Genre Analysis
Communication is a vital human process that people do everyday. Communication is used by people to be able to conduct interaction with one another and to develop or establish a particular relationship with the other participants in the communication process. Through communication, people are able to understand each other’s views and ideas. There are various types of communication. Messages can be conveyed through different ways and means. This is referred to as genres of communication; these are the types of communication channeling an idea, message or principles such as book, blog, film, photographs, etc.
Genre is a categorization of a material based on its style, form and content (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2009). This paper will analyze a subject based on two different perspectives coming from two genres. The subject is about Generation X utilizing film and a web page. The film is entitled, Reality Bites, which was released in 1994 by Universal Pictures starring Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Ben Stiller. The web page is from wiseGEEK explicating the term Generation X. The film and web page article are two different types of communication which aim to explain the same concept.
The two communication genres have two different approaches in examining and conveying the same concept which render different effects on its intended audience. Generation X assumed its relevance after the Baby Boomers of the Second World War and upon the emergence of different lifestyle of people. The lifestyle is deviant from the people’s traditional way of living. The Gen Xers are independent, they enjoy deviance and constantly seek emotional maturity on their own (Heathfield, 2009). The web page article on wiseGEEK entitled “What is Generation X?
” aims to explain and describe the members or the group of individuals often called as the Generation X. Although the term used to describe the people who were born on the particular time frame, it rendered considerable impacts in the popular culture during the 1980s and 1990s. The deviant and liberal lifestyle attained its peak during the 1990s. The article discussed the derivations and significance of the term. The members of this generation felt alienated and disenfranchised from the society that was consisted of the Baby Boomers.
The Generation X is derived and became a cultural icon because of their lack of identity and belongingness (WiseGeek, n. d. ). The article addresses everyone who fails to understand the concept. The article is presented in a light and entertaining tone that is suited for everyone. It is not highly technical as it attempts to explain the term which is the main purpose of the article. The article achieved its purpose by providing easy read-on presentation, content and structure of the article. The article is composed of relevant facts and information that are helpful to the reader.
The article’s whole structure is enough to give its readers valuable information about the topic discussed. The web page also provides a space wherein readers may post their comments and add-ons on the article. The movie Reality Bites was released by Universal Pictures and hit the cinemas in February 1994. It is a combination of drama, comedy and romance and Ben Stiller’s debut as a director. The movie aimed to give an overview of what Generation X is really like. The movie revolves on four friends who freshly graduated from college and are about to face the reality of life.
They attempt to give emphasis on the overly-hyped Generation X. The story mainly focuses on the main character Lelaina Pierce played by Winona Ryder. In the film, she graduates as a valedictorian in her class and faces the reality and hardships of living away from her supportive but out-of-touch parents. She dislikes her internship under a TV personality. She gets fired from her job because of the prank that she pulled on her boss, causing her to become unemployed. In the movie, she also has to choose between Michael Grates (Ben Stiller), a music-video executive, and Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke), her friend who was a typical slacker.
In the end, Lelaina chooses Troy because they already have a constructed reality and established relationship (Reality Bites, 1994). The film gives the audience a preview of what life is after college. It also gives the viewers an idea on what Generation X is, as the public has often associated them with idealism, laziness, unemployment or underemployment. The film also gives its viewers a glimpse on different societal issues which clearly affects the Generation X nowadays, such as the issue of AIDS, its treatment, and how individuals accept it.
It also presents the issue of homosexuality and how it was perceived by the people during the time when the film was released. The movie is intended for the young generations of that time. The movie aimed to give a glimpse of what reality is like after graduation and how different kinds of people deal with the problems faced. The audience will likely to get the idea of Generation X and real life. The audience will be compelled to finish the film because it is not boring and the lightness of the movie approach.
The movie achieved its purpose by presenting the ideas and concepts lightly and incorporating it in a desirable plot. The movie is structured based on how it would fit the story. The main focus on the Generation X versus reality is deeply emphasized. The problems are embedded in the story through the roles of the other characters. Concrete information is denied in the movie but ideas on what Generation X is rendered by the film. The two genres of communication have successfully given its intended audience ideas, facts and information about the concept of Generation X in different ways and means on conveying the concept.
References Heathfield, S. M. (2009). Generation X. About. com. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from http://humanresources. about. com/od/glossaryg/g/gen_x. htm. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. (2009). Genre. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/genre. Reality Bites. (1994). Dir. Ben Stiller. Perfs. Wynona Rider, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller. Universal Pictures. WiseGeek. (n. d). What is Generation X? Retrieved February 16, 2009, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-generation-x. htm.
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