Please post your two questions and response to your peers' questions
about chapter 2 of the Bedford Book of Genres by commenting on this
post!
I understand some of you might still be without power (like myself). If you've had trouble getting your blog posts done, don't worry, just please be sure to have posts for chapters 1 and 2 done by before we meet on 9/7.
How do the different types of fonts help the writer convey their message to readers in a graphic memoir?
ReplyDeleteThe benefit of creating a graphic memoir is that the audience/readers can experience the work both through the written word and visually through the pictures. The memoirist can use different style choices, for example different fonts, to help them convey to their readers their tone and voice. Using different fonts can help the memoirist to highlight important characters' dialogues or an important mood/atmosphere within the graphic memoir. For example, the use of bold fonts can indicate to the audience/readers a dramatic or important part of the memoir, whether in the dialogue, character development, or the overall atmosphere. Italic font can be used in a similar way, to emphasize certain words or sentences that are key to the overall plotline of the graphic memoir. Through this way, graphic memoirists can heighten their written word by adding visual techniques to further draw the reader/audience in and help them to better understand and relate with the memoir as a whole.
DeleteHow does changing the amount of pictures and captions in a photo essay impact the interest of the audience?
ReplyDeleteThe more captivating pictures that a photo essay has the more interested the audience will be. Using too much text will cause some of the audience to grow tired of the piece. However, giving just the right amount of context to each photos can aid in maintaining an audience’s attention and ensure the author’s purpose is understood by those experiencing it. How the author prioritizes attention and purpose will determine the amount of each.
DeleteSince memories are subjective and one-sided by nature, can we ever really achieve ethos in an autobiography?
ReplyDeleteIt seems the nature of the genre itself prevents memoirs from being totally one hundred percent accurate and achieving true ethos, but because that is a convention of the genre, the audience will not expect it to be one hundred percent accurate and will understand the bias. In that way, it doesn't matter whether or not ethos is achieved to make a strong connection, only that there is pathos, since the audience knows that the account is one-sided and personal.
DeleteIf an author's ethos is challenged can they ever regain the same level of credibility? For example, can the doubts raised by the sister of Dave Eggers (page 64, under sources) ever be forgotten?
ReplyDeleteThe author may never regain the same level of credibility, as there will always be that mark on their record of reliability. However, people may once again come to see them as credible, but they will more acutely scrutinize the author and his/her words.
DeleteWhy did the book authors decide to start genre introduction with the "literacy novel?" That just seems highly specialized and not very overarching as one would assume an introduction would be.
ReplyDeleteWhen one looks at the words "graphic memoir," one would assume it would be a memoir created from pictures. The example was with comic-book style drawings but could it also be created with actual pictures as well?
ReplyDeleteWhich rhetorical appeal is most effective within the genre of literacy narrative?
ReplyDeleteThere isn't really a rhetorical appeal that is most effective. They are all important depending on the rhetorical situation and the audience. For example when trying to inform someone of a cause you rely more on ethos because your audience needs to know that you are presenting credible information. When trying to persuade your audience you typically rely on logos because you want to guide your audience to a logical conclusion. When creating a work for entertainment you typically rely on pathos to play on the audiences emotions.
DeleteHow can the author's style and design choices help or hinder their work within the genre of graphic memoirs?
ReplyDeleteThe author's choice of style and design are instrumental in drawing the reader into their story and emphasizing certain emotional aspects of the narrative so that it is better received and understood. The selective inclusiveness of detail places a spotlight on parts of the story. This can be reflected through the use of fonts, the sentence length, the point of view, and difference in representation between the text and imagery. Design has a similar effect, but uses more visual variation in aspects like paneling, object size/position, character portrayal, color, and general tone. It helps with the progression of the plot and the portrayal of characters. Incorrectly executed use of style and design can create a divide between the author's intent and the actual presentation of the work, but carefully placed detail and imagery creates a fluid plot and an engaging retelling of events and emotions.
DeleteHow well can we truly trust memoirs and autobiographies, as they often rely on imperfect human memory to convey their stories?
ReplyDeleteIn a way that is the point of memoirs and autobiographies, to describe an experience through the viewpoint and memory of a specific person. Ultimately all memoirs and autobiographies are subjective, but that doesn't detract from their value in literature.
