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Here is the letter i wrote first to the organization and it sums up what i want to be doing and how i further want to help.  

Dear Pro life,     
    I am doing a project in school about how/ and who can reduce the # of abortions each year, all over. There are some people with in the state of PA that would like to see this happen as well and can spread that news to higher powered authorities in the state and all over. Abortion is something that i see as a major crime, and should be treated as a crime.
    I have been researching about the effects that it has on specific people, and why. also i have been really looking into who is for and against it so i can know who will  help and who will not. There are a couple of senators that are really into not having the government support anything that has to do with abortion and taking a life. Even the President of the United States is for not having the govt. pay for any kind of abortion related activity within the US, and that can be a major changing factor for winning this battle sometime in the future. There is a lot to be thinking about in that there are a lot of factors that only one can seem capable of completing. There are things that I as a young adult can only complete in this challenge.     I need to know what i can be doing, and even if i can be doing anything to further help the organization of pro-life, to thence and further produce a positive effect on the people who are trying.

-Graham Davis

I did this Comic to represent the 23.59% that makes up my life, video games. It's not only amazing what people do to make video games and make those little pictures of bodies move, their dedication is incredible. Anyway, I wanted to make a little tribute to video games in this comic. I intended it to have around 3 chapters, so everyone could read it and be like "I know who that is! I played with him in ____" but that didn't go as planned. In the future, I might keep working on this, it's not the end of this yet!

I started out finding "sprites" which are essentially all the frames it takes for a character to move in any pixel looking game (like Super Mario). They are 32-bit sprites, which means that they allow basically more detail. There are also 16bit and 8 bit, which are waaaayyyyyy old. I used Photoshop to get rid of picture backgrounds, and to cut and paste background and characters into pictures. It seems like it's easy, but finding the pictures and then resizing them is a lot of handwork. It's easier said than done. I used Photoshop because it naturally comes easy to me, it's not hard to use.

I've done sprite comics before, when I was a bit younger. They were bad quality and there was no definite story line in them. Now that I learned how to be a better writer (I sure hope so!), writing the story was the best part of this! I want to make a series with these and put them on a blog and update them weekly, like a page a week. I sure would like to continue this, and hopefully finish the series as I wanted to. So, that's basically it. Video games are a part of me, and although it may be silly to some it's a part that keeps me intact with my inner child. I'm not an addict though! I'm totally one of those guys that's okay with dying in a game just to text back!

Screen shots of the work I did!

^​This is a sprite sheet!^

____________________________

I don't want to spam this entire blog with my comic. So I uploaded a .ZIP file on Mediafire, so you guys can just download it there, unZIP it, and read! Enjoy!

WARNING: THE COMIC HAS SOMEWHAT MATURE HUMOR, AND HAS WORDS THAT SHOULDN'T BE USED IN SCHOOL! (But it's not nasty or anything... don't make that stop you from reading!)

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?w6v4t3e6t3qbjlb


But I will post one page on here just for a little preview.

Austin Baggaley

1-4-11

English

                        I’m From Philly

Every summer we go to the mountains to visit my aunt and uncle.

“Hey what’s up?” My friend greeted us.

“Nothin much is there anywhere to skate around here?” I replied.

“Yea there is a park with some ramps up the road”

“Oh word that’s what’s up”

So we started walking to the park.

“Yea I’m Joey what’s your name?”

“Austin”

“Are you from Philly?”

“Yea”

“Yea I could tell”

“Ahahah really how?”

“Just the way you talk.”

The way I would describe how I talk would be somewhat proper, slang and a Philly accent, I cant really describe what a Philly accent is you just would have to hear it to know.

  This is not the only time this has happened. One time my mom and I went to Lancaster to get some things from the Goods Store and the clerk noticed our accents. Some people could be offended or upset but this, but not me this doesn’t make me upset, Because most of the time people are excited to see new faces and people from different places, they usually ask questions about Philly and stuff like that, you cant blame them because I’m sure we all do the same thing I know I do. A lot of my friends are from south Philly and I can tell the difference between how they speak and how I speak, like one word they use is mish. But mish was spread around Philly now a lot of people from all different parts of Philly say mish. Another word is snapping, that would be the proper way to spell and pronounce it but really its snappin, like for example we would say.

“yo chill out you snappin”

So in this context “snappin” would mean over reacting or over excited.

            We all are different every single person in the world and so is the way we talk. Everyone talks different even though some people might sound similar to each other. “People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances.” We use different words in different context; we give new meanings to words like “drawlin” and “snappin”. I have a Philly accent other people have New Jersey accents and other cultures have different accents like Italian, Polish, German, and Hispanic. Some accents may sound the same but they are different in one way or another. English is a language that about a quarter (20% - 25%­) of the world speaks the English language is rapidly changing every day new words and new meanings are popping up all over the place.

            Your voice is a big part of which you are, it can do many things, things that you may have never even taken into consideration. Your voice can show a piece of your personality by speaking kind words if you’re a caring person, it can show what kind of mood your in by sounding aggressive if your mad or sounding soft when your sad. Your voice can also tell were your from by the way you speak words or say phrases and even the context you put words into. The way you speak is powerful it can tell many things.

"Thanks a lot. I'm really impressed!" -Mr. Reddy

​I had so much fun this quarter in art. It was really cool to be able to do something that I am interested in. Before this project I was never much of a baker. I'm not the best measurer so I always found myself messing up a recipe because the amount of each ingredient I used was inaccurate. I now really enjoy baking. I did this project in the hopes that I would become a better baker and I think I have accomplished that goal. 
I first began this process by finding recipes that I thought would a) taste good and b) challenge my baking skills in some way. I then began the process of gathering materials (ingredients) and beginning to bake. The recipes I chose were all very different, some were easier than others but they all represented a learning experience. 
As I stated before baking was never something that I really did. I love to cook but baking always seemed like something that was super hard. I have now gained an appreciation for it. 

The topic I had chosen to blog about was animal abuse in Philadelphia. I didn’t really have a process because I was dealing with a lot when this project was first introduced to us. I tried bye gathering as much research as I could and using the information I had. I didn’t fill out a lot of paper work because I was rather behind on my posts, which I found very upsetting because I wanted to do well. All I can really say, is that from the info that I have, and from doing the posts that I’ve done, this was a challenging project, but I wouldn’t mind doing it again. If I did get that chance, I would defiantly take a different approach to it.

Being that Chaka Fattah is the Official representative of Philadelphia, he should have a lot of input on any new bills or laws that come in, right? In actuality, he shows interest in the bill…but that’s really it. He never talks about why he votes for it, or why he doesn’t, or how he feels about it.

