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November 29, 2018

Dear Masha Fedorova,

The most important stages of this writing process for me were strategizing the different

genre pieces I could translate, selecting a new genre piece, and deciding what information to add

or omit in the new genre. Initially, I had trouble choosing a genre piece because there were so

many options but after brainstorming for a couple of days, I was able to decide on one. The next

issue was choosing a new genre piece. I think that it was a tremendous challenge for me to

decide on a new genre because I did not have a specific scene of the book (the original genre) in

mind. Once I had a specific scene from the first Harry Potter book, I was able to brainstorm on

the genres that could fit accordingly with the content in that scene. Lastly, omitting and adding

information was important because some details from the original text were not necessarily

needed in the new genre.

In terms of the actual genre translation, I think that the most important writing choice I

made was to use subheadings. I think this truly embodied an article in the way that it was

structured in an organized manner where the readers could easily skim through the article if

needed. It ensured that the ideas of each chunk of information was summed up in one word

which I think is an essential feature in articles. Another writing choice I made was to use the

word “you” to refer to the audience. I think this was essential, in my case, because the writing

piece was a “how to” article where the author, me, instructed the reader through a process. The

last writing choice I made was to include pictures. I contemplated this idea a couple of times

before I actually did it. The reason why I contemplated this was because I thought that once I
added one cover photo I would need to include more photos later in the article. I did finally

decide to include a cover photo as well as five other photos. However, I do not think I overdid it

with too many images because I made sure to only upload an image in certain cases. I only added

an image to further elaborate on a term that was best described with a photo rather than with

words alone.

The readings that helped me shape my writing project were Kerry Dirk’s article

“Navigating Genres” and McCloud’s article “Writing with Pictures.” In specific, Dirk helped me

identify the important features of different genres which was especially helpful when translating

from the original genre to the new genre. McCloud, on the other hand, helped me realize that the

omission of some features to form a new and more refined genre was acceptable.

If I had more time I would have liked to compare more differences and similarities

between the new genre and the old genre. I think that it would have been very useful to see how

the old genre explained a specific idea or word in comparison to how the new genre did it.

After writing this essay I have a few questions for you and feedback preferences. I would

prefer to receive feedback that dealt with my analytical essay. My first question is, “Did I use too

much passive voice and if so are there any cases where it was appropriate?” My second question Commented [MOU1]: No, you didn’t use a lot of passive
voice constructions. Thank you for listening and following
my advice. See my comments below.
would be in regard to content in the analytical essay. Specifically, “Is my thesis clear and do the

following paragraphs support that claim, or do I need to do a better job at connecting it back?” Commented [MOU2]: Yes!! You did a GREAT job!

Sincerely,
Genesis Delgado

Masha Fedorova

Writing 2

18 November 2018

The primary source that I will be translating will be the fictional book, “Harry Potter and

the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone).” I have always been a huge fan of the Harry Potter

books and films. My fascination for it has led me to seek out one of the books specifically one

scene that I could use to convert to another genre. I decided to use the scene in the book where

the main character, Harry, participates in his school’s popular sports team. Quidditch is no

ordinary sport, it is a unique sport that the author has created to fit her reinvented version of the

world.

The genre that the book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” falls under is fantasy novel.

It is not necessarily limited to this genre because it can also be described as a drama, young adult

fiction, mystery, and thriller. These books can vary from medium sized to very lengthy.

For this reason, the intended audience is often believed to be middle schoolers. In fact, I

actually had multiple teachers emphasize that Harry Potter books should not be read in high

school for any class because they are academically placed at a middle school level. However,

this does not mean that others cannot enjoy this book as it is extremely popular among teenagers

and young adults as well.

Communities often favor or disfavor this book based on their interpretation of it. A lot of

parents do not allow their children to read this book because of the debate on whether the book

deals with witchcraft. On the other hand, there are individuals that perceive the actions of the
characters described in the book differently. This group believes that the characters participate in

“magic” not “witch craft” and that the individuals are “wizards” not “witches.”

The purpose of the piece, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, is to indulge readers with

a fantasy world full of magic, suspense, romance, and imminent danger. As its genre indicates,

this book is fiction and is not based on a true story. Therefore, the “magic” that is described in

the plot of this book has never actually been recorded in real life. Nonetheless, there are real

events that have influenced certain aspects of the book such as the setting and time period.

