1. Dirk's article claims that Onion titles are its own genre, but also reflects on how the genre of research paper may vary across different situations. I am curious- at what point do we think that a new genre is created? What is the difference between variations across genres (let's say satirical article titles generally) and the creation of a whole new genre: The Onion article titles?
2. Dirk also gives the example of how "chaos would ensue if news broadcasts were done in raps, if all legal briefs were written in couplets, or if your teacher handed you a syllabus and told you that it must first be decoded" (259). What effect does it have on you as an audience when a genre breaks with the traditional form that it is seen in? What happens for us as an audience if a news broadcast was done in a rap?
In response to question 2: I think that the musical Hamilton was pretty sensational and the only chaos it caused was a ton of Tony awards and devout followers. It was definitely breaking genre from not just the usual musical form but also as a historical musical about a very anglo-focused part of American history done with rap. I haven't had the privilege to experience Hamilton as a direct audience member, but I have listened to the soundtrack countless times, and the effect the breaking of genre with rap had on me was that I found the story really memorable, the songs stuck in my head, and the energy of the show contagious. I think that it was so powerful because of it's break away from the usual musical style. Though, perhaps someone older than me or less familiar with rap or musicals would feel differently about the success of the break away from the traditional genre in this example.
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