Blog #2 - Genre Awareness

I believe that Devitt's version of genre pertains to the goals of pieces of writing, and in order to reach those goals, the writer must write in a particular style or voice. For instance, a salesman or saleswoman's goal is to find a way to persuade a consumer into buying a product. Although literal writing wouldn't necessarily take place, the salesman or saleswoman is required to behave and act in a certain manner that will attract and retain the consumer's interest, so that the consumer's probability of purchasing the product is maximized. One type of writing genre that is most commonly used in academics is rhetoric writing, or persuasion. To write persuasively, one should aim to utilize the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos (credibility, emotion, and logic). Something as simple as writing a Christmas card to a family member or friend is also a writing genre. The goal is to wish the recipient a merry Christmas, as well as to check up on their well-being. The writing genre for Christmas cards requires cheerful diction and preferably presentable handwriting. As I have explained before, it is evident that every piece of writing or action has a goal. To achieve the goal, a certain way of writing must also take place accordingly.

Devitt states that the "genre awareness I argue for is a type of rhetorical awareness" (337). This statement makes me believe that she is pertaining to the awareness of when a person is attempting to persuade the reader. By retaining this skill, one can avoid being manipulated by another individual's diction.

Devitt's claim that "when writers take up a genre, they take up that genre's ideology" means that writing in a particular genre would require the writer to adapt and embrace the genre's advantages and burdens. An example that Devitt gives is that "using five-paragraph themes or analysis papers reinforces apparent objectivity and distance from the subject and Western logic, and it minimizes personal engagement with the subject, emotional appeals, and an understanding of subjects having complexity that's irreducible to parts" (339).

When Devitt stated how genres are associated with existing power structures and dynamics, she means that different styles of writing have their own ways of power and/or force. In other words, every genre of writing is unique in their own way in terms of strength, whether it be persuasion, inducing emotional feelings, etc. I think that Devitt believes that genres have so much power because words are powerful. If words are manipulated properly, words will be able to manipulate people's minds, as well.

There is a goal and method of reaching the goal in every piece of writing. For instance, the goal of writing a research paper is to surface new concepts and ideas to support or contradict another idea. This goal is reached by extensive study and a substantial amount of evidence to further support the new concepts. The goal of a lab report is to report what series of events have occurred as results from various actions. The goal of a lab report is achieved through a number of experiments and observation.