Anzaldúa

Anzaldúa

Pre Reading:

Ethnocentrism is judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture. I have never heard of this term before.

QFD&J

1. Keeping her language, makes it the piece personal and it may also keep the reader engaged in the piece because they want to find out what the piece is about and also because it is different to what they have read before.

3. Yes I believe writers have to believe in themselves, because I believe that if you cant believe in yourself then there is no way others can.  Therefore in order to write a good piece the writer has to believe in it so that the piece is as believable as possible. When I write about a topic I find interesting, I find it easy to believe in myself because I have knowledge and interest in what I am writing. However I find it harder when I have little knowledge on the topic and do not find it interesting to write about.

A&EI

2. I believe she was right to write in the way she did because this is how she writes best so it becomes more affective and believable. It also makes the piece personal to her which really helps showing her views to the reader. I also believe it is effective because it is different from writing in a traditional way so it keeps the reader engaged.

3. I believe that is correct to a certain extent. Words can really get in to the mind of a reader, going into great detail and creating not only one image but many different views of one image. However if you are a reader who finds it hard to use imagery whilst reading, an image would be more affective than words. An actual image may be the most affective for a reader because they can actually see the detail in front of them which makes it more believable. For example if I were to see pictures of people in pain and being hurt this would have a deeper affect on me than words would. To communicate with someone about experiences I have had, I think a picture would be more affective because it would show exactly what im talking about rather than having to imagine what I experienced. 

alexander

QFJ&D:

1.      How are the concepts of male/female and masculine/feminine restrictive for all people? Give examples.

I believe that throughout our lives we are always restricted but we just may not notice it sometimes because this is the only way we know and when we are younger we are brought up in these constructs. For example sports are mainly for boys, girls wear makeup and play with dolls, when are younger then as we grow up boys must be masculine and girls should not wear baggy clothes but dress nicely and look attractive.

2.      How do the student narratives reinforce gender stereotypes and gender as embodied?

These student narratives show the difference between boys and girls because of the activities they talk about. For example in “Mr.Football”, he is portrayed by a girl and a big muscular man because this is what all footballers are seen as. Then this is contrasted with saying that he got injured through a jellyfish sting which meant he couldn’t play anymore. For the reader this then goes against the idea of him being strong but because he is a footballer everyone agrees it must have been a very bad injury rather than telling him to get on with it. I believe that in some ways that if a big muscular boy does something feminine they are less likely to be called gay than if a normal boy did it because it almost becomes cool if they do it, due to it being something new and completely opposite to their character.

A&E

1.      What significance trans pedagogy hold for everyone within a composition class, according to Alexander? In other words, what can “normally” gendered students gain from exposure to trans theory in their composition classrooms? Does this significance hold true for every minority discourse we have read in class?

I believe that trans pedagogy allows the two gender contrasts to interact and make them less obvious. I also believe that if someone is transgendered they do not see society as being constructed so they do not judge people on their actions but they just feel as though everyone should be who they want a lot more than other people. I believe the trans pedagogy has many positives however I also believe that some constructs must remain otherwise we have a very unfamiliar society that what we originally know. 

delpit and smitherman

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

1.      Does it matter to you that Delpit doesn't necessarily identify her race to her audience? Does her racial identity matter in context with this article? How does the message change depending on your perception of her identity?

No, I believe it is better because otherwise people would have preconceived ideas of her whereas now than can just judge her on her thoughts rather than her race. I believe that in this article, Delpit’s identity is important because her message can come across very strongly for the African American readers, so she is respected rather than her opinion being judged. However I believe that in this article the identity of the person is also important for the readers so that what she is saying can be trusted and valid rather than readers just saying “how would she know?”

2.      Do you agree with what Delpit is arguing? What are some effective parts of her argument? What are some weaknesses or shortcomings?

I agree with Delpit because I believe that people are born into a certain discourse community but some change and go into a different one, this may be because they wish to stay out of trouble or want to change but this implies that people are not just stuck in one community. However I do believe that most people born in a certain discourse community are likely to stay in that community because that is how they have been brought up and so it may take a lot of will power to get out of that community.

Applying and Exploring Idea

3.      In " Queer Texts, Queer Contexts, " Malinowitz suggests that generalization can be both effective and problematic. Do you see generalizations in this text? Where, and do you think they are effective, or problematic, or both?

I believe that one generalization which was made, which isn’t necessarily true is the fact that some people stay in discourse communities however in reality everyone is different and it also depends on certain situations people are in. Personally I think generalizing topics are bad because it puts many things together as one even if they are really very different, which also leads to stereotypes. However in a different context, generalizing details within a paper can help people understand making it easy for them to learn.

Smitherman

Pre reading exercises

·         Have you ever judged someone based on how they spoke without seeing them? What specific elements of their speech influenced your judgment?

I think along with most people straight away we judge people on what they look like. I believe that it is hard not to, however if I was to not see the person and just listen I think that I would pay more attention to their actual ideas and thoughts without relating it to what they look like. If I were not to see the person talking then I would definitely just judge them on what they have said rather than thinking “I wonder what they look like.” However I have not listened to a speech without knowing or seeing what the person looks like.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling

1.      How is Smitherman using Black Idiom (BI) rhetorically?

Smitherman repeats BI constantly. This is a positive because by the end readers understand the term however it can get very repetitive and for me personally it got frustrating because there was no variety in the writing.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

1.      Compare the two statements: “God doesn’t ever change” and “God don’t never change.” Smitherman suggests that there is a vital difference; not in the inherent meaning of the sentences, but in the meaning behind how the sentences are constructed. What is that difference? What is the significance of “God don’t never change” as the title of this piece, which is about language?