When it comes to the issue of animal rights, he is no different. Though he never talks about it, he is all for animal rights. For example, Fattah has shown 92 present interest of The Humane Society of the United States  in 2007-2008, 92% interest in The Humane Society Legislative Fund, and 100% interest in the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

When it comes to animal rights, Fattah is all for it, yet he does not share his own personal thoughts nor does he express how he feels the new bills or laws will affect the city.

           For my free studio I decided to work with a canvas. When I first started to paint I wasn’t too sure of what I wanted to do. Each day I came into art class I began to get an idea of what I wanted to do. The first thing I had in mind was to make a black, gray and white picture. I wanted to see if I could get my ideas on the canvas without using any color. When most people see pictures the first thing they tend to talk about is the different color paint that is used.

            On day I walked into class and I was not having a good morning but to a surprise I did not want to make a picture with out color I had the sudden urge to make a colorful painting on a new background. There was not a way to paint over the canvas in all white and not see what was under it so I found a big paintbrush and painted the entire background black. As soon as I was finished an idea of what to do popped into my head. I wanted to make a big tear drop, that was all blue with green and yellow at the bottom. At the bottom of the teardrop is the water as the raindrop is falling. The bottom is my favorite part. When I first started at it I was not too sure what look I was going for but as I added more color to it I knew exactly.

            The rest of the background that was not covered by any other color but black was the easiest part of the painting to cover because I wanted to use the colors that gave off a bright essence coming off the back. After that was done I still felt as if something was missing from the painting. I then looked at my hands because there was paint on them, so I decided to put handprints on it. The only color I could think of was the white to make it pop. After looking at the white hands the painting still didn’t feel complete and the only color I could think off, of the top of my head that complements white was red. I did not want to paint the red on I wanted it to look any other way but painted. So I used my finger and scooped up large amounts of red paint on my finger and dripped it on the white hands. When I was finished I felt that my painting was complete.

          Before the second marking period was over my painting I did on the canvas was finished. I wanted to do another project with bottle caps because we had so many left over from the fist marking period project. So I then decided I wanted to make a big hand out of bottle caps.

            I brought some hot cut to put all the caps together. I had to pick out the caps I wanted to use and size them to one another. Anther way I kept track of them was to making different little marks on the bottoms of the caps I was using and going to use. When I began I started to stack all the caps on top of one another then as it became taller I got the idea to cover the entire thing with aluminum foil to make it shinny and shape all the things I felt did not come out right in the end.

            Right after I finished building the forearm with the caps it was time to do the palm of the hand but I no longer wanted to make a giant hand. From turning the piece upside down to add the aluminum foil to it I then got the idea to make a vase.            

            When my piece became a vase I wanted to add color to it and put flower in it. I painted different colors in strips and I add some colorful flower paper. The last class was when I finished the vase and started to add the flower because our art is due on Friday 1/14/11 I did not want to put a picture of my vase up wit the flowers. For some reason I do not like when my artwork is viewed when I do not feel as if it is finished. So I have picture of just the finished vase.

Callie Monroe

January 5, 2011

Gold Stream

Language Benchmark

 

 

“What are you?”

“I’m black.” I said

“No your not, if you were you would have said ‘I’m black nigguh.’”

“Okay, I’m black nigguh,” I responded. There was then uproar of laughter at the café table I was sitting at.

“You’re too white to say that.”

            This became a game where people would tell me to say something that was “too black” for me. It amused everyone to see a group proclaimed white person attempt to talk “black.” The opinion that I somehow talk very different from other black people is one that I encounter all the time, sometimes on a daily basis. Now instead of responding, I ask people where they think I’m from because it’s interesting to hear their responses. Some of their responses are crazy! I’ve been told that I look Australian, Dominican, Brazilian, but in fact my family does not have an ounce of blood from any of these places. It never occurred to me that the language I use and the words I speak are different from other black people, or, for that matter, any people in general. People use the way in which I talk to support their ideas about my race.

            My brothers and sisters experience the same racial questioning that I do. Like me, people think they talk “white.” Also like me, their complexions are considered light for black people. My older brother who has very soft curly hair is thought to be Italian by many people. My younger sisters hair is very long and several people assume that she’s Puerto Rican. My younger brother is the only one that people believe is actually black. But it is totally due to his complexion not the way that he talks. He has darker skin than all of us, but as a result of the way we all grew up, is still accused of talking “white.” Growing up my aunt went through these same things. She has a very pale skin tone but is still ethnically black. She felt as though she had something to prove to other kids who thought she was white so she tried to act extra “black.” I don’t mean to say that you can act black, but she tried to act in the way she felt black people were supposed to act.  I suppose you can say that we are not an average black family, but I wonder what an average black family is and looks like?

Whenever someone tells me that I talk white or that I don’t talk black I feel like there is no real place that I belong. Physically I’m not white, but verbally people consider that I am, which group is supposed to accept me? I wonder who made up the rules for how black and white people are supposed to talk? Does it have to do with the history of each race? Or is it today’s society that contributes to the defining of the way a race should talk?

            I grew talking like all my friends and family. Differences in the way races speak was never an obvious thing for me. White, Black, Asian, Latino, seemed to all speak the same as me. I suppose you can attribute the way I talk to the environment that I grew up in. From infancy I went to a school that had a majority of white people in it. Talking proper, or white as many people call it, was always emphasized. Grammatical errors were always corrected and cursing brought you a trip to the black bench. Most of my best friends are white, and I was one of about seven or eight black people in my grade. This lingo, or “white” way of talking, was the way that everyone I knew talked.

            James Baldwin wrote, “Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker.” The way in which you talk can portray your feelings on an opinion and even your attitude at the time but also so much more. The words you use, the way you compose your sentences, and how you articulate your syllables can all show where you’re from or the way in which you grew up. Everyone has a very distinct way of talking that is unique to his or her personal experiences. My history of living in environments and being around people that consider the way you talk a very important aspect of you are is the reason that I talk the way I do. 

            I don’t necessarily think that the way you talk is specific to your race. I know many other black people that speak in the same way that I do and many white people that speak in the way black people are “supposed” to. Your geographical location has more to do with it than anything else. Certain neighborhoods speak differently than others, just like people from different cities speak differently. In Philadelphia we call sandwiches hoagies but in many other places around the country they are called subs. In New York the commonly known word carry is substituted with schlep. Different words are adapted and changed over time. This concept is much the same for neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Words don’t really change from neighborhood to neighborhood but sentence structure does. One is not better than the other, they are just very different.

            I always talk to my parents and other family members about this issue because they always experience it as well. My mom once told me something that has stayed with me for a while, “the world is not black.” Just because I’m not considered or accepted by some black people doesn’t mean that other black people won’t.

