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Revision Sheet
Lengthening Cover letter

Identified by professor

Original: Requirement was to write a full-page cover letter

Revised: Lengthened cover letter to include new aspects of paper not previously

discussed in paper.

Lengthening Paper

Identified by peers

Original: No analysis on discourse communities between the genres of written

reviews or video reviews.

Revised: Added two new paragraphs discussing the discourse communities of of

these two unique genres.

Revised Conclusion

Identified by peer review

Original: Did not include discourse communities in conclusion

Revised: Includes discourse communities in conclusion to explain genres and

how they shape the two genres.

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3/19/17

Dear Reader,

The purpose of this essay is to show and analyze the unique differences between two

form of genres and what audiences they attract as well as analyze the distinction of the two

unique discourse communities within these genres. The intended effect is to show the details and

analysis on why the authors of these four examples chose the material in the final product. My

subject is vehicle reviews and my two genres are written and video reviews with the inclusion of

discourse communities. My process on working on this essay is very time oriented. I did multiple

rough drafts and had them peer reviewed by fellow students and by my professor. I picked my

examples by how well they illustrate my thesis. Looking through websites and scanning through

articles to best accurately represent how video reviews and written reviews both help illustrate

my ideas. During this process, I had to change the structure of my paragraphs also mix and

match concepts that help create a cohesive argument. I took frequent breaks whenever I hit

writers block. Managing my time to write this essay between work and studying for other

classes were a priority make this assignment as stress free as possible. The best help I got is from

student peer review, and my professors comments, they helped me improve the structure and

flow of my essay. The reading that best helped me through this writing project are by Kerry Dirk,

John Swales, and Lammot. These authors helped me understand the concept of genre, discourse

communities and how it is okay to write shitty first drafts. The strategies that best helped me

where the PB1A and PB1B assigned beforehand since it helped to write my rough draft. At first

these concepts seemed daunting since I was never confident about my writing capabilities and
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through this experience, I learned to take breaks to clear my head and relax to get my thoughts

flowing again. My goal for the next writing assignment is to get a clear thesis and argument in

my rough draft. What I have found liberating through this course is the freedom to write about

ideas and gaining the confidence to keep on writing.

Thanks,

Raymond Sanchez
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Raymond Sanchez

Robert M. Speiser

Writing 2/ Section #4400

January 30, 2017

Genre Analysis
Every genre serves a certain function and can be classified by the context and

style of how it is written or shown. Everything that has ever been written or will be written will

fall into some genre, and within a certain subject it can differ from genre to genre. The subject of

vehicle reviews can be done in many different styles and as Kerry Dirks puts it can help people

accomplish goals by informing the audience of how the vehicle performs. The two main ways

of reviewing a vehicle is through written text, and through visual media. These two genres give a

distinct perspective on how a vehicle can be presented and what audiences they attract.

Written reviews are a more traditional approach as they can be accessible in newspapers

and the internet. An example for a written review is Autoweeks Ford Focus RS review by Rory

Carrol. This written review follows plenty of tropes for this style of genre but the biggest is the

inclusion of pictures in the review. In this example the first thing you see is a slideshow of the

vehicle being reviewed, these pictures depict the Ford in motion and stationary in various angles

and locations. Other conventions include detailed reports, organization by topic, and other

opinions. Since these reviews are detailed there is more than one person testing the vehicles

performance. These other testers give more validity and insight of how the vehicle performs and

gives new perspective of the pros and cons of the vehicle.

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Another example of a written review is Cycle Worlds BMW S1000XR by Blake Conner.

In this motorcycle review the same tropes can be seen. Like the car review the first thing the

reader notices is a picture of the vehicle. As the article goes on other convention can be seen, the

opinion of other testers comes up as they both compare other vehicles in the same category. The

review is organized in different sections and pictures can be seen that relate to the topic being

discussed.

Analyzing the written reviews, the context and function is to give as much information as

possible for the buyers of the vehicle. The use of other opinions is used to give more validity to

the review since more than one input can be seen by the reader to gauge the overall response.

This is an example of ethos since it appeals to authority by having other editor opinions who

have worked for Cycle World or Autoweeks in the same review. The reference of other vehicles

is used to convince and persuade the reader to the authors opinion since these vehicles are

attracting the same group of buyers. For example, in Cycle Worlds review Conner said [h]aving

recently spent a week ridingthrough northern Italy on a 2015 Ducati Multistrada, I can tell

you these bikes are natural adversaries, this quote expresses ethos by appealing to his authority

of riding a bike similar to the one being reviewed. Having a detailed review and including a list

of specifications and the prices best fits the written review. Throughout both examples of the

written reviews the authors add specifications of what the vehicle has. In Cycle Worlds review

this quote best illustrates this, The BMW chassis is anchored bya dual-sided swingarm.

Wheelbase, compared to the S1000Rs, has grown by a significant 4.3 inches. At 61.0 in., the XR

wheelbase is just a tad shorter than the KTM 1190 Adventures. This is an extremely detailed

specification that compares the wheel base to a KTM 1190 Adv. to give more validity. In

Autoweeks review one of the reviews casually said As the hype built around the 350 hp
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turbocharged I4 hatchback, and the announced limited production (and even more limited

allocation), it seemed like everyone was caught in the same whirlwind love affair that I was with

the winged RS. This gave specifications on the car engine and what it was equipped with. The

function for these specifications are to give the reader more incentive to read the review since

information is intertwined in the readings.

