Dalia Gonzalez

Writing 2
Zack De Piero
Section: Mon/Wed 1-2:50

Whats It Going to be for you?

Genre: comedy, romance, drama, thriller, jazz, blues, rock, and so many other types of
genre titles help an individual decide whether they are interested in a specific item, be it a book,
show/movie, or music. These titles carry an underlying set of conventions that help people
decide what category or genre, things like books, music, or movies should be placed in and what
individuals gravitate towards based on their likings. While there are many interesting genres, a
particularly interesting genre is a journal article. Journal articles range from a variety of topics
and have different ways of presenting their information to their intended audience as is the case
when I analyzed different journal articles about Studying Abroad. Analyzing three different
articles such as, Rick Steves article Study Abroad is a Necessity, Not a Luxury in USA Today,
Richard Stengals, The Case for Studying Abroad in The Huffington Post, and Nicholas Kristofs,
Go West, Young People! And East! in The New York Times, and examining their rhetorical

features,- audience, purpose, context, style and tone- it is evident that the information in these
journal articles share similarities and differences in the way they are presented to encourage
young, college students to study abroad because it is beneficial in several personal ways.
Primarily, these articles target American college students who have the opportunity of
going abroad to study in a foreign country. More specifically, they target those students that have
a desire to go abroad not only to have the opportunity to travel to a wonderful foreign place, but
also because of the benefits it presents in a professional as well as a personal way. To support this
argument, the columnist Stengal, uses statistics in his article. The benefits of international study
go well beyond having a great experience. Americans who studied abroad earned on average
$7,000 more in starting salaries than their peers who didn't go overseas. Conversely, Steves
method of presenting information to the audience is through persuasive quotes that are logical.
Our world is one big, rapidly evolving marketplace. Employers crave graduates who are
flexible, multilingual and comfortable in multicultural settings. Study abroad sharpens these
skills and helps keep American workers competitive. By presenting these facts in different
ways, the intended audience, college students, receive distinct aspects of valuable information
that helps them decide whether it would be a good idea for them to study abroad.

Besides statistics and logical words, the columnists uses direct personal quotes from
students who have traveled abroad to persuade the readers to pursue this opportunity. My mind
is broader and more opened to other opportunities outside of the boundaries of America"
(Stengal). In using direct quotes from students who have taken this opportunity, the author of this
article solidifies his argument, while appealing to the emotions of the reader--pathos. Another
important move that all the columnists of these articles employ is the inclusion of pictures of
college students in different countries always smiling and having a good time to show the readers
the amazing time that they too could experience should they decide to study abroad. As
Alexander and Losh say, When a photograph appears in the pages of a graphic novel, we know
that it has a special significance, Similarly, the images presented in these journal articles have
special significance to their audience. Once again, they appeal to the audiences emotions and
desires to study abroad. This appeal to pathos-- emotional appeal (Carroll 45)-- does a
convincing job in encouraging studying abroad.
Next, the purpose of these articles also display the similarities and differences in the
columnists choice in presenting their information to convince the reader that studying abroad is
beneficial for college students in several ways. The motive of these pieces are to share

information with their desired audience in hopes of helping them and maybe even convince them
about their argument. The columnist present issues that could hinder students from going abroad
such as money or doubts and they aim to provide a couple solutions to these problems to
encourage studying abroad in different ways. For example, Stengal includes source that could
help college students make their studying abroad possible. ...there are dozens of government
and non-profit programs that help fund foreign study (Stengal). Meanwhile, columnist, Nicholas
Kristoffs offers his own experiences. He discusses the personal benefits that studying abroad
brought to his life. ...the experiences changed me by opening my eyes to human needs and to
human universals. This is particularly significant because it shows credibility. Kristof
establishes that his argument can be trusted. Finally, a similarity all these columnist share is that
they chose a journal article to present their argument. This is an effective way to convince
readers because all these articles are published under credible and reputable news providers. The
ethos-- credibility-- of these reputable journal articles also do an excellent job in being able to
persuade some people, because these sources are known all around the world to present
groundbreaking news and important things that are happening around the world, therefore many
individuals consider traveling abroad a big deal, just like it is intended.

