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Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
Genres in Rhetoric
Orson Ramirez
University of Texas at El Paso
Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
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Here is the analysis of two different genres. The first genre is written in an academic
journal and the other one is a diagram from a web page. The academic article is written by
Author Oleg Yu. Tsupko and published in a journal “Magneto-Plasma Processes in Relativistic
Astrophysics: Modern Developments’’ International journal of modern Physics D: Gravitation,
Astrophysics & Cosmology. This discussed the importance of magneto- plasma effects on the
universe the field of astrophysics and as well as how these effects work in mathematical
reasoning. In addition to the academic journal the other genre is a diagram in the article
“Keeping upright: How much gravity is enough?” which focus on the explanation of how gravity
can affect astronaut’s orientation while they are in outer space. This diagram has many
characteristics, for example, in terms of physics there is the habit to use vectors (arrows) to
explain the scenarios. Also, these vectors are in different colors (green, blue and red) to
distinguish one from another. The image has a body from a person in a white background which
contains vectors explaining in what direction gravity affects in the body.
Audience and Purpose
The audience for the journal would be a researcher on a physics field, a professor, or a
student, all of them with interest towards physics, for example, “Magneto- Plasma processes are
important for investigation of neutron stars and black holes, and problems of accretion” (Oleg
Yu. Tsupko, 2013, pg. 1330016-1). The main purpose of this quote is to illustrate that a person
who is studying physics would like to read or investigate how magneto plasma might affect
black holes to be in concern with the effects of this phenomena to later on he might do more
research. While in the contrary the main audience for the diagram from the article “How Much
Gravity is enough?” is more conducted to people from 16 years old to 50 years old. For example,
high school students who are in physics class or an elderly man who likes the topic and wants to
Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
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know more. This explanation is because the diagram from the article is easier to understand, and
the text that it contains helps to explain the image because the diagram does not require too much
understanding as the journal will.
In addition, the purpose for the journal and the diagram is to inform why magnetoplasma and gravity are important to physics. The journal gives in detail a discussion about
magneto-plasma effects and why they are important. As the same time, the diagram is exposing
well enough the information with the use of vectors (arrows) describing directions of how
gravity affects the astronaut’s body. For example, an arrow pointing down meaning that gravity
is pulling down. Moreover, the audience would spend about 30 minutes to 1 hour on the journal
because the journal is a little extensive, nine pages long, and it contains mathematical formulas
that help to comprehend the reasoning of the effects of magneto-plasma in the universe. For
example,
“Theory of gravitational lensing is based on the Einstein deflection angle. The
photon deflection angle in vacuum, in the Schwarzschild metric with a given mass
M, is determined, for small deflection angles ˆα<< 1, by the formula
ˆα = 4GM/c2b = 2Rs/b,
where b is the impact parameter, and b<< RS, RS = 2GM/c2 is the Schwarzschild
radius. In the most astrophysical situations related with gravitational lensing the
approximation of weak deflection is well satisfied.” (Oleg Yu. Tsupko, 2013, pg.
1330016-6).
In the contrary, the audience would spend about ten to fifteen minutes on the diagram because
the image contains labels that explain the phenomena. For example, on top of the astronaut’s
body there is the label of centrifuge force with a vector of green color pointing upwards and a red
Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
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vector pointing to the left of the body with the label vision. These, labels help to the compression
of the viewer because they describe the motion of the body with the conjunction of gravity.
Rhetorical Issues
The Journal has credibility because it contains many data, reasoning, and research it
contains. For example, “Here w(r) is the frequency of a photon, which depends on the space
coordinate r due to the presence of the gravitational field.” (Oleg Yu. Tsupko,2013, Pg.13300168,). This quote helps to explain the reasoning of the frequency of a photon. The academic journal
has credibility because it was published in the International Journal of Modern Physics D, which
a prestigious physics journal, also because Oleg Yu. Tsupko is a physicist who has already a
career in the field and because he cited all his research and data that he took from other
scientists. In the other hand, the diagram has fewer amounts of data because there are just labels
and vectors (arrows) and a little written part that helps to understand the image, but still there is
enough information to comprehend that gravity in outer space has a critical impact in the
astronaut’s body. For example, “The experimental setup. (A) Participants lay on a human
centrifuge with their feet out so that centripetal force from the centrifuged produced a centripetal
simulating gravity along the long axis of the body.” (York University, September 2014). The
image is also credible because it was published on Science Daily, which is an important web
page for science news and because the source of the information is from York University. The
two selections have enough evidence to communicate their purpose which is to inform about the
phenomena that are occurring in each topic.
