[Rebekah Coleman]

Read ‘Navigating Genres’ by Kerry Dirk on Open Lab. Write a response to the following questions in the Discussion Thread. Respond to each other. Engage in a conversation.
• What did you find interesting about the piece? What did you learn?
• What are some genres that you feel you know well? How did you learn them? What are their common rhetorical features?
• How much freedom do you enjoy when writing? Does it help to have a form to follow, or do you find it to be limiting?

[Anthony Regner (A278+π)]

Response:

1. This piece focuses on how readers should navigate and recognize different genres. I have learned that different genres would be appropriate for different audiences. For instance, if the genre is fiction, it would be appropriate for people with imaginations, since they often think outside of the box. One thing that caught my attention is the ransom scenario. When I see the three ransom letters, I knew that Ransom Letter 1 would be appropriate, because it uses the right tone and it gets right to the point. This will encourage readers to make appropriate decisions for rhetorical situations.
2. I have known non-fiction genres such as biographies, autobiographies, journals, research papers, information guides, and at times, manuals. I have some difficulties with fiction genres, because although stories and plots can be interesting, it can be confusing to navigate through different plots of the stories without visual aids such as pictures and movies. I am not sure what rhetorical features they have used, because the rhetorical features are used mostly in fiction.
3. When it comes to personal writing, I get to write whether based on my thoughts and information available. No matter what type of writing (even with texting to friends), I always tend to use good grammar in order to properly convey information to others. I find writing. At times, having a form to follow (a.k.a. having guidelines) often helps when I write essays where I have to look for evidence based on the text, and other information based on research. However, it can also be limiting, especially for fiction writing, because I often have to base information and follow it closely to make the story sense. If I do that, it limits the use of my imagination.

Anthony Regner

[Ray-Ana W.]

This piece was very interesting and I liked that it kept me reading it. The flow and topics did not bore despite my un interest on them. From reading I actually gain knowledge I would not mind expanding on. As the audience I was very engaged as I further learned about genres differing depend on the environment and who is the audience. I am familiar with a number of genres but the ones that sticks out to me are research papers and lab reports. Manly because in science we us them all the time however, as the level of science and teach change so do the format and the different requirements. When it comes to the rhetoric devices used is not clear to me as of yet. when it comes to writing an my freedom it really depends on the purpose for the piece. if its a essay or poem I feel obligated to follow the formats taught and provided so my freedom feel somewhat restricted. When I write a story I feel the most freedom because you never know what can happen and different styles of writing can be used from dialogue and etc. Writing is a very interesting and complex topic but non the less it is entertaining and forever around my life.

By: Rayana Walford

[Daniel Espinoza]

This article by Kerry Dirk was interesting to read. The basis of the reading is genres and that there is more to it than just a category. It goes beyond that from fiction to thesis statement. He also expands on that identifying different genres when reading different pieces of writing is better than being an expert in writing. Maybe not in the way I worded it but it will make your a better writer. I know most genres but not all such as: fiction, nonfiction, mystery, comedy, and horror. The genres I learned mostly in movies which isn’t writing but dialog. I also learned genres through reading books in school like: Hamlet and Of Mice and Men. Some of the rhetorical features could be: allusion, foreshadowing, imagery, hyperbole, ect. There are so many rhetorical features that every genre has. I enjoy all the freedom that comes with writing. Writing is all about freedom, being able to writing anything that you put your mind to think. I definitely helps to have a form to follow when writing , to be able to have a structure to follow is a great help when writing.

Daniel Espinoza

[Florence Jiang]

This article was informing readers how different genres of writing are affected in our everyday lives. From writing a joke on facebook to writing an email to a certain someone are written in different genres. I find it really important to learn how to differentiate types of writing.
Obviously the way I talk to my friends would be totally different with how I talk to my professors. Also in the passage it was given a scenario where writing a letter about removing a late fee on a credit card, when asking for a favor it’s more proper if you write it more formal and as polite as possible. In the letter that was written, the author made itself more credible to make you want to trust the person and it worked because the late fee was removed. For me personally I haven’t really tried different genres in writing only because I wasn’t exposed to different types of genres. The only few genres I use are the way I write to my friends, to my professors, or on a specific guidelines with what I was presented.

[Sahesha]

The article demonstrates the importance having a clear understanding about what it is your’re writing about. Since each genre has its own unique characteristics its important to differentiate the different types. Understanding the use of each genre makes it less difficult when you deliver your opinion. With more understand, your creditability increases. Its important for writers to know the ins and outs of their genre so they can present it in a clear and direct manner.

