Black English

After reading the essays on black english I have a different outlook on how "English" is being taught today. Before reading this, everytime I heard someone speaking, what is known as Black English, I considered it to be wrong. I now have more respect for what is considered Black English. I disagree with how America is constantly trying to change everything to only consisting of one thing, in this case White English. For example, it is mentioned that in India there are over thirty different languages and dialects being spoken. As for June Jordan's essay, I thought it was very emotional. I have heard of cases of black people being targeted by the police, but this one was obviously taken too far. I felt before that America has come along way with racism, but clearly hasn't come far enough.

Black English

I just finished reading June Jordan's essay, and I feel completely moved. Moved emotionally, and intellectually; and I'm very glad to have read such a masterpiece of literature.
Initially I was offended, and thought the notion of a white English and a black English was ridiculous. Ebonics is a dialect. Teaching it formally would be like teaching how to speak English with an Indian accent, or perhaps with a lisp. Furthermore I was angry to hear standard English referred to as white English, and that it was oppressively being taught to everyone...including the 10+% of black Americans.
But after reading on, and really cogitating the issue, I've realized that there's so much truth to what Jordan tells us. Black English has been spoken for about 300yrs. It has definite rules, very formally explained by Jordan, and is an essential characteristic for a huge chunk of our population's culture.
I love how she states "we exist." (at least I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere, can't seem to find it now.) That statement says so much. I realize that in the US a black citizen must shed his culture in exchange for the ability to achieve in the business world. One does not have the option of typing a resume in black English. Jordan makes her point, and has convinced me that one should have such an option. One should exist, and be proud of his heritage.
She goes on to talk about the terrible tragedy of Reggie Jordan, which pounds in the final nail, about racism in America.
The essay was confrontational, moving, personal, and extremely enriching. I especially love the variety of styles and powerful voice she utilizes. I cannot stress enough what an excellent piece this was.

ok, so i guess ill start by saying that my name is Brittany. I attended Chichester High School( no its not a typo - i dont mean Chester High). I havent done this blog thing yet, so im just getting my feet wet...

Hi, my name is Ashley and this is my first time posting because it took me a minute to get familiarized with this program. I was born and raised in West Philly so coming to Kutztown was a huge transition. Despite everything that's going on back home, I personally think it's not the best place to raise a child, but seeing people so close to you with nothing motivates you to be better.
I agree with both Lu's and Rose's outlook. Lu was motivated to do good by her family but struggled in society because of language disputes(as if learning the English language isn't hard enough). Her family did alot to make sure she was literate and was able to survive in the "real world". Rose catered more to those like him. He helped people without jobs and also those with little or no income because they were usually illiterate because of their background not because of their willingness to learn. Rose is passionate about giving the opportunity of a good education to his students because he wasn't given the opportunity as a child. Both Rose and Lu have different backgrounds and experiences that make them great teachers in their own way. I believe the best teachers are the ones who went through stuggles and pulled through rather than the people who have had everything handed to them on a silver platter. The more "pull downs" the more wisdom.

Raymond Williams

My thought on the ideas that Raymond had was that culture is in every shape and form. In the beginning I wanted to know why he started his reading like this then as I went on I seen why. Raymond just creates meaning in his writing that make me read between the lines almost.

Lu and Rose's essays

While reading Lu and Rose essays I established similarities and differences that discusses issues of literacy. The similarities that I saw between readings was that they both were taught to be instructed or to instruct other of reading and writing. The differences that I saw was the educational background. My thoughts of the authors helped me really to relate to the education process of literacy and the real essential of the educational background.

Introduce Myself

Hi!! My name is Pyrnie Calloway and I'm from Harrisburg, Pa. I am sorry I missed out on the assignment because of technical reason but I am writing my blog now so I guess it is alright. I have attended Sci-Tech High and I am here at Ku as a biology major. I love to sing, write songs on my spare time, shop, work out, and just hang out with friends and family to have fun. But that me.

