Alzheimers: Genre Analysis Juan Delgado University of Texas El Paso English 1312

Alzheimers: Genre Analysis of YouTube video and an image Alzheimers is a very grave disease that has been around for thousands of years. With all the advancements in medicine throughout the years, it is surprising to discover that the number of people with Alzheimers is in fact increasing. Alzheimers is mainly and directly associated with dementia. According to Best Home Care, Dementia is a progressive, debilitating condition of the mind and body. Although the disease is not as deadly as others, it changes a persons life entirely. As time goes on, there are more people affected and more people wondering about it. With curiosity and with all of the resources available to the world, people will seek help in order to obtain more information and possible contributions to repress the growth of Alzheimers. People will turn to newspapers, websites, journals, articles, videos, or even images to gain further knowledge on the disease. These resources, or genres, play an immense role in providing the adequate information. The way the audience responds depends on the type of genre utilized. Even if both are transmitting the same message, distinct details distinguish one from another. In this case, a YouTube video analyzing Alzheimers will be compared to an image, also analyzing Alzheimers. Each genre is different according to its structure, color and language usage, and emotional appeal. In order to determine which genre does a better job of conveying its purpose, rhetorical issue, structure, and style and language, both will be analyzed in detail.

Purpose and Audience The YouTube video Alzheimers: An Urgent Epidemic by David Shenk is mainly intended for those people who are not well informed about the disease itself, as it provides a general overview of the disease along with statistics This genre is intended for people of age 60 or older simply because that is the most common age to contract Alzheimers disease. However it is not limited to that specific age group since a younger audience will more than likely view the video. As previously mentioned, the intended audience is those people over the age of 60, however the majority of Internet users are of a much younger age. This video distinguishes itself amongst other genres thanks to its message and purpose. It provides an overall summary of Alzheimers disease and what can be done to prevent it. This purpose allows it to be great not only for its intended audience, but also for its younger audience. The intended audience, that is those over 60, might have already been advised or informed about the disease by their doctors or family members, while the younger audience might not be as informed due to the lack of interest in a disease that generally wont affect them for a long time. The intended audience might already know the history, but will be delighted to view the innovative advancements in technology and research that have been accomplished throughout the years towards Alzheimers. The younger audience on the other hand, will be more fascinated by the intriguing statistics and historical information provided. The video also presents information on possible methods to help stop Alzheimers, which will be acknowledged by both the young and old.

The image titled Meeting the Challenges of Caring For A Loved One with Dementia on the Best Home Care website is a collection of words scattered throughout in an unorganized manner. It has the word Alzheimers written across the middle in large font surrounded by words in smaller font related to the disease such as dementia, apolipoprotein and brain. The picture also provides certain information about the disease itself. However the intended audience is different from that of the YouTube video. This genre is more limited to those people who further understand the disease and may not necessarily refer to people working in the medical field or to scientists. This could refer to someone who is dealing with Alzheimers or knows someone who is. The intended audience should be familiar with the symptoms, facts, and terminology used. This previous knowledge provides an advantage for better understanding some of the medical words used. However, as opposed to the YouTube video, this genre does not provide any detailed information. The main purpose of this image is to provide the viewer with subtopics of Alzheimers, and have the viewers themselves research further. The audience will not spend as much time on this image as they would on the YouTube video. They might spend a maximum of 1 minute with this image. However the audience will spend time if they decide to do further research upon viewing some unfamiliar words displayed on the image. Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos, Logos The YouTube video uses ethos by providing information and statistics. One example obtained from the video is provided by Alliance for Aging Research Foundation who state, 1% of 65 year olds have Alzheimers disease. Although it

doesnt mention other credible sources, the previous knowledge of the disease along with how the statistics are used serve as logos. The emotions this video attempts to reach are concern and hope; concern because of the surging epidemic and increase of numbers, and hope due to the great advancements in technology that create a possibility for a cure. Also due to the voice of concern, some people might feel obligated to help in anyway possible, which may lead to stress due to the overwhelming cost of Alzheimers research. People who consider helping will most likely need to create or join an existing organization in order to fundraise and provide scientists with the funds required to continue research. The image on the other hand is not as effective in its use of rhetorical issues. The image has no voice of concern nor does it create a sense of urgency. Its emotional appeal is significantly weak in comparison to the video. It is rather difficult to obtain any emotions from scattered words other than curiosity. The image is undoubtedly from a credible organization as is Best Home Care. However the image and video have one thing in common, which is the logos. There are no credible organizations mentioned in this image, mainly since it is a collage of words. Therefore depending on the audiences prior knowledge of the disease, that can be used as logos. Structure The video has various different parts, which make it highly detailed in structure. It has music, drawings, pictures, textual messages, and a narrator. There is no space or time limitation. The video had the freedom of being as long

as required in order to fit the desired information on it. It included many drawings and pictures, which were represented in accordance to what the narrator was saying. The words were posted long enough for the audience to be able to read them carefully. The fact that it is a video makes it a lot simpler to convey its message to its full extent. There is no limitation as there would have been in a flyer, poster, or picture. The image on the other hand, was much more limited than the video. As opposed to the video, the image had major spacing limitations. It only allowed for a certain amount of words to be displayed. Some of the words had to be displayed horizontally, while some were displayed vertically. In addition, some words are of larger font size than others due to the spacing limitations. This image has an unorganized structure, having its words scattered throughout. However, the main word is at the center in large font, while the others are surrounding it in smaller font, allowing for the main word to be the center of attention as intended. Style and Language The video has textual and spoken language. The spoken language is both formal and professional. The written language could be said to be informal, however it could also be argued that it is formal. The problem with the textual language throughout the video is that there are simply individual words, no complete sentences. There is no special vocabulary used in this video, other than the statistics. There are some critical words used such as threaten and catastrophe that have a major impact on the film. The color used throughout the

film is green, which is supposed to make a person feel calm and relaxed. It is not directly related with Alzheimers itself, since the official color used in association with the disease is purple. The image is simply words scattered randomly throughout. Therefore it is impossible to determine whether they are formal or informal. As opposed to the video, the image does have some special biological terms such as apolipoprotein and insulin. Another difference is the color usage of the image. Its main focus and center of attention, Alzheimers, is written in large bold letters. The background color is purple, which as mentioned previously is the official color used to represent the disease. Conclusion After the detailed analysis of the two genres, the YouTube video Alzheimers: An Urgent Epidemic, and the image Meeting the Challenges of Caring For A Loved One with Dementia, the video proves to be much more effective in communicating its purpose to the audience. It can reach a larger age range of audiences, and has better structure. The use of rhetoric in the video is also far greater than that of the image. The video provides a greater amount of information and motivation to perform further research on the disease. The only details that are better about the image are its use of biological terms and the use of the appropriate color associated with Alzheimers.

References: David Shenk. August 26, 2008. Alzheimers: An Urgent Epidemic. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ZOZBWqd5JAQ Best Home Care (2011) Meeting the Challenges of Caring For A Loved One with Dementia. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from: http://www.besthomecaremn.com/blog/senior-home-care/meeting-thechallenges-of-caring-for-a-loved-one-with-dementia