ANALYZING THE RHETORICAL SITUATIONS

1. Wiki entry & interview. “How to Become a Geek” and Deborah Solomon’s interview with Patti Smith both convey ideas about the connection between identity and subculture. Based on these readings, what is a geek? What is a punk rocker? Do you agree with these characterizations? Why or why not?

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2. Wiki entry. “How to Become a Geek” is a wiki entry created by an unidentified eHow contributor. How does knowing this shape your experience as a reader? Is an article by an unknown author more or less credible than one with an individual author’s name listed? Why or why not? Also, check out eHow’s “About” page (ehow.com/about-us.html). How does this shape your ideas about the wiki’s authorship?

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3. Wiki entry. The eHow wiki entry argues that to become a geek you have to “give up your claim to any social status even close to popular.” To what extent does becoming part of a subculture define, limit, or elevate our social status? Explain.

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4. Interview. How does Solomon’s interview specifically define Patti Smith as a punk rocker? How does the accompanying photo of Smith portray her?

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5. Interview. Consider the audience that Solomon had in mind as she asked Patti Smith questions and later edited and condensed her interview into the version included here. What assumptions, if any, does Solomon make about her readers? About Smith herself? How does this affect your reading of the interview?

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COMPOSING IN GENRES

6. Argue about labels. Research Patti Smith and write an essay that argues for or against Smith’s label as a punk rocker. Alternatively, research a musician from a different subgenre of music, and argue for or against the labeling of that artist.

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7. Create an audio essay. Conduct research on the mutual influence Patti Smith and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe had on each other. Create an audio essay that characterizes that influence. Take into consideration their respective writing, artwork, music, fashion, and interviews. What elements from the different genres create a sense of Smith and Mapplethorpe as artists? As collaborative peers?

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8. Rewrite a wiki entry. Revise the “How to Become a Geek” wiki entry so that it includes visuals to illustrate the different steps. Create two versions for different purposes and/or audiences. For example, you might create one version to be a satire and another version to promote a specific product or service.

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9. Research punk rock. Research the beginning of the punk rock movement in the United States and England. How were the movements similar and different? What was going on historically and socially at the time this musical form and culture emerged?

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10. Trace the history of the geek. Who were the first geeks to appear in literature and/or popular culture? Conduct research and create a PowerPoint presentation or video that shows the evolution of the geek in novels, film, advertisements, and other media.

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11. Create a how-to guide. Think of a subculture that reflects your identity. Using “How to Become a Geek” as a template, create a how-to guide for people who might want to enter that subculture.

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