The other type of genre is video reviews. These reviews tend to be more entertaining and

attract a wider audience. Car Throttle is a YouTube channel that consists of car reviews and car

related videos. One prominent feature is the inclusion of a hyperlink, since these reviews tend to

be less detailed, in the description that leads you to a written review. Other convention that are

noticeable in this genre are on the spot commentary, an average 7-15 minute videos, and multiple

shooting angles with music in the background. For Car Throttle the length of the video is 9

minutes long and immediately opens with music as you see the car in different angles and with

its hood up exposing the engine. The commentary is fast as the reviewer mentions many facts

and specifications.

The other example for video review is provided by Revzilla. Just like Car Throttle,

Revzilla gives a hyperlink to a written review, also just like Car Throttle the opening scene is the

reviewer riding on mountain roads with music in the background, and multiple angles showing

off the motorcycle. The length of this vehicle review is 13 minutes long and just like the other

video on the spot commentary can be heard throughout the review.

Analyzing these conventions for video reviews gives insight on how and why they

decided to produce this content. The function of the video reviews is to make it more entertaining

while also giving you as much information in a time constraint. This type of review genre is most

appeals to a wider audience since they are more entertaining. For actual buyers, the author gives
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a hyperlink in the description for a more detailed review. As an example, at the end of the video

review for the s1000XR Lemmy, the reviewer, says It wasnt all a BMW gush fest I had some

other issues with some of the way they optioned this bike out and some of the pricing, but that

really lends itself better in a print format. Since they know there is a time constraint providing a

link to the written review will give buyers a more detailed overview of the specifications and

options that are included for the vehicle.

The multiple angles and the music combined may give the viewer a certain feeling, this

appeals to pathos since it affects the viewers emotions and can hook them to possibly buy it in

the future. The use of commentary is unique to this type of genre. Since it is in a video format

you can physically see and hear the emotion in their voice and face. For example, in the Ford

Focus video the reviewer is testing some features from the car and he states To really push the

Focus RS and me to absolute limits and beyond however I headed to the circuit to test out the

cars track and drift mode. This is an example of pathos by getting the viewer excited it gives a

more personal touch since you are not just reading a text but actively viewing and hearing them

speak.

Between these two genres the discourse communities can also be described in detail and

can significantly affect how the genres function. A discourse community can be described as a

set of goals any group is willing to accomplish. The genre on written reviews aspire to

accomplish different goals compared to the genre of the video review. In the discourse

community of video reviews the we can establish that the broad purpose of the media is to

inform and entertain, this goal is accomplished by the two examples by the audio and location

and overall tone of the videos. The communication within this group can be seen under the

comment section on their respective YouTube videos. The comments typically vary from user
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giving some critique or praise on the video or give their opinion on the vehicle. For example, on

the Revzilla video some comments are I'm not even interested in adventure bikes and I'm still

watching and enjoying this review because it's THAT good! or on the Ford review video don't

even like Ford, yet between this and the new Mustang, I might be in trouble and I might have to

dump my life-long alliance to Holden. This provides feedback to the authors of the video

exchanging information to better understand what the discourse community likes or dislikes.

On the other hand, the discourse community of written reviews can be best described as

for formal. The main goal is to inform the reader of the vehicle. Just like the video reviews the

comment section of their websites are the place for the discourse community to share and

communicate ideas between members. Examples of this I think the real winner in this test is the

Ford focus ST. Much better value for a car that's going to be more comfortable and primarily

driven on the road, but still fun to drive fast. this comment is found on Autoweek review

page for the Focus RS and this comment on page for the S1000XR, Vibration thru the bar at

cruising speed - what speed is that? Seems like such a fundamental thing to screw up what

otherwise is a fine bike. Its kinda a deal-breaker for someone like me who when cruising on the

highway, I'll tolerate no annoying tingles....bummer! These exchanges of comments are

valuable for the community to put an input on how the feel about the vehicle.

Both genres have their own set of guidelines that make them a unique form of media. The

written reviews are more detailed and give more information while the videos are more

entertaining. The written review is tailored for the actual buyer compared to the video review

since it includes details that could be omitted in the video review. The video review is for a wider

audience and has a time constraint. The discourse communities between these two genres shape

how the genres interact with the audience and is a valuable asset that can shape the future of the
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genre .At their core, both genres review vehicles but they have enough differences between them

to appeal to different audiences.

Works Cited
Carroll, Rory. "2016 Ford Focus RS 5-door Review: Ford's Best Car Ever?" Autoweek. N.p., 23
Aug. 2016. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
Conner, Blake. "2016 BMW S1000XR - FIRST RIDE." Cycle World. N.p., 3 July 2015. Web. 29
Jan. 2017.
Lemmy. BMW S1000XR Review at Revzilla.com. YouTube. YouTube, 17 Oct. 2015. Web. 25
Jan. 2017
Kersten, Alex. "2016 Ford Focus RS Review: The Perfect Hoonigan And Drifting Legend."
YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
Dirk, Kerry. Navigating Genres Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1. 29 Jan 2017