Lian O'Connell
FSU Student
PROJECT 3
ARTIST REFLECTION
This “How To” poster was created in order to inform those who were not, about adoption and the different steps each person has to go through when they decide to adopt. The steps listed aren’t the only ones there are, but are the main ones that I chose to highlight. This genre is an easy and effective way to communicate information. Since it is a poster, it’s not too text heavy since a lot of text can sometimes deter audiences away. The poster can present all different rhetorical choices, but I chose mainly to go with logos. I wanted to present the factual and informational side of my research paper in this genre because I could present something that has a lot of details in a concise manner. However, with the diction and pictures I utilized, the poster also served as pathos to hopefully encourage people to adopt. I want this poster to reach out to all ages and I think it does. It includes graphics and is formatted in a way that will attract people and create a conversation. This conversation will hopefully carry across to others and will hopefully produce more adoptions in the not so distant future, no matter where they happen to be.
Interview
What made you decide that you wanted to adopt from China?
I knew I always wanted a child, but I wanted to have a child in another way. Adopting was the best option for me because I was single at the time and I knew I was providing someone out there with a better home. I wasn't quite sure of where I wanted to adopt, but my friend had adopted from China a year before and told me about her experience and it made me want to choose to adopt from there.
Did you want a girl or a boy or did it matter to you?
No it didn't actually matter to me. Since I knew I was adopting from China, I would be getting a little girl. Most of the children in the chinese orphanges are girls and it made me excited to know I would be adopting a little girl.
Do you remember the very first step you had to take to begin the process?
I remember that I had to contact the adoption agency and apply. I then had to do the hardest thing ever and that was wait until I got an answer back.
How long did the overall process take, from the first time you applied to traveling and adopting me?
It took over a year. I had so much to do in between the time, but it still felt like forever. To pass the time though, I bought baby clothes, food, and toys. It escalated the excitment even more.
Do you remember the thoughts you had when you received the photo of me in the mail?
I remember becoming overwhelmed with feelings of happiness and excitement. I finally knew what my baby looked like. I then became very nervous as well because I wanted to make sure we connected and that you knew I was your mother.
What happened when you arrived in China? What were you feeling?
When we got there, I traveled with your Aunt, we went on tours and then went to the hotel for the night. In the morning, we traveled to the agency and waited in this very small room until you arrived. When I held you, you cried, but I felt whole. You cried for hours, but at the end of the night we were playing around with some of your new toys and I knew it was the start of a very special bond.
ARTIST REFLECTION
The second genre I chose was an interview. This topic was very personal for me and an interview would be the best way to get across the pathos in my paper. By interviewing my mom who has been through the experience, it would be genuine and real since it was someone’s real life story being told. A typical interview is questions followed by answers. I chose to ask some questions that dealt with the actual process of adopting to reinforce the factual research I found. I also asked some questions that dealt with personal feelings to engage people and create a connection with the audience. I included pictures so there was a visual to connect with the words and the audience could follow along in an easier manner. I didn’t just want to present the interview in a way where it was all text and someone would just read it because I didn’t feel like that would make as much of an impact. By putting the interview questions and answers with photos it made it more well rounded and by breaking it all up into sections, I feel like it would engage people to read more. I wanted this to really target those who were thinking about adopting and wanted to make it as easy as possible to follow along, feel connected, and make an impression that even though adopting is a long and sometimes scary process, it is very fulfilling.
DRAFTING PROCESS
Three Potential Genres
Different genres I was considering composing in was personal journal entries, a timeline of events, and a travel pamphlet. I think each of the genres would focus on a specific aspect of my research topic, but then collectively would tie everything together. Journal entries would reflect the adopters and adoptees personal thoughts allowing the audience to really understand what they were going through.They could be online journals so that way everyone could have access to them. A timeline events would allow my audience to understand the history of events in China surrounding adoption and have a better background knowledge and a travel pamphlet could highlight what China looks like and what baby girls are born into. I think all of this would allow for a deeper and broader view of adoption in China.
Final Genre
Proposal
The two genres I've picked to present my research project in is a How To Poster and an interview supplemented with photos. I am going to create the How to Poster in a design program. This way, it'll be visually appealing and I can design more flexibly since I'll have the opportunity to continuously change things. I'll utilize fun text fonts and relevant graphics. I want to start off with the question "so you want to adopt?" and then move into a step by step of the different requirements and processes that each person has to meet and go through such as the paperwork, buying clothes, and traveling for the long flight. I believe this will create a concise way of presenting the factual side of my paper in a way that won't turn people away, but instead will draw them in and get them thinking about adopting. I envision the poster to be mostly text, but short and concise along with some relevant graphics. I want to make it fun and casual so people will be more likely to read it and get something from it as I want to push the idea of adoption. I will upload it digitally to wix and I think designing it on the program will provide an easy way to present it on my website and to my audience. The next genre I will present my research in is an interview. I will interview my mom and transcribe and record the interview. This genre will present the personal and emotional side to my research paper and I think will come across more genuine since it's someone's real life story that's being told. I will upload the interview transcription to wix, but because I feel like presenting that would be more difficult and can fall flat I will supplement it with photos and include comments from my mom about the photos. I think this will be much more engaging since the audience will have a visual to connect the words with and can follow along on someone's journey of adopting. Picking these two genres will show the two different sides that are apart of my paper, but overall convey the research in a new way and still cohesively tie all the parts together.
Peer Review
My peer review went very well. The people I converse with said that my genres were very effective in reflecting my overall research. They liked the concept of the How To Poster and thought it would be a fun way of presenting the facts. We wer eboth concerned about presenting the interview and I was given the advise to just point out the important pieces and use the photos I will be using to my advantage.