Journal 2: Genre & In Class Activity: Word Cloud

GENRE:

Based on your reading of all seven concepts, how do you define "genre"? Is this definition of genre different from how you've understood genre previously?

• Based on the seven concepts, the genre is defined as the context in which the text is used. Previously, I thought it was more of a categorized set of subjects that a book would be related to (e.g comedy, fantasy, etc.)

What are three major ideas about genre and/or writing that you can take away from your reading of this text? In other words, what three ideas seem most important for you as a writer?

• The three ideas from the text that was the most important as a writer is: to know your audience,  to write to produce and share knowledge and to develop your own writing tone outside of the norm.

Has your understanding of "genre" and/or "writing" changed as a result of reading this text? If so, how and why? If not, why not?

• No, my understanding or genre and writing has not changed. I understood that those were two different concepts, however, the genre is defined by the context used in writing. 

Are there any concepts or claims in the text that you disagree with? What is it, and why?

• I did not find that the text has anything I would disagree with. Each text brought new information that was relevant and supported the reasoning. I understood where the arguments were coming from the authors perspective.

Find two examples of texts that you would classify as being part of the same genre and link to them in your post. Then, provide a brief description of how you see these two texts adhering or not to the seven concepts outlined above. (e.g., I might include two links to Buzzfeed listicles and then explain how the "listicle" is a recognizable form that uses conventions like a title, gifs, captions, etc; how it represents the world/events/feelings by the language and images that are used; how it is multimodal because it uses language, image, moving image, color, layout, etc.)

• These two texts share a genre classification as a fantasy:
• Echo and Narcissus Mythology
• Medusa
• I see these two text adhering to the seven concepts because of the stories do represent the world, events, ideas, and feelings, due to it representing perspectives to the reader. Also, it is multimodal, as it uses a digital technology (website) where people can read fantasy stories.  The two stories are also performative. It could be argued that the text got its meaning from other text, it really depends on how someone defines "meaning." The author of the stories could have been inspired to write it when they read/heard other stories, or they didn't get their meaning from other text and based is on their ideas. I do not think that this story is written in recognizable forms. While is is understandable, it had to be translated first into modern language. Originally, most myths were written in outdated, foreign languages. But it has changed for the accessibility for all readers. I agree that genres are enacted by writers and readers, as it depends on what they interpret the context of the story, and it is true that writing is a way of enacting disciplinarity, but the two stories do no require citations as it is its own ideas and creations that made the story.

Lastly: what questions do you have about the reading? what more do you need or want to know? what confuses you?

• My questions include: how can the writing of an author influences the writing of their readers? Why does the style of writing changes over time?

WORD CLOUD ACTIVITY:

In my word cloud, the largest text is writing. Others included an article and work,  The following key terms are what defines writing: articulate, controversial, independent thought, reasoning, delivery, and an exchange. I believe that the terms that are the largest resonate what defines the writing. Writing is a working process, and ironically, it is not “original work,” but how the writer voices their words is original - there is no wrong. 

I expected to see my key terms show up, but it was more narrow in terms of what a piece of writing represents. I did not expect to see how the other words.

It was surprising to see how the physical forms of writing were more emphasized than the mental parts of writing, including experience and engagement. 

I believe that there isn't a connection between my word cloud and key terms. I think that in my word cloud, it emphasizes a number of times I used a word (writing, article, and work) than my key terms. 

It would be important to see the word cloud mirror one’s thoughts in the journal because usually, the words that are used the most typically has to mean. 

Looking at my key terms, and looking at the World Cloud, I did not rethink of any terms. While it is not the same words, it has a comparative meaning as to what writing means. 

The conclusion I drew from this exercise about my ideas of writing was that it can change your past views. I say this because my word cloud wasn’t one that I expected, however, I agree with the emphasized terms that that is a part of what writing is all about.  

Theory: If an idea changes over time (e.g the idea of the shape of the earth, the definition of marriage then and today, art) then it changes its meaning too. An idea needs to have a solid point, but it changes when through experiences, new information, and connecting with other ideas.

After the discussion I had with my group, I grasped the understanding that my colleagues understood the theory of writing as an idea that has a deeper meaning than what is written. While usually, that is the case, in some writings, it is a straightforward as facts. That isn't to say that they are incorrect, but with writing, interpretation differs on who you ask. However, my theory could be related to their theories since they talk about writing and its meaning, and meanings can change. Therefore, readers should be open to changes when new ideas and insights arise, and that is useful in terms of growing into a better writer.

I believe now that as a writer, I want to keep an open mind when discussing in activities, because ideas can bounce off from one another and it's part of the growth that we experience as a writer, and it goes back to my theory, where I connect to change. Today, I am led to believe that I characterize myself as a writer that seeks for truth and value with the information that I learn, and apply it to my writing.