Journal Entry #1 Rhetorical Situations and Genres

Rhetorical situations allow audiences to question a specific issue or task. Genres are often thought of as topics such as horror, mystery, fiction, non-fiction, etc. According to Dirk, "knowledge of genres goes beyond simple discussion of types".  Meaning, genres go past these topics of horror, mystery, fiction, non-fiction, etc. So, how are rhetorical situations and genres intertwined? I suppose they are connected because, rhetorical situations deal with issues at hand. And while genres are supposed to be "a discussion of types" we should broaden our thinking and view genres as more than that. We should question each genre, or piece of writing we are given. Dirk proposes that we do so by 1. Knowing our goal when writing in a particular situation 2. Learn as much as you can about the situation before writing about it 3. Research how others have responded to the situation 4. Ask questions. These 4 points Dirk has proposed, will help writers handle genres of writing like a rhetorical situation. Our understanding of rhetorical situation and genre can help us when understanding everyday writing because all genres occupy our everyday lives. At the start of Dirk’s article he explains the genre of country music. He does this to expand the everyday definition of genres, and introduce the reader to a definition that is fitting for all future writing endeavors. Both rhetorical situation and genres relate to everyday writing as they give us an outline to help us analyze the texts we see. When we come across a song, such as a country song. The listener will experience a reaction to the lyrics. This demonstrates how a specific genre can make someone feel.