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Sarah Freeze
Instructor Zack De Piero
Writing 2
26 January 2015
The Importance of Genres
A genre is a classification of artistic composition, which is characterized by similarities in
rhetorical features, conventions, and subject matter. A common misconception about genres is
that they pertain only to movies and literature, such as the horror films and romance novels;
however, there are countless other genres, such as obituaries, which each have particular
elements in common with each other. Specifically, there are obituaries about Robin Williams
that are published on websites. Williams was a famous actor and comedian who starred in many
movies and will be remembered for years to come. Different writers composed obituaries about
him for many reasons. However, the readers must be familiar with this type of genre in order to
understand the articles. Genre awareness is important and, once it is understood, can lead to
better appreciation of the material in the compositions. Online obituaries are considered to be a
type of genre because they generally have the same rhetorical features and conventions that are
unique and specific to obituaries.
Obituaries are written and published in a variety of formats for other people to read.
Small local and widely distributed newspapers or websites are typical places for publishing them.
Online obituaries tend to reach a broader group of readers because they are more global and
convenient and, therefore, more effective. This genre of writing entails an individual’s life, such
as Robin Williams’. If an author writes an obituary about Williams and one about my
grandmother, the piece about Williams is more likely to be read and recognized by the general
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public because he was famous and my grandmother was not. Typically, an organization or
individuals write obituaries for the interest of other readers, to receive pay for doing so, or
because they would like to commemorate the individual.
Within a genre, there are similar rhetorical features that make it different from other
genres. According to Dirk, “Knowing what a genre is used for can help people to accomplish
goals” (253). Without this knowledge, it can be difficult to identify the differences in writing
styles. You need to “have an awareness not only of what the genre demands but also what it
rejects” by having “a sense of what is appropriate in this context, and in many, many other
rhetorical contexts” (Boyd, 92). Understanding the rhetorical features within a genre helps the
reader deduce what type of literature they are searching for or reading. These features include the
audience, purpose, context, style, and tone of the writing. Anyone who is interested in reading
and learning about the individual who passed away is part of the audience. In Robin Williams’
case, his obituaries are written because people have an interest in him and his life. The purpose is
to give a summary and synopsis of his life, remind the readers who he was and what he
accomplished, and, in a way, pay tribute to him. The context is that they are written by anyone
who feels compelled to write once an individual passes away. The obituaries are usually broken
up into paragraphs and contain simple language such as in the statement, “He was 63” (Robin
Williams Obituary). The tone of the obituaries can be relatively formal and informative and
contain passive language. According to Carroll, “The tone of the writing and whether that tone is
appropriate for the context helps build a writer’s ethos, as does the accuracy of the information
or the visual presentation of the rhetoric” (54); therefore, the author’s tone needs to match the
content of his writing and compliment the other rhetorical features. Along with specific
rhetorical features, there are also conventions.
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Conventions, or general expected patterns, are seen throughout genres. Obituaries have
many surface-level features that can allow people to easily identify what type of genre they are
considered to be. By characterization, “genres usually come with established conventions” (Dirk
258) such as how one can recognize an obituary by conventions such as quotes from the
deceased, friends, or family and a mentioning of the earlier years. For example, Williams’ wife
said, “This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most
beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken" (Robin Williams
Obituary). A quote by a family member contributes a more personal touch to the obituary and
helps it feel relatable. Additionally, awards that Williams accumulated in his lifetime are
mentioned such as, “Williams also won three Golden Globes, for ‘Good Morning, Vietnam,’
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and ‘The Fisher King’” (Robin Williams Obituary). Even memorable events
find their way into obituaries like, “The mid-1990s saw him take on some of his best-loved roles:
the grown-up Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg's Hook, the cross-dressing father who becomes Mrs.
Doubtfire, and Jumanji's Alan Parrish” (Obituary: Robbin Williams). These statements allow the
reader to have a better understanding of Williams.
Another convention is that typically the dates of birth and death are provided and a short
synopsis about the individual’s childhood is mentioned. One obituary said that Williams was
“born on 21 July 1951 in Chicago, Illinois” (Obituary: Robin Williams) and another elaborated
by saying that his parents were, “Laura, a fashion model, and Robert, a senior executive at Ford
Motor Company. He endured a lonely childhood in which he played mostly on his own in the
large family home… [and] died 11 August 2014” (Gilbey). These sentences offer more insight
that most people may not have known and, because the obituaries are written once someone
passes away, the date of death is necessary. Additionally, including the fact that, “he was
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accepted into New York's famed Juilliard School” (Obituary: Robin Williams) fosters a clearer
development of his life for the reader Family, such as any spouses and children, are also seen as
an expected subject to mention. In Williams’ case, there is a long list of his immediate family:
“His third wife, Susan Schneider, whom he married in 2011; his son Zachary, from his first
marriage, to Valerie Velardi, which ended in divorce; and by his daughter, Zelda, and son, Cody,
from his second marriage, to Marsha Garces, which ended in divorce” (Gilbey). An additional
obituary makes this pattern very clear by also mentioning his family. “Williams was married
three times and had three children. He is survived by his widow Susan Schneider, his daughter
Zelda and his sons Zachary and Cody” (Obituary: Robbin Williams). Another important feature
of obituaries is mentioning the location and cause of death. “The sheriff's office said a
preliminary investigation shows the cause of death to be a suicide due to asphyxia” (Robin
Williams Obituary). Including all of this content in an article is unique to obituaries and is an
important concept to be understood in order to understand the differences in genres.
Additionally, the lengths of the pieces may vary, but if an obituary is written about someone well
known, it tends to be longer. In “Robin Williams Obituary”, there are thirty-one short paragraphs
and in Ryan Gilbey’s obituary, there are sixteen. Usually the structure is an essay-like format,
excluding a thesis statement and sometimes a photo of the deceased appears at the top of the
page.
It is imperative for people to learn about genres. People should learn what genres are
because it will allow them to find what they are looking for more easily. For example, if a
student was interested in writing a scientific research paper and needed relevant sources, he
would probably not use an opinion column from a newspaper because that would most likely be
inappropriate to use. If the student did not understand the differences, he would spend an
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extensive amount of time searching through various writings in order to find what he was
looking for. Dirk sums up this idea quite nicely, “Learning about genres and how they function is
more important than mastering one particular genre; it is this knowledge that helps us to
recognize and to determine appropriate responses to different situations—that is, knowing what
particular genre is called for in a particular situation” (Dirk, 259). Being able to recognize the
patterns in the rhetorical features and conventions is a valuable life skill. Genre is important
because it gives the reader an understanding of what to expect when they read something.
If the rhetorical features and conventions in obituaries are similar to online obituaries,
then online obituaries must be considered to be a type of genre. Robin Williams’ obituaries are
written with similar techniques and content and have the same purpose. Genres are important
because they create categories for readers to easily find the type of writing that they are
interested in reading, which brings order to the mass amounts of writings that exist.
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Works Cited
Boyd, Janet. "Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking)." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writings. Vol. 2.
Parlor, 2011. Print.
Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis." Writing
Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. Parlor, 2010. Print.
Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Vol. 1. Parlor, 2010.
Print.
Gilbey, Ryan. "Robin Williams Obituary." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 Aug.
2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/12/robinwilliams>.
"Obituary: Robin Williams." BBC News. The BBC, 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28752027>.
"Robin Williams Obituary." Legacy.com. The Associated Press, 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.legacy.com/ns/robin-williams-obituary/172069492>.