 

 

Malik Tlili

Silver

English

 

Alchemy of Language

 

            I’m new to my school and it’s only been a few months. No one really knows that much about who I am or about my ethnic background. I always dread having projects or class discussions about language or ethnicity because when people see me they just see another “white Italian” like all the rest of the kids in my class. I looked like everyone and spoke with the normal South Philly accent. I’m really Tunisian, which is in North Africa along the Mediterranean Sea.  It is traditionally an Arabic country but being so close and raided by the neighboring countries we have a European culture. Our langue, which is Tunisian, isn’t one specific language. It is a mixture of French, Italian, and Arabic. I don’t have the traditional African or Arabian complexion so everyone assumes I’m just white. I enjoy being seen as the same as everyone because it makes me feel as though I fit in, so I don’t really express who I really am. I just stay away from the subject without having to encounter the situation. But it’s difficult having foreign parents who are more comfortable speaking their native langue, so when they call I must speak to their way of understanding.

“Hello”

“Miko, Ca Va?”

“Yes mom, inti Ca va?”

“mm. fama pizza fil cucina”

“Ok Mom.”

“Ok chao”

“Bye”

My Mom asked are you ok? I replied yes are you ok? She says yes and tells me there is pizza in the kitchen. I reply ok attempting to avoid any further conversation with my mother and stay away from comments from my friends. Unfortunately there is always that one person who over hears the conversation and begins questioning.

“What was that?!”

“What was what?” I said pretending to not know what is going on.

“On the phone what was that? What are you speaking”

“Not sure what your sayin”

I am then put under the spotlight growing hot and sweaty becoming uncomfortable as if being the unknown species that was just discovered in America.  I then become defensive trying to get out of the conversation.

“You were like ahjibkcnojbdsijb bye”

“oh I though you knew? I’m Tunisian”

“whats that”

“French, Italian and Arabic. Its in North Africa, right across from Italy”

“Ooh, I thought you were Chinese for a second lol”

“Yeaa, I’m part Italian not full blooded tho”

“Ooh”

“Yea”

I bring up the reference that I am “part Italian” to bring a connection to everyone else and to bring everything back to thinking I’m “normal” again. I also bring up how Tunisia is “right across from Italy” to show how we aren’t so different. It works sometimes but others just keep believing that I’m a foreign weirdo. I can connect to James Baldwin’s view on what language is and how it is introduced. He believes it is “…an alchemy that transformed ancient elements into a new language.” My language bonds 3 different types of ethnicities and in my opinion 3 is better than 1. Over time language is constructed and altered in many different ways. My language is one of those changed over time. Every Language is unique and according to who you are you may use that language in a unique way. Tunisia bonds French, Italian, and Arabic. It is not one standard language but it is still the way of communication in that country. Language is one of the unique ways of discovering someone’s identity. There are some languages that have been changed overtime and are difficult to decipher and connect to a certain background. When back tracking the alchemy of language, the identity becomes more clear. Your outer appearance and complexion may not tell your true identity, but language can reveal the actual origin of a person.

 

            They were looking at us weird again. If I weren’t in our little circle I would have, too.

            “Withagair Ithagis Shith-agee?” Asked Brittney.

Where is she?

            “Ithagi dithagont nithago.” I replied.

I don’t know.

            It took a while to learn how to speak it, though it was so simple, and even longer to actually speak it fluently, if you didn’t hear it in practice.

            “Shith-agee sithagead shith-agee withagus cithagum mithaging ithagout tithagoo dithagay.” Giavanna stated.

She said she was coming out today.

            “Ithagi nithago” Brigitte said.

I know.

            Others stared as we conversed just as quickly as any other group of friends, but we were speaking Ithaguh. I now have lost just about all ability to speak it fluently, but I still understand it. Around our neighborhood, only a few others beside my friends and I knew how to speak it. We would share secrets and gossip, but only in Ithaguh, so that only we could understand each other.

            We learned it fast, picked it up in a snap and by the next week, we were speaking it faster than English. If we had to ask questions they were in Ithaguh, if it only dealt with someone in our group, it was in Ithaguh, the only time we didn’t speak it was when we were in someone’s house. It was something that we claimed to be ours, something only we understood and we protected it.

            There’s always a reason to develop a new language or use a language that is different than the one you normally speak. My friends and I spoke Ithaguh so another group around our neighborhood couldn’t understand us. You see, they always tried to spy on us, always tried to catch us talking about them. But we never did. We only talked about music, movies and our own business. Even though we knew we didn’t talk badly about them, we still were tired of being spied on and them trying to put their noses where they didn’t belong. So, Heather, the oldest girl in our group, taught us how to speak Ithaguh.

             It was like when the slaves were brought here from America, they all spoke different languages and they were forced to learn English, so they made it their own. They spoke in their own dialect of English and they sang songs in metaphors about plans of escaping and news, to be sure that their slave masters didn’t know what they were saying. Also, it could be how soldiers developed Morse Code to understand each other from a distance through lights or knocks or how people developed sign language so they could understand the deaf and the deaf could understand them. We didn’t want to be spied on anymore, that was our reason for learning how to speak Ithaguh. We needed something that not many people around us understood, but we needed something that we could use to understand each other.

            Glona Anzaldúa described a language she spoke as, “A language which they can connect their identity to, one capable of communicating the realities and values true to themselves.” This means that the people who spoke her language developed it to connect the language to people like them, so that if they heard it on the street, they would know they weren’t in an unfamiliar place. They developed a language so that they could talk personally with people like them and this is how we used Ithaguh. If we heard someone around our neighborhood speaking it, usually it was one of us. We only used it to talk about music, movies and our own problems, just like we did when we conversed in English, the only difference was that only we could understand each other and no one else could understand us.

Sergey Kuznetsov

"Maybe you should shut the hell up before I kick you!"

"And who is going to do it, your mommy?"

"No, I will personally do it!"

"I hate you so much, I will ***"...

            Arguing with Ilia, and cursing pretty badly at each other, I did not notice my mom walking towards me on the street. She was shocked. I always was a very polite person at home, never cursed, and practically was a different person then she saw just now. Unfortunately for myself, I used to lie about the fact that I never curse, but after seeing that, she understood that it all.

"Sergey Kuznetsov, I can't believe what I am hearing!"

"Am... mom? What are you doing here, I thought that you weren't going to the store today, how much did you hear?"

"I have heard enough, you both are in so much trouble! You yourself are grounded, and Ilia's mother is going to hear about this as well!"

"Mom, please, we didn't mean what we said, it was just a joke!"

"Maybe you should have thought of it before, lets go!"

She didn't even want to talk to me after it. Even up until now, I am trying to understand why I used to change the way I talked with people so drastically, but no matter how I approach the problem, I can't. Changing the way I speak still helps me drastically, but while I am growing older, I start changing a lot less, and acting more similarly everywhere.