Lu and Rose

There is one main focus between these two authors and that is, being literate is a necessity in life. Lu speaks of her own personal struggles. She tries so hard to balance the English of her house with the Chinese of the outside world. Both the world outside frowns upon the western tongue and the home puts englsih above the Chinese. To use the one language in the wrong setting looked down upon but Lu is so fluent in both they have blended together in her mind. I it necessary for Chinese to spoken outside for success and just is the same for English inside the house and in her parents eyes for success. Rose's story in from the outside looking into the struggles of other people. He wants these people to read knowing that with out this skill they will not be as successful. Both Rose and Lu completely believe in the power literacy gives people and that with this power so many more doors can be opened for people in thier lives.

hi,
I read Rose's and Lu's and I had to agree with them both in that literacy is an issue in America and even moreso throughout the world, in places like China. I would have to say that they basically had the same idea, except that Lu was telling of what she saw and Rose was telling of the people he had helped. Lu seemed to blame literacy on the government and at the time it was a rightous idea. I would have to say that that it how she situated with her struggle. Rose says that people with low income jobs or no jobs at all or people that dont put forth effort in their society are usually illiterate, so then he helps them. All in all i agree with them

Culture is Ordinary

What good everybody, my name is Aaron kerns and I am a second year student here at kutztown. My hobbies include listening to music hang with good people and enjoy my free time in any way possible, basket ball, painting, partying. In response to our first reading I would have to agree with most of what Williams was saying here. Williams presented a valid point throughout this informal piece of literature. Culture is the ordinary to anyone who is in and lives it day by day. By taking your self out of the your own that is when you see the differences. When Williams takes the bus to the mountain top he can see two different cultures. Before him he can view the city with factories and smoke billowing into the sky. Just by turning halfway around he compares the city to the agricultural society in the other direction. Culture is always changing Williams writes I can not deny that. Some traditions will remain but the new members of society will always test and explore new ideas. To sum up culture is the ordinary to you when in your own, but to look in to another culture you that it is in everything the people do.

Lu and Rose

Both Lu and Rose's essays consisted of life experiences. Although, there are some differences that caught my eye. As I read Lu's essay I came to find that she seemed so much more passionate about literature. Growing up, her parents hired a live-in tutor to help them become a bilingual family. She also had to learn a new language for school; Standard Chinese. I think that Lu's interest and concern for literacy is very appropriate, especially in her case. I don't think I could make it through a day of her life. Having to change languages between groups would be complete and utter frustration. Always having to please people just to get by. However, I did not get that same feeling when I read Rose's article. Rose explains the difference between an educated writer and a non-educated writer. It seems all he does is criticize. When I read his article, it felt as though there was no compassion. Just simply facts.

It is easy to say that I found Lu's essay more interesting than Rose's essay. When the writer tries to connect with the reader, its obviously going to be more interesting. I did not feel as good of a connection with Rose as I did with Lu.

Lu and Rose's Writing

In Lu's writing I felt that I was able to connect to her story. Although I have not been in her situation the way in which she writes shows her emotion and passion for what she is writing about. With Rose's writing I didn't connect as well to his story. His stories are of other peoples experiences and not of his own, therefore he doesn't write with the same emotion and passion that Lu writes with. Rose focuses more on the facts where as Lu describes her experiences, I feel, giving the reader a better understanding of the situation. However, both writers do explain how important it is to be literate in society.

Lu and Rose

In Lu and Rose's essays they both discussed life experiences. Lu discussed how she learned and adapted to two different languages. Lu discusses her life experiences more than Rose does. Lu was brought up in a family who strongly believed in reading and writing, but in a place where the people did not want the English language spoken. Lu's family gave her extra help and she had an after school tutor. Lu's family was very involved in her education, while Rose's family could not afford extra help. Rose was only educated while at school.

Rose and Lu both used their own life experiences to teach their classes. I think that Lu is very passionate about literacy and reading and writing because she was brought up that way. Her family made sure that she had all the help and tutoring she needed. I think that Rose has such a passion for literacy because he, unlike Lu, was not brought up with the knowledge and understanding in school. I think that he wants people to have the education and opportunities that he was not exposed to while growing up.

Lu and Rose response

Reading Lu's essay I was able to connect with her emotions of pleasing everyone. She is very passionate about her understanding of language and her ability to write. At first she is very pleased that she is able to communicate in a way that her classmates can't, but then she becomes insecure and hides her ablitities. Although she has to battle what her parents want and what her school wants, she never gives up her writing. She uses her experiences to help teach others how to write. She wants students to struggle with their writing and to hear the different ideas in their heads not just conform to what the "right" way is.

Rose on the other hand doesn't offer as good of a connect with his writing, yes, he tells about certain people but not enough to really put yourself in their shoes. He says that the people who are there know the basics of reading and writing, but not the basics learned in a school setting. While these people are able to 'survive' on what they know they want and feel the need to learn more to better improve themselves. Rose tells of their struggles to do that.

