcasm naturally.
- ANALYZING WHAT THOSE PATTERNS REVEAL ABOUT THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF THE GENRE
The genre excludes those that are just looking for hard core FACTS on the matter and an unbiased opinion. It caters more towards those that want to hear a different perspective from a personal side of the controversy.
The genre encourages the writers to be the informants and personal insight on the matter. The readers however are encouraged to listen and think about the writer's opinion, and be more of a spectator, but also they are encouraged to search their own feelings on the matter.
This genre encourages people that value the opinion of others to read a personal perspective. The people who read this genre are automatically going to most likely be people that believe that there are other opinions besides their own that might be valid.
The genre treats personal insight and stories as very valuable. This genre is basically composed of people that want to share their opinion. The genre treats credibility as probably the least important, just because the articles are so opinionated and in many cases they come from just ordinary readers, not anyone especially esteemed.
REFLECTION:
After reading Chris and Jon's blog posts I have a different understanding of the video based option for this project. They both seem to have a very clear idea of what they want to do and their projects sound really interesting. Both of their genres have very clear conventions and I think looking at theirs makes it a little more clear to me how to find more of the specific conventions of my own chosen platform.
REFLECTION:
After reading Chris and Jon's blog posts I have a different understanding of the video based option for this project. They both seem to have a very clear idea of what they want to do and their projects sound really interesting. Both of their genres have very clear conventions and I think looking at theirs makes it a little more clear to me how to find more of the specific conventions of my own chosen platform.
I agree with everything that you said and I think that your project is going to be very interesting. I think you did a really good job explaining all of the questions. I like how you went into detail with every bullet point and you explained how everything worked in the genre that you chose.
ReplyDeleteI think you know a lot about your genre and what you're talking about so you're in pretty good shape. A newspaper article will be concise and clear which will fit well for your topic. Good luck with your writing!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the perfect text-based genre for this assignment, since it is so centered around giving an opinion. I really like to read this genre and I think you found some of the most important aspects in your post. I really wonder, though, how pictures are utilized. You said they are used sparingly, but can they have an impact?
ReplyDeleteFrom your examples, I can see that you clearly know what makes a good article and what doesn't, which will lead to a more successful project. However, my question to you is: How will you keep this from becoming a sort of QRG with an argument in it? Is there anything specific to differentiate it, or does it just rely on the argument?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good analysis of genre. I think you've really stressed the importance of having you opinion, and that will be what I think defines this paper. It'll be a really unique opportunity to get your opinion across, especially as a break from what we normally write, which is very fact based. Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteYou do an incredible job of thoroughly analyzing your genre here. Clearly you have a very solid understanding of you genre, and have done lots of exploration of it. Looks to me like you are set moving forwards, and I think based on your strong knowledge of the genre you will be successful with this project.
ReplyDelete