13 Analyzing vs. Composing in Genres
To understand genre, we need to identify the key elements of a text and how those elements might change between genres. Texts feature information like a title, author, publication date, venue, and other elements that we can recognize in one genre and analyze across genres.
To analyze genres, we need to use active reading skills to determine the complex textual elements at work. For example, we can easily identify an author of a piece using the byline, but analyzing the author’s stance is a more in-depth task. An author’s stance is the attitude that the writer has toward the topic of their message (“Stance and Language”). We can analyze an author’s stance in the content, tone, and style of an author’s writing. We can see in the following examples from the Purdue OWL that show how two authors reflected on the same event in very different ways:
EXAMPLE 1
Once we got to the food section of the event, I immediately realized that there was little to no organization. There was trash all over the place, with no trashcan in sight. There was a serious lack of tables to eat at, so many people were forced to eat standing up, which got really messy because of the nature of some of the foods. Many of the organizations that were selling the foods apparently didn’t talk to each other, because I saw many of the same kinds of rice, fish, even bread at the different tables.
Furthermore, many of the dishes were either cold or too little. And of all the tables, only one group also thought of bringing the drinks, so getting a drink meant standing in line for half an hour, mainly because they kept running out because of the high demand.
One would think that an event whose focus was mainly food would put a little more thought and planning into it.
EXAMPLE 2
Almost all Asian student organizations have participated in this event. There were plenty of foods from different Asian countries and areas. Fried rice from China, spring rolls from Vietnam, curries fish ball from Hong Kong and chicken from Singapore. Though these foods are not exactly like they would be tasted like in real Asia, these still give you a basic idea about how are Asian food look and taste like and how large is the diversity of Asian food. Among so many choices of foods, I definitely will recommend the curry fish ball from Hong Kong Student Association. It tastes exactly like what you would taste in Hong Kong, so it might be the most original taste of Asia. (“Stance and Language”)
In these examples, what words, phrases, or ideas might reveal how this author feels about this event? When considering your own stance while writing, ask the following questions: “How do you want to be perceived by your reader(s)? Opinionated or neutral? Passionate or indifferent? Biased or objective? Critical or fair? What is your relationship with the audience that may affect your choice of stance?” (“Purpose and Stance”).
In short, analyzing a genre means paying close attention to the writer’s choices. We can successfully analyze genres by examining the author’s stance, key moves the author makes, the text layout, design, organization, and structure, the use of language and style, evidence from outside sources, and other elements to help us determine how the author’s choices communicate information within genre expectations.
On the other hand, to compose in a genre means making these specific choices that you might have already analyzed. We can compare these experiences to the differences between reviewing a movie versus creating a movie. It’s a reviewer’s job to determine what makes a movie worth watching or avoiding and explain the reasons for such an analysis to the reader. Let’s examine how acclaimed reviewer Roger Ebert wrote about reviewing Adam Sandler’s remake of The Longest Yard:
I often practice a generic approach to film criticism, in which the starting point for a review is the question of what a movie sets out to achieve. “The Longest Yard” more or less achieves what most of the people attending it will expect. Most of its audiences will be satisfied enough when they leave the theater, although few will feel compelled to rent it on video to share with their friends. (Ebert, “‘Yard’ Catches an Outside Pass”)
We can see in this excerpt that Ebert recognizes his own role as reviewer is to capture what a movie sets out to achieve—in short, how it might work within genre expectations. We can see that most clearly when Ebert describes the movie as “a fair example of what it is,” which in this case means a comedic remake. When you analyze genres, remember that you don’t have to like what you analyze, but instead appreciate the object of analysis for what it is trying to accomplish. But when you compose in genres, remember that you’re the moviemaker—your writing shows your reader what you hope to achieve in your chosen genre.