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Analyzing Genres of a Game of Thrones Scene: To Explore the Meaning of Genre

All that is valuable in human society depends on the opportunity for development

accorded the individual (Albert Einstein). This quote by Albert Einstein relates to how discourse

communities are how people grow by individual goals and interests that make up bigger

aspirations. Genre is the way an individual or discourse community is characterized by any sort

of communication, media, goals, or special interest that are shared among a group. Various

genres can be interpreted and it characterizes a persons view on a topic which relates to a

discourse community. Genre is necessary for categorizing any of these types of means, and is

what allows an audience to identify a genre. The digital artifact I selected to relate and convey

my definition of genre is a short scene from season 6 episode 10 of Game of Thrones called

Winds of Winter (Game of Thrones is a fantasy television show on HBO). I selected

melodrama as a main genre identity for this scene because classifying the genre in relation to my

digital artifact scene involves connecting specific characteristics of the scene. The scene from

Game of Thrones defines multiple genres, this is important because it depicts the flexibility and

definition of genre in relation to how it tells a story that flows and connects to several discourse

communities to paint a picture of the show to the uniqueness of the world.

Genre as a function is characterizing a means, an entity, or form of communication in

which interests are similar for people who are knowledgeable and understand a genre. Fans of

Game of Thrones and readers of the novels are a discourse community. They form the audience

and the purpose for why the show was created. They all communicate the points of what

happened throughout each episode or book by forming a group between friends or on social

media. The conventions of the digital artifact I selected include a castle room as the setting, a

protagonist, dragons, witches, kings, queens, giants, heroes, castles, dire wolves, and other
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elements. They all constitute the show as part of the fantasy genre. The digital artifact stood out

to me because it is a show containing genres such as romance, action, fantasy, and adventure;

however, there are also a few scenes which contain drama. To explain, there are more extensive

genres that can be interpreted from drama such as melodrama, and I selected this as the digital

artifact because it is a perfect example of genre as a multifaceted concept.

The scene is the crowning of Jon Snow as king. It is inside House Starks castle of the

north. The scene begins with several lords, and troops of different lands fighting over Jon Snow

being the legitimate King of the North because he is a bastard. Tensions are heightened, there are

arguments, and conflict among many. However, the scene escalates and changes direction when

a young lady, Queen of House Mormont, supports Jon as being king of the north. She states, I

don't care who his mother is, he has Ned Starks blood in his veins, and he is the true King

(Game of Thrones). She points out all the things House Stark did for other houses and why the

lords of these houses should most definitely support him for what they have helped them with.

After the speech, the lords common out their differences and crown Jon Snow the king in the

north!

Melodrama is defined by LiteraryDevices.net as, Sensational topics that appeal to the

emotions of the common audience and contain melodies of music that make use of the

characterization of a protagonist who has struggled in the past. My digital artifact has a genre of

melodrama because it contains an emotional appeal to the viewers that is not necessarily super

serious. It is melodramatic meaning that the emotions of the audience are heightened. The scene

is exaggerated because the audience knows Jon would be crowned King and the arguments are

pointless. Furthermore, the scene is melodramatic for viewers and appeals to emotions because it

has an extra emotional impact that is both joyous and satisfying to the viewers. Jon struggled in
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the beginning of the show as a bastard and is later portrayed as the protagonist and Christ-Like

figure because he came back to life and has sword skills beyond what is possible. He is a hero

and the scenes purpose is to satisfy the goals of Jon, to establish a king, and to emotionally

satisfy the audience. The melodrama is the higher ranked lords discussing who should be the

king in the north which involves conflict, music, and emotions involved to heighten the pathos

ending of the scene.

The artifact circulates well in relation to genre. The scene itself tells a story about Jon in

minutes. A digital artifact can be a YouTube video, a tweet, picture, quote, etc., and they all have

several genres tied to them that tell a story. The scene tells a story about Jon that most people

whom have never watched the show would learn of who Jon is as a person. The genre of

melodrama circulates because the audience feels the emotions Jon is feeling. There is dramatic

serious music playing in the beginning of the scene. At the end of the scene, when Jon is hailed

King of the North, upbeat music is played that shows passion and a release in tension. It

essentially circulates well in relation to genre because of its plot, music, emotion, purpose, style

and how it tells the story of Jons life.

