Running Head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Genre Analysis

Rebeca Camacho

University of Texas at El Paso

GENRE ANALYSIS

Introduction

Domestic violence has been a prominent issue in the United States for years with

no sign of stopping. Though the media has publicized the issue, everywhere from books,

to television, to the internet, the situation has not altered and many wonder why. The

issue of domestic violence and the reason why it hasnt decreased over the years is being

discussed through two genres that support creating change in order to end it once and for

all. Stella Ramsaroops transcribed interview, Domestic violenceFrom a mans point of

view, discusses with author Luke Daniels that the reason domestic violence is so

prominent is because society conditions its men to be violent. Likewise, Jackson Katzs

Ted Talk, Violence against womenits a mens issue, addresses the fact that we need to

shift our focus on men as well when discussing domestic violence, because its not only a

womans issue. Both these genres and their views regarding the main issue will be further

analyzed in this essay.

Audience and Purpose

In the first genre, Stella Ramsaroops Domestic violenceFrom a mans point of

view, is a transcribed interview that was published on the Kaiteur News website on

October 24th, 2010. The purpose of this interview is to inform the audience that societal

issues, such as patriarchal systems, lead to the violent conditioning of men and that we

need to focus on taking certain steps in changing society and the way we handle violence

to bring an end to the issue. The second genre, Jackson Katzs Violence against women

its a mens issue, is a Ted Talk video that was filmed in November 2012 and posted on

the Ted Talk website. The purpose of this video is to encourage men to take a stance in

helping women stand up against domestic violence, and stop viewing domestic violence
GENRE ANALYSIS

as only a womans issue; it also encourages society to stop putting so much focus on

victims of domestic violence and to shift the focus onto perpetrators as a means of

discovering why they are acting out in such a violent manner.

The intended audience of Kaieteur News transcribed interview is typically older

people interested in the topic of domestic violence and that have knowledge about the

way society shapes men. It can be inferred that the audience reading the interview knows

about laws implemented against domestic violence. The intended audience of the Ted

Talk video is seemingly geared more towards men, but it also addresses society as a

whole. The audience is aware that domestic violence is prominent in society and that this

video will address men in particular. Unlike the first genre, the second genre focuses

more on addressing men, however, it does not require a person to know about different

laws protecting women.

Structure and Delivery

Though both genres keep a serious and formal tone in order to convey the gravity

of their messages, they both differ in structure and limitations. For example, both genres

differ in time constraints, and how much time it will take the audience to cover each

piece. Since the first genre is a transcribed interview, there is a lot of information covered

in the piece and the audience has an unlimited amount of time to go through the piece in

order to get their information. However, because there is so much information covered in

the piece, it is quite lengthy and the audience would have to take a great deal of time and

interest in the topic to get through it. The second genre, on the other hand, has a time

limitation of 18 minutes for the speaker to discuss the issue and keep viewers engaged in

the topic, meaning Katz has to keep his points brief and move between them quickly.
GENRE ANALYSIS

Also, due to the type of genre, the audience is limited to the information included

in each piece. In the first genre, because it is a transcribed interview, the audience is

limited to responses on the topic for only the questions asked by Ramsaroop, meaning

that if Daniels had more he wanted to say or add regarding the issue overall, the audience

would never get to hear it. In the second genre, because of the time constraint, viewers

are limited to the information Katz was able to squeeze into that time frame regarding the

issue. Due to this limitation, viewers do not get to hear everything Katz has to say about

the issue, only a brief portion of it.

The two genres also differ in the type of diction they employ to carry their

messages. In the first genre, Luke Daniels uses a variety of words that encircle society,

such as, patriarchal, societal, egalitarian, etc. He does so to keep his piece more political

because domestic violence stems from issues in society. In the second genre, however,

Katz uses language more centered around gender, such as, sexism, womens, mens, boys,

girls, etc. in order to really enforce his message about men needing to pay attention to

domestic violence issues. Both genres do come together with violent diction, by using

words such as, beat, battered, violent, hit, etc. because they are both discussing the issue

of violence.

Rhetorical Issues

Both genres employed rhetorical appeals, such as ethos, pathos, and logos in their

pieces, however, the manner in which they did so varied.

Ethos
GENRE ANALYSIS

In the first genre, the interviewer, Stella Ramsaroop, interviews Luke Daniels, a

social activist, counsellor, trainer, and consultant on domestic violence, and wrote a book

on the issue being discussed. He also speaks from prior experience as he was a

perpetrator of domestic violence in the past. Because Luke Daniels is a credible source in

this sense, credibility is established in the piece. In the second genre, credibility is

established in two ways. First, because Jackson Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker,

and cultural theorist who is a pioneer in the fields of gender violence prevention

education and media literacy and is also the co-founder of Mentors in Violence

Prevention (MVP), which enlists men in the struggle to prevent mens violence against

women (Katz, 2012), the information he gives regarding the topic is credible. Second,

because the Ted Talk website is a respectable and credible source for people to find

information on different topics, it can be inferred that the information they share on their

website will be credible.

Pathos

In the first genre, an emotional appeal is evoked from the audience when

interviewee Luke Daniels recalls on his guilt from having abused his wife; I loved my

wife and felt I was losing her because of the violence. I was angry that it had happened

and when I understood how patterns of violence are installed in us I was angry with the

society for encouraging the socialization for violence especially in men (Daniels,

2010). In opening up about such a dark and regretful time in his life, the audience

sympathizes with him and feels sorry for Daniels. In the second genre, an emotional

appeal is evoked through examples of different situations in which mens violence affects

people, such as, raping women, girls, or boys. An emotional appeal is also achieved
GENRE ANALYSIS

through Katzs tone of voice, which can cause viewers to feel any emotion ranging from

guilt to inspiration.

Logos

Though neither genre employed logos in their pieces by using statistical evidence

and scientific facts, they used logos through terminology, keeping their pieces

professional. In the first genre, the evidence used to support Daniels claims were his

experiences not only from abusing his wife, but from success that has come from helping

people hes counselled. In the second genre, the evidence used to support Katzs claims

stem from his success in the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program he co-

founds.

Conclusion

Overall, both topics achieve their purpose: they get their points on the topic across

effectively and get the audience to view the issue in a whole new perspective. However,

though the first genre carries out its purpose effectively, the second genre carries out the

message in a simpler and more effective manner that really sticks with the viewers that

watch it. That being said, each genre effectively gives its views on the issue and

encourage the audience to look at domestic violence from a new perspective. Domestic

violence is a serious issue, and one that both these genres are attempting to challenge and

change for the better of humanity.

GENRE ANALYSIS

References

Katz, J., (2012, November). Jackson Katz: Violence against women its a mens issue

[Video file]. Retrieved from:

https://www.ted.com/talks/jackson_katz_violence_against_women_it_s_a_men_s_i

ssue#t-339416

Ramsaroop, S., (2010, Oct. 24). Domestic violence from a mans point of view.

Retrieved from: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2010/10/24/domestic-

violence-from-a-man%E2%80%99s-point-of-view/