DeleteAutobiographies and memoirs are both compositions in which the composer reflects on their own memories and conveys these memories to their audience. It should be expected that the memories should have some slight differences from the actual occurrences. This has in fact been proven through scientific research that human memory slowly deteriorates over time. That begin said if the composer of a certain work has intentionally embellished an event then that detracts from the value of literature. The problem is it is very difficult to distinguish between incidental embellishment and deterioration of memory over time. The audience has the ability to be able to doubt that the events from either a memoir or autobiography are false, but in most cases only the composer of the work truly knows whether the composition is embellished purposefully. Therefore, most autobiographies and memoirs must be believed as true because of the deterioration of one’s memories over time. The audience doesn’t have the right to question of validity of the composition unless the composer’s ethos has been compromised in the past or there is hard evidence disproving the composer’s statements.
DeleteIs the art of passing down stories from generation to generation orally rendered obsolete in today's high tech society, in which stories can be much more easily recorded and played at leisure?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not believe that the art of story telling will ever become obsolete. In my experience every story is better when it is told to you, not recorded or documented for you to listen or watch. The passion and emotions exerted by the speaker while telling a story, especially when it is being passed from generation to generation, is vital in the listeners understanding of the story and what truly happened. Also, a voice recording or video is much more scripted than a face to face interaction, making it more difficult to understand the real emotions of the person telling the story.
DeleteAre photo essays and graphic memoirs inherently more subjective than text-only memoirs and essays because they rely on the reader to make assumptions about the pictures?
ReplyDeleteI feel like text only would be inherently more subjective. For example, you might read a sentence in a different tone than the author meant to portray while with a picture over the text it makes it easier to see what the author was actually trying to say. I think that pictures in photo essays or graphic memoirs are there to emphasize the point the author is making and leave no room for misinterpretation.
DeleteCould personal social media pages be considered graphic memoirs based on their content?
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel like social media pages like Instagram could be considered a graphic memoir. Even though it is not telling a specific story, it is telling the story of that particular authors life through pictures and captions.
DeleteIs a photograph collage constructed with pictures of a persons life considered a graphic memoir even if it does not tell a story of a specific event?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it would be considered a graphic memoir because the audience can interpret the pictures to make a story with them. Even if the pictures have nothing to do with each other, they still are all a part of that one person's life, and a memoir is a story about one's life, so each individual picture is a piece of the story or memoir.
DeleteIn what ways is a photo essay more reliable/credible than an autobiography or written memoir due to the fact that it is much harder to alter what is in a picture?
ReplyDeleteMany forms of writing are reliant on the author's construction of imagery--they paint a picture in the reader's mind of a particular scene or event. However, in the case of a photo essay, accompanying text is meant only to enhance the message of the physical image, rather than describe and relay a mental image.
DeleteHow is the purpose of a photo essay any different than the purpose of other genres of writing?
ReplyDeleteThe purpose isn't necessarily different. A photo essay's purpose may be to tell a story and/or educate. This could also be true with any other genre of writing. The difference is just in how they depict their purpose either through words or photographs.
DeleteAre graphic memoirs/photo essays better at portraying the emotion the writer wants the reader to feel?
ReplyDeleteDespite the power of language, images seem to hold a special place in the ability to create feeling or pathos. Tainanmen Square is immortalized through the picture of the man standing in front of the tank. Neil Armstrong is remembered planting the flag on the moon. V Day is captured by the soldier returning home kissing the girl in times square. Words can evoke emotion and captivate audiences, but the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" has some weight.
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ReplyDeleteCorrection to above comment: It is stated that establishing credibility as an author of a graphic memoir is held in high priority. What are some ways this ethos can be established?
ReplyDeletePhoto essays generally attempt to relay a story or make a point. In what ways can a photo essay call people to action? What is an example of a rhetorical situation in which a photo essay would be effective for that purpose?
ReplyDelete1. What is the purpose behind telling stories to others?
ReplyDelete2. How can we effectively use the three rhetorical appeals to tell stories?
Would you say that a single photograph alone is enough to be considered a graphic memoir? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for a photo to accurately convey what an author wants his/her audience to feel?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, yes a photo can accurately convey what an author wants his/her audience to feel. Photography portrays a message through the use of different lightings, angles, and subjects. On top of that, different colors sometimes bring out a different emotional response for the viewer.
DeleteWhat are the ethical implications of using pathos to persuade audiences against what is known fact or right?
