Variation Across Contexts

In the final major writing assignment, adapting the academic essay I was able to take my previous challenging constructs essay and turn it into a different genre. The genre I had chosen was a tweet. My intended audience was the general public, and my goal was to gain exposure to the topic that the form in which the five-paragraph essay is taught should be amended.

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By producing the same argument but in two completely different formats, I was able to examine how different settings require different language and structure. My academic essay followed a formal tone and a specific arrangement of ideas while my tweet was completely informal and reflected a conversation. I was no longer stating an argument based on through research and evidence. Now I was just stating my experience and my personal opinion.

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My academic essay was an argument I was trying to convince the reader of, but my tweet was a relatable comment that could gain exposure to reach a certain audience that can put my idea into action. In order for my tweet to act as an informal and easy place to engage with, the language and rhetoric used was friendly and humorous. On the other hand, my academic essay used language and rhetoric that was persuasive and thoughtfully supported. 

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Completing this assignment showed me that different genres contain a variety of expectations but can still deliver a similar message. An academic essay cannot follow the same format as a tweet because it no longer has any validity or credibility. Similarly, a tweet cannot follow the same format as an academic essay because it is not relatable and easy to comment on. However, both forms can be used to engage a reader on the same argument. This goes for any genre including poems or research papers. Each genre has its own characteristics and expectations from the reader.