Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS 1

Genre Analysis

Erick Perchez

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302

Professor Jesus Pena

Genre Analysis

Intro

In the world of rhetoric, there are many types of every medium that classify as genres.

Most people know genres as a specific style of music or perhaps the type of book written. But

the genres that will be analyzed include typography, iconography, and oral. These genres refer to

the type of rhetoric that is used to portray a message, usually in hopes to persuade a person and

attempt to challenge their beliefs. The two genres that will be focused on are typography, in the

form of a web article. Iconography will be presented in the form of a YouTube video on why

rehabilitation facilities for drug addictions work and how it should be treated.

Iconography is also referred to as a visual genre subdividing into photography, televised

interviews, cartoons, and in this case, YouTube videos. The video, Addiction is a disease We

should treat it like one: Michael Botticelli, shows his personal struggle with drug addiction and

how he overcame it in a very strategic, yet casual way. Typography, subdividing into books,

essays, written music lyrics, and web articles, which has been a very popular genre for rhetoric

for as long as scriptures have existed. The article, Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction,

focuses mostly on the concrete facts rather than a personal story. What both of these sources do

very well is portray data and then back it up with credible resources by referencing research.

Although the video may focus more on alcohol addiction, it is still relevant to the question: why

treatment works for addictions?

Structure and Delivery

Since both sources come from different genres, their structure is quite different. The

video is a TED Talk, meaning that there are few limitations to how it is structured and delivered.

Considering it is a broadcast, the language has to be formal and family friendly therefore it is

censored, perhaps not with bleeps, but by having the presenter be aware of what they are saying

and forcing them to try to avoid words that could not be suitable for everyone. Being a TED

Talk, it is expected to be a very formal ordeal. The talk is presented many facts and supported by

research. Besides the facts presented, heavy topics can be expected, this is also why the audience

of such a video will most likely be adults with open minds, perhaps closed minds too, as the

speaker will try to challenge their beliefs. There is not a lot of a visual effect in the video other

than the person speaking and seeing the emotions expressed, making it a stronger message.

Although the language is very strong and had a very mature nature, it also had its casual

and family friendly moments. The use of the casual moments and language was usually used by

the speaker to make their s story much more relatable. Without that aspect, the speaker would

have seemed unprofessional and careless. Other than the presented observations, the language

does remain formal for the majority of the video, allowing the viewer to acknowledge that the

speaker is knowledgeable about the topic they are talking about. This makes them more credible

and respected.

The article is slightly more organized in a sense of it being able to be planned out, edited

and modified to suit the authors purpose. There are also limitations to this source, such as having

to keep the formatting as tidy and neat as possible. The fact that this source is a government

funded website, one can expect formal language and censorship in the article. There will also be

properly presented facts and statistics from a website funded by the government. Since it is a
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web article, there is no audio or video, but there are images to draw in the attention of the reader.

Despite these restraints, they do not take away from the article’s powerful message.

Although the two sources are from different genres, there are some similarities between

them, such as the way facts are presented. There is not a single fact in either sources that is not

backed by any sort of research. Despite the similarities, there also are some differences between

both sources. The article is far more fact-based while the video is more of an experience being

shared. The video, for the most part, is opinion derived from the facts.

Audience and Purpose

As previously stated, the audience for the video are usually more mature, in a sense that

they can handle the strong topic and have a sincere interest in the topic. The video also seems to

target gay individuals by trying to relate to them and their struggles, such as exclusion. Similarly,

the article is also for the more mature and educated audience, especially considering the

terminology used. It mostly seems to target adults and people doing research on the topic of

similar mentalities.

For both sources, their purpose was to inform how living with addiction is, how it should

be treated, and how it could actually be treated, especially with more accessible resources. The

video could be used as a form of entertainment. TED talks are commonly known to be very

interactive and amusing, but it does portray the powerful message, as intended. In both sources,

the importance of taking action is enforced and amplified. Both sources are trying to encourage

general awareness of the issue at hand. The article shows how addiction can be treated so people
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know and maybe help someone in need of help, While the video shows how horrible it is to live

with an addiction, it encourages people to take action and get help.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

The speaker in the video uses a lot of references and known names in the addiction and

rehab community whenever he is presenting facts and his knowledge on the subject. The video

evokes feelings and emotions of sadness and pity since the person is talking about what he has

gone through and how other people should not go through the same things he has.

The article shows credibility by being a government website and also referencing many

big known names in the community as well. The article evokes more of a concerning emotion by

presenting hard facts and not trying to be sensible to a lot of people even though it is public

knowledge that even the slightest comment out of line could offend thousands of people.

Since both resources were made by professional creators, there really is not an appeal that

is missing. They both include an emotional, ethical, and logical appeal behind everything being

said in the sources. The evidence used is mostly statistics on how many people are addicted, how

long they’re addicted for and how many people die with the cause being overdoses. That is the

general take-away from these sources.

Conclusion

The video felt like it did achieve its purpose of providing knowledge of the life of

addiction. It focused mainly on how the public perceives addiction and how it should really be

looked at and even treated. All of the facts presented were very supported and explained. Also,

the fact that the speaker was very charismatic and funny made it much more successful.
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The article, too, achieved its purpose because of how the information was strategically

brought up. The information may have been more difficult to read, especially with the advanced

terminology. What also made it more successful was the fact that it was a government site,

implying that lies should not be implemented in the articles to avoid the spread of “fake news”.

Even though the video was entertaining to watch, the article prevailed as the most effective

because it is the most believable source (i.e. Government funded websites).

Reference

Abuse, N. I. (n.d.). Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction

TED. (2017, April 21). Addiction is a disease. We should treat it like one | Michael Botticelli.

[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RGn75JcZ8