My plan is to translate the primary source (the book specifically the section discussing the

sport quidditch) into a sports article that could potentially be a part of a newspaper. I have chosen

this specific translation because I thought that it would be interesting to form a semi-formal or

academically inclined article on some aspect of the fantasy world of Harry Potter. I hope to

translate this in such a way that it could almost sound like a real sport (of course with the

exception of Harry Potter fans that would most definitely know what quidditch meant). Also, I

would like to see first-hand how “looks can be deceiving.” In this case, the article would be

deceiving in the way that it would look scholarly in its appearance (in the form of an article) but

would actually be based on an unrealistic fantasy sport.


How to Play Quidditch: Harry Potter Style
By Genesis Delgado, Sports Reporter
November 25, 2018 10:05 AM

clickhole.com

What is Quidditch?
Quidditch was created by a woman named J.K Rowling in Britain. It has since spread beyond Commented [MOU3]: When? A journalist needs to answer
England, across the entire globe, becoming one of the most popular sports in the world. It is a the who/what/when/where and how questions in the first two
sentences.
sport played frequently among wizards and witches at either a novice or professional level.
Commented [MOU4]: Vary the structure of your sentences.
The previous sentence also started with “it.” What if witches
One particular university that is historically well-known for its quidditch team is Hogwarts and wizards will be the subject of this sentence?
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, located in the Scottish Highlands. This school houses many Commented [MOU5]: We already know that it’s a well-
talented students particularly from the United Kingdom and Ireland. known school, so we can delete “recognized.”
Commented [MOU6]: Replace “an abundant number” (3
words) with “many”
This school was the first to host the Quidditch World Cup back in 1473. Now this tournament is
held every four years and recruits teams from all around the world to participate in it. More
recently, this school had the honor of hosting the Quidditch World Cup (422th game) in which
they won with the help of the leading player, Harry Potter.

Objective
There are two teams in this game with each containing seven players. The goal for each team is
to score more points than the opposing team. By scoring a “goal” into the opposing teams’ hoop
(one of the three that each team has), a team can be rewarded 10 points. However, a team can Commented [MOU7]: Is rewarded?
win more than just 10 points by capturing the “Golden Snitch” (more details on this term under
the section “Equipment”) which is worth 30 points. Commented [MOU8]: I thought it was 150?

The Quidditch Pitch


On a professional level
The game of quidditch requires a field of 500 ft. by 180 ft. The field should be oval shaped with
the goal sites located at opposite ends and a center field in the middle of the oval.

aflcanada.blogspot.com
Commented [MOU9]: Good job!
On an experimental level
This game can easily be played at a park, small outfield, or even someone’s backyard especially
when it does not need to be conformed to the strict rules of professional Quidditch.

Players
Quidditch is composed of two teams. Each team contains 7 players; one Seeker, one Keeper, two
Beaters, and three Chasers.
1. Chasers (Fast individuals): These individuals score by throwing or kicking a special
ball into one of the opponent’s three hoops. The ball can be exchanged between players
throughout the entire pitch up until the “scoring zone” in which only 1 player is allowed
access to beyond that point.

2. Beaters (Individuals with strength in arms & legs): These players throw a special ball
at the opposing team members to disrupt them. Meanwhile, the other team’s Beaters do
the same. This temporarily places the opposing team members (hit by the ball) “out” of
the game.

3. Keeper (Individuals with experience as a goalie): This defense player is positioned


near the hoops to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

4. Seeker (Quickest individual on the team): This individual has the task of capturing the
precious “Golden snitch”

5. Snitch Runner (A neutral player): This player does not belong to any team. He/she
must try to catch the Golden Snitch before a team’s Seeker captures it. This player adds
an element of higher intensity to the game so that it is even more challenging for a team
member to capture the Golden Snitch.
Equipment
1. Broomstick: All players must have a broomstick and must remain at all times on the
broomstick (players that fall off the broomstick will be disqualified).

2. Hoops: Three hoops must be stationed at each end of the field (the pitch), all at different
heights (2m, 1.5m, 1m).

3. Quaffle (Quantity: 1): This is a ball (similar to a deflated volleyball) in the game that can
only be used by the Keepers and the Chasers. Usually, Keepers only come in contact with
this ball when trying to prevent the opposing team from scoring. The Chasers, on the
other hand, are constantly trying to throw this ball through the hoops of the opposing
team to score points throughout the match.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Wizarding-Potter-Quidditch-Quaffle/dp/B0084TDCLS

4. Bludgers (Quantity: 2): This is the second type of ball used in this game and it is much
like a deflated dodgeball. This ball can only be used by the Beaters. The Beaters must try
to throw these balls at the opposing team members in order to disrupt them. The other
team’s Beaters will be performing the same task. Every time an individual is hit by a
Bludger, he/she must stop what they are doing and go back to their team’s hoops. The
player must then touch all of their teams’ hoops before resuming play.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/469641067370697110

5. Golden Snitch (Quantity:1): This is the third type of ball used in this game. It is
somewhat like a tennis ball except it is yellow and has a set of wings to allow it to fly
away. If the golden snitch is captured (by a team’s Seeker or the Snitch Runner), the
game automatically ends.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Golden_Snitch

Scoring
There are two ways to score in this game.
1. A Chaser can attain a Quaffle and throw it successfully through one of the three hoops
belonging to the opposing team (10 points).

2. The Seeker can gain possession of the Golden Snitch which immediately ends the game
(30 points).

Winning the Game


The team with the most points always wins so even if a team attains the Golden Snitch it does
not always mean they will win.

Rules of Quidditch
1. Stay on your broomstick at all times. Falling off one’s broomstick will result in a
disqualification.

2. There is no set time limit. The Golden Snitch can cause a game to run from as little as
30 minutes to 2 hours. Commented [MOU10]: Not clear. If a Seeker catches the
Golden Snitch, the game stops.
3. A Quaffle can only be tossed through the front of a hoop. A chaser must not go behind
a hoop to shoot.

4. Beaters cannot hit the player carrying the snitch with a Bludger. Beaters should only
be targeting the Chasers and Beaters from the opposing team.
5. Continue the game if there is a tie. Rarely do teams tie after a snitch is captured, but if
they do happen to tie then the game must continue until one team scores.
How to Play
FIRST- A game of Quidditch begins with the Quaffle and Bludgers all placed in the center of
the field.
 Each teams’ 7 members will start in the keeper zone with their eyes closed to prevent
them from seeing where the Golden Snitch is located.
 Once the Golden Snitch is a decent distance away, the referee begins the game by
shouting “Brooms up.”
THEN- Each team must try to score more points than the opposing team by scoring goals with
the use of the Quaffle or by capturing the Golden Snitch (ending the game).
 Players can use force against each other in attempt to capture the Quaffle and Golden
Snitch or to protect the hoop.

Strategies for specific roles


 Keepers defend the hoops- try to knock away the Quaffle if it gets too close to the
hoop
 Chasers try to score- pursue the Quaffle throughout the game and throw or kick it
across the court to other team members until reaching an appropriate position to shoot
into the opposing team’s hoop. Don’t get hung up on the different sizes of the hoops
because they are all worth 10 points.
 Beaters disrupt Players- hit the Bludgers of the opposing team. Be careful not to hit
members of your team because that can hurt your team. Try to hit Chasers that seem
to be coming your way.
 Seekers stay aware of the score- Seekers should keep an eye on the scoreboard
because they shouldn’t pursue the Golden Snitch if unnecessary.

Quidditch Fouls
 Failing to touch a hoop after being hit by a Bludgers is a foul.
 If any player besides the seeker touches the snitch it is a foul.
 Any form of rough playing (i.e. shoving, hitting) may be considered a foul.

OTHER ARTICLES YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL


 “How to Catch a Golden Snitch” by Harry Potter
 “Quidditch 2018 World Cup Results” by Genesis Delgado
 “Boy attacked by Dementors while playing Quidditch” by Genesis Delgado Commented [MOU11]: Good
Genesis Delgado

Masha Fedorova

Writing 2

25 November 2018

Harry Potter: Fantasy Novel vs Sports Article

I chose to translate two chapters of, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first book

of the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling, into a sports article. This article is written from the

perspective of a sports journalist on the playing field. The idea to translate this novel into a sports

article came to me when I realized how in depth the author described the sport “quidditch” in the

book. From this acknowledgement, I began to see how the content found in this book could

easily be manipulated to form a new type of writing, in this case, an article. To translate a fantasy

novel into a sports article I had to know the context, purpose, audience, and conventions, that

each individual form of writing used. Commented [MOU12]: Nice. You’re showing your reader
what you had to do into order to complete the translation.
Before translating the original genre, I had to understand the original genre’s context. A

lot of the ideas that I needed to successfully convert the novel into a sports article were nested in

the text. Nevertheless, it wasn’t as easy as just reading the text once, I had to reread a couple of

times to identify which specific lines of the chapters discussed quidditch. In fact, many of these

ideas were very spread out throughout the chapters which made it a heavier task for me since I

had to filter out the information that wasn’t relevant to my specific project. In doing so, I was

able to comprehend a lot more about the conventions of this genre and understand how certain

information could potentially be useful for one sort of genre but an unnecessary attribute to

another genre. In fact, a lot of this I had already learned from the article, “How to Read Like a
Writer.” In this article, Mike Bunn claims that, “because the conventions for each genre can be

very different (who ever heard of a 900-page newspaper article?), techniques that are effective

for one genre may not work well in another” (77). In my case, it wouldn’t make sense to write

the entire plotline of the story as an article because it wouldn’t fit the normal conventions of an

article. In other words, the assumption is that genres have very different purposes. Therefore, the

genre that an author chooses should fit accordingly with the content that the author wishes to

incorporate.

In addition,, a particular genre that an author chooses, is chosen because it best Commented [MOU13]: Good transition.

accommodates the needs of the audience. Based on her use of basic sentence structure, diction,

and plotline, it is obvious that Rowling targets an age group of twelve to seventeen years of age.

In specific, J.K Rowling was most likely targeting individuals residing in the UK, because many

of the locations mentioned in the book were located in that geographic region. It is very likely,

she chose to write her ideas in the form of a book because it was the best manner to address her

audience. A book could easily be directed at any audience with diction change. Therefore, her

decision to write a book filled with simple vocabulary and an easy to follow plotline was a

success because it was well received by her intended audience and even those outside of her

expected audience (young adults and older adults).

In contrast, the sports article focuses on a different audience. Due to the fact that the

article will be featured in the New York Times, it will mostly be read by young and older adults in

the United States. However, it is especially popular among Maryland and New York residents

due to proximity. This is important because I purposely chose a newspaper company that attracts

more sports readers. Maryland and New York are known to be very big fans of lacrosse and

coincidently, quidditch can be very similar to lacrosse and rugby. Therefore, I believe that the Commented [MOU14]: Interesting. I’ve never thought
about the similarities between quidditch and rugby before.
best suited place for this article is in the sports section of the New York Times or in the existing

minor section of the New York Times dedicated to Maryland readers. I strongly believe that

communicating this information through an article is the most effective form because it is a

perfectly appropriate style for this age group. Articles are usually very organized, direct, and

brief. Because articles have sections (to differentiate the different ideas discussed), readers can

view all the main points that will be covered without having to read all of the content. In

addition, an article (on a newspaper) would be the best fit for this intended audience because

many sport fanatics rely on newspapers for sports updates. The fact that newspaper articles are

available as digital and physical copies makes them all the more favorable. All in all, it is

undeniable that the audience is a huge factor to consider when writing a genre piece. Commented [MOU15]: This paragraph addresses two
ideas: audience and organization. Do you think it should be
broken up into two?
Other factors that must be examined when translating a genre are the different purposes.

An author always has a message they want to get across to their audience. In the case of the

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the purpose of including the scenes of quidditch were not

the same as in the article I wrote. In the book, quidditch serves as a minor detail that is used to

advance the story plotline of the main character Harry Potter and therefore is not the central

focus of the book as it is in my article. Moreover, the book strives to entertain the readers with

many different ideas while my article is more informational and narrows the focus to one idea.

Once I understood the context of the original text, I was prepared to look at the

conventions of the new genre. Immediately I relied on Kerry Dirk’s idea, from “Navigating

Genres,” that, “once we recognize a reoccurring situation, a situation that we or others have

responded to in the past, our response to that situation can be guided by past responses” (253). I

definitely took this into account before I could translate. I did so by reviewing sports article and

identifying their key components. In particular, I jotted down components that various articles
shared because they could potentially be conventions of that genre. I realized that a lot of articles

used an image immediately after their heading. The purpose of this technique was to grab the

attention of the readers. As equally important, the heading must be of a certain type of font that

isn’t too informal but is a little more stylish than the standard font. The heading should always be

larger and be followed by the author and the date stamp. Perhaps the most important feature I

incorporated from my research on sports articles, was subheading. I used subheadings to clearly

outline the main points of the game Quidditch. I made sure to make the subheading a bigger font

and a different color than the information listed below it to bring more attention to the individual

subheadings. By doing this, a reader could easily skip through the article if they were looking for

only one particular aspect of the game. Other features I incorporated were numbering and bullet

points. I implemented numbering when I had to list steps or when I was counting materials

needed to make it easier for readers to comprehend and identify the main points. On the other

hand, bullet points were useful when I needed to divide a heavy load of information into smaller

sections to make it easier for the readers to follow. Nonetheless, the formatting was not the only

factor I had to consider when converting the original genre.