The people in Rose's essay were able to find the help they needed to work toward the solution to their problem. While in Lu's essay she tells us that she was unable to have help because of the conflicting views between her home and school.

Lu and Rose writing

After reading Lu and Rose's writings, Lu speaks more about her life experience than Rose. Lu was brought up between two languages, from a family that thought reading and writing was real important. She would get after school tutoring and extra help. When Rose came from a family that couldn't affort to get her extra help and only got help when she was in school. They both were nervous to talk infront of a group for two different reasons. Rose would get anxious and her proformance would be disrupted. Lu couldn't speak infront of a group because she was scared that her classmates and teacher would hear a different lanuage and they would single her out. Both writings tell how it is so important to be able to read and write.

Response to Lu and Rose

After reading both Lu and Rose's writing, I compared them as we did yesterday in class. I think that Lu could be compared to Raymond Williams because she told a story about herself growing up and the issues she faced. On the other hand, Mike Rose spoke about a situation where he had come in touch with the issue of literacy. Lu was obviously more passionate about her writing because she grew up in a time when speaking the English language was unacceptable, where as Rose was more about stating the facts and definitely less passionate. Lu was also more passionate because it affected her immediate family a lot more then it affected Rose. They are both similar in a way that they both explain how important it is to be literate in today's society.

Response To Lu and Rose

Reading Lu and Rose's essays, I noticed that they both discussed literacy issues through their own perspective by taking facts from their own lives. There was one similarity that I came across while reading both essays. Rose reflects on his life by telling about his life and how he teaches people who are illiterate how to read and comprhend while at the same time Lu is reflecting on her life and how she was taught to perfect her literacy skills.

The difference is that Lu has a different background than the girls who Rose taught. Lu shared how she struggle with her literacy becuase of always being pressured by her mother to stay on her schooling. I believe that Lu might've performed nervously because she ahd to adapt to her learning enviornmentbut at the same time she succeeded because her mother cared. On the other hand Rose taught people who had a bad social life. The girls had no one who cared for them when they were younger like Rose had so they didn't take their education. Although both writers had their similarities and differences, it seems as though thier aspects were the same because of them taking education seriously.

Response to Lu & Rose

From what I gathered, both writers illustrated the significance of literacy through either their own personal struggle (Lu) or by witnessing others' struggles (Rose). Both writings basically stated how imperative language has become in everyday life and displayed an evolution of language.

Lu's writing gave a personal perspective on the hardships with language growing up and the way it affected her. Even though she had knowledge (of not only one, but two languages), it did not make it any easier on her to live every day life in society. The people in her society favored one or the other, and she was caught in the middle. This put her in conflict growing up, yet she managed to deal with both by segregating them.

Rose, on the otherhand, wrote about the hardships of others that he knew rather than of himself. He watched them with their inability to comprehend the basics of language, which were school related. Yet, he saw in them, that they did have an understanding to the basics of life. So, they on the other hand, had only the knowledge of one, not two, and still they consequently struggled. Rose helped them. (Unlike Lu, who had to help herself.)

Both groups ran into problems, because what they knew and group up with and associated with everyday life, turned out to be wrong somewhere else.

Response to Lu and Rose Readings

My response to these articles are very similiar to that of others in our class. I felt that Lu's writing had so much more passion and concern for literacy while Rose simply states his ideas in a way the audience wouldnt quite understand what it may be like to be illiterate. While reading Lu's article i couldn't help but place myself in her place, switching between two languages and fighting the inner struggle of pleasing someone or something even when you don't really agree with them. "I began to put on and take off my working class language in the same way I put on and took off my school clothes to avoid being criticized for wearing Bourgeois clothes." This in fact is the very essence of what Lu is trying to relate to her audience. Lu was switching languages just as much and as nonchalantly as switching her clothes. For Rose, he is more about the facts or illiteracy and what it was like to be in his situation, but for Lu, it was something more than just facts. Lu's writing contained feeling and described her past, while Rose concentrates on facts. Although these articles are very different in writing structure and feeling, the end conclusion is much the same. Literacy depends on one's culture, and the way a person is brought up in their social soceity and personal life.

Lu & Rose readings

I found Lu to be more passionate about literacy, whereas Rose is more like stating things the way they are in an uninteresting way. There's similarities in the fact that they're both talking about literacy and talking about different uses for words, and the struggles people run into using them, but the writings are uncomparably different. For Lu, it was more personal; her struggles with being caught between two cultures and their expectations of her. Rose is talking about other people, and "criticizing" their work. I didn't find Rose's reading as interesting as Lu's.