Action Against Rape: Genre Analysis of an Article and YouTube Video
Clara Ivette Martinez Martinez English 1312 University of Texas at El Paso
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Action Against Rape: Genre Analysis of an Article and YouTube Video Introduction Sex should be used for good reasons, but unfortunately people resort to such extremes that it becomes sexual assault or sexual violence most commonly heard as rape. According to the organization RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) (2009) sexual violence can come in many forms. RAINN (2009) mentions such forms include Stranger/Acquaintance/Partner Rape, Incest, Sexual Exploitation and it includes children and adults of both gender. The definition of sexual assault is unwanted sexual contact which includes sexual touching and fondling as well intercourse including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration and it may be by a body part or object (RAINN, 2009). Sexual assault for a victim leaves them physically, mentally and emotionally scarred for life. It is necessary to raise action against rape to stop the silence on this issue. For this paper it was important to choose at least two different genres either oral, a typography or an iconography. An article Obama targets sexual assault problem will be used for the typography and a YouTube video Stop Rape Now used for the iconography will suffice for the two genres. Both genres, give ideas as to what their focuses are. Undoubtedly, while both want rape to come to an end, they differentiate in that one is saying that the silence and violence must stop now, while the other wants to focus on specific areas that have high sexual assault rates. Audience and Purpose The intended audience for both genres are very similar it includes anyone but mostly adults of both genders that will encounter the video or article or also anyone interested in ACTION AGAINST RAPE 3
knowing more in regards to sexual assault. The audience is more likely to know what rape is and what it consists of, it could also be that one of the viewers could be the offender or the victim itself. The audience is informed right off the back that the purpose of both the video and article is to raise awareness of sexual assault so that a cultural change can happen. Both try to inform and persuade that sexual assault is traumatic that it extends to all areas of the world, and one must understand that we cant keep silent. The main difference between this two genres is that the article is more towards college students specially women not only does it want to avoid the silence for this matter but it wants improvement on security on college campuses but also higher arrests, prosecution rates, and conviction rates while the video overall is saying Stop rape, Stop violence, Stop silence (University for Peace, 2013). It might be possible that one at one point of their lives might of heard the saying that states that the truth hurts, but silent kills, that is indeed the deep meaning both genres are trying to convey in regards to action against sexual assault. Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos and Logos The video uses pathos which deals with emotions. A big way that the video uses the pathos appeal is just by listening to the song they use in the background which is Amazing Grace, a very powerful Christian hymn. The song uses the words to describe the move of a wretch from a lost to a found state by an act of God. Truly this is how a victim must feel, and one must also aid them to be found and not lost. They also use ethos for example in one instance of the video a female from South Africa whose name was not mentioned, says Stop telling your daughters to not wear short skirts, and start telling your sons not to rape (University ACTION AGAINST RAPE 4
for Peace, 2013). Morally it is wrong for a male to rape a female just because their skirt was provocative to them, but yet this happens. The news article gives certain statistics such as nearly 22 million American women and 1.6 million men have been raped in their lifetimes, and 1 in 5 women have been sexually assaulted at college but that only 12 percent of student victims report the assault (Jackson, 2014). Yes usually when one sees numbers it is easier to believe but what it lacks it that one as a reader cant pinpoint from where they got this information. Which leaves one hanging because we cant confirm if what they mention is true. The video is just on point with what they are trying to convey, the news article dealing a little with politics is just not set in stone unless it becomes a law and it just more informative easy to forget. Structure The organization of the article Obama targets sexual assault problem, is very basic. Very easy to read not even a page in length, meaning no navigation to the next page needed. The limitation is that it is relatively vague when it comes to know what the college campuses are really doing or about if there is higher arrests, prosecution rates, and conviction rates. Like the article the YouTube video Stop Rape Now is relatively easy also to understand. The only limitation really is that all the sentences they give or what they dictate isnt really backed up by where they got it from, not reliable at all. In the video one can hear, see it, and read making the accessibility easier as opposed to a news article where you can just read it. All the elements included in the video really bring together and contribute well to the purpose. Nevertheless it really all depends on the reader and their preferences.
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Style/Language The language for the article was a bit formal to a point where anyone can understand what they are saying, the YouTube also was very informal. I really didnt see any specialized language it was really all generalized. The font on the article was all the same, while as opposed to the video they capitalize, bold, and use different fonts as well as neutral colors making it more pure easier to believe. What is noticed a lot in the video is that they used different people from all over the world including females and males also their nonverbal expressions are given which gives it meaning. Conclusion/Synthesis Based on these genres it can be proven that are not really reliable. Both genres give out information but the YouTube video and the message they tried to convey was more powerful. Reason behind this is their appeal to ethos was so powerful everything about the video was purposefully put in the right spot. For these reasons, the content in the iconography will impact more its audience than the typography.
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References Jackson, D. (2014) Obama targets sexual assault problem, USA TODAY Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/01/22/obama-sexual-assault-the-white- house-council-on-women-and-girls/4763597/ McCuen, H., and Domushkina, M. (Producer and Assistant) (2013) Stop rape now. The University of Peace [Web] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5HbAq7qlwuk RAINN. (2009) Types of sexual violence Retrieved from http://www.rainn.org/get- information/types-of-sexual-assault
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