Analyzing my Genre

For this project I will be writing a scientific article that could be found in National Geographic's Environmental section of their website.  National Geographic has found the balance between informing it's audience, inspiring awe with dramatic photographs and graphics, while still persuading the audience of the importance and benefits of protecting the environment.  Below, I have included examples of articles written in the style I will be emulating.

Example 1 - "How Melting Ice Changes One Countries Way of Life"
Example 2 - "What Antarctica's Incredible "Growing" Icepack Really Means"
Example 3 - "Rising Waters Threaten These Pacific Islands but Not Their Culture"
Example 4 - "To Take the Earth's Pulse, You Have to Fly High"
Example 5 - "Quirky Winds Fuel Brazil's Devastating Drought, Amazon's Flooding"

elektrosmart "yellow" accessed via Pixabay
Uploaded November 2014 CC0 Public Domain

Social Context

Setting:
This genre is found in the online site National Geographic over a variety of different topics.  My particular project can be found in the Environment section of the website.

Subject:
The articles are all centered on the environment and cover new technologies, notable instances of climate change,  new laws and regulations, and anything else that connects to humans impacting the earth.

Who uses this genre:
National Geographic is a combination of photographers, scientists, and journalists working together to create a visually impressive, original, and knowledgeable article.

When/Why is this genre used:
The publications are meant to apply to all ages and backgrounds, in hopes of inspiring learning and positive change.  The national geographic is readily available in print or online/


Rhetorical Patterns of the Genre

Included + Excluded Context:
Social media and addressing the media are not often found in such articles.  The stories are only focused on scientific discovery, research, and events, generally not the public reaction on social medias.  These stories do not come out minutes after the event, like that of real time news sources like Huffington Post or CNN.  They are the result of long periods of researching and constructing the article.  All photographs and graphics were taken by National Geographic employees.

Commonly used rhetorical appeals:
I have found that National Geographic tries to incorporate all three in their stories.  Where scientific journals avoid pathos, National Geographic uses dramatic photography and inspiring stories to generate a real world connection to it's audience.  National Geographic spends weeks to months of time on ethos and logos finding scientists for information and traveling directly to the source of the problem for credible accurate information.

Organization:
National Geographic stories are almost equivalent to short stories.  Each article is very different, where one begins with simple background, another tells the tale of a disappearing island in heartfelt dramatic detail.  The articles do not contain one starting hook sentence.  The entire opening section must be incredibly detailed and captivating.  The shock factor of these articles is not a punchline, it is the gradual explanation of more and more context throughout the article.  By the end of the article, you feel like an expert on the topic, and are indebted to doing something about it.  Some articles are highly technical, and less focused on this dramatic story telling, but the content and original research is always just as captivating.

Sentence Style:
The sentences and paragraph lengths are all varied.  Each sentence length and type depends on what has to be conveyed and where it is in proximity to a graphic.  The entire article is designed to be very easy to read flow directly from sentence to graphic.  Some articles included bolded quotes in between sentences, others graphics, and others can even be larger chunky paragraphs.  It also depends on the context.

Word Choice:
The word choice is often heavily affected by pathos, as many of the articles include personal stories or research experienced first hand.  Field specific jargon is often present and must be explained in detail in order to remain relevant to the audience.


How do these Patterns effect Social Context?

Included + excluded individuals:
Social media, real time news sources, and images from other sources are not found in many national geographic articles.  Anyone included in an article generally has years of experience or is an individual directly effected by an event.  For example, one article covers Bill Nye's opinions on climate change and it's denial while another includes interviews and experiences with locals on an island disappearing into the ocean,

Roles of writers and audience:
The writers also must be incredibly qualified, as the job is incredibly competitive.  Whereas the audience is meant to be anyone and everyone.  National Geographic hires writers, photographers, researchers, and all of it's employees with the goal of creating 100% credible, factual, beautiful, and inspiring content for all ages.  By making it's content so high class yet relatable it allows all audiences to feel relevant and knowledgeable.

Values and beliefs:
The stated values of the National Geographic Society are to inspire it's audience to care about the Earth.  Some of their main focuses include geography, archaeology, natural science, and environmental and historical conservation.  Their stories all have cultural or environmental connections, and they believe telling inspiring stories, sharing beautiful photographs, and getting people out in the world and volunteering are the best parts of their initiative.  The society has several volunteering initiatives in sustainability, conservation, and education.

Most and least valuable content:
The most valuable content is the credibility, factual nature of the environmental articles, and method of storytelling to inspire the audience to action.  The least valuable information will be the source of the photographs and the visual layout.  Although I will try to emulate the style in which National Geographic creates their articles, I do not have access to such detailed and first person photography.  The level of photography and graphics is far beyond what I have available.  I will however do my best to try to compare to their high quality of visual effects.

REFLECTION:

I commented on Chloe's and Chelsea's blogs.  I think everyone's justifications for their genre choices are all very different.  I chose the National Geographic for it's inspirational vibe and creative writing.   Chloe chose a magazine article which will help garner a solid audience who wants to be informed on a topic they know.  Chelsea chose an active genre with a lot of flexibility to keep an already opinionated audience engaged.  I think my genre is proving to be more difficult than I had originally thought, but eventually, by the final draft, it will be worth the effort.