Keamy1

Keamy, Erica
Kneece
Writing 2
1/27/16
Working Out With Words
On a day-to-day basis, someone with any reading ability will be exposed to numerous
genres subconsciously, simply without the recognition that it is a genre put forth. By
definition, a genre is a guideline that aims to meet a specific audience expectations.
Genres respond to the context for any type of literature or material for the reader. The
readers perception of the subject matter is largely influenced by the genre itself.
Throughout this essay, I aim to compare and contrast the various conventions that
comprise two genres: fitness blogs and fitness news articles. These conventions
ultimately lay down the foundation in which we can distinguish one genre from another,
news articles being for informational content, and the blogs being for personal
improvement.
Within the past decade, the use of genres has expanded dramatically.
Conventional uses of genres were expanded to include an entirely new and modern
medium: technology. I have chosen to further explain the blog, specifically a fitness blog,
as a genre. A blog is a website containing a writers own experiences, observations,
opinions, etc. and often having images and links to other websites.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blog?s=t). The purpose of a blog is a means of
communication from the publisher to an entire virtual world.

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As shown best through a fitness blog, the authors purpose is to persuade readers
to implement particular exercise regimen and provide advice in efforts to help others
increase their fitness or well-being. In Eat, Lift, Be Happy, author Neghar Fonooni tells
her readers You deserve to be free in your body and thrilled with your life. You deserve
the permission to be powerful, the permission to shine, the permission to live in
abundanceand in the next 12 weeks, I can help you do just that. A fitness blog is
typically for leisure; it is a forum someone reads in his or her free time and to improve
upon personal goals. Because of this, the tone will be inspirational, as you can see in the
example above.
Fitness blogs will use personal experiences and success stories to inspire readers.
The language the author uses will be reassuring and contain motivational phrases,
typically paired with many exclamation points to emphasizes their enthusiasm. Another
aspect of fitness blog posts is the authors attempt to appear personable. By speaking
directly to the reader, the reader is connected to the author. The conventions listed above
function as the foundation in recognizing the purpose of the fitness blog: advice,
inspiration and encouragement.
In contrast, another genre that is very established in society is the news article.
The purpose of a news article is largely informative, aiming to have an academic tone. In
order to do this, news articles utilize very specific conventions. To convey the
informational content of the news article, the author will try to appear objective to its
reader. In doing so, the author will use straightforward and unbiased language. In a
Science Daily article titled High Fat Diet Prompts Immune Cells to Start Eating
Connections Between Neurons, the author states The study looked at normal male

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mice: One group ate a diet in which about 10 percent of the calories came from saturated
fat, and another consumed chow that was 60 percent fat. To ensure other factors were
equal, the researchers chose chows that had similar levels of other key macronutrients,
such as protein. In this example, the author omits his or her opinion by presenting the
findings of the study, which is essential in maintaining the objectivity of the article.
Another very important aspect of the news article is to incorporate specific wording,
which is also evident in this example in the authors attempt to walk the audience through
the methodology of the study, which is achieved through explaining the exact percentages
of the macronutrients consumed by the mice. All of these elements: specific wording, the
objective perspective, and unbiased language function to achieve an informational tone to
the article.
Considering a broader perspective, these findings of the news article are the
underlying purpose of why the article is being written, to inform its audience of specific
events or findings that occurred. The news articles goal is to remain objective and
concrete, while the blogs author will try and connect with the reader and appear
personable. The fundamental difference of the blog and the news article ultimately lies in
their very different purpose, one being informative, and one being for personal
improvement.
Key differences in the conventions of fitness blogs and news articles will lie in the
context. The real world situation, in which a news article is read, is either in the form of a
hard copy newspaper or in a digital version online. The form in which the genre is being
read ultimately influences how it is written. Specifically for the hard copy newspaper,
larger amounts of information will be included, due to its lessened accessibility compared

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to an online blog. With a hard copy, the audience is most likely only receiving a
newspaper on a daily or bi-daily basis, making it more effective to include more
information. The format for news articles will display large amounts of condensed
paragraphs of information. Because of this, large, bolded headlines will be used in order
to draw the readers attention to specific information. In addition, quotations from
specific people pertinent to the event will be incorporated in the newspaper. By
incorporating outside sources, the validity of the authors claims is further increased.
In contrast to the hard copy of the newspaper, a blog will solely be found online,
which is evident in the way it is written. Blogs posts are typically shorter in length and
highly informal, which is successful the author can assume its audience will be more
frequently visiting the site, due to the larger generalization that society is increasingly
spending more time on the Internet. Because more individuals are shifting from the use of
hard copies of books, newspapers, and other forms of literature to an online version, the
blog is a more effective means of communicating with the audience.
More specifically in an online blog, you will find chronological entries posted
regarding specific types of exercise, form, and even supplements or nutritious foods
geared toward enhancing fitness. Because of the increased accessibility of online blogs
that lead to more frequent visits by the audience, the author can establish a conversational
relationship with the audience. This is evident by the authors use of jokes, personal
stories, and even slang at times. Ultimately, the very different contexts of both the news
article and the blog affect the way these genres are written, which further sets their
respective tones, with the online blog being informal and the newspaper article being
formal.

