Jessica Duran

RWS 1302
University of Texas at El Paso
Riley Holyoak Welcker
Genre Analysis

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 1
Introduction

In most recent years, a topic or new hypothesis has arose about turtles, the loving
adorable marine reptiles we all know and love are actually not reptiles at all. An academic
journal titled Toward consilience in reptile phylogeny: miRNAs support an archosaur, not
lepidosaur, affinity for turtles tries to show evidence for this evidence. This type of genre might
be appealing to those of a related field and interested in academic findings. On the other hand,
other may enjoy more a fictional novel set in the 1800s like the novel Jane Eyre written by
Charlotte Bronte. This genre would appeal more to an audience that might want to read
something of fictional characters that may assist their imagination in drifting out of the real
world. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrasts the elements used, like ethos,
pathos, logos, structure, audience, and purpose in these two very different genres to persuade or
inform their audience.
Audience and Purpose
The academic journals purpose is to merely inform and persuade its audience about the
new topic or hypothesis being presented. Its readers are probably mainly students, professors, or
professionals of a similar field because they have easier access to a document of this genre. The
novel Jane Eyres purpose is to entertain its audience. This type of genre is easier to access to
everyone else and therefore has a more broad audience. Although it can still have a specific
audience, perhaps females from the ages 18-40 because they are around the age that a situation
like the one Jane Eyre went through may happen. Thus, each of these audiences give the purpose
and reason for the genre to be created.
As an academic journal, there are expectations from the audience. It has to be organized
and fluid to be able to understand. Also it has to get strait to the point and explain the research

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 2

that was done as well as sources or references that can support the research and appeal to its
audience. With Jane Eyre, it also has to be organized and well written so that the readers may
understand, although the expectations the audience have for the novel are much different. In this
genre, Bronte can take time in giving as much detail to help the reader imagine what is going on
by using feeling words. The reader expects to be kept amused and be able to keep along with
the story line.
Rhetorical Issues: Ethos
A very important element that an academic paper uses is ethos. In the structure of this
genre there has to be a section for the references. This helps create credibility because the
audience then can feel more comfortable in trusting the writer with what he or she is trying to say
because of the fact that other researchers or professors have the same hypothesis or a similar one.
Another way this academic journal gains credibility is by the writers experience. On the
document, there is a list of what departments or profession the writers are in. This creates a
credible appeal because the reader can now know what type of education the writer has and
probably learned about the subject, trust.
Although Charlotte Bronte helps create credibility because of her own life experiences.
Like the character Jane in her novel, she herself was a governess and also married a reverend
whom she did not love (Cody 1987). It can be then be assumed that she probably brought her
own life and experiences in the genre and therefore this shows credibility because essentially she
knows what she is talking about when it comes to drama and thus the audience may trust what
she has to say. The genre also shows credibility by its book cover. Im not quite sure how the
cover would have looked in the 1800s, although today it shows a drawing or depiction of how
Jane Eyre may look. She is usually depicted as a not so attractive young woman with plain

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 3

clothes and all by herself, lonely. This creates credibility because it asserts who the genres plot
is going to be about and shows reason why the story is in a way dark.
Pathos
The academic journal doesnt really use pathos as much as ethos but can still be found.
One can argue that this genre can create an emotion of excitement. With phrases like this, We
further test this result by analyzing a superalignment of precursor miRNA sequences for every
miRNA inferred to have been present in the most recent common ancestor of tetrapods. (Field
2013). To the audience new evidence like this can create some excitement because of the plain
fact that this is new evidence being discovered. Another way this genre appeals to the emotion of
excitement is by using the word phylogeny. In the absence of a well resolved phylogenetic
hypothesis for Amniota, outstanding macroevolutionary questions, including those regarding the
acquisition of the unique turtle body plan, cannot be adequately addressed (Field 2014).
Phylogenetic is defined as the evolutionary relationships among species (Hickman 2014). This
word creates excitement because what we always thought as reptiles included turtles but is now
being rewritten and changed. On the other hand Jane Eyre uses pathos much more than ethos.
This genre, as stated before, entertains its audience and by doing that it appeals to their feeling.
This romantic novel uses pathos because the reader is able to relate to the narrator or even put
themselves in their shoes and feel what the character might have felt. The genre shows this by
using phrases like And will you stay with me? or I must have you. This genre also appeals to
emotion by the use of color. For example red is used in one scene, A bed, supported on massive
pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask. (p. 8). Red can be associated with
blood thus create fear, anguish, as well as sadness and for the reader this scene is talking about a
room where someone died and can relate to those feelings.

