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Katie SchmidWriting 2 – Speiser12/3/2016Final Portfolio – Edited Genre AnalysisTopic: Writing about LoveGenres: Blogs vs. Poetry Love Is Here to StayImagine receiving an invitation from a friend in the mail that reads, “My birthday party! You’re invited. Sunday September 27th, 6:00 pm at my house. See you there!” Despite it’s simplicity, this invite would provide a sufficient amount of information to prepare you for attending the birthday party. Why? As long as you are a well functioning human over the age of twelve, it is safe to assume that you have enough knowledge about the genre of “birthday parties” to prepare appropriately. Your familiarity with this genre would allow you to assume with great confidence that you should dress casually, bring a gift, and show up a little after the scheduled start time (as showing up “fashionably late” to parties is basically expected). None of these things were directly stated in the invitation, but genres allow us to use our prior knowledge about a topic to best prepare for the current circumstance. As Dirk (2013) reminds us in his essay, “learning about genres and how they function is more important than mastering one particular genre; it is this knowledge that helps us to recognize and to determine appropriate responses to different situations” (p.259). The birthday party scenario illustrates one example of how genres can be useful, but there are limitless ways genres function in our reading, writing, and everyday lives. This essay analyses the techniques of two genres, poetry and blogging, as a way of expressing love. It is not uncommon to hear people claim that the millennial generation has killed romance. In fact, journalist Jessica Massa published an article for CNN claiming that thanks to millennials, “traditional dating as we know it is dead” (Feb. 13, 2013). Contrary to what the media tells us, I believe the growing use of blogging and poetry to document and share feelings of love serve as proof that romance is still very much alive in our society. A deeper look into the strategies used by the modern medium of blogging and the traditional art of poetry will help illuminate just how prevalent love still is in our world. Blogging is one genre that has emerged with growing popularity in the modern technological era. There are blogs about all sorts of things, but one very trendy form of blogging revolves around the sharing of personal love stories. Love blogs can be written anonymously, but as the genre of open divulging of personal emotions becomes more accepted in society, named authors increasingly run them. These “bloggers” do not have to be professional writers; anyone can start a blog. It does greatly increase the popularity of the blog, however, if the author is well spoken, clever, engaging, and relatable. Love blogs can have many variations in tone, purpose, audience, and context. For example, one blogger through the site BlogHer writes a lighthearted article entitled “7 Non-Intimidating First Date Ideas”, while another writes a much more serious piece entitled “The First Time My Husband Hit Me…” (2016). Undoubtedly, both of these pieces would attract varying audiences and speak with much different tones. Despite these integral differences, it can still be concluded that the purpose of the blogs is to help and guide others who may be struggling with some aspect of romantic life. Some love blogs are written exclusively in professional language, whereas others get very personal, and may use slang, sexual terms, and very descriptive language (think along the lines of a diary entry). An example of a more personal blog is entitled Secret Diaries of a Girl in Love and is written by a female blogger, Trisha. In her blog entries, Trisha writes a lot about her specific love interest, a man she identifies only by his initials. An excerpt reads, “ It has been almost a month. RV has talked to me only twice since the time I told him the truth. Even when he talked, he wanted me to feel ashamed and guilty all the time” (June 5, 2013). Trisha’s blog is extremely personal and gives lots of insight into her love life, angst, hurt, and heartache. While Elite Daily blogger Candice Jalili published an article just last year claiming that, “our generation as a whole has a hard time letting itself be honest about feelings,” Trisha is one of many bloggers who proves that statement wrong (Jul. 21, 2015). Trisha’s blog offers an extremely intimate, vulnerable look into her personal life, and fosters a deep connection with hundreds of readers who are interested in participating in a community that openly shares feelings of love. A common trend many popular blogs seem to follow is one of self-reflection, realization of improvement, and inspiration for others. Bloggers are often people who feel they have been through a tough personal journey, but have come through the other side as an infinitely stronger, wiser, and happier person. They wish to pass along the knowledge they have gained through their struggles to others who may be experiencing the same thing. For example, in her blog A Blog About Love blogger Mara Kofoed explains her trials from heartbreak and infertility to meeting her now-husband and realizing her