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In the news article, specific times and dates outlining events of interest are
incorporated to increase the validity of the authors claims. This convention allows the
reader to obtain a mental timeline, while the author is simultaneously backing up his or
her claims. In a Science Daily article, Light exposure and kids weight: Is there a link?,
the author clearly states At time 1, they measured childrens sleep, activity and light
exposure for a two week period, along with height and weight to calculate their BMI,
then followed up 12-months later. Blogs also share this feature of incorporating specific
times and dates, as exemplified in the following example. In the Girls Gone Strong
fitness blog, Many Farnham states, In January 2013, I had my son, and I weighed over
180 pounds. I then met Scott who had been lifting weights for 20 years and by August
2014 I finally listened to his advice. I have lost over 20 pounds, and I have no idea how
much muscle I have gained. In addition, a fitness blog will often include photos as a
means to express results of particular fitness plan. In allowing the reader to visualize a
timeline of events; the authors claims are immediately validated, reinforcing the idea that
the article is a credible source.
Another important consideration the author must take into account in writing any
form of literature is their audience. The audience of fitness blogs and news articles
contain two entirely different sects of people. A news article typically appears to citizens
who are of older age, educated individuals, and anyone interested in the sect of
information that is being discussed. With that being side, the audience of the news article
is entirely dependent on the event that is being discussed. In comparison to a fitness blog,
the audience varies: athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone trying to increase their health and
fitness typically utilize the information fitness blogs offer. The author of both the fitness

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blog and the news article use specific conventions to appeal to the intended audience. For
example, vocabulary used by the author of a fitness blog will include muscle groups,
specific exercises, basic metabolic processes of the body, and even exercise equipment.
News articles will have events that occurred locally or globally, breaking news, and
specific details, such as time and date. By focusing on a specific group of people, the
author can communicate effectively with his or her audience because they will
understand and enjoy the vocabulary being used.
In contrast to the literary device used by the blog, the news article will utilize the use
of logos. Logos is a literary device that can be defined as a statement used to convince
or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic
(http://literarydevices.net/logos/). As the author portrays the use of logical information,
readers are more easily convinced of findings. In a U.S. News Health and Fitness Article
titled Want to Kick a Bad Habit? Try Yoga, the author identifies the point that yoga
provides a supportive and healthy community. To further justify this claim, the use of
logos is employed as the author states If you surround yourself with supportive people
who are positive and want you to succeed, you feel stronger and more capable to take on
obstacles. Thus, knowing there is a whole community you dont want to let down also
encourages you to keep moving forward. This is more specifically an example of
inductive reasoning, which initially begins with a specific example and moves towards a
larger generalization (http://literarydevices.net/logos/). The authors justification of yoga
as a means to break bad habits is a perfect example of the use of logos as a tool in
persuading and effectively conveying central points to the audience.

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In the example of the fitness blog, the author uses pathos in an attempt to inspire
some sort of changes in the lives of its readers. Pathos is a quality of an experience in life
or a work of art that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, and sorrow
(http://literarydevices.net/pathos/). In Eat, Lift, Be Happy, the author explains her
program as one for women who crave a life of freedom, balance, and authenticitywho
want to live more courageously, vibrantly, creatively, and of course, ABUNDANTLY.
Here, the author creates an emotionally engaging environment in which the reader can
feel the authors intentions. By evoking an emotional response amongst the readers,
pathos is used as a tool to further persuade the readers to incorporate the fitness regimen
presented by the author. Logos and pathos are very common conventions used in the
news article and blog, which are fundamental in communicating and persuading specific
audiences.
Blogs and news articles can be distinguished through the varying conventions that
comprise the audience, purpose and context. Subconsciously, the reader identifies the two
genres as distinct forms of literature. The conventions used in both genres communicate
the differences to the reader, which consist of diction, language, tone, format, and ethos
or logos. By understanding these, the purpose behind the genre can be easily
distinguished to the articles readers. In regards to purpose, the most essential
distinguishing factor lies in the functionality of the genres. Some blogs aims to provide a
source of personal improvement for its readers, while other articles deliver information
on current events. More distinguishable differences between the two genres are found in
the context and the audience of the fitness blog and news article.

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Works Cited
Queensland University of Technology. "Light exposure and kids' weight: Is there a link?
World-first study revealing light exposure plays a role in the weight of preschool
children." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 January 2016.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160107104820.htm>.

"Wholehearted Coaching - Neghar Fonooni." Neghar Fonooni. N.p., 13 Jan. 2016. Web.
26 Jan. 2016.
Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University. "High-fat diet prompts
immune cells to start eating connections between neurons." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily,
23 November 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151123203118.htm>.
"What Is GGS?" Girls Gone Strong. N.p., 04 Nov. 2015. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
"Pathos - Examples and Definition of Pathos." Literary Devices. N.p., 02 July 2013. Web.
08 Mar. 2016.
"Logos - Definition and Examples of Logos." Literary Devices. N.p., 19 Feb. 2014. Web.
08 Mar. 2016.