McMillan

Kylie McMillan
Professor McDonald
English 101, Section 05
18 September 2015
Discourse Community Response
One advantage of growing up and becoming an individual, is deciding or knowing where
you belong. It may take minutes, days, months, or even years to find a community in which you
belong to, but thats okay. Getting into some of these discourse communities maybe easier than
others, but in the long run its a great feeling to be a part of something big. The most important
component for these communities is writing. The context, genre, conventions, tone, and media is
what shapes the writing in these communities.
When I got my acceptance letter from Hampton University, I could honestly say it was
one of the proudest moments in my life. Getting admitted in to Hampton, they were some
extensive steps I had to follow. Throughout high school, I had to maintain a certain GPA and
score well on standardized tests Depending on the professor, they will give you a topic and you
have to decide what kind of tone you will set for your genre. There will be certain formats and
guidelines that are critical to writing papers, essays, letters, etc. The information you put in to
your work will determine whether you show knowledge of the topic you are given. Certain
Topics may be politics, other writings, sports, news, and etc. Its up to you to accomplish your
goal in executing the writings and expanding your knowledge.
While in school you will find many other discourse communities that branched out from
underneath school. Joining the National Honor Society, you have to be recommended by
teachers. Maintain a 3.5+ un-weighted GPA. You must be an active member in the community,

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because NHS is big on community service. Writing in NHS can being informal but depending on
setting will determine how appropriate the content should be. For instance a flyer needs to be
composed of some upcoming events. The goal is to attract the audience, so informal but
appropriate language would be used. COME ON OUT TO THE SLAMMIN JAMMIN
OCTOBER JAM FEST THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! this is an example of informal but an
appropriate piece. On the other hand, say for instance you have to type an e-mail to your teacher
about a grade because it may put you on academic probation, you will probably start it off like
Dear Mrs. Jane Doe, I am writing you as a concerned student Sincerely Kylie McMillan.
There will be different tones you may display in this National Honor Society discourse
community. Its up to you to execute them appropriately.
Joining a Church discourse community, in my opinion is fairly easy, but finding the right
church could be challenging. The church I attend in Greensboro, North Carolina required a New
Members Class/orientation. My parents took it for a few months and we became official
members of the church. But before taking the New Members class, it was important to practice
the Christian principles. The church is very open to welcoming new people, but if you dont
practice the Christian faith, then what is the purpose of going to a Christian church? I happen to
go to a Non-Denominational church, with that being said the language and the writing
conventions are probably different from a Catholic, or Presbyterian Church. The writing
convention would be informal but appropriate. If they had to write about other things, like
upcoming events and community service their tone may be different, or when theyre
communication via text message or email. A church discourse community can be a touchy
subject, because many people have different views on the writing style that is displayed within
each community.

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Lastly Sports, most of the time writing isnt necessarily displayed in sports, but writing
plays a part. Being a part of a track team for many years and now taking my talents further into
the collegiate level really sets an example. My performance progression throughout my high
school career determined whether or not I would run in college. Not only do you have to do well
on the track, but you have to well in school and out in the community, being able to show good
character. Depending on the setting and the situation will determine if the writing involved was
informal or formal, but a majority of the time the language would be informal. In sports there a
special languages for different things like: drills, workouts, teammates, and other teams. For
instance my coach will send me a message via text message saying 2 Warm up laps, stretch,
Drills, 7x horseshoes, and to finish it off 3 striders. Coaches, Sports anchor, athletes, parents
talk about different topics like: practices, workouts, meets, upcoming events, and progression
throughout the season. The types of genres used in this discourse community would be statistic
sheets, text messages, messages on the white board, letters, and email. Even though sports
doesnt necessarily require a lot of writing, writing and communication is required.
Being a part of several discourse communities allows you to compare and contrast each
other. The writing style in a sports community will be different then the writing style in a church
community. Its all about the placement and setting that will determine whether the writing
language will be informal or formal, but when dealing with informal there are different levels
and content that will need to be suitable for each situation. Some genres will be used consistently
in some communities or some not at all. Its just a matter of what you are supposed to be
executing. The common goal for all communities, is to accomplish the writing style and
understand what is being said and what you as the writer is trying to say.