Several more genres can be drawn from this scene such as HBO, medieval fantasy, and

YouTube. HBO is a genre because it is a premium paid for company and it has several sex

scenes, action scenes, and other scenes that people don't see on regular television shows.

Likewise, Game of Thrones is a genre of HBO because it contains genres of fantasy, action,

adventure, and romance without being constricted to only scenes that would only be able to be

shown on a big well-known television channel. Basically, a show on HBO means that there are

several scenes that have nudity, and cursing that arent shown on cable television. It makes the

concept more intriguing because audiences can get into medieval fantasy easily due to its great
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plot and popularity. YouTube itself is a genre because the digital artifact is a short popular scene

from a big show being displayed in two minutes and showcasing it. It serves as a platform for

showcasing genres people are interested in. Lastly, medieval fantasy is a genre of the scene

because there are lords and soldiers who are in a room in a castle with swords, armor, and

shields. The show can be compared to the Medieval Ages and it makes it awesome because there

are no other shows on television that are as unique and have the same type of plot and setting.

Affordances are the features that frame a genre to categorize it. In the scene, there are

genres that be characterized by the features that frame it. For example, a young girl giving a

powerful speech can be categorized as motivational and melodramatic because she is a young

girl. The concept of a girl giving a persuasive speech to grown men and influencing their opinion

inspires the audience to be motivated and confident. The constraints of a genre are the

restrictions of the characteristics and elements that categorize it. For example, there is no action,

comedy, or romance in the scene; therefore, limiting the scene to dramatic elements.

Genre can be used in any aspect in society. It may be categorizing a discourse

community, a skilled job, a digital artifact, or a societys uniqueness. It is the core beliefs and

values that make up a group of people such as a religion, government, sport, or the cultural

aesthetics of a country. The purpose of genre is to fit the interest of a small community that have

similar interests and goals, but different styles to that of a larger community. The Game of

Thrones scene characterizes a community within societies around the world with common

interests of the show that make up the identity and the purpose of a genre. It is the people,

groups, or audience intended that make up the show and its genres. The audience is what allows

a genre to grow and reach to more discourse communities of similar interests. The digital artifact

on YouTube made me realize and so should the audience realize that genres are what make the
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world unique and different like how Game of Thrones makes HBO unique and different from

other television production companies.

Rhetoric Rationale

After reflecting on Project 1, I have developed a profound analysis and meaning for

genre. Firstly, I have learned that my proposal and paper are not similar. I did not have a clear

idea of what genres I could analyze for my artifact in my proposal. The only genre I found was

fantasy. I expounded on various genres in my paper greatly in my drafts. My proposal was a

simple overview of the relation of my digital artifact and genre. I did not analyze various genres,

define genre, and have a so what factor in my proposal.

The scope of my first draft started to change after I began writing it. My ideas developed

when I was outlining and writing the paper. The writing of the rough draft allowed me to get my

ideas down and have ideas to further expand upon. The process of revision after meeting with

Mr. Cole and my workshop peers allowed me to find my mistakes and helped greatly. Firstly, I

wrote the paper with a weak thesis, and I revised it in a way that it creates a main point that the

reader can follow throughout the paper to strengthen it. I also learned that I needed a stronger so

what factor. Furthermore, I added it in my final draft for a purpose of connecting the scene to

discourse communities and how they are shaped. Secondly, I did not write an introduction that

interests the readers and I fixed this mistake by adding a quote by Albert Einstein and relating the

quote to discourse communities. Lastly, I learned that I needed a conclusion. I wrote the

conclusion for a purpose of connecting genre to how the world works and how unique the world

is in regards to discourse communities. The process of writing the rough draft, revising it,
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strengthening it, and connecting points allowed me to finish a final draft that is complete with a

thorough genre analysis that is organized and connects to the so what factor of the paper.

Works Cited

Trending Promos, Game of Thrones Jon Snow, The King of The North, Scene Season 6

10 Scene. YouTube, 26 Jun. 2016,www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I9GKGkfK8U

Melodrama Examples and Definition of Melodrama. Literary Devices and Literary Terms,

Literary Devices, www.literarydevices.net/melodrama/

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