Sahesha Walters

[Shannia Thomas]

1) I found this piece very interesting mainly because the author gave many interesting examples that I can relate too. I didn’t really understand what genres really meant until I fully read the article. I understand that a genre can have similar features but those features can change.
2) I generally send a lot of emails out since I started college. I learn how to write emails by following certain templates provided to me by my colleges or even online. As I write more emails, the more better I get at it. Some common rhetorical features that emails have are an response. You typically write a email to get a response or to enlighten someone else. Emails are formal or informative as they often have a subject. If it’s a business email, it’s needs a proper greeting, proper grammar and a clear closing.
3) I like freedom when writing but not too much. I only like to have freedom when I have a opinion on something or on debating topics. I’m not someone who write a lot unless it’s for school or a job. It really helps to have a form to follow. I like to look at examples of the genre I’m writing about. It help my ideas flows.

[Gianluca Alioto]

1. This piece focuses on understanding and recognizing different genres in a reading or text. One thing that I leanred while reading this article is that everybody has a different genre that they would prefer to read or follow and not everybody is going to like what you like and that is okay because today there is so many different genres that you can follow and read about. Before reading this article I was a little confused as to what specifically is a genre and why are they so important to understand but reading this helped me get a better understand and get a more clear idea as to what exactly is a genre and why there is so many. I now find myself a better reader and writer because of how good kirk describes everything
2. To me I feel that I know alot of non-fiction generes, autobiographies, journal entries, research papers and even sport magazines. Some that I have trouble understanding is comics, anime or what they call fantasy, and sometimes even fiction. I learned most of my knowledge of these genres when I was growing up. My mom would always read to me and show me books that I would find interesting. From then on I find myself reading alot of journals and more and more research papers because of college. Some rhetorical features that they have in common is the audeince and the story they tell.
3. I feel that I have a lot of freedom when it comes to more personal stories. I can write and express myself more naturally and say how I really feel. I know for some it is hard to write about how they feel but it also depends on my surrondings and what mood they are in at the time. I find myself following a strict form when I write in the sense that I have certain topics and guidelines.

Gianluca Alioto

[Maliha]

This piece focuses on understanding and exploring different genres within writing or reading a text. This piece had been more informative rather than being genuinely enjoyable. However, I liked the fact that the writer had been so open about the struggles of writing and that it helped to further explain how a genre works. I learned while reading the article that using the genre most fitting according to situations will certainly help to accomplish goals and create a more structured way of saying something. I experimented with genres in terms of writing because of assignments but i am most familiar with fiction, novels, mystery and fantasy. From middle school to now , I’ve read many books with many different genres. Somme rhetorical features commonly used are similes, metaphors, imagery, symbolism, flashbacks, foreshadowing, etc. When writing, personally I like to have set of rules like a prompt or main idea that I can continue on from.However, I think that it depends on who and what I’m writing to and about. I feel as though it is hard for me to express what I am trying to convey through writing . Typically, when there is clear guidelines, it gives me clarity and insight to know what the audience wants from me.

[Arnelle Martinson]

In the article “Navigating Genres” by Kerry Dirk, I found it very interesting when the author mentions that, “by studying the genres that we find familiar, we can start to see how specific choices that writers make results in specific actions on this part of readers”. I found this statement interesting because it clarifies that as writers we choose a specific genre that we think our readers will enjoy and connect to. Some of the genres I feel that I know really well are romance, comedy, action, horror, etc. I learned these genres by going through some of the same situations within these genres in real life. The common rhetorical features for romance are usually pathos because romance has a lot of emotions and feelings to deal with such as, love happiness and sometimes it can also be sad. I enjoy writing freely with no restraints. However, I do like to have a format when I write. For example I like to have a set number of paragraphs to write for an essay assignment. It is very helpful to have a format to use while writing because sometimes I get confused on where to start.

[Josh Clarke]

1. In this piece I learned that everyone has different feeling towards different genres. People may not like a genre that you would supposedly love. Interestingly, I find this more of an informative piece rather than being interesting to read.

2. Some genres I believe I know well are Detective and Mystery, Action and Adventure and Fiction. I learned these genres by going to libraries and finding books that interest me in these genres.

3. I like having freedom to write but a base to start of my creativity. With a form to follow it helps me not to go off the rails whilst writing

[cecelia melton]

I found this piece interesting, it made me realize that genre has so many different definitions. Each genre appeals to a different type of person, and is not tied down to a specific category. I found this piece to really explain the true meanings of a genres as to not so much put a label on things.

A genre that I know well is Fiction , I learned this genre by reading so many books under this genre, it was these types that stuck out to me the most . A type of genre that I struggled with is Non-fiction simply because I never really knew what went into writing one of those pieces.

I love having total control of my writing being able to dictate how Im going to write makes my writing stronger in most cases, when rules are in placed I believe it depends on the topic to see if it really will affect my writing.