Technology in the 21st century never seems to disappoint anyone. Recently, I discovered that there are websites that are made to generate genres by the click of a button. Whether it is decoding computer science, generating random comic strips, generating comical memes, or generating random song lyrics based on your mood, the internet has different websites that provide these services. Although all are genre generators, each genre has different conventions that make up the generator. The different conventions in each genre generator are what makes each one unique and different from the rest.
Another convention of the SCIgen website is that it uses various references throughout the paper and contains a work cited page, which adds to the ethos of the paper. Due to the dull material of the paper, it is assumed that the audience is very limited to the people who specialize in computer science.
Moving on, the Pandyland comic generator website is more appealing to a younger, somewhat dirty-minded audience who is looking for a good laugh. This website generates 3 different comic boxes with 2 characters in each box. The content of the comic strips usually is inappropriate, with vulgar language. The conventions of the comic strips can be easily identified and include animated characters, text in bubbles and numerous exclamation marks and lingo. Unlike SCIgen, Pandyland does not follow a professional and formal format, since most of the writing consists of phrases and incomplete sentences. There does not seem to be any constraints when it comes to the diction in the comic strips. Visual literacy is a huge component to Pandyland because the characters always have a facial expression that correlates to the situation. The suspense leads up to the third comic box, when the last character drops the final bomb or exposes his reaction to an insulting comment.
Writerbot is a song lyric generator in which you select the genre of music and the emotion you want to go along with it. A title is generated in larger font at the top and the lyrics follow the same format, regardless of the categories chosen. Each line of lyrics ranges from 6-10 words and does not follow any rhyme scheme. When choosing country music with an "angry/boastful" emotion, the conventions include talking about a loss of love, a negative tone, religion and booze.
After considering what is happening in these genre generating websites, it makes it clear that every genre is comprised of many different conventions. It proves that just by typing in random things, one can find how easy it is to have a certain topic fit a genre. Also, it is evident that a genre's conventions does not follow any rules! Each time a generating genre button is pressed a new product appears, which shows that even though the words are different, the conventions usually remain similar within the genre. However, different genres do not have the same conventions, making each genre unique in its own way.
I think that addressing rhetorical devices, such as intended audience, of each of the generators was very effective. You did, however, mention the sci generator’s intended audience twice in the first paragraph. Proofreading your material out loud might help you to avoid unnecessary repetition in the future. i like how you briefly described each of the generators before you started describing the conventions of each one. I think the Writerbot generator you found is super unique. I like that you were able to find conventions of something as specific as a country song with angry/boastful lyrics. It seems like you have a solid understanding of conventions. Great job.
ReplyDeleteChief Carly,
ReplyDeleteYour blurb is bursting with personality—no surprise there. Good stuff. ☺
Re: PB1A, the personal statement/ college admissions essay is most certainly a distinct, specific genre. The conventions you pinpointed—a positive tone, the presence of anecdotes/stories, the 1,000-word limit, complex vocab (but maybe not too too too nerdy), a bit o’ bragging, and first-person “I” language—are also spot-on. Nice work.
Re: PB1B, Writerbot, eh? Great find. Way to use “visual literacy” when discussing what’s happenin in the comic. As far as that cartoon genre goes, remember: get as “deep down” as you can—like we talked about in class, everything from the colors of the cartoon characters’ clothes to the dramatic escalation of tension in the comic strips all plays a role in making these genres… these genres. Even considering the non-conventional audience for this specific cartoon genre can help you think about the ways that genres/conventions blend and morph, thus altering our (the readers of these pieces) expectations and experiences. Also, I’ve written this on some other folks’ blogs, and I’d like to include it here too: with memes, the white capitalized font is outlined in black. Why would that be? Well, this way, the language can be displayed on any kind of background without getting drowned out. Also consider: what’s the content of pictures that are typically used? (Usually pop culture references, although some grainy “homemade” pictures are typically used too.) These are the sorts of angles and questions that I want us to develop an eye for.
All told, I thought you had an especially awesome PB1B and a cool voice/approach to your blog, Chief. Keep up the super-solid hard work.
Z