Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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.
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
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
simple overview of the relation of my digital artifact and genre. I did not analyze various genres,
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
Melodrama Examples and Definition of Melodrama. Literary Devices and Literary Terms,