REMIX: Remixing Your Profile
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Remixing Your Profile
Profiles occur regularly in genres and media besides the college essay. For example, Brian Cable’s profile could have been included in a report about greening the mortuary business, or he could have included photos from his visit in a blog post. After writing his essay, Cable decided to remix it as a documentary for a community cable station, so he began by writing a treatment. (A remix takes all or part of a piece in one genre or medium to create a text in another genre or medium.) Cable chose to make a documentary because he thought community members might be interested in an insider’s view of a local mortuary, and he knew that video would give interested viewers a strong visual sense of being at the Goodbody Mortuary.
In the next section of this chapter, we ask you to craft your own profile. After composing it as an essay, consider remixing it by presenting it (or a portion of it) in another genre or medium, or using it as part of an essay with a different purpose or audience.
CONSIDER YOUR RHETORICAL SITUATION
Purpose: The purpose of your profile is to inform readers by giving them new insight into your subject or present it from an intriguing slant or angle. If you remix your profile, which genre or medium would best allow you to convey a compelling portrait of your subject?
Audience: The original audience for your profile was your instructor and, perhaps, other students in your class. Who would be the audience if you were to remix your essay in another genre or medium? What advantages would that genre or medium have in helping you grab and keep the attention of your audience?
Genre and medium: The genre of your assignment was a profle, and the medium was text, delivered either in print or digitally. If you remix your profile, what genre or medium would best help you achieve your purpose and reach your intended audience?