Morgan Flitt 1

Morgan Flitt
Professor Jan Rieman
UWRIT 1103
8 September 2014
Reading Response to Navigating Genres
1. Printing this article and notating by hand was much different than doing so on-line. I
think specifically with a piece formatted in the manner this piece is done in, which was
not nearly as concise or clear-cut as the piece regarding habits of mind, it was much
easier to focus on the piece when it was tangibly in front of me. I find that often times
reading an article online that has quite a few paragraphs can be difficult to focus on and I
am much more tempted to skim through the article, rather than fully absorb the material.
When it is physically in front of me, I can use a pen to mark down my thoughts, so I
allow myself to be more hands on which can help with engagement. If I am making
comments, summarizing on the side, and marking the places that are most important to
the article as a whole, I definitely am able to connect with the piece and really understand
my thoughts on it while Im reading it rather than after. When Ive printed out the article
I find that it makes for a much longer reading than online but definitely a better reading. I
am able to retain more information in the long term as well as stay focused for longer
when I have articles that are formatted in this same manner printed rather than read
online.

2. Dirk begins the essay with a topic that most people have basic knowledge about,
country music. He then uses country music to exemplify the idea that genres have certain

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standards that can be identified and that give signals to those who are working within the
genre what is appropriate and what isnt. Dirk then goes on to identify his purpose to the
readers and proceeds to speak to the readers informally about the construction of the
essay itself. Dirk then identifies the numerous meanings of genres and explains the ways
it has changed and developed throughout time. Throughout the essays entirety Dirk
keeps a mostly informal tone, but still manages to sound as though he is both well-versed
and yet wanting to learn more on the topic; an appealing balance to strike. Dirk often uses
quotes as a basis for his thoughts and ideas and then confounds upon those ideas further,
which helps add validity to his points. Dirk goes on to point out the importance of
considering genres and how it might apply to more menial daily tasks, using examples
that are comedic and well known to keep interest. Dirk makes a well delivered point
regarding context and location, using a common example that would be relatable to the
audience. Last Dirk uses a humorous example that does swimmingly to put the entire
article into perspective, even leaving the readers with questions to ponder and consider
when applying these thoughts to their lives.

3. In the beginning of the essay, I was struggling to try and understand exactly the point
that Dirk was attempting to make, especially in light of the idea of someone first creating
a response. It wasnt until I reached this section of the article where Dirk stated that if
each writing problem were to require a completely new assessment of how to respond,
writing would be slowed considerably. (252) that I really began to understand the point
Dirk was trying to make. This quote made me consider how often we work inside already
existing genres, even if we are adding our own signature style and the way this allows us

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to produce on a much greater than would exist if genres werent very much alive.
Another section of writing that made this essay as a whole much more understandable
was when Dirk clearly brought up the way that genre was important beyond writing;
knowing what a genre is used for can help people to accomplish goals, whether that
goal be getting job by knowing how to write a stellar resume, winning a persons hart by
writing a romantic love letter, or getting into college by writing an effective personal
statement. (253) This truly made me think about the ways that genre truly does shape
our day to day lives and that keeping that in context makes many nuances of our culture
much more easily explained, as genre and its traditions are often where people are
working from. When I had my last somewhat epiphany in regards to this article and its
explanation of genre was towards the end when Dirk stated Because it comes back to the
particular situation in which that thesis statement is being used. Again, location is
everything. (256) At first I did not realize what he meant when referring to the fact that
location is an important factor in genre as well, but after the reiteration and example, I
realized how true that statement was and the ways that context constantly shapes our
genres and our actions and this awareness is certainly an important one.

4. I think three genres where new writing has developed is definitely been developed
through technology. I think a new genre that has developed in the last few years is that of
texting language, where the speech is much more clipped and precise and to the point but
also informal than many of the other speech found through technology. There is also the
idea that much of the context of the genre is often between friends, which shapes the
genre as well. Another genre that I think has been developed in the last few years is likely

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the Internet blog, which has become extremely important as the internet has become more
widespread. This genre is extremely broad; as blogs can discuss anything from politics to
food, but the genre is certainly has overarching ideas that hold it as its own new type of
genre. Another type of new writing that has likely created a new genre is probably a
genre that maybe is best-labeled social media type of writing. This is certainly a broad
type of genre of writing, but the tweets and facebook posts, with such broad visibility and
audiences, has certainly become a genre in itself that is used for anything from social
activism to day to day passing thoughts.