Mikaela Statner
WRIT 2
Tym Chajdas 

Reflection Essay

To translateWhen translating a text, or message, from one genre to another, the writer

must understand the conventions of the first piece, and decide how those could be

translated into different conventions within the new genre. In “Writing with Pictures” by

McCloud, he stresses that storytellers want two things from their audiences, “To understand what

we have to tell them-- --And we want them to care enough to stick around ‘til we’re

done,”(McCloud 163). Using this advice, I shaped the message I wanted to give to my readers by

using McCloud’s advice and , translating from an academic article into a poem.  I discovered the

argument, or goal for the piece, “Positive externalities of an epidemic: The case of the

coronavirus (COVID‐19) in China”, was to inform people about coronavirus, and give the

audience a piece of silver-lining in a world filled with fear. Utilizing Laura Carroll’s ‘rhetorical

triangle’ of  exigence, audience, and constraints, I found recognized that this article’s context is

presented amid a pandemic, affecting every human in the world, and this is reflected by being

appropriate for a broad audience. It is clear the article is welcoming to all readers because it does

not contain much discipline-specific vocabulary. The author defines Small and Micro Enterprises

as SMEs for the audience, to help clarify for non-experts. It ialso feels inviting due to the various

graphs that allow the reader to better understand what the author is trying to convey. It does not

contain any information someone may need prior to reading the article, although an economic

background could help the analysis of information. This article proves to be relevant mostly to

people living in China, as it follows China like a case-study. Further, because COVID-19

originated in China, people from other countries can read to better understand conditions that
may be in their future. The author supports his credibility by discussing different sectors that are

affected by coronavirus, such as information, population, and subsidies. SimilarlyMoreover, the

author promotes his credibility by addeding graphs from NASA or mentioning the CDC within

his work. Using data from big name companies that the reader will recognize makes the piece

seem more official. The academic article maintained a serious tone throughout the paper, which

was appropriate considering the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as devastating losses to

economies. 

I decided After deciding I would translate my academic article into a poem, then I

found myself trying to figure out what conventions a poem might include. Poems promote

creativity and don’t have many specific constraints. The audience for a poem can range from

very broad to very narrow, mostly depending on the tone and form of the poetry. This left me

with aI had a lot of room to decide exactly how I wanted to portray my academic article. within

the new discourse community. I decided I would create a broad poem that would be suitable for

all ages (if literate of course). I did so this by not using any economic specific vocabulary, and

not or using any acronyms for words that a non--economistsexpert might find confusing. I

addressed the different sectors affected by coronavirus, like the article didsimilar to the article,

but in a much broader way. I didn’t include any evidence or research like the article did, because

research is not part of the conventions of a poem. The economic paper held a serious tone all

throughout, and I replicated that within my poem. I did not use any metaphors within my poem,

but instead chose to rhyme. My poem maintains its appeal to adolescents by the easy form of the

poem and by using elementary vocabulary. I decided to change from a high- level vocabulary to

a lower level, because poems are supposed to flow. Using vocabulary similar to the article

would’ve left my poem sounding rather academic, and possibly confusing due to format. The
minimization of words in poems makes it easy to confuse the readers as to what you are writing

about. I tried to keepkept clarity within my poem by using period and short rows of words. I used

stanzas containing 4 lines, to express the aesthetic conventions that poetry has. The utilization of

imagery is typically of poetry, but my academic article I translated did not contain much if any

imagery, so I found it difficult to bring this aspect into my poem. I usedUsing a non- academic

font to write my poem, because it adds to the personality of the poem, making it look less strict. I

utilized the creativity aspect of the poem to try and create a deeper message than the article

portrayed. The economic article did not have a deep message behind it, as it was more

informational. I decided to make my poem reflective, to challenge the reader to appreciate the

loved ones in their life, and to focus on positive externalities that come from people during the

COVID-19 pandemic. 

 By analyzing my economic academic article, and in my work below, I successfully

translated an economic academic article into a poem. My poem showcases the conventions of

poetry, while maintaining the ideas grasped from the academic article based on the effects of the

coronavirus on the economy. I translated the article containing research, graphs, and evidence,

into a poem containing none of these things. I used my knowledge of the conventions of

academic journals to discover the true message, and translate it into the genre of poetry. I added

my own poetic creativity to leave my reader with a message to appreciate others, and to

appreciate the love that COVID-19 has unintentionally brought into our communities. 

Works Cited:
Carroll, Laura Bolin. “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps to Rhetorical Analysis” Writing Spaces:

Readings on Writings Vol 1, Edited by Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky, Parlor Press, 2011,

pp. 45-58.

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York : HarperPerennial, 1994.

Print

Okyere, MA, Forson, R, Essel‐Gaisey, F. Positive externalities of an epidemic: The case of the

coronavirus (COVID‐19) in China. J Med Virol. 2020; 1– 4. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25830

A Poem for a Pandemic

A deadly COVID-19 outbreak
A test, for you, and me,
Affecting everyone and everything, 
Even the economies

Originated in China
But it has spread,
Across the globe,
Leaving hundreds of thousands dead

China forced to lockdown

Even go as far as closing factories
On a quest to contain the virus
Find a cure and minimize casualties
Danger on the frontline,
A hard task to track the spread
Doctors, and nurses, trying to help
But contracting COVID instead

Limited information to those with low income

COVID-19 has made us aware
Unproportional health services
The ones we love dying without care

To reduce the transmission

Artificial Intelligence stepped in
Technology to the rescue
Please let the healing begin

Business losses everywhere

The Chinese Government using their actions,
They want to show the people that they care
Tax cuts and subsidies... promises fill the air

New laws put in action

Masks cover faces,
This is all for our protection
Social distancing keeps us safe

The time is now,

Take a look around,
Appreciate the ones closest
Love and pray for the ones who are far

We must remember
No matter the distance,
Or miles apart,
We will always be together at heart
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.25830
The article first discusses the new virus originated in Wuhan, China. It then goes into

describing China’s GDP and economic characteristics before the pandemic. The article

describes positive externalities resulting from Coronavirus. The article is academic, and it

has a purpose to educate its readers about the effects coronavirus has on an economy,

specifically, the economy in China.