It is very possible that one of the reasons that I have spoke that way, was because I accidentally entered the reverse speech stage. It sometimes happens to me, when I go to extremes with my feelings, and at that moment I have really been disappointed about what happened. As was said by By Kathy J. Jeffries "the Reverse Speech of a person indicates their subconscious or unconscious thoughts. The Reverse Speech of a person indicates truthful responses or thoughts. The subconscious cannot lie. These thoughts can be on a conscious level, contradicting or confirming the forward speech. This would be the first level of Reverse Speech. The second level of Reverse Speech reveal a persons personality make-up, emotions and thoughts that are not on a conscious level. These reversals use metaphors to communicate the messages from our unconscious mind. The third level of Reverse Speech indicates emotions and feelings from within our deep self. Third level reversals use archetypes as well as metaphors to describe ones' innermost beliefs. As third level reversals come from the very core of ones' being, they are very powerful in their meaning." When I spoke to my friend, I have been only in only in first level of reverse speech. If my mom hadn't stopped me however, I might have even entered the 2'd or 3'd stage, which would probably cause a break of our friendship to occur. The hard thing is to know when to stop, when you enter the first stage. Anyone can enter those stages, but the ones that may actually hurt from them are politicians. If they accidentally say something to the press that they should not hear, then their life would be destroyed.

            Code switching also is a very big issue, especially when people are starting to learn a new language. (Author unknown, Power of code switching) "Professionals studying code-switching continue to debate about the advantages and disadvantages of code-switching for second language learners. Some arguments against code-switching say it is not a true language; one is not fluent enough in either language if code-switching is necessary; or, code-switching is not academically appropriate. On the other hand, there seem to be more arguments in support of code-switching." This person states that there are two sides of the coin in code switching. If both are taken in consideration, it is neither  good nor bad. It makes people harder to understand, but at the same time, if a very literate person is trying to say a metaphor in English, but only knows how to say it in his native language, he or she should be able to say it in English, and if they get a bad reaction, then they may explain what they have mean.

"Serge, are we not late?"

"No, it's only 4 PM, we still have 3 hours."

"How did you know, did you look at the clock when I didn't notice?"

"No, my organism works like clocks!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well it means that I can feel what time it is, and approximate, apparently this time I was correct."

"Hm, If you say so."

 

        Language is the roadmap of a culture. It tells you where its people came from and where they are going. - Rita Mae Brown. When I think about this quote I think about my experiences because of my language that have come to make me the person I am today. I remember when I was 12 and going to camp Hidden Falls, nervous and scared I wouldn’t fit in, I would have done just about anything to fill that void. As I got off the bus and counselors begin to play icebreaker games a few girls came up to me and asked if I was Puerto Rican, My first response was to say no, but I didn’t. I did my best to try to sound like them. I wasn’t alone for the next two weeks, but looking back now I wish I had acted myself.       

                                                                                                                                                                  As I got older I begin to notice more how I spoke with friends, family, teachers, and other authoritative figures. Everyone talks a certain way and many of us believe we’re speaking the right way. But, what is the right way? James Baldwin has said ”I’ am curious to know what definition of language is to be trusted.” I believe Baldwin said this because we live in a society where change happens all the time. Many want to be inferior and if manipulating another gives you power to do so, then people will. Also when Rita Mae Brown said, language is the Roadmap of a culture.  She meant that one’s language only reflects their culture and who they are. Changing and trying to tell someone the correct way to speak is nearly impossible.

 

        Another experience of mines is my first day of 7^th grade. We had to speak about how each of us felt on the world trade center terrorists attack. I was excited because I thought I had a really good paragraph, but when I went to the front of the classroom and begin to speak, I heard whispers of why I spoke the way I did. When I sat down, a boy next to me asked ” Why do you speak that way?”

I replied  ”What way?”

”Like, white people, you speak like a white person.”

Then a girl next to me said ”shut up, its because she’s smart.”

Automatically, they connected that if you were smart you spoke more like a white person. They believed that the way a white person spoke was the right way. Slowly I noticed that people judge you based not just on appearances but on the way you speak. If it only takes 2 seconds to gather a first impression, imagine how much they think they’ve gathered about your intelligence.  Language and culture is all around us, and it’s up us to not judge a person against these things. A person’s language is always changing depending on the environment there in. When I’m with my friends I normally say ”wassup” or ”solid.”  When I’m talking to teachers I’ll say ”hi” or ”okay.” I change my words because I was raised that there is a time and place for everything, to respect those older than me, and that giving respect was not giving by telling an older person ”wassup.”  My culture is the reason I speak the way I do, and I believe that my language is neither wrong nor right.

​ What would you say?   

                                                                                                Michael Sanders

      1/13/11
      A-Band.

When I’m chilling with my friends, there comes sup. When I’m with parents sup becomes Hello. When I’m with Nana it becomes Hey. When I’m with my Spanish teachers it becomes hola. There are many different ways of saying this one word. Depending on who I’m with I say different words with the same meaning. I don’t know who I am or what my real identity is. It changes from person to person.

I’m was walking to the 30^th street train station and I saw a Hobo.

“Hey little fella got some food today?”

“Hey no. Uhm no I don’t have any.” Then I ran. I was freaked out.

It might be 2 words but that’s all it takes to tell me who I am. I usually say hey or hey you, to people I don’t know or people who I’m not comfortable with.

On my first day of SLA I was sitting at a table. Then some kid, I still don’t remember now from summer institute, came and sat next me.

“Yo Mike whats up?” Asked the Kid

“Hey you. It’s... It’s you.”  I replied.

“How you doing? “

“Good, Good. I’m doing, umm I’m doing good.”

            I tend to stutter in uncomfortable situations. I am never comfortable with people I don’t know very well. To them I talk like a nervous cow.

According to James Baldwin “ Language … reveals the private identity and connects one with … the larger, public, or communal identity them” This quote would connect perfectly with people, Especially with me. The meaning behind the quote is that language of a person can tell others who or how that person is. The quote means that people hide their true selves until they are comfortable or friends with a person. Until they are able to talk or communicate with language no one will know his or hers true identity. Like in an episode of “Ned’s Declassified” there was a new student. The student’s dad was in the military so she would move all the time. So every time she moved she would change her identity based on the situation. But Ned would eventually find the truth about her. I believe it is the same thing that happened to me when I got my first friend of SLA.

“ Mike, when did you become so funny?” Asked the friend

“I don’t know why. I just say what comes to my mind.” Said I.