Another rhetorical device that encourages the reader to study abroad is context. The
context of these articles is very significant, because by comparing and contrasting the context of
each article, the reader is able to attain different information from each source, whether it be
personal experiences/ testimonies, financial guidance, or benefits. Context offers necessary and
valuable information when deciding on a big life decision as is studying abroad. It gives the
intended audience all the tools to evaluate whether studying abroad is a possibility.
Furthermore, the style and tone of these articles are also very important rhetorical
features which contributes to the columnists influence over the reader. The style of most of these
articles are short informative pieces, which provide necessary information such as travel
expenses, personal benefits, possible hindrances, and much more which needs to be considered.
The tone is very straightforward and encouraging, which is important because it helps the reader
follow along and thoroughly understand what needs to be done if they desire to study abroad,
while providing feelings of hope for their dream. Unlike Stengal and Steves articles, Kristofs
piece in The New York Times has an interesting style and tone that makes it more of a fun read,
especially for addressing a young audience like college students. Its format is more blog-like
with a more casual and conversational tone. ...what is a person called who speaks no foreign

language at all...Answer: An American. Kristofs makes jokes throughout his piece and this is
especially helpful with the intended audience because most of those reading these articles are
college students interested in studying abroad that dread reading long, boring pieces. The style
and tone are what hook readers or lose a readers attention. In particular, tone is very important,
if tone is boring so is the piece, but these columnists bring their topic--studying abroad-- to life
with their tone and encourage college students to follow this dream.
All in all, the similarities and differences in each piece along with the rhetorical features,
aid the intended audience in identifying what genre these articles fall into while encouraging
them to study abroad because of the personal benefits. With all the conventions in each piece it is
easy to identify journal articles to be the intended genre. In order to identify genre, one must be
acquainted with it and understand it. It is important to understand it not only as a consumer, but
also as a producer, because if you are a reader then it is easier for you to know what kind of
genre you like and look for in a movie, book, or even music. Meanwhile as a producer, such as a
writer or musician, you are more inclined to produce something that you know your desired
audience will enjoy. For example, a director might be more inclined to produce comedy if that is
what people generally demand and enjoy the most. Genre is important in everyday life as we are
surrounded with many tv shows, novels, articles, and music to choose from.

Works Cited
Kristof, Nicholas. "Go West, Young People! And East!" The New York Times.
The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

Steves, Rick. "Study Abroad Is Necessity, Not Luxury." USA Today.

USA Today, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

Stengel, Richard. "The Case for Studying Abroad." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis."
Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. Print.

Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1

Table of Textual Features
Did Not Meet

Met Expectations

Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations

Thesis Statement

X-

Use of Textual

X/X-

Evidence from Genres

Use of Course

Readings
Analysis

Organization/Structure

X-

Attention to

X/X-

Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors
Sentence-level Clarity,

Mechanics, Flow
Other Comments

Dalia,
Studying abroad and traveling -- very cool topic, and I highly

endorse doing so if you get the chance. :)

Please read through my comments on some ways to help get

this paper to the next level. On top of some of my other
suggestions, Id like you to make friends with paragraphs -- I
want you to use them (as the writer) to help guide your reader
along. Each paragraph should enhance your argument in a
meaningful and specific way -- I felt that , in some of your
paragraphs, there was so much information that I wasnt sure
what to take out of it and how it related back to your thesis.

Also, Id like you to consider making more tie-ins to our course

readings (beyond just that one source). You can use them to
really help explore the major concepts of genre and add another
layer to your argument and analysis.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, Id like you to think about

the structure and organization of this piece. I want you to have
a reason for ordering the paragraphs, idea by idea, in the way
that you have. You may have had a good one, but it didnt
quite come across to me -- I could anticipate where you were

going next, or why I was necessarily reading what I was in a

given paragraph. I think that working on a reverse outline and
giving a hard look at what you see after poemifying this
paper could really help you to get a great birds eye view of
your own paper to see how the pieces of your paper could best
fit together.

Z
7/10