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Certainly, for a better understanding of any information, one should not only describe or analyze but also compare. Thus, two essays were selected for the current analysis, which would be analyzed and compared in the context of its genre, choice of authors, and conventions. Primarily, one should note that the genre of the two essays is narrative since broad themes were taken as a basis, which the authors analyzed. The rhetorical situation would be determined by the desire of the authors to convey their reasoned point of view. Therefore, the goal is to analyze the genres of works, compare them and describe their literary features and genre specifics.
The genres of the selected works are narrative essays, although one can also describe them as informative and persuasive ones. It is formulated by the presence of a broad topic, which was analyzed from the writer’s point of view, as well as by the new information and its argumentation. Genre conventions of the genre include such points as the setting, theme, descriptive language, characterization, and point of view. Thus, in Peculiar Benefits, Haiti as the place and childhood as time were the settings where some author’s views were formulated (Gay 17). The clues for the conventions might be noticed, for instance, in Joy in such phrases as “if you asked me…” or “and though it is true…” and “was it joy? Probably not” (Smith, 5). In other words, these phrases are signs of a narrative and informative essay, as they show the author’s meditation, way of thought, and communication with the audience.
These conventions are not only clues for defining the genre but also important elements for these works. Therefore, these techniques serve as a necessary literary strategy: communication with the reader using phrases aimed at reflection and analysis. Actually, these conventions are similar for both works, as they perform the same task. Namely, to make the reader analyze and think about each paragraph by directing the course of one’s thoughts from one path to another. These genres seem to “speak to each other”, namely, they echo the theme of the peculiarities of human life. Understanding our “benefits” and “privileges” will lead to “joy” as it will allow one to reevaluate the principles of life.
Talking about the rhetorical situation, in the work of Roxane Gay, the exigence consists in the necessity to convey to people about the values of their life. Thereby, the author claims that if one cannot realize one’s privileges, then one needs to think about it a lot (Gay 22). The next element of the rhetorical situation is the audience, which can be both immediate and mediated. In work, Roxane Gay addresses those people who read or listen to a piece, thus, to an immediate audience. In the context of constraints, the author uses the knowledge that every reader probably has, namely, the individual’s life situation. For example, such possibilities or living conditions of the reader, as not every person has.
In the rhetorical situation of Joy, the author’s motivation is to convey to the reader difference between joy and pleasure. Thus, according to the author, joy differs from pleasure since joy contains the fear of ending these emotions (Smith 7). Speaking about the audience, in this case, it seems that the author was addressing both the immediate and the mediated ones. It is explained by the possibility of the author’s ideas being transmitted not only to direct readers but also to all people. In the context of the constraints, Zadie Smith used both the knowledge and beliefs of the audience. Thus, the writer turned to people’s knowledge about their feelings, namely, joy and pleasure, and used personal examples from life, for example, the action of drugs or love (Smith 4). In other words, the writer tried to depict to the audience that there will be no negative consequences after the end of the pleasure.
One may notice the connection between the exigence chosen by the authors and the essay’s genres. As it has been already identified, the genres of works are narrative essays with elements of informative content. If one considers the chosen motivation (as part of the exigence), then one may see that it has informative features. Namely, to apprise the reader about the difference between joy and pleasure, as well as the necessity to reassess your privileges. Moreover, the authors used elements of the narrative essay, such as point of view, setting, and theme. In the work of Zadie Smith, the settings were situations of the author’s feelings of joy: a situation in a nightclub or an example of love (Smith 4). All of these factors indicate on the interconnection of the exigence of the works and their genres.
Talking about the similarities/differences of the selected artifacts, one can highlight several aspects. Firstly, the works are similar primarily in their genre (narrative essay) and the authors’ motivation (exigence). Namely, to convey a certain point of view to the reader, using the knowledge and beliefs of the audience and argumentation. In addition, the similarity is observed in the target audience of the works, namely the immediate audience. However, one may notice that the difference lies mainly in the theme of the works, in the essay of Roxane Gay, the social theme (unequal privileges and opportunities) was touched upon. In contrast, the author of Joy considered the topic of personal emotions and feelings. One might say that Zadie Smith involved a narrower and more personal topic.
Further, one may notice some clues about the similarities between exigency and the artifacts’ genres. Firstly, they lie in the very essence of exigence, as already indicated, the motivation consisted in the necessity to inform the reader. Such exigence demonstrates the signs of a narrative and informative genre. As a result, the essence of the exigence and the informative task of the genre are interconnected. Authors not only informed the reader but also, using literary strategies, made them conduct an analysis, answer some questions and draw personal conclusions. Moreover, the authors used some techniques inherent in the artifacts to keep the reader interested. For instance, the “hook” introduces the reader to the essential part of the work at the beginning and then distracts from the topic to leave the reader engaged.
Consequently, one may conclude that the analysis of the two selected works aided in understanding the concepts of genre and rhetorical situation deeper. Thus, it was possible to find out the inherent elements of the narrative and informative genres. In addition, one managed to study how to find and highlight these elements in the context of work. Further, there was an understanding of the points of the rhetorical situation, such as exigence, constraint, and audience. One may propose that the authors used the narrative genre as it was most appropriate for their chosen topic. Considering that the topics involve reflection and analysis, the narrative and informative genre features seem to be the most suitable.
Works Cited
Gay, Roxane. Bad Feminist. Hachette UK, 2014.
Smith, Zadie. “Joy.” The New York Review of Books, 2013, Web.
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