Navigating Genres

After reading an excerpt from “Navigating Genres” I can say that I agree with many of the points that the author brought to the readers attention. This reading honestly astonished me because I was so ignorant before, I have always thought that genres were only used to categorize things like music, books, as well as movies. However, after reading this story I learned from the author that genres can be used in everyday life, and at any point in your day. I know that now after reading this I will keep this knowledge in the back of my mind, and now think twice when I am doing every day activities. This reading will most definitely lead to my categorizing my daily activities into genres! Personally, I like country music so I found this read relatable and somewhat comical. I am in total agreeance with the author when he says that country songs are patriotic, can be sad (loosing your wife, house, dog, etc.), country songs tell stories, etc. However, I have noticed a recent shift in the style of country music’s lyrics. The recent country music that has come out over the last year is more up-beat and could possibly fall under the pop category of music. Older, or classic country music, was more down beat that would leave the listener almost sad because the songs radiated sad vibes, where as now the songs are up beat and happy. The author raises the question of wondering if he were to write a country song that did not fall under the old characteristics of country music, what would happen? To answer this question, it would be totally okay to branch out and not follow the norm, the song could still fall under the country category or genre, but would just create a new subcategory for country music! Branching out and starting something totally new is the best part about genres, there are so many different styles and ways to go about a work, which then in turn represents who you are! Genres are so broad and give us writers unlimited amount of possibilities and new ways to express ourselves. In addition, I loved how the author mentioned, “But above all, I hope to give you an awareness of how genres function by taking what is often quite theoretical in the field of rhetoric and composition and making it a bit more tangible.” This statement is so important because it allows the reader to understand the endless opportunities there are in writing, and genres only help us expand our styles and individual desires. To conclude, this story only helped me to get a better understanding of genres and how to make a genre come to life. Before reading this story the thought of how genres were created had never crossed my mind. However, after learning that one person's writing can create a genre, my mind was blown! This reading as a whole was an eye opener, and really will make an impact of how I look at not only just writings, but also everyday life!