However, both selections appeal to the feeling of curiosity because they want that the
reader get involved in to the topic. For the academic journal they want to create curiosity because
they want that more people join physics and science to have more ideas of appreciation of the
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universe, For example, “During a collapse leading to the formation of a neutron star, the matter
passes through states with very high temperatures and densities, and intensive birth of
Neutrinos.” ( Oleg Yu. Tsupko,2013, pg.1330016-2,). This quote helps to explain how
fascinating the universe and makes the reader to search for more information about the topic
because the reader will want to know why does that event happen. Even more, the image also
appeals to curiosity because the writer wants that the reader get involved for a while about asking
questions for the diagram and analyzing it as a pre-scientist. In other words to make them do
their own hypothesis. Also, it promotes curiosity because the image is set up to the viewer to
know how gravity affects an astronaut’s orientation.
Moreover, there is the use of logic in both genres. In the academic journal, if the reader
analyze the formulas and the explanation of them. He will find them logic because they are
explained in a mathematical manner. In the contrary, the use of logic in the image is by the
simpler use of common sense. For example, the reader comprehends that if he does not know
what the north is, he will get lost in a new place. The same scenario is stated for the diagram, but
in this case instead of north is the use of what is the upside side.
Structure and Deliver
The structure of the journal is well organized because it introduces a little paragraph
about what is magneto-plasma and then in continues to introduce the conversation from other
scientist that are concerned about this topic. A limitation for the academic journal will be that the
reading sometimes will tedious because the reader will have to go back in the reading and re read
the content and this will happen with the equations that in contains. Another limitation to the
academic journal is hard to comprehend the content. For example from the scholarly article,
“The detailed investigation of kinetic equilibrium for the
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Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
pure nucleonic (n − p) gas had been done numerically in Ref. 1 for a general case.
Particular cases of the kinetic β equilibrium in a cold pne− and a hot pne± gas
have been considered numerically in Ref. 2, where the author described the kinetic
β equilibrium approximately, in terms of the relations between the chemical potentials
of nucleon and pairs, similar to Ref. 3. The precision of this approach is rather
moderate at high densities.” (Oleg Yu. Tsupko, 2013, pg.1330016-2).
Also, the use of specialized vocabulary has an important use to the compression of the text. In
the academic journal there are words that make the writing a formal style. As proof, “Thermal
Conductivity, which is the basic quantity needed for calculating the relationship between the
internal temperature of a neutron star and its effective surface temperature; ” (Oleg Yu. Tsupko,
2013, pg. 1330016-3). In the contrary, the image has also a good structure and tends to be a
formal image because in the middle of the image is the astronaut’s body then the labels of vision
and centrifuge force and finally vectors in different colors to explain how gravity is working.
The vectors are separate and one of them is in blue pointing upward and changing as the man
turns downward. The next vector (vision) is also flipping in contrary direction from its origin. As
well as the academic journal the image contains specialized vocabulary like centrifuge force,
which is the force of an object rotating away from the origin. In addition to the diagram, it does
not contain limitations for the compression of the viewer because of how it is structured and
because below of the image there is a brief explanation of what is happening in the image.
Conclusion
Concluding, the most effective selection from the both was the diagram because the
amount it took to comprehend, the organization it had, and the way that information was
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explained. In contrast, the journal had more information. It was lesser suitable to communicate in
a simpler manner because the reader had to apply many time and reasoning to digest the
information. Also, it was a long journal and it is difficult to finish it in one shot. Therefore, the
diagram was the most effective genre to communicate to the audience with the purpose of
informing about how gravity affects astronauts in outer space.
Running head: GENRES IN RHETORIC
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References
TSUPKO, O. U. (2013). MAGNETO-PLASMA PROCESSES IN RELATIVISTIC
ASTROPHYSICS: MODERN DEVELOPMENTS. International Journal Of Modern Physics D:
Gravitation, Astrophysics & Cosmology, 22(7), -1. doi:10.1142/S0218271813300164
Harries R. L. , Hepers R. , Hofhammer T. , & Jenkin M. (2014, September 3). Keeping
upright: How much gravity is enough? Science Daily. Retrieved from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140903163538.htm