In terms of grammar and diction, I had a lot of freedom because it was not exactly a

formal writing but at the same time it wasn’t completely informal. The vocabulary was not

advanced in any way but there was a lot of technicalities with the assumption that the audience

would be mostly around the ages eighteen to thirty, the prime age to be involved in intense

activities. Based on other articles, it is essential to reference to one’s audience directly by using

“you.” I decided to add this into my own article because it seemed to form a connection with the

readers. Overall, I incorporated a lot of new features while maintaining a sufficient amount of the

original content in the new genre.


An inevitable byproduct of transitioning from one genre to another was the loss of

information. Similar to McCloud’s choice to omit some pictures in his article, “Writing with

Pictures,” I had to make the same type of decision-making. In my case, I had to omit practically

everything involving the character Harry Potter. I did try to reference to the book and the main

character in the “background” section of quidditch, but it did not have the same effect because it

was very brief. For the book, it was logical to involve a lot of detail to build up to the climax but

for an article, I had to remove a lot of descriptive words to be more direct. I had to isolate all

things that related to quidditch which resulted in a lot of things being omitted including the

character dialogue. Nevertheless, the addition or omission of information will always be an issue

when translating from one genre to another.

The challenges I faced in the genre translation were mostly related to what I had to omit.

I did not know whether I wanted to discuss the characters in depth or not. I overcame this by

looking at the different manners that sports articles were written in. I could have written a sports

report on a quidditch match starring the player Harry Potter but that would require more focus on

the character than on the game itself. This reasoning eventually led me to write a “how to” article

to teach the rules of the game to those who are not familiar with the sport. I also had to decide

what type of tone I wanted to incorporate. I debated between a humorous or informative tone and

finally decided on an informative tone because I thought that a humorous tone would still appeal

to the original audience which I did not want. Hence, I confronted many challenges in the

process of writing this new genre but with some research and thorough consideration I resolved

some of the issues.

In conclusion, I learned a lot about genre conventions including their contexts, purposes,

and audiences when translating the book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This genre
translation definitely was a step by step process that included reviewing the original context,

researching different genre formats, and conforming to a few of the many conventions of that

new genre. Overall, this experience has led me to view genres in a completely different manner

because I now know the challenges and thought processes that are involved in forming a piece of

writing.
Work Cited

1. “Bludger | Potter Project | Pinterest | Harry Potter, Harry Potter Quidditch and Ravenclaw
Quidditch.” Pinterest, Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/469641067370697110/.

2. Bunn, Mike. “How To Read Like a Writer .” Gauchospace, 2011,


gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/2350659/mod_resource/content/1/bunn--
how-to-read.pdf.

3. ClickHole. “5 Eager Freshmen Who Joined The Quidditch Club To Meet New People,
Ranked By How Quickly They Bailed To Find Normal Kids.” ClickHole, ClickHole, 18
May 2018, www.clickhole.com/5-eager-freshmen-who-joined-the-quidditch-club-to-
meet-1825999698.

4. Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres.” Gauchospace, 2010,


gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/2350647/mod_resource/content/1/dirk--
navigating-genres.pdf.

5. “Golden Snitch.” Harry Potter Wiki, harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Golden_Snitch.

6. Hendrickson, Shane. “AFL Canada.” Australian Football: the Original Quidditch,


Blogger, 19 Feb. 2018, aflcanada.blogspot.com/2017/10/australian-football-original-
quidditch.html.

7. “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Harry Potter Wiki,


harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hogwarts_School_of_Witchcraft_and_Wizardry.

8. McCloud, Scott. “Writing with Pictures.” Gauchospace, 2006,


gauchospace.ucsb.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/2350689/mod_resource/content/1/McCloud
_Writing_w_Pictures_shortened.pdf.
Work Cited Continued

9. “NYT: Music Popcast for 04/30/2008.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28
Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/.

10. “Universal Wizarding World of Harry Potter Quidditch Quaffle Ball.” Amazon, Amazon,
www.amazon.com/Universal-Wizarding-Potter-Quidditch-Quaffle/dp/B0084TDCLS.

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