For the genre transformation for a younger audience , I am thinking of writing a college admissions essay meant to be read by an audience of high schoolers (14-18 year olds). The essay would begin with a student speaking of how she used to be really introverted and shy and she was always afraid to share her ideas. People always told her that she had a lot of potential and she herself knew that she had a lot of good ideas but she always felt limited to the ideas that she could express because she felt that she did not have the full knowledge needed to fully engage herself into certain subject, but one day she encountered something life changing and she decided to dive deep into a topic that she was really interested in and through her studies and with her gained knowledge, she was able to better engage herself in the subject and was then able to act as a participant rather than an observer. She was then also more confident in expressing her ideas and opinions on the topic. The subject that she had become really interested in wis the major that she is applying with at that particular institution. I’m not sure what the essay is going to be on exactly but that is my main idea for this transformation.
I also had another idea for the younger audience but I'm not sure if it follows the idea/topic presented in the article. So my idea was to create a comic strip for for an audience of kids ages 8-12. So for the comic the storyline would start with a small girl who is shy and afraid to speak out in class, and is constantly confused in class because she is not participating and therefore is not being fully submerged in the ideas, but then one day a "superhero" shows up and his superpower is bravery (or something like that). The hero encourages the student to speak up and express he ideas and opinions in class and once she starts doing so, she starts understanding the class material better and feels that she is more engaged in the subject and becomes way more interested in it.
OR The comic would have two characters; Janet and Roger who are in the same class. The two characters would have personalities and ideas that correspond to the way they were represented through their papers. The comic would show that Roger is more outspoken and Janet is more afraid to express her ideas but that she has many brilliant ideas. One day Janet will decide to emerge herself more into the subject matter and be more of a participant on the conversations in class. The comic will then show that once Janet is more active in expressing her ideas and opinions, the two characters have a great time sharing ideas with each each other and with their other class mates.
Again I don't have all the kinks worked out, but is this a good idea/do you think it follows the topic of the article?
For the genre transformation for an older audience, I am thinking about writing a blog post addressed to parents with young children. The blog post is going to tell parents that is is important that they encourage their children to express their thoughts and ideas. It will stress that getting their children into the habit of incorporating their ideas into the things that they do at a young age will help them with all of their future endeavors because it is important at all ages to express opinions and ideas. The blog post will also talk about how parents and all adults should get young children to really think about what they think certain things mean, and it will provide pictures and short sentences/phrases that the parents could show to their kids and ask them to “analyze” - just something that will get their kids thinking their own thoughts.
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ReplyDeleteDeanna -
ReplyDeleteFor your transformation for a younger audience, I think the comic strip idea might be more interesting than the college admissions essay. Not only will it be shorter, but it will be a lot more fun, and you will have much more room for creativity. I also think you'd be able to implement better moves with your drawings and such. Expanding upon that, I think you have a lot to work with since your article already has two authors that are both described as being completely different. You have the main characters of your comic right there! You described a lot about what you would do, but less of how you would actually make the transformation over to a comic. What moves will you be making, and why? For example, a move could be using bright colors, which attract to children and keep them interested. Comics usually have bright, vivid colors. You could also talk about the type of language you’ll have to use, as you’ll be explaining a complex concept to young children who might have a hard time understanding. Anyways, I think you have tons to work with, and I think you’re gonna kill this paper.
Hey Deanna,
ReplyDeleteYou have some interesting ideas for the younger audience. They all would express creativity and artistic skills that a younger audience would enjoy, but I think writing one of the comic book stories would be more interesting. A college admissions essay is also a great idea, but creating a comic book would allow you to add visuals. Creating this type of genre would allow you to analyze the moment, frame, image, word, and flow activity from Mcloud earlier this week. This would contrast from the blog post because of the incorporation of visuals and framing. I feel like writing genres that contrast more would be more fun, but it is all up to you, the writer. As for the blog for the older audience, be specific. Make sure to create “moves” that separates this older audience genre and the genre of the younger audience. Good job so far, and good luck with you WP3!
Deanna,
ReplyDeleteGreat encapsulation of this piece.
A college admissions essay is a neat genre, but… why would 14 years be reading that? How would this actually be brought into a classroom? Would the teacher assign it? (If so, why? And what kind of teacher?) I like how your focus would be on the student now being “able to act as a participant rather than an observer” but is it just a matter of “div[ing] deep into a topic that she was really interested in and through her studies and with her gained knowledge, she was able to better engage herself in the subject”? In other words, was the novice reader/writer in this study someone who just… didn’t dive into a topic? Or is there more at stake? All these questions aside, also remember to take the conventions of a college admissions essay into consideration—there’s a lot going on in them, so be sure to take them into account.
The comic idea could work, but it sounds like you’re getting away from the heart of the Penrose/Geisler piece a bit. Is there piece just about being “outspoken” or “brave”? Again: make sure you’re working FROM the original scholarly source before you make any of your transformative decisions.
I see that you have another paragraph at the bottom about a blog post—this is confusing me? Is this an update from after our previous class? Remember: think about your readers (your classmates and I) and help us understand what your words mean. If this is an update, don’t you think it’d help to write that? Or delete the previous proposal? I’m not, at all, trying to scold you here (no way!); I’m just trying to put you in my (a reader’s shoes)—you, as a writer, always have to put yourself in your reader’s shoes. It’s a never-ending battle. ☺
Z
Hey Deanna!
ReplyDeleteI think, to start, the fact that you have several ideas is a very good thing, as it gives you the opportunity to perhaps combine the best elements from each piece to make your “ideal” genre. To me, personally, I think that one possible option is to utilize the college admissions essay as your transformation to an older audience. When you think about it, aside from other students reading sample essays, these admissions essays are read by adults (largely as part of their profession). I think this could be a great platform to convey the main ideas of your article, since as you pointed out the essays often focus on telling a story of some sort. For the younger audience, I personally really enjoy your comic strip idea, and think it is an opportunity to definitely express some creativity. As Zack pointed out, just ensure that the comic strip incorporates the main points of the article you are transforming, not just the most obvious parts! You got it!