ReplyDeleteUsing pathos in order to persuade audiences against what is known fact is a very dangerous path for any person to attempt. The common saying in politics is that people vote with their hearts not their minds, showing that using pathos as a major portion of one's argument to an audience is very effective. The ethical implications of using pathos as a part of persuasion against actual fact are very drastic. It is totally and unequivocally unethical to lie to an audience in order to convince them of your point, regardless of the emotional appeal. Pathos is a dangerous weapon when used as a rhetorical technique and must be used in moderation. The ethics behind the use of pathos and ability to convince people against fact is something that we increasingly see in the world that we live. Constantly media and politicians make considerable emotional appeals that are dangerous to the public. This clearly shows that the use of pathos to sway people against actual fact.
DeleteDoes the advent of technology make traditional mediums obsolete or enhance their accessibility?
ReplyDeleteWith graphic memoirs, do you think that just the insertion of pictures and graphic depiction of the events in the memoir is sort of tampering with the reader's own ability to digest and connect with the memoir?
ReplyDeleteDo you believe that relying on pictures to tell the majority of the story in either a graphic memoir or photo-essay takes away from the literary content of the work?
ReplyDeleteThe whole point of using images is to tell a story solely relying on visual elements with very little writing included in them. There's a reason why the author/creator of a work used images instead of writing the story down. Relying on pictures does take away literary content, but the whole point of using images was to express a story visually, instead of writing.
Delete(Erin Christopher) What steps do you take to determine the best genre of delivery for a particular story?
ReplyDelete(Erin Christopher) How might the strength and significance of your narrative elements (i.e. plot/events, characters/people, overarching message) affect how you select the genre for the narrative?
ReplyDeleteWhat element makes a literacy narrative become more accurately classified as a memoir?
ReplyDeleteA memoir is, in essence, an autobiography. However, what differentiates a memoir from other narratives is that at its core, a memoir incorporates a portion of the author's life as it relates to the specific event, person, or object. Additionally, the purpose of a memoir is to inform the target audience about an event by using personal experience, thus giving the audience a deeper grasp of the event being described.
DeleteDo graphic memoirs have a stronger pathos appeal than a typed memoir?
ReplyDeleteGiven the pathos is appealing to the emotions of the reader, you have to consider both sides in the memoir. Will the memoir really grasp the emotions with definitive pictures? Or, will the readers be moved by the typed out emotions of the writer? In many cases, graphic memoirs add more detail to compositions than strictly text alone. The strongest route to having the best response of emotion is the mixture of graphics and text. The reader will be able to feel what the author feels through words, then, have it embedded in them as soon as they get the image locked in. For the best results, graphic will grab the audience into an emotion trance and hook them in to what the author intended.
DeleteGiven the audience of text are younger, what is the best style to use in the composition?
ReplyDeleteWould the format used when designing a narrative would be more emphasized if the writer knew exactly what the audience was looking for or hoping for the best instead?
I think when the reader has a specific audience in mind, they tailor their genre to appeal most to that audience.
DeleteHow does the medium that a memoir is expressed change the impact that it may have on the target audience?
ReplyDeleteWhich form of rhetorical appeal (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) would have the greatest affect on the general populace? Why?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would say a memoir requires certain amounts of details and memories to intrigue an audience into reading the whole piece. Being bored is likely going to make the audience feel more disconnected and uninterested.
DeleteWhich type of mode mentioned in the book (text, visual, or audio) is most effective in communicating with an audience?
ReplyDelete1. In your writing, how often do you try to emphasize your relationship with the audience by narrating a previous life experience, in the same manner Obama did in his memoir for his father?
ReplyDelete2. Which writing design do you feel more comfortable with, a structured essay format with traditional paragraphs or more loosely organized pieces which give your content fewer limitations?
What is the purpose of writing a memoir? Is it better to be detailed or broad when writing a memoir?
ReplyDeleteI believe it is best to be detailed in a memoir since most memoirs are focused on a significant moment in one's life.
DeleteIn chapter two, it mentions how Douglass's autobiography helped change history. What other pieces of narrative genres have changed history?
ReplyDeleteWhich rhetorical appeal do you think works best when writing a fictional narrative?
ReplyDelete1.Would ethos, pathos, or logos work best for photo essays?
ReplyDelete2.Even though they typically have less words and descriptions, can photo essays tell as much of a detailed story as a narrative?
1. As an author, is it better to appeal to a large target audience or a specific small group of people?
ReplyDelete2.Can a piece of work use logos even though it completely defies all logic and reasoning?
How related do you think all of the photos in a photo essay have to be in order to tell a full story or make a point?
ReplyDeleteAlayna Bradley
DeleteAre graphic memoirs easier to read because of the fact that they include depictions of what certain events look like or does that take away from the reader's ability to use his or her imagination to visually depict the story?
ReplyDeleteAlayna Bradley