Running Head: Genre Analysis: The Cocaine Queen, News vs Documentary

Genre Analysis: The Cocaine Queen, News vs Documentary

Omega M. Najera
University of Texas at El Paso
English 1312: Research and Critical Writing

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Genre Analysis: The Cocaine Queen, News vs Documentary

Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana are some substances
that are trafficked from other countries to US, it is a business that have been around a long time
ago, starting at the prohibition era, in when the alcohol was illegal. Diverse groups distribute the
drug by a many routes through Mexico since 1970s. Even when the drug trafficking organization
(DTO) have been dominated by men, such as Pablo Escobar who fortune was calculates at more
than 25.000 million, or Frank Lucas knowing as Blue Magic, womens are playing a key role
such as bosses. Ultimately the women participation in DTO increase in the last decade, in
consequence of dire economic situations the drug trafficking is the easily way to obtain money.
Not just men are responsible for the biggest drug trafficking between Colombia or Mexico and
the United states. An example for this is Griselda Blanco, also known as The Godmother, The
Black Widow or Queen of Cocaine who is suspected of committing more than 200 murders
and trafficking huge quantities of Cocaine between Colombia to New York, Miami and Southern
California, becoming part of the Colombias Medellin Cartel, Griselda was recognized for be
extremely cruel. Even when we hear more about males that control the drug trafficking, as said
before Pablo Escobar, personally declares that Griselda Blanco was his model. The black widow
is one of the few drug lords who prospered during the 80s, she was the only to see the lucrative
capacities in the connection New York, Miami and Colombia for cocaine distributions. Almost
nobody knows that Blanco was the first woman in U.S history to be sentences to the electric
chair, but she was deported to Colombia in 2004.
The impact of Griselda Blanco in the world of drugs is an issue that called the attention
of various researches, the life of The Queen of Cocaine is being addressed by two genres that
explain the importance and the way she had to go, to be recognize. The rise and Fall of

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Colombians Cocaine Queen by Geoffrey Ramsey is an article published in the website

InSightCrime, organized crime in the Americas, in where the life of Griselda Blanco is explained
since she born until she was killed in Medellin, Colombia. Passing through the hardest and more
successful moments during her empire. Griselda Blanco: the untold story by Gianni Biasetti is
16:27 minute video that disclaim the rumors that exist around the life of the Black Widow.

Audience and purpose

The intended audience for the article is for young adult people that have the time to read,
its take some minutes to read the full article, and is focused on people who are interested in the
exterior world, well the article is more concentrated in the recently murder of Griselda Blanco on
September 3 in Medellin, Colombia. The identity of the murders still unknown, but the article
expose the response of the Police to this particular case, the article talk about one ex-police of
Miami who has expected her to be killer, to prove this, on the next section of the article, the main
purpose is explain the crimes that Blanco did; murders of leader from other cartels.
On the short documentary the intended audience are open to young adults and old people,
this genre take more time to the audience because its a 17:00 minutes video in where are the lies
around Blancos history are reveal, for example the rumor that she kill her 3 husbands, in the
video close people to Griselda was interviewed and confess that she only kill the first husband,
the documentary is focused on people who have a background information about the black
widow life, Mateo Blanco (griseldas nephew) and Alonso blanco (Griseldas half-brother) make
their testimony in the documentary. Also a old-men named Chucho Castro who grew in the
same neighborhood that Griselda expose the beginning of Blanco.

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Even when the two genres expose different topics in Griseldas life, the purpose of both is
to inform the people about the things that Griselda did, thing that give to her the power and the
money to be recognize as she is. The first genre is for people who likes read the times, because is
more an informative article, and the second one, is a more entertainment video.

Ethos
In the first Genre: The fall and rise of Colombias Cocaine Queen start with
the notice of the murder of Griselda Blanco, offer a detailed explanation of the assassination and
with the declaration of a Ex-Miami police Nelso Andreu. The article have credibility by
presenting the information via a credible source, in which you could find information about other
shocking news. The information in the article is credible because use exact dates and numbers in
Griseldas crimes that you can compare with other sources. Also the cite offers a home page in
where you can find the information about the organization and the authors of the webpages and
ways to contact them. In the video by Gianni Biasetti the credibility of the information is based
on the author, who made other documentaries such this one, also he interview at people who in
real life they meet Griselda Blanco, and explain the relationship with them, even when youtube
is not the most credible source, this video show the professionalism of the author.

Pathos
The rise and Fall of Colombias Cocaine Queen, the author Geoffrey Ramsey dont
use the emotional appeal to write the article. Even when the crimes committed by Blanco are
very cruel and inhuman, the information about them are redacted in a neutral way, the author
give the information clearly and concisely. The content is read, no heard, so each person can read
it in their personal tone, but Ramsey dont made any personal opinion about the issue. In contrast

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the video, try to use many emotions as the same time, such angry, deception or sadness. The
main interview of the documentary is based on Chucho Castro declaration, who was one of the
many victims of The Godmother. Griselda Blanco kills his two sons and he was really injury
during a gunfire against her. The video provide the interview of Castro in real life and is possible
to figurate the whole emotions that he is passing through at that moment, you can realize in his
voice tone the sadness, and by his face-expression, the anger that he felt by Blanco. The video
also show the graves of Castros sons, and the grave of Griselda Blanco.

Logos
The first genre cite fact and statistics, and the historical places in where Griselda grew
economically. According to law enforcement interviewed for the 2006 documentary Cocaine
Cowboys (see below) Blanco and her enforcers were responsible for the majority of homicides
in South Florida from 1979 to 1982. Is an example find it in the article. Another logical way in
which the notice is exposed, is in the chronological order of the Griseldas life, the article begin
with the Cocaine boom in US in 1970s and ended in the Griseldas murder, in 2012. On the other
genre, the video show us real images of the neighborhood in Colombia in where Blancos grew,
also you can see clearly the faces of those who are interviewing, and hear their testimony from
they mouth (in English and Spanish), at the end of the video, the author present the moment
when these people are sign in the exclusive contract, and the book on which the film is based.

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Reference Page
Ramsey, G. (2012, September 4). The fall and rise of Colombia's "Cocaine
Queen" InSightCrime. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.insightcrime.org/newsanalysis/colombias-cocaine-queen-griselda-blanco
Biasetti, G. (2014, December 3). GRISELDA BLANCO. Retrieved February 23, 2015,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f7xTO5InhU
Trumpbore, D. (2012, February 3). Life Rights of Notorious Drug Lord, Griselda Blanco,
Optioned for Biopic THE GODMOTHER. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from
http://collider.com/godmother-griselda-blanco-biopic/