My Rhetorical Action Plan

This post deals with the plan of action for Project III and answers certain questions that can be found on pages 412-413 of the Writing Public Lives text.

Action France SAS. "Action"  2015
Public Domain

Audience

What does the audience know about the topic, text or idea? Where do they get their knowledge from? Do they have certain predispositions or opinions about the topic that you will need to address?

• Since this topic is rather complex and very scientific, a good potion of the piece will be dedicated to giving the audience a sufficient amount of background and context information. 
• Most people will have a basic understanding of DNA, genes, chromosomes, and the process to read DNA structures, however the debate itself revolves around a more specific issue regarding the "reading" of gene maps so I should explain what the science behind this issue states. 
• I don't believe that their is a large population of Americans who have this debate ready in their mind so that they can have a position if the issue is brought up, so I may be introducing the dispute to the reader. 

What do you know about the values, ideas, principles, or norms that members of the audience might hold?

• Patients want the best quality healthcare their doctors can provide; especially, if it means that they can return to being healthy in a timely, cost efficient manner. 
• What type of research or evidence do you think will be persuasive for your audience? How might you have to translate this research for them?
• Since this debate deals with a scientific issue, the need for statistical data and research findings is vital to support the argument I plan to make in the project, also a good portion of my audience will need logistical evidence to determine whether to support my claim. 

What visual images or elements might your audience respond to? Why?

• Since my topic deals with healthcare and research that usually involves animal experimentation, I find that using an image in this situation would bring about a less favorable reaction. I might however show pictures of x-ray slides, chromosome maps, or even the final product of the treatment... the gene sequencing map. 
• Why is your audience reading or listening to your argument? Are you trying to expand their understanding of an idea, encourage them to take action on an issue, challenge a long-held tradition or viewpoint? How likely is your argument to motivate your audience? 
• My intended audience would read my article if they happen to browse through a medical magazine, journal, or the healthcare portion of a news site. 
• I intend to motivate my audience to support programs that wish to research further into the applications of gene maps, groups that want to implement the gene mapping process into more hospital programs, and to press their governments into supporting financially further studies into the treatment process/application. 

Genre

Genre Idea I- Article, Blog Post, or QRG
Magazine Article: GEN Magazine (DNA Sequencing: Clinical Potential ); Circulation ( Gene Sequencing)
The Scientist: Genome Digest ; The Scientist (Animal Applications of Genome Digest)

Genre Idea: Personal Narrative
National Human Genome Research Initiative (An Overview of the HGP); GNN (Genome Sequencing).

What is the function of this genre? What is it designed to do to your readers? Why did you choose it?

• This style of writing is usually used to persuade an audience, but it does not need to be an emotionally based personal story. However the personal narrative gives accounts from the experts from the field or the author's account of the technology due to experience. Therefore the narrative may be more personal. 

What is the setting of your genre? Where could you see it being used?

• The article genre is a little more versatile because it can be read or published in a greater number of areas. An article or QRG can appear on many news source or magazine, and can be obtainable to a larger audience. Personal narrative can have the same qualities, but it is limited in terms of context. The genre may only be found in the social or recent news categories of a news source. 

How might you use the rhetorical appeals we have studied in this genre?

• Logical appeals will be best suited for the article style while emotional and ethical appeals would be more applicable to the personal narrative. 
• What type of visual elements, if any, will you use in this genre? 
• The use of visual aids in any of these genres will be most likely ineffective. maybe an introduction photo could grab the reader's attention but not persuade people as effectively as the argument. 

What type of style will you use in this genre?

• The article/QRG genre would be more formal, informative, and logic based because the presentation of hard facts drives the argument as a whole, and makes up for the normally absent emotional appeals. The narrative however is a story and therefore need emotion to draw in the audience and its support for your claim. 

Responses/Actions
Positive Reactions

• Someone completely agrees with my position, and advocates for more funding for the medical treatment's research. 
• The reader has such a strong response that they take it upon themselves to write to their local congressman, or government official to act upon the article's position. More people become aware of the technology's benefits. 
• The reader become curious and research further into the information/subject. Whatever they do after reading the article is entirely up to the reader, but my goal is to present an account of the debate, take a position, and argue for that position so that the reader eventually researches the topic and makes their own opinion based off what they have learned so far. 

Negative Reactions

• The reader has no feelings whatsoever towards the issue and eventually forgets the topic completely. They may also take the opposite of my position and tell others not to support gene sequencing. 
• People may have experience the process first hand and found it to be lacking, so they refuse to consider my opinion and stop reading. 
• The reader becomes bored and stops reading; therefore, the message is not as effective or long lasting as I hope it would be.

Reflection:

After reading the posts made by Alyssa and Isabel, I found that the most effective means to present my issue is in the genre of a QRG. This is partly due to the content of my debate. The constant use of statistics and research results may overwhelm my reader. So in order to breakup this massive portion of my project, I will format the project in a QRG style so that the points remain brief but the data readable enough to get the point across.