Joseline Ayala
Professor Zack de Piero
Writing 2
29 May 2016
Pets
or no Pets?
The scholarly article I chose
to transform—To Have or Not to Have a Pet for Better Health? by Leena
Koivusilta and Ansa Ojanlatva—talks about about the associations of pet
ownership with perceived health and disease indicators. This study takes into
account socio-demographic background factors together with health risk factors
such as exercise.
My goal for the
first genre transformation, the Science Daily health article, was to inform an
older audience on the associations of having pets with better health. Given
that adults are generally more prone to health-related issues, I wanted to
focus on the negative effects that can arise from specific behaviors-such as
lack of exercise-and how owning a pet can help(or not) reduce this problem. My
goal for the second genre transformation, the Twitter page, was to persuade a
younger audience-such as young adults who visit social media-to become better
informed with the consequences that follow unhealthy lifestyle patterns and how
pets can act as a means of support to prevent health-related issues.
The intended
audience for the Science Daily article are adults: i.e. parents, workers,
teachers. A health article, I believe, is an effective way of presenting health
issues that can potentially affect this specific group of audience because it
offers relevant, detailed information that can be readily accessible online or
in magazines. According to Losh and Alexander, a writer’s ability to tailor
their ideas to a specific group of people is dependent upon multiple
identities; in the same way that we conform or try to fit in with our society’s
expectations and beliefs when we pick what clothes to wear and how to fashion
our hair. It can be argued, then, that adapting to an audience’s needs is a
writing technique or move that an author chooses to make because in
doing so he or she can sound more persuasive to that particular audience. They
can accomplish this level of persuasion by providing relevant evidence and an
appropriate tone. In my first genre transformation, I am able to obtain
credibility by using an educated tone and reliable sources of information that support
my objective to better inform an older audience of the associations of having
pets with better health. For example, I quote Leena Koivusilta and Ansa
Ojanlatva: “Pet owners had a slightly higher BMI than the rest, which indicates
that people having a pet (particularly a dog) could use some exercise.” This
article provides a challenging viewpoint that was made in the study. As a
result of this, an older audience might oppose to having pets whereas a younger
audience might remain persistent in believing that pets are beneficial to their
health.
Why is it that a
younger audience (including myself) tends to believe in positive associations
between having pets and a better health? This was perhaps a result of the
beliefs that have been imposed to them by their society. With this I introduce
my second genre transformation: a Twitter page. Twitter is a social form of
online communication that helps translate various issues to teenagers today
through pictures, videos, GIFs, and conversations. Before talking about the
moves in this piece, it is important that I describe the conventions of this
social media (what makes Twitter, Twitter?). All Twitter profile pages
have a profile picture, their “@username,” small biography, and a list of the
people they follow as well as their followers. The people they follow can be
seen as their own set of sources that they obtain their information from. There
is a blue and white pattern seen throughout the entire page and when you like a
person’s tweet, you can “favorite” or “retweet” this idea to share to your own
set of followers.
When discussing moves, we can refer to McCloud’s discussion about
framing, transition, visual literacy, and moment as well as their contribution
to the clarity, persuasion, and intensity when writing with images. Twitter
uses these methods and allows for the fast spread of information through
various sources to those people who are technologically adapted. Young adults
and teenagers who utilize this form of communication can be influenced to
believe in particular things-this is the frame, or the things the
writer allows you to see. For instance, in my genre transformation, the
Twitter account “@Puppies4health” informs teens that “other kinds of
experiences and aspects of life may be involved in pet ownership such as mental
and emotional issues” (Leena Koivusilta and Ansa Ojanlatva). This Twitter
account is only persistent with the belief that pets, such as puppies, can be
helpful when dealing with emotional and other health-related issues. Unlike the
health article, it does not offer various viewpoints. Instead, it sticks to
convincing the viewers that pets have a positive impact to their lives:
“Petting your cat or dog feels good. It can lower your blood pressure, helps
your body relaxation hormone...” Thus, it is describing moment, what is
shown or left out. Moreover, the images transition together with the
discussion of pets and better perceived health because they seem to be loving,
healthy, and overall happier. Visual literacy is what is written and how it
looks. In this Twitter page we that the tweets are very straightforward and
they often offer images of smiling puppies, which can appeal to a younger set
of viewers.
It is evident, in conclusion, that the decisions writers make can
be intended for a specific group for various reasons. These decisions, or
moves, may convince the reader in believing certain things once the writer has
established that credibility, whether it be through a tweet or a scientifically
proven study. Learning to apply these writing techniques are essential to
becoming a better writer. These genre transformations have allowed me to explore
the different and similar conventions between two genres as well as understand
what it takes to persuade completely different audiences.
Works Cited
Losh, Elizabeth M., Jonathan Alexander, Kevin Cannon, and Zander
Cannon. Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing. N.p.: n.p.,
n.d. Print.
McCloud, Scott. Scott McCloud | Journal » Archive » Writing with
Pictures. Scott McCloud Journal RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment