Monroe 1

John Monroe
Professor Evan Andersson
Writing 2
April 23rd, 2023

Genre Reflection and Translation: From Public to Private

In the new translation from the original article to now a auction type newsletter in which

the cylinder would be sold to the highest bidder. In the fabricated scenior, the original essence of

the article would be intact, appealing to an audience the importance of the Cyprus Cylinder. In

this new convention, I would be appealing to a much smaller audience with a considerable

amount of income, who are more than likely collectors of historical artifacts. With this in mind

I’d want to focus on the historical significance of the piece which the article does highlight.

However considering that my audience is going have more information about the cylinder due to

the investment my audience would put into the piece, the focus should be primarily on the

historical significance of the time rather than the bill of rights aspect. I reached this conclusion as

the involvement of montary value would command more tangible facts about the cylinder if I

want to sell it to my knowledgeable audience. For example, on a small pamphlet with limited

space I’d want to date the artifact to show off its antiquity as well as present the line of

succession which followed Cyprus to give gravity to his legacy. Though advertising the cylinder

as an ancient bill of rights does draw attention and important to mention, the claim is a bit

convoluted so its very important to be meticulous in choosing how to present the cylinder to a

buyer. The original piece as well as the converted genre share a goal of persuading its audience

into being interested in the piece, however they separate in formality as well as the means of

persuasion as a result of the changed audience.

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Reflecting on my own process when it came to converting the original article to my own

was a seamless process. Both genres are a form of persuasion to get people interested in the

Cylinder. After reading the original article I naturally came to the question of what if this ancient

piece of history were up for auction. Now having the new audience in mind, the genre and the

new translation was a seamless marriage, as digital media is a great avenue to grab the attention

of an audience in a short amount of time. A longer a run time could wane the interest of a

potential buyer, a quick 5-10 minute video presentation would be effective in achieving that goal.

The form of digital marketing would an easy transition in depicting the original article’s

glamorised imagination of the cylinder’s historical impact. The challenging part of the genre of

the piece would be balancing the two historical narratives, the accurate one with the more

intriguing narrative. Some sources actually fall into both categories as is the case in cylinder’s

role in confirming the Bible’s book of Ezra, the article quoting. “it was Cyrus who allowed

displaced Jews to return to Jerusalem.” In this manner making a more obsecure piece such as that

of the cylinder and relating it to a popular text would widen the potential audience. At the same

time piece is also inline with historical accuracy, on the other hand the relation between the Bill

of Rights section which the article states, “Cyrus' declarations of tolerance, justice and religious

freedom inspired generations of philosophers and policymakers, from ancient Greece to the

Renaissance, and from the Founding Fathers to modern-day Iran.” The corelation between a

cyclinder from the 6th Century BCE from the Acemadid Empire to a document securing the

liberties of land owning British colonist is a convoluted connection, yet a connection all the

same. Like the Biblical connection, the correlation to the founding fathers further expands the

potential client base, though stretches the truth for the sake of appeal. What I found effective

about this genre switch was its relevance to audience and purpose, with change from public
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intrigue to capital game allowed me some creativity in manipulating the piece in an interesting

way, as the original piece self acted first and foremost like an advertisement. One of the readings

that spoke to this particular assignment came from Sandra L. Giles Writing and Revison Process,

stating, “think about your intentions regarding rhetorical elements such as audience and purpose,

or to think about your choices regarding development strategies such as comparison-contrast,

exemplification, or definition.” What I had to ultimately take out of the piece from the original

would be a casuallness that a presentation to a public audience would be, again with money

being involved I’d have to present it in a more professional manner. The new translation is a

more buttoned-up and streamlined version of the original article. The idea came quickly to me as

a quick analysis of the article pointed me in the direction of something like selling a home, trying

maxiumize value or in this case appeal by highlighting certain features and dulling others. The

biggest change from genre to genre is its appearance, which in Laura Carroll’s Backpack vs

Breifcases, in the title alone, addresses the transition I’d want to make with the genre.
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Work Cited

Ferguson, Barbara. “Login.” The Cyrus Cylinder- Often Referred to as the First Bill of
Rights , May 2013, https://ecm.ebscohost.com/User/Login.

Lowe, Charles, et al. Writing Spaces. Volume 1 : Readings on Writing. Parlor Press, 2010.