The language is very noticeable between these two statements, especially the grammar. I believe these two statements are closely linked with identities. If I were to look at these statements and say who said them then I would say the second statement “God don’t never change” was said by a black person rather than a white person just because of their culture and the way they talk to each other appears to be more like this rather than with correct grammar.

Flynn

QJ:

2.      Do you think we should take into consideration the time in which a piece of work was written when we evaluate a piece of writing? Or should the ideas within a truly great work transcend years and generations?

I believe that the time the piece of writing was written should be taken into account because society is changing all the time so it would be very hard for a piece of writing to transcend years and generations. Due to changes in society views of different things change so the piece of writing may be positive in one generation but no in another due to more updated changes. With changes in society also comes language change too.

3.      Flynn says that “Women’s perspectives have been suppressed, silenced, marginalized, written out of what counts as authoritative knowledge. Difference is erased in a desire to universalize” (157). What does this mean? How does the silencing of women's voices relate to the marginalization of other minorities?

I believe this means that women’s opinions are not heard to a certain extent and that men’s opinions in some ways over power the women therefore women do not get a say in some topics. This means by eliminating one opinion out of two, a shared point of view remains and everyone has to agree that this is the voice of the people in society. Silencing women relates to marginalization of minorities because just like not hearing women’s point of view is just like not hearing the minorities point of view in society due to the larger population of society over powering them. 

5.      Explain whether or not you find Chodorow’s claims about feminine vs. masculine identification processes convincing.

I believe it is very convincing because I believe that as we grow up if we are a girl we look up to our mother as who we want to be and as a boy we look up to our dad as who we hope to be. Although this is not true in all circumstances, some girls are “daddy’s girls” and love to be with their dad more than their mum and it’s the same for the opposite side.

AE:

4.      Does Flynn’s article demonstrate any limitations when generalizing about feminist investigation of composition? Does generalization serve any benefits? Explain.

As Flynn generalizes she only takes into consideration the things she wishes to express and not both angles. This means the reader does not get a balanced view on the topic and only her opinion. Generalization may serve benefits because it is a summary of most people’s views so therefore people get the idea of something without having to take a long time analyzing it however it leaves out some peoples views and details which may be key information in the topic.

5.      How does gender influence how writers use language? Explain.

I believe that gender plays a huge role in how something is written. If men are talking to me they talk or convey themselves in a different way compared to if a man was talking a woman. For example different language may be used, so men do not mind swearing with friends but it’s seen as rude to swear in front of a lady. Also slang for different topics may be used so men may talk about sport in a way they know but some women may not understand and women may do it when talking and beauty products.

Villanueva

Villanueva:

3. What does it mean that this piece starts with a memory and not a synthesis or thesis like we're used to in this class? What do you think starting with this memory does for this text?

This piece starts out with a memory which means that the piece starts out with something that the writer has written in relation to his thoughts and experience. I believe this helps the reader understand the piece because they are on the same level as the writer and I also believe it is more interesting because it is something which actually happened therefore it s realistic. I also believe it is interesting because it is something different compared to just having an intro or synthesis.

4. How do the different poems and passages contribute to Villanueva's point?

I found the poems quite confusing to begin with, then I realized how he was using the poems to express his thoughts and I found it quite interesting because I believe it helps the reader engage with the writer’s piece and his thoughts.

8. Villanueva's article deals mostly with how people of color employ memoria in their writing. What should students who don't identify as people of color take away from this reading?

People who do not identify as people of color can relate to those of color by understanding their experiences and what they go through. This may also help society because people not of color will not treat people of colour in a certain way because they now know what they feel and experiences they have gone through.

A&E:

2. What role does Porter's idea of intertextuality play in this piece? How is intertextuality important to memoria? Have traces of memories or other texts appeared in or affected your writing and how?

I believe that in this piece intertextuality really helps the reader understand the readers ideas on memoria which therefore makes us think about what we are reading and helps us understand different people’s thoughts. I enjoy writing best when I can involve my previous experiences because I can have a detailed idea about what im writing about and I understand what I am trying to say. 

Dialectical notebook

Dialectical notebook

1. “Autism itself is a rhetoric, that autism is a way of being in the world through language, through invention, structure and style.”: I believe that autism being described as rhetoric means that it’s left unanswered, so that we can make our own assumptions on autism, however being rhetorical may mean although it’s left unanswered it will be persuasive and show the person one side rather than both fairly which will be shown through structure and language.

2. “Autism is a profoundly rhetorical phenomenon”: relating to how we as people react to autism, I believe that this refers to our actions and what type of person we are. So for example if you were family you would be understanding and caring whereas if you were just a stranger walking past autism you may just ignore it and not say or do anything.

3. “Rhetorical listening allows us to generate a more productive discourse about autism” I believe this refers to how we react to something that is said and it depends on how it is said or in which content which accounts for the actions we take.

4.  “Rhetorical listening allows us to generate a more productive discourse about autism and the rhetorical triangle”: I believe this refers to the way we are taught and our awareness of autism. For example in my case I was brought up and told some people have it and they cannot help that they have it and also that I was very fortunate to be healthy. Therefore from a young age I had an idea in my mind of what it was and how I should react to what I here or saw of autism. However the people who may be nasty or have a stereotyped assumption of autism may be the people who are nasty. 

proj 3

Many people, equal importance, one dream, one desire, one common goal, many tactics, hard work, a lot of time, a lot of effort and people they look up to and dedicate themselves to: a community where all of these qualities are involved and where a group of people come together in order to achieve something as a group of people.  A lot of hard work is involved and it is all pulled together through one or two people who have a high authority within the community. A community has to have these people so that the discourse community can hold a structure and have a set idea of what they are going to do and how. In this assignment I will use an Ethnographic field to observe and analyse a sporting discourse community, to establish authorities, genres and identities within the community. These may include specific community languages which are only understood by them and separate them from other communities, making them unique.