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 4
Logos

The academic also shows logos by argumentation, The reasons for the different results
obtained in our analysis and by Lyson et al. (2012) are not due to problems with miRNAs per se
Instead, the reason for the apparent incongruence is simply due to misrecognition of primary
homologies (Field 2013). It shows argument because it arises a problem that the audience
may want to point out and debate against and there for have their own reasoning and logic of
why this statement is incorrect or not valid.
Logos can be seen used in Jane Eyre with the use of dialogue, Jane, you understand
what I want of you? Just this promise- I will be yours, Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester, I will
not be yours. (p. 367). This dialogue shows cause and effect, Mr. Rochester has been deceitful
to Jane and the negative effect now is Jane will not marry Mr. Rochester. Jane shows the
audience reasoning of why she wont marry and it is not logical that she will marry him if she is
upset and distrusts him. Dialogue can also be used to show argument, Dont talk anymore of
those days sir No Jane What necessity is there to dwell on the Past, when the present is so
much surer- the Future so much brighter? (p. 366). This time the audience can see that Mr.
Rochester is trying to argue reason by trying to convince Jane that their future will be much
better and is logical that staying together will be fine.
Both of the genres use arguments to try to show reasoning. The difference is that because
of what is used in the context of the genres and how it is used is what contrast both of them.
Dialogue is used a lot in Jane Eyre but not in the academic journal because it isnt really
necessary. Although argumentation is much easier in the academic journal because with subjects
like biology or zoology it is easier for the audience to get involved with their own opinions.

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 5

Structure and Delivery

Jane Eyre has much more leeway and freedom when shaping than does an academic
journal. An academic journal first starts with its abstract or a summary of what the rest of the
document will entitle. Then an introduction must be introduced along with the materials and
methods used, data collected and observed, and finally a conclusion and discussion must be
presented. These different sections must be presented in an academic paper and therefore can
limit the way a writer may want to structure their own paper. Along with structure the context
can also limit a writer. A paper like this cannot show bias or feeling in the context, even though it
might be difficult not to be bias. The writer or writers of a document such as this have to make
sure they get strait to the point and statistically show that what they are trying to prove. Jane
Eyre is structured with long paragraphs and chapters. The reason for them to being long is
because with the great details Bronte writes them. Compared to the academic journal, details like
color, smells, touch, basically the use of the five senses is used more in Jane Eyre. Although the
academic journal may use visuals to show the data they collected as well. This can be argued as a
way to catch the audiences visual attention.
Both structures are appropriate for their audiences because they both are organized so that
their readers are able to follow the story line or procedures and not get lost. Because of how Jane
Eyre is able to give more detail, its audience can become more involved with the plot. Although
with the academic journal, it is already expected how the document will be formatted and
therefore if it is not how it is expected and is missing viable information, the message will not be
delivered properly.

Running head: GENRE ANALYSIS

Duran 6
Conclusion/Synthesis

The genre that shows to be more effective in conveying a message is the academic
journal because there is a more rigid structure and ability to gain more credibility helps the writer
get strait to the point or message without fluffing up the text. Although when it comes to ethos
the academic journal is more efficient. When using pathos Jane Eyre uses more details, but when
using logos, both genres use argumentation for reasoning.
References
Bronte, C. (2003). Jane Eyre. New York: Barns & Nobles Classics.
Cody, D. (1987, January 1). Charlotte Bronte: A Brief Biography. Retrieved February 19,
2015, from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/brontbio.html
Hickman, C. (2014). Organic Evolution. In Integrated Principles of Zoology (16th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Field, D. J., Gauthier, J. A., King, B. L., Pisani, D., Lyson, T. R., & Peterson, K. J.
(2014). Toward consilience in reptile phylogeny: miRNAs support an archosaur, not
lepidosaur, affinity for turtles. Evolution & Development, 16(4), 189-196.
doi:10.1111/ede.12081