“ But you are always so quiet”

“I don’t know why I just do what I do”

From that moment my “Heys” turn into “Hellos” or “sups”. At least to

my friend it changed. I never at the time figure out the reasons on why I do the things I do. For some reason my whole identity changes from place to place, and Person to person. After school for the first couple of weeks I would go and hang out with neighborhood friends. Hey turns into “what’s up my Nigga.” but the next day at school I would never even think about saying that. First of all I don’t know how they would they react to the word. The comfort level is not there.

When I am with teachers or other grown up’s I try not to embarrass myself. My Heys are Hello’s to be polite. I don’t think they would accept a sup or MN. The hello changes every time.

“  Hey Mike ,you are really struggling right now in Spanish. Is there any thing you want to talk about ?” Said a teacher

            “ No No it’s ok” Said me.

I would just walk away. I never usually talk to people. I don’t want them to judge me for who I am. I am very sensitive so I try to avoid controversy.

After my day my parents would usually ask about my day.

“How was your day ?“asked my mom.

Usually if it was my friends I would respond with something cool. I don’t think  my parents  would find the humor with the  cool way of talking. Most of the times my cool stuff would turn into a punishment. So I just say “Yo. It’s been good. “My “Hey” turns into yo’s when I have the comfort but I don’t want to say what is in my mind.  This causes me to not know what my identity is. My parents think they know who I am. Not even I know who I am.
            “ Michael how was your day”

“It was good.”

I would always say it is good but really not.  I don’t want my parents to over react. So I hide stuff from them. Maybe even my identity. These things not only happen to me but they secretly happen to other people. People of the world today do not know what their true identity is. Like me they change their identity based on the people or the situation they are in. It is hard because in every situation it changes. My situations would change base on my comfort level.

 

Dréquan Taylor

                                                                                        What Did You say

“Yo Dré those ya sneaks?” I said

“Yea bruh those mine” he replied

“Ayee these jawns tough”

“Yeaa these the new one’s”

“ardd that’s wats up.”

 

Since I was 11 years old I have been going to Orlando, Florida every summer. I usually stayed there for most of the summer and came back just before school started back up again. Every year I would go down there I would adjust to the different words they used down there, that I didn't use when I was in Philadelphia. The first few times I went to Florida with them, I would get lost with the words they were saying, because I was not used to them, I didn't know what they meant, or what they actually said sometimes. When I would come back to Philly and use the words that I had heard and learned in Florida people would look at me strange and ask me "what did I say?" or they would be like "what is that?" It was like when I was in Florida they would not understand some of the things I would be saying and when I left Florida the people in Philly would not understand everything I was saying. Last year when I was in Florida My god brother, his friends, and I were playing Mortal Kombat. I was playing, and I was trying to do combos so I could charge up my special move for the boss. The boss came and I had three bars filled and I thought that was enough for the special I wanted to use, but I needed four and I didn't know that until I tried to hit the special button, and a message popped and it said I needed four. While I was playing I was said "oh dang I didn't know you needed four of them jawns" Then I asked them "Did you know you needed four of them jawns?"  They all immediately looked at me and said “what did you say?” “This the second time you said that today.” “What are you saying john?” We went on for a while about what I was saying and what I meant when I said it. The crazy thing is my dad had called me later on that day, and I had him on speaker-phone. He was asking me a question about madden, and he said the word jawn as well and they were all said “what?” with that confused look on their faces like I know he didn’t just say that.

 

In the story “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What is?” by James Baldwin there are a few things that he says that catches my attention my attention and makes me think. I do like one particular quote that he used in his paper. He said “ It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power. It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity: it reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.” I believe that there is a deeper understanding to this quote, and I believe that the deeper understanding is that the way you speak(how you pronounce your words, and the way you say them) affects how you are viewed. It also says that the way you “speak” affects how much power you are given & your identity. They way a person speaks is a main way people assume your race or judge you. F.e if I were to call up a business office trying to set up a date for an interview speaking “black English” or slang instead of formal/proper English there would be a few different things that the person im talking to on the phone would be thinking. One he probably wouldn’t want to even set up an interview with me because of the way I talk, and there is a great possibility that he assumes that im black because I use slang, and not pronounce all of my letters. Everything we say comes down ultimately to what we are saying and how we say it.

 

To me this quote means that our voice and speech is more powerful than we know. The thing humans are most judged by besides there skin color is their speech and the way they talk. I think that the way a person talks has a great influence on much how much power or respect that they are seen to have in life and society. A person with a speech impairment has a lot less likely chance of getting a job such as being the president of the United States than a person who speaks formal/proper English. Language can be the most powerful tool a person can have that they can not necessarily control in a lot of cases.

 

 

 

The Words Make You

Rebecca Fenton

Blue Stream

January 13, 2011

 

I was born and raised in Roxborough.

When I was younger I didn’t really think anything of the way I spoke and how I said words but now that I’m older I see that they really define who I am today and the way others see me. I go to other places and I am seen as, and often judged as being a “Roxborough girl.” Some of the words that I say get on people’s nerves such as, “ard” which is an abbreviation meaning “alright then.” Also, if someone’s getting on my nerves I’ll say something like “k” or “o.” This is what most of the people in my neighborhood say and I pick up this slang from them.  Some people don’t realize the effect that their words have on others.

When I’m not in my own neighborhood no onse really thinks this language is weird, they just are aware that I’m from Roxborough. Also, when I go into other neighborhoods their language seems weird to me. For example, when I go to south philly and hear their slang like, “kilt,” “hengk,” and they all call people clowns. I didn’t know what any of this meant when I went there and it still seems weird to me even though I know what they’re talking about now, just because this slang is not used in my neighborhood. When I go to these different neighborhoods I feel weird when they say words like this because I feel like an outsider. I bet people feel the same way when they come to my neighborhood and I say things like “o” and “k.” For example, someone from New Jersey came down to my neighborhood with his friend. I said these words and he asked me if I was trying to be rude to him which I definetly was not. It really made me think about the impact that my words have on people and how I may come off to others. I feel kind of bad now because people don’t know that I’m just kidding around with them and whatnot.

People in places such as North Philly use slang that is different to me also. For example, lots of kids at SLA use the term, “bad” to describe someone being very attractive. I’ve never heard this term around Roxborough before either. The first time I heard someone use this word it was directed towards my friend Kim Parker. “She so bad!!!” I heard the boy say. I thought to myself, what is he talking about? Kim isn’t bad, nor does he know her enough to judge her in that kind of way. I thought it was pretty weird. The next day I heard the same boy say that another girl was, “bad.” This is when I started to catch on that he meant these girls were pretty. It sounded/still sounds so stupid to me. I don’t understand why they can’t just say that they are attractive.

In English class we read a few essays on how people use language in life. In the essay, If Black English isn’t a Language then What is? There is a quote by James Baldwin. “…When to speak a certain language could be dangerous, even fatal.” I agree with this quote 100% because lots of people can get really offended by language that others speak. For example, when I go in places with different types of people with ethnic groups I be careful of what I say. Not because I’m racist at all or anything like that just because I live in an area where there are all white people and I’m so used to speaking freely not caring what I say since everyone is just the same as me. I make a lot of jokes and need to realize that people might get offended. In different areas you also need to show respect because you can’t just go into someone else’s “territory.” If I were to go into a neighborhood highly populated with black people and I said words with profanity they would be so offended. I would probably get beat up.

            If everyone were to watch things they say then I don’t think there would be as much fighting and war and whatnot. I think we should all start thinking about the way we come off to people. If you are in class and you talk like you don’t care, then teachers are obviously going to think that you don’t care and think that you’re a bad kid. That actually happened to me firsthand so I would know. I think that your language that you use tells a lot about who you are and how you feel about the way others think of you. If you are going to meet a boyfriends family or your bestfriends family you’re not going to use curse words or words such as “you suck.” You’re going to be proper and hope that they like you. This is because if you have good language then people respect you a lot more and think highly of you. This is why some people don’t realize the effect that their words have on others.

1/13/11

A Band

           

There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties of languages in the world. Each language conveys different sounds, emotions, and even a person’s status. Everyone is usually taught to learn and speak only one language depending on what that society requires. Even though the sole purpose of language is to be able to communicate with one another, it is also used required in becoming a part of society itself. Language isn’t just a series of sounds interlaced with each other used to communicate, but also to connect your self to society’s standards.

            In my case, I was brought up to learn two languages. I was born in Indonesia and the language spoken there is Indonesian. When I had reached the age of 4, my family decided to move to the United States of America. Coming here, I only knew how to speak Indonesian. Even though my parents had hired an English tutor back home, I still struggled to speak English, mainly because I didn’t pay attention. I regretted this when it came time for school. I was very lost and I didn’t know what was going on most of the time. The only words I knew how to say in English were “yes” and “no.” So most of the time, when someone said something to me, I always responded with either “yes” or “no.” It didn’t matter if I understood what they were saying. The thought of not being able to understand anything or anyone was killing me. So, I just stayed quiet and kept to myself.

            After 6 months or so, English didn’t seem as difficult. The different sounds of day-to-day talk became very familiar. Since I desperately wanted to feel like I belonged, so I worked hard to study English. Every day, if I would hear a new word that I wouldn’t understand, I would ask my parents what it meant. Even though they weren’t fluent, they knew enough to tell me what some words meant. A year went by and I had achieved my goal. English became second nature to me. Even though I spoke a lot of English outside of school, I didn’t forget my native language. My parents would always make me speak Indonesian at home. They said they were fine and actually happy that I was learning a second language. But they always reminded me never to forget the language I was born with. This was because Indonesia will always be a part of me and I should embrace my heritage. I agreed with them.

            Richard Rodriguez quoted, “The belief, the calming assurance that I belonged in public, had at last taken hold.” Richard Rodriguez took the words right out of my mouth. The assurance that I belonged in public also had finally taken hold, just like Richard. The fact that I had conquered the English language made me feel like a part of society. I was no longer just Indonesian anymore, but also American. But I didn’t forget about my roots. I still enjoyed speaking in my native language. These two languages also made me feel as if I was accepted everywhere. It made me feel like was a part of two different worlds.

            Language plays a major role in defining who a person is. It can define who someone is in society. Since society does require people to be able to speak a certain language, you are expected to know and be able to speak that language. Learning a new language opens up a whole new view and takes on a certain part of society. Language isn’t just a series of sounds interlaced with each other used to communicate, but also to connect your self to society’s standards.

           

 

Arlana Brown

January 4, 2011

English

Silver Stream

Self Confidence

“What’s your name?” she says.

“Arlana Brown I am here for an interview. I am supposed to meet with Mr. Jackson,” I state.

“Have a seat Mr. Jackson will be with you in a while. While you wait can I ask a question?” she says.

“Yes you may” I reply.

“What school do you go to? Most youth come in here with their pants down, cussing, and just everything we don’t need here?” she stammers.

“Thank you I take that as a compliment and I go to Science Leadership Academy on 22^nd and Arch Streets” I reply.

“Oh that really good school that just opened. I heard about them before my niece is supposed to go there. Well thanks for answering my question and nice talking to you. Actually Mr. Jackson is waiting for you. Sorry to keep you waiting. And by the way, off the record I think you will get the job. Good luck!” she says happily.

“Thanks Miss.”, I say confused.

“Mrs. Williams”, she replies.

“Thanks Mrs. Williams you have a good day” I reply.

I go and take a seat and remember what she says. It brightened up my day with the compliment she gave me. Most people say I am hyper and that I usually mispronounce my words. I guess I talk differently around my friends and then when it is business. It’s a time and a place for everything. It was my time to go in for the job and of course I am looking fresh. I have fresh dress clothes on and now time to switch to business mode. I leave street talk behind when I walk through his door. This is the start to my whole life.

We start the interview. He came to a decision I was still in school and the job was far to travel to everyday. He said it wasn’t that I wasn’t capable and wasn’t qualified, it was that the time of my school and the job would interfere. He told me to come see him when I turn 18 and he would have a position ready for me. Walking away that day didn’t make me see that things went bad for me, it actually went good. I was happy that he told me that because I knew for myself that I was capable of talking to people in higher places than they and I thought I was highly educated for my age. I went back to Mrs. Williams and explained what happened and she exclaimed with “What! If I was in there I would hire you, I would pick you up everyday so you could have this job. Well he is obviously blind to not hire you. But one day he will remember and will be very upset to see you on Oprah. You’re a talented and intelligent young women and I wish you the best”.

I was so shocked she said this that I flew over and gave her a hug and told her “thank you”. In How To Tame A Wild Tongue, Glona Anzaldía writes, “Ethnic identity is twin to linguistic identity-I am my language”. Your language is the same as your skin, as is your personality. Your language represents you. She also writes that, “Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself”. I have had experiences when people would tell me “you say this wrong” and I would get mad and feel I hate the way I talk, until one day. I had to learn that no matter what you speak or how you speak, you are who you are. Nothing can change that not even your language. From that day I had the self-determination that I could do anything no matter what! I learned people that knew me for 5 minutes gave me more credit then people who knew me for a lifetime. Just the way you look can determine the language you speak. It’s your choice to live by the stereotype.

​Kenisha Hood

Language Essay

“Ugh, we got drama next. Kill me now.” I said.

“Why you don’t like drama class? Its actually fun.” said my friend.

“I mean like, I like the class, but it’s just, well I don’t know.”

“I think its cause you don’t talk much”

“What you mean? I always talk around ya’ll?

“Oh true, but well never mind.”

“Hmmm, ok.”

            That was the end of the conversation, but still my mind pondered about what my friends exactly meant by me not talking much. I know that I do act shy sometimes, but that’s only around people who I don’t know or don’t feel comfortable around. In class, I usually do not raise my hand because my language changes when I’m talking to my friend on the side, and when I am speaking in front of my class. When I speak in front of a lot of people, my voice seems to get lower and I begin to rush my words. My mother often tells me that whenever I have an exciting story to tell, I began to talk really fast, but I never notice it. Drama class just began, and I had to perform my monologue in front of the whole class. As soon as I got on stage, I could already feel my throat tightening up. I felt my mouth get dry as Introduced myself. “My name is Kenisha and I’m playing a girl named Buffy from Scary Movie 2.” As I looked down into the audience, many faces were staring right back at me, and I suddenly got nervous. I tried to speak, but nothing would come out. “Kenisha come on, go head and start your scene”, shouted voices from the audience. Even though the comments that were shouted from the audience should have encouraged me, it actually made me feel worst. I attempted to speak again, but my words came out dry and cracked. Overall, my monologue turned out to be terrible, which brought my grade down. As soon as I got in the car, I told my mother what was going on.

“Mom, can you take me out of drama class?” I asked.

“For what? I thought you liked it?” asked my mother.

“I do like it, but I just can’t handle it anymore. I always seem to mess up performances and that is hurting my grade.”

“Well, what’s exactly the problem?”

“Well, when I get in front of the class to perform, I get shy and then my voice changes which messes up my whole performance, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Ard, we will work on it. So you’re staying in drama.”

“Ughh, ard mom. Don’t get mad if I fail.”

All that week, my mom was pushing me to do better. That encouraged me to push myself as well. I practiced in front of friends, family members, and even in the hallways where random people walked by. It was the day to perform, and I felt more confident. I ended up doing my scene right and my teacher said he was proud of me.

According to James Baldwin, “ The price for this is the acceptance, and achievement, of one’s temporal identity.” He believes that the reason people usually change the way they talk around others is just for their acceptance at the time. I was looking for the acceptance of my mother, classmates, and my teacher. When I thought that I couldn’t receive acceptance from them, I wanted to quit. As I worked more on it, my confidence built up and I gained the ability to speak in front of others. I still get a little bit nervous but I still improved. People speak around others based on how confident they are. When I am around my friends, I am confident and I know that they will not judge me. If I try to speak in front of people I don’t know, I feel uncomfortable; I lose confidence and my voice changes. A person’s language or the way they speak changes based on the comfort level of the speaker.

Maggie Long

Silver

The many tongues of language

 

“Ayo, Maggie! What’s happenin?”

“Nuthin much man, how bout you?”

“Eh, it’s alright, you know, just chillin. See ya tomorrow iight!?”

“Yea dude, for sure”

            This language would be my “second language”. My first would have to be how I talk to some of my friends and people who are more educated than me. I was brought up to talk with respect and to speak with words that you would mainly only hear in a thesaurus. Since I moved to Philly, I have gotten more used to the slang and speech that people down here use. Now, I can adjust myself for different people. This helps me fit in and get along with different people. This helps me identify myself as a person because I know that since I can change my language with anyone, in the blink of a second, I feel more bilingual because of that. I feel that having more experience with different people’s language can help you in the long run because you will know more about the culture and speech hands on.

 

“Hey Maggie! I read that book you gave me! It was superb! May I suggest a book to for you to take a look at?”

“Yea, sure! What is it called?”

“A Clockwork Orange”

“Ohh! I read that already! It’s very…well…haha, unordinary. However, it is well written.”

“I concur”

“Alrighty, well I have class, but I will see you later!”

“See ya!”

 

Along with the many other languages I possess, I can also know when to turn off the other languages to talk to someone and have an educational talk with them. I adjust my language in order to fit in more with that group of people who are talking that way. This makes it easier to relate to them and to make them and myself more comfortable in the environment, since we all will speak the same way.

In the story by Maxine Hong Kingston, it describes how different languages are used and how people in the world try to hide behind them. In the last pages of the story, she talks about how you can speak in certain areas and why you should. In the words of Maxine Hong Kingston, “You can’t entrust your voice to the Chinese either. They want to capture your voice for their own use.” Saying this she explains how she feels about the Chinese without even describing her feelings toward them. To me, this is offensive and too general of an explanation. I feel like her generalization is affecting more than just the Chinese. She is saying that if you talk to a Chinese person, they will try to copy your voice and your language so that they can use it also. I feel like it doesn’t have to just be the Chinese that you talk to where this can occur. If you talk to someone of your own race, then they could “capture” your language also. This is kind of like how I change my language for different groups. I learn by listening to the people talk and then “capturing” that language and vocabulary and then repeating it back. I feel this makes it easier to fit in and talk to that group of people.

During Maxine Hong Kingston’s story, the mother is talking to the child about how she “cut his tongue”. She obviously did not mean this literally, but more as an expression. She continues to talk about how it affected him and how she cut it. “I cut it so that you would not be tongue-tied. Your tongue would be able to move in any language. You’ll be able to speak languages that are completely different from one another.” I take this as her saying she made him able to speak multiple languages by speaking multiple languages to him and making his environment different also. By putting him in an environment where people speak different ways, he will learn all of those ways just by being part of that community. I can relate to this saying because when I moved to Philly I take that as the “cut” of my tongue. I went from being in a place where people talked all the same way, to Philadelphia, where it is more diverse and integrated. I feel multi-lingual because of that. The “cut” of my tongue was a good thing for me in my opinion.

Out of all of the languages in the world I am very happy with the ones I know, and are still learning. Different ways of talking are all over the city. Engaging yourself in conversation with different languages is definitely worthwhile. I have learned from my own experiences how and when to talk to somebody and what language I should use. This has made me a better person and more multi-lingual. In conclusion, I think learning more about people’s language and experiencing it yourself can help you out in the long run. 

Morgan Marant

Gold Stream

 

A SEPTA Mentality

            There is a natural code of conduct while riding a SEPTA bus. That is: you’re in public, treat this bus better then you would yourself. SEPTA even took the time to put these rules on every bus in Philadelphia. Apparently, the woman next t me had never taken the time to read the rules or to even consider that she’s not on the bus alone. She talked animatedly into her phone and loudly popped her gum; unaware that everyone on the bus could hear her conversation.

“I don’t unda-stand ‘POP’ why I didn’t get the job! ‘POP’ I mean, I’m qualified and sh*t ya know what I’m sayin! ‘POP’ they just aint hire me cuz I’m back.”

My first impulse was to slap the phone out of her hand. The reason you didn’t get the job is because of the way you speak not because of your ethnicity, I thought. She probably doesn’t know any better. What a shame.

James Baldwin the author of several books writes “To open your mouth…  is to ‘put your business in the street.’ You have confessed your parents, your youth, your shoo, your self-esteem and alas your future.”  He is undoubtedly correct. The way a person speaks not only conveys their language it can exhibit how they were raised.  Language and speech can dictate who a person becomes as an adult.

My mother and father both pushed me to speak properly. My mother- a lawyer- and my father –a school teacher- taught me to use correct grammar at some of the earliest stages in my life.  There were many times in my life where I went to conventions and legal functions with my mother. Several times I was complimented on how well spoken I was at such a young age. When I attended middle school the way I spoke began to give me a problem. My peers would often tell me that I didn’t speak like the stereotypical black girl was supposed to therefore that made me not black but an Oreo; white on the inside and black on the outside. My speech displayed that I was and still am destined to be successful. It appears that the way a ‘black girl’ speaks does not reveal those ideas or characteristics.  

After those incidents I began taking out my anger on people who resembled the ones that made fun of me; most of them were of my own ethnicity. I looked down on them. Why couldn’t they speak proper English like the rest of the world? Why were so many of them loud and angry? Why couldn’t they be like everyone else? Then I came to an understanding that I knew nothing of every individual, black person in the United States. I was judging them solely, on how they spoke. Their language defined the identity that society had already created for them and I went along with it and even believed it.

A language does show a lot about a person’s identity. A language can even determine people’s initial reaction upon first meeting them but a language cannot determine where a person ends up. If and only if they allow the identity that society has placed upon them to hinder them then they have allowed themselves to become a product of their language and environment.

            Even though I am older and wiser I still cringe when I hear a person speak like the woman on the SEPTA bus. A small part of me retreats back into my old personality and says, “Here’s another black person setting us back five years.” As I pull myself out of that mindset I know that it is just a language. A language that only defies how the person speaks and not who they are. A number of comparisons can be made between ethnicity, language and class but the truth is the way a person speaks does not create their identity.  It creates the identity that society has designated for them. 

Jessica Hinton

Gold Stream

1 – 13 – 10

“The Sound of White” 

“Why ya talk like that?”

“Like what?” I replied.

 “Like that.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say.” I exclaimed.

“Ya talk … like a white person.”

“Oh… ok,” I stammered.

How should I reply to someone calling me a “white person”? Am I supposed to recognize different types of speech at ten years old? I’ve constantly been told that I speak differently, but I didn’t really notice it. I felt that I spoke the same way everyone else did. Well, that was in fourth grade, but throughout elementary school, I wasn’t able to tell the difference. I mean, there were a few kids in the class that occasionally used “slang”, but I didn’t think it was different than how the rest of the kids spoke.

I went to a K-8 school, so the same people that called me “white” in elementary school were the same people that called me “white” in middle school. In middle school, I was jokingly called “white girl”, but I didn’t really mind it anymore. It had been going on for so long that I just ignored it, and would answer them anyway. It didn’t really offend me. I had no idea as to what their intention were for calling me that, but it was never said in a harmful way so I had no reason to get angry about the name.

            It wasn’t until the summer before seventh grade that I actually questioned how exactly a “white person” spoke. Of all the year’s I was called “white”, I never really questioned the reason for them calling me that.

“Why ya talk like a white person?”

“How does a white person talk?” I questioned.

“They talk all proper and stuff.”

Honestly, I was still a little confused. I didn’t feel that speaking proper was exclusively for one group of people. I’m an African – American, but people don’t think that. Everyone speaks a common language, but people aren’t all the same, so there are different ways that they sound.

            A few weeks ago, I was on ichat with a friend.  We weren’t really talking about much, but my responses to her made her question me.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing much. What are you doing?” I replied

“Why you typing all proper?”

I didn’t really know how to answer that. It’s no different than someone asking me why I spoke like a “white girl”. I don’t have an explanation for why I speak the way I do, except that I was raised this way. Yes, sometimes I might catch on to what other people are saying, but the way I speak will stay the same.  This is who I am, and there is no one, and nothing that will ever be able to change that about me.

According to James Baldwin, “language incontestably reveals the speaker”. He feels that a person’s speech reveals their identity, and defines them as such. This is why many people are judged. Some people believe that your race determines the way you speak. There are many connections that people draw to conclude the race of someone. For example, African – American’s are stereotypically loud, obnoxious, and speak using slang. But, not all African – American’s fit into that stereotype. I’m one of those people. I am a little shy, and am soft-spoken.

From these experiences, I’ve learned something. You can’t judge someone because of the way they speak. There are many qualities of people that are different than others. People sound, act, and look different than each other. You just have to accept that. Your speech may somewhat reveal who you are, but you have to move past that and view them as a human being.

NaQuan Harding

1/5/11

Gold English

 

Comedy: A Double-edged Sword

There I am, sitting in a cramped room with the school’s principle. It’s my interview before I’m actually accepted into the middle school. My attitude could make or break my chances of getting in. I have to maintain an acceptable attitude and stay calm. Here goes.

“So, NaQuan, what makes you want to come to this school?” asks the teacher.

“Oh, you know…I was thinking about it,” I joked. “I mean, I like the idea of fun staff, friendly students, no uniform code, and a half-day each week, but what really had me hooked were the school vests. Those things look awesome!”

She chuckles.

“Funny. You’re quite the goofball, aren’t you?”

“I try.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be right at home. Now you know you’ll have to work hard, right?”

“Bring in all the work you want. It can’t be much compared to the chores my mom makes me do.”

Et cetera, et cetera, insert funny comment here. That’s usually how my conversations go.  It’s like what James Baldwin once wrote, “Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker” He couldn’t be more right. The way you speak can say a lot about the kind of person you are, sometimes more so than your actions can. I’ve always been aware of this fact, and made sure I never rubbed anyone the wrong way. How? By always being the funny guy. The comic. The class clown. The goofball. If it involves comedy, that’s the kind of person I’ll be. Nothing says friendship like making jokes about it.

            If anything, I’m always trying to keep a funny attitude, preferably a sarcastic one, but not so much that I look like a jerk. Humor has always been my thing. It makes people laugh and keeps them on their good side. Whenever I first meet someone, I always try to come off as the funny guy. It’s an excellent way to break the ice, raises my chances of making early friends, and leaves a good first impression. It’s my specialty. Once I make someone even giggle, I know I’ve left my mark. It’s funny because I don’t make up my own jokes, but feed off of the situation to make my jokes. It works because it’s unexpected, but still related, and of course, funny. But not everything goes according to plan. There are times and places for jokes, and times and places to be serious. Churches, funerals, boot camps, these are places where jokes aren’t welcome