Response for Friday: Smith and Mellix articles

Patricia Smith and Barbara Mellix, while they narrate a personal story, at the same time make an argument about assimilation into society through language. Specifically, both discuss the transition made between "Black" English and "standard" English. In a 1-2 paragraph posting, focus on either Smith or Mellix's article to analyze, being guided by the following questions:

• What argument is the author making about this assimilation process?
  
• How do you know this is their argument?
  
• What rhetorical moves (methods) does Smith or Mellix make?

Excellent quality in posting and commenting so far--let's keep that up for this post.

--Elizabeth

Cassie Dzienny 1st response

I have always enjoyed reading and writing. At preschool when I was young, I was the kid in the corner with a book in her hand at all times. I appreciated the articles by Rose and Raymond, but could not associate with them as a first hand experience. I have always been strong with writing and reading. In my free time, I love to read all kinds of novels. My favorite read of the summer was The Kite Runner, which I enjoyed tremendously, as well as A Mighty Heart. I have recently been very interested in reading novels about the present-day lifestyle of people in the Middle East. I find it very fascinating.

I can see how if you were brought up in a bad neighborhood, or had a learning disability, such as dyslexia, school might be difficult and seem impossible. I would be interested in reading more about this, and personal accounts of people who struggle in school so that I could get a better understanding of how it might feel to struggle with something others find so easy.

First homework response

We begin gaining literacy when we learn the alphabet, right? For me, my first memorable learning experience was with "The Letter People". It was either a show or a series of videos my teacher would show us once or twice a week. Educational entertainment at it's best, I say.

Ann Westrick, my sophomore English instructor (Eng 112) greatly influenced my writing skills. Perhaps I should give some credit to the class in general, but she was wonderful. That class, along with Eng 111, taught me how to set up my papers and write quite effectively. Without either of those classes, I would not be the writer I am today.
-Ashley Ward

Assignment #1

Growing up I hated reading. Homework was a pain and all I wanted to do was play outside and watch T.V. This mentality was changed when a friend of our family gave me a book called The Hobbit. From there literature gave me a great escape from the doldrums of common life. By middle school I was given a structure to my writing and lots of help from wonderful English teachers like Mr. Rose had.
I high school my family moved to a new city during the middle of my Freshman year and it was during that time of melancholy that I discover poetry as an outlet to my feelings. This ability to communicate with written words what I could not say to anyone let me express what was bottled up inside and let me connect with an audience real or imaginary. I didn't mind if no one read my work. I was just glad it was on the written page and could be read someday. I more think that my poetry was a way for me to communicate with myself.

My Experience Gaining Literacy/ Writing Skills

I have had a long exciting journey through out my educational experience gaining an appreication for literacy and learning to write. Gaining literacy, for me, was a process that was lived by many in my school district. Seventy percent of the students in my K-12 school district were not reading at their "grade level". There are many factors that may had contributed to that devestating reality, that is why I can relate to Raymond's article. Before seventh grade, when I became apart of the Silvan program, I was not able to read. Yes I could pronounce words by mean of memorization, however, I could not recall what I had read five minutes after I read it. I remember feeling a sense of inadequecy, unfulfillment and failure. How could I succeed at life if I did not enjoy reading, after all every other comercial or poster in school enphasized the fact that reading was fundamental. After, participating in Silvan's learning program, I began to attain feelings of self pride. That was probably the beginning of my love for english.

My nineth grade year in high schoool, I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who had took her experiences gained throughout college and produced a classroom full of models of structured yet free writing. I felt as though she had given out all the secret that teachers hint at but never give out. I can relate this experience with that of Rose's when he speaks of, "journey up through the top levels of the American educational system will call for support and guidance at many, many points along the way". I had gained so many valid points throughout that class that I have taken with me throughout my college career so far, and I plan to increase and build upon those skills gained on the way.

Posting 1

My writing skills have seen growth and change throughout the past few years of my life. I have found through different experiences and rhetoric that what I write about and how I feel about my writing is usually almost always influenced by my own thoughts and experiences. My mentors and influences have helped me into a better writer from time to time and have shown and taught me a variety of contexts, styles, and methods to try and put to use. I feel that the story excerpts were very helpful and useful examples to use and analyze. I found that the experiences of Rose and Raymond were very closely tied in to the study of rhetoric in this examination of writing especially in conveying feelings and thoughts to the audience. It is always important to consider how you want to tell or say a particular thing or idea when you are writing about something. I feel that proper rhetoric is something that can be successfully used in writing when it is properly exercised. An individual's creativity, rhetoric, and experiences are all certainly impacting factors in effective writing.

-Alex Wiebe