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Ben Rowley
Ms. Enoch
ENC 1145
25 February 2015
Genre and Poetry Final Draft
Because genre is constantly changing, and so open to perspective, it can be a complex
concept to wrap your head around. Ultimately, its too hard to define because it is so broad of a
topic with too many different kinds of pieces with rules that go along with them. Sharron Gils
opening quote describing childrens poetry captures it perfectly. Poetry is more than a collection
of "classics" that have defined meanings. Teachers can show students that poetry is something
people do to capture thoughts, feelings, and experiences (622). An easier way to classify poetry
is by genre. Victoria Pineda, among others, points out a genre can be identified as a set of ideas
linked to a label (379). In this paper I wanted to simplify the theory of genre and illustrate the
creation and properties of genre through the relatable subject of poetry.
The creation of a genre is a process that doesnt happen overnight. Bitzer believed that
when someone responds to a rhetorical situation and others respond to the same situation in a
similar fashion, a genre is created (46). After this first response has been created, other writers
have some kind of guide to go off of if they wish to respond in the same way. This implies that
before the word poetry was even coined, someone wanted to express an idea in the form of
literature differently than people previously had. After the first poem had been created (even
though not yet being considered a poem) other poets could decide if they wanted to answer this
question in the same way. When trying find the creation poetry we would have to look at some
of the earliest responses to this rhetorical situation. Pinedas classification concrete poetry as an
example of a historical kind of poetry can further explain Bitzers initial rhetorical situation.

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Even though concrete poetry is not the first form of poetry, we can consider it as some of the
earlier works of poetry. Pineda also considered Walter Mignolos definition of genre explaining
how, a set of ideas linked to a particular label and associated with a sufficient amount of
metatexts (379). Sufficient is a vague word, but nonetheless, there needs to be an abundance of
work that we can link back to a label. This means a genre cant be created until there are
enough similar pieces to group it with them and only when they are looked back on, one can
classify them as the same genre or subgenre. The key words being looked back on meaning a
genre isnt created until well after the first piece has been created. For the sake of argument, lets
consider concrete poetry as our label. Before concrete poetry, or poetry for that matter, could be
categorized into their respective genres, many other works would have had to have been created.
Because of only recent advances in technology allowing us to create massive databases linking
oodles of works together, there must have been hundreds of soon to be classified poems spread
out amongst uncivilized nations in which each of these nations would have a citizen posed with
Bitzers theoretical rhetorical situation of a new way of communicating literature.
Even when people choose to answer this rhetorical situation differently, it can still
influence the subsequent genre. For example, when writing lyrics in music, artists wants to
communicate a poem in a different way than a standard poem. When Tupac, one the greatest
musical poets in hip-hop published his music, the boundaries of classical poetry were pushed.
The differences between these kinds of poetry affected the current state of this genre when
people try to categorize his music. This is natural as a genre develops. There cant be a strict set
of rules limiting what is considered part of a genre. There needs to be creativity to all pieces in a
genre as well as be different enough from the other works so its still interesting to the audience.

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One genre theorist, Amy Devitts says, True, genres often have formulaic features, but these
features can change even as the nature of the genre remains (Devitt, 48). Devitt argues that
genre is more than just filling in the blank for a formula. Trying to constrict genre into a formula
would be difficult considering a formula is fact, and genre is a matter of opinion. Genres can
have a similar theme, but the context surrounding it can change while the genre itself doesnt.
The details containing the theme are bound to change as societal issues do, but this shouldnt
necessarily mean we must contrast or divide these pieces of work.
A unique characteristic of genres is their ability to be divided into subgenres. Genres can
be divided and further subdivided as many times as it needs to be. The same goes for poetry. We
can look up some poems to read, but what if you only want to read haikus about oppression?
Genre allows us to group other similar works together, so we could further divide the genre of
poetry to haikus, and even to haikus about oppression. When discussing genre in terms of poetry,
Trudier Harris states, To illustrate the point, consider some of the subdivisions within the genre
of poetry; subgenera include the epic, heroic poetry, mock-heroic poetry, lyrics, ballads, sonnets,
dirges, threnodies, monodies, epigrams, epitaphs, verse epistles, pastoral poetry (a pastoral poem
can also be referred to as an eclogue, a bucolic, or an idyll), and a host of others. Harris even
forgets many other subgenres of poetry, but the amount he could easily name shows how far
poetry has come as a genre. All of those examples can be grouped in the mass genre of poetry,
but the differences of composition in each can effectively allow poetry to be divided into smaller
groups that more accurately describe what they are. Sharron Gil adds to this division of the genre
of poetry. She argues a well written poem made for a child should also be considered part of its
own subgenre of poetry (622). A well written poem for children will have different diction