true purpose. She says, “I’m not writing this blog for me.? I’m writing it for?you, whoever you are.? Because maybe you are ‘me’ 5 years ago, and you need someone to show you a better way to live, just like someone showed me” (Sept. 27, 2011). Kofoed is clearly following the trend within the blogger genre of offering advice and hope to her readers. While popular perception may be that this generation is satisfied by shallow, short-term relationships, bloggers like Mara gain so much popularity because in actuality, many people are searching for someone to show them how to create deeper and more meaningful love lives.Poetry is one of the most timeless outlets for expressing feelings of love; unlike blogging, it has been around for thousands of years. Perhaps due to its long historical background, there is a common misconception that poetry “embodies childish, outdated, and ultimately irrelevant ways of thinking about life” (Clausen, 2015, p.44). In reality, however, poetry has survived and thrived through the work of poets who enjoy replicating traditional styles, and creating their own. Some genres of poetry have clearly defined rules, such as following certain rhyme or syllable patterns. Haikus, ancient forms of Japanese poetry, always follow the same structure: three lines, with a total of seventeen syllables in a 7-5-7 pattern. One purpose of these patterns is to engage the reader in an audibly appealing word scheme, and please the reader with refreshing rhymes. Feelings of love and happiness are therefore elicited not only in the content of the poem, but the way the poem seems to roll off the tongue. Poet Jennifer Benka is quoted as saying, "Poems are comprised of everyday material expertly arranged in ways that require a reader's time and reflection” (Griggs, June 25, 2015). This quote wonderfully epitomizes the reason why poetry is considered such a clever way to express love. If you were to simply tell someone why you love him or her, it might sound plain; but the grandeur and elegance of poetry offers a much more powerful way to communicate feelings of love and affection. Unlike blogging, which is exclusively posted online and viewed by others, some poetry can be made public while some can remain personal. Poetry can serve as a love letter intended for just one special person, or it may be widely available and applicable to many people. Some poets are very famous, like Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. Others may be anonymous or simply less well known. Poets use lots of metaphors, analogies, and imagery to express their feelings. Much like rhyme scheme, this use of artistic language leaves the reader with sensations much deeper than just words, such as visual imagery and pleasant thoughts. Older poems frequently use dated and unfamiliar language. Great examples of this can be seen in the works of William Shakespeare. An excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind” reads: Blow, blow, thou winter wind?Thou art not so unkind?As man's ingratitude;?Thy tooth is not so keen,?Because thou art not seen,?Although thy breath be rude.Of course when Shakespeare wrote his poetry, terms that seem foreign to us now such as “thy” and “art” were much more commonplace. However, it’s important to note that despite their loss of relevance in common diction, this outmoded language does not stop people from reading, enjoying, and replicating the famous works of late poets. This only further serves to prove the point that poetry, especially as a way of expressing love, has strongly persevered in our society. While the genre of blogging mainly offers daily, weekly, or monthly posts that are mostly short-lived, the genre of poetry has proven itself a timeless emotional outlet. For those who think love is dead, simply opening up a book of poems or conducting a quick online search will prove that is not true. Hundreds of new love blogs pop up every day, and a new person picks up a pen to write a poem all the time. The strategies that each of these genres uses to captivate, comfort, and charm their readers may vary, but the intention is the same: to spread stories of love in this supposedly heartless world. ReferencesBlogHer. (2016) Love & Sex: BlogHer. Retrieved October 10, 2016. Clausen, C. (2015). The place of poetry: Two centuries of an art in crisis. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. Dirk, K. (2010). Navigating Genres. In C. Lowe & P. Zemliansky (Eds.), Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing (Vol. 1, pp. 249-262). Parlor Press. Griggs, B. (2012, October 11). Poetry is dead. No, it's not. Retrieved November 29, 2016. Jalili, C. (2015, July 21). No Feelings: Why This Generation Has So Much Trouble Being Vulnerable. Retrieved October 11, 2016. Kofoed, M. (2011, September 27). About This Blog: A Blog About Love. Retrieved October 12, 2016. Massa, J. (2013, February 13). Why Traditional Dating Is Dead. Retrieved October 9, 2016. Shakespeare, W. As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII [Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind]. Retrieved October 12, 2016. Trisha. (2013, June 5). Secret Diaries of a Girl in Love. Retrieved October 10, 2016. ................
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