Abstract

A compilation of what we have learned in all the phases, while tying in all 8 learning objectives of the language and literacy course. This piece is about what I have achieved and what I was not able to fulfill and why.

Look Back At It

Who am I? I speak Bengali and English. Two different languages with two different cultures, that capture the essence of my beauty. These are my roots and they make me who I am today. Throughout my narrative in Phase 1, I have gotten to know myself a little bit more and find the importance in the languages that I speak and how I can take that with me wherever I go. I have learned that language can be manipulated in the sense that you can perfect it however much you want or leave it as is. I know that for me, my roots are part of my identity and I don’t want to be kept in the dark about it.  Phase 1 enabled me to reflect on my experience and be vulnerable enough to put it on paper. 

I was able to showcase my progression and literacy when connecting texts that we have read in class. When I was thinking about what I should write for my language and literacy piece, Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” really spoke to me.  I was able to “recognize the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing, and hierarchizing languages and their users.” She had concealed her voice by speaking broken English to her mother, up until the point where she gave her speech. In a sense, my parents did that to me, they concealed and taught me simplified versions of Bangla and that caused difficulty in how I analyzed it. Eventually, I ended up speaking more fluently and that seemed to make an impression on how my mother saw me. When I was presenting my language and literacy piece, I used “print and digital technologies to address my audience.” I knew that the best way to represent what I was talking about was through a slideshow which encompassed pictures and what each memory in my life meant to me. I felt that it was a way of not only connecting to the audience but also putting them in my shoes to feel what I felt. 

 Throughout class discussions, I was able to articulate the importance of how language is defined. To some, language is defined as whatever they want it to be and to others, language is defined as a direct correlation to their identity and how people see them. In Safwat Saleem’s Ted Talk, he talks about how normal is defined and anything outside of normal is seen as bad automatically. I agree with what he was saying because I defined normal as being able to speak fluently and if I don’t have the skills and knowledge in order to do that, then I am “not good enough” in my parent’s eyes. It makes it seem like I don’t know what I am doing or saying. This discussion was also important because it helped me speak about how I was able to “explore and analyze my own and other’s writing with a variety of genres and rhetorical situations” while “recognizing rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.” I thought the rhetorical situation worksheets were very useful because they helped me analyze the text better, in the sense that I was able to understand who the reader was referring to and what message they were trying to get across. There was use of vivid vocabulary that articulated what the author was feeling, and it made their claims stronger and showcased their passion for the topic. 

I thought knowing a little research about the author also puts things in perspective because you are familiar with their literature. In Phase 1, we looked at some famous authors like Lippi Green and Amy Tan, who we were able to revisit once again in Phase 3. I felt that it made the text easier to analyze because I was already familiar with what ideologies and perspectives that she chooses to acknowledge. It also relates to the different genres of writing that I used in Phase 1, a narrative while in Phase 3, a critical analysis, utilizing the ideologies of Lippi Green. I was able to reflect on Lippi Green’s descriptions because it allowed me to put the reader in perspective of the piece. There are times where people have different viewpoints, so they have different opinions based on what they think they see. However, if there is a clear and specific description of the example, it will allow them to understand and analyze and create strong opinions about the topic at hand. 

When looking at the different phases, there were a lot of drafts created, there was the first draft, revised draft and then the final draft. Using the help of my peers and professors, I was able to “develop strategies for reading, drafting, revising and editing.” It allowed me to catch the silly mistakes and refrain from straying away from the topic itself. I was able to elaborate on issues and events that were vague and act upon it. I thought it was a way for me to work on my writing skills as well and notice what I can work on in the future. 

I had a couple of issues with transitioning from one paragraph to another especially in Phase 2 because there was a lot of sources and trying to synthesize sources together was a struggle because I wasn’t sure how I would go about it. As I progressed, I was able to make a connection with how I would start a paragraph and how I would delve in to the next and allow my writing to flow.  

Another struggle that I had was “locating research sources” and “practicing the systematic application of citation conventions” especially in Phase 2. Some meaningful insights that I have gained in this phase is that there is a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to research. For a research paper to be proper, it needs to have a structure and the right details. I think the research part of an assignment is the most tedious because you must make sure your sources are in order and you are able to make connections between them. In the beginning of my process, I noticed that some of my sources were not connecting as well so I decided to change them. Despite the fact, that it was time consuming I felt like if I had concrete sources, it would make the writing process easier for me, so I was willing to take as much time needed. Knowing how to cite the sources wasn’t as hard when I knew what sources I had to use. Some sources already had citations made on the website itself when browsing through peer-reviewed sources. 

An objective that I didn’t achieve was the “development and engagement in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.” I didn’t collaborate with other writers as much as I would have liked to. During group discussions, everyone had different ideas and they were very specific to their topic, which didn’t arouse creativity for me personally. I feel as though, if there are general topics being mentioned and then subtopics within that, it will be more helpful to researching multiple ideas. You will not only get a feel for what topics you might want to do but also have a concise but broad list of ideas to choose from. 

Furthermore, looking at all the phases, I have achieved 7 out of the 8 objectives. I utilized all my resources starting from the peers in my class, to the professors on campus. I was able to fulfil the goals that I wished to achieve in this course, being able to reflect on my language and literacy and create a place for it today in my daily life. I felt that I am now proud of who I am, and I didn’t realize how far I have come and how the recognition of my language has impacted me so much. In my opinion, the most important phase that allowed me to find myself was phase 1 because I had to look back at my own life and experiences. It was a way for me to grow and at the end of the day that’s what really matters, being comfortable in your own vernacular. 

Citations

Saleem, Safwat. Why I Keep Speaking up, Even When People Mock My Accent. Youtube, TED, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4a0NvLTebw&t=3s. 

Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Silverman, Jonathan, and Dean Rader. The World Is a Text: Writing, Reading and Thinking about Visual and Popular Culture. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 1990. 282-86. Print.