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compared to a poem written for scholars. The definition Gil bases her reasoning behind is, each
word must be chosen with care, for both its sounds and meaning, since poetry is a language in its
most connotative and concentrative formPoetry does delight children, but it also helps the
develop new insights, new ways of sensing their world (623). Some of the simplest worded
poems have the strongest meaning. In the case of childrens poems, using complex words with
confusing connotations wouldnt be effective communication to children. Since we cant hold
childrens poetry to the same standards as regular poetry, this would mean that we should
divide the genre of poetry, and have childrens poetry be a subgenre to poetry. An argument
could be made to add this Harriss list of subgenre of poetry, but another one might have Harriss
list be subgenres to childrens poetry.
Harris created his list on subgenres of poetry based on the different styles of poetry, as
many people would. Victoria Pineda implies that concrete poetry is not part of Harriss subgenres
of poetry, but rather its a historical kind of poetry because, it does not display the same
external characteristics with the corresponding kind, together with additional speculation of
content. (379). Pineda illustrates the problems associated with genre and concrete poetry
specifically. Concrete poetry are poems written to show a visual meaning as well as the
figurative meaning all poetry has. This puts concrete poetry in the boat of being some kind of
poetry, but she puts it in no specific category. Pineda says concrete poetry is one of the first
works of poetry, but she is exempting concrete poetry from a subgenre of poetry because it
created before the other subgenres could be identified, and even before the genre of poetry itself
could be identified. However, this doesnt mean concrete poetry isnt a subgenre of poetry. The

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creation of a genre requires many pieces of work to make the category. Even though concrete
poetry can be described as a historical kind of poetry, we can still categorize it as a subgenre
of poetry because of its differences from other types of poetry, and the amount of metatexts we
can associate with it now.
The reason for genre is to simplify and better categorize mass amounts of work. As time
goes on, and more and more works are added into a specific genre, there will eventually be
enough diversity to create more subgenres, with finer classifications. Devitt also explains that,
Genres develop, then, because they respond appropriately to situations that writers encounter
repeatedly (Generalizing 576). Devitt builds upon Mignolos idea of genres having a
sufficient amount of metatexts. She implying genres are a direct effect of the presence common
writing situations. This makes sense, as there would be more pieces associated with the common
writing situations. With more of pieces of work, it would be easier to create genres and
subgenres considering most of these pieces are addressing the same problem. Genre is stretched
when the criteria is broadened or differently interpreted. This isnt a bad thing, but rather a
way to force a question. Should we keep this piece in this genre, does it fit better in another
genre, or what other genres could this fit in, what makes up this genre? Asking these questions
are how genres evolve, and constantly stay relevant to us in our fast changing society.
The genre of poetry is such a large concept, its easier to analyze if broken down into
smaller segments. Thankfully we can divide a poetry into as many genres and subgenres as we
need. When we categorize pieces into genres, we look for similarities between them, and try to
establish guidelines for what else would be considered part of this genre/subgenre. Being subject

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to perspective, genre can be often difficult to understand. Putting these genre theorists into
communication helped simplify this confusing idea. Humans are born with an innate obsession
over pattern and change. As we continue to understand ourselves we can only rationalize this
paradox with a theory. The theory of genre.

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Works Cited
Harris, Trudier. "Genre." The Journal of American Folklore 108.430, Common Ground:
Keywords for the Study of Expressive Culture (1995): 509-27. Print.
Pineda, Victoria. "Speaking about Genre: The Case of Concrete Poetry." New Literary History
26.2 (1995): 379-93. Print.
Sharon Ruth Gill. "The Forgotten Genre of Children's Poetry." The Reading Teacher 60.7 (2007):
622-5. Print.
Bitzer, Lloyd F. The Rhetorical Situation. Philosophy and Rhetoric 1.1 (1968): 114. Print
Devitt, Amy J. Generalizing About Genre: New Conceptions of an Old Concept. College
Composition and Communication 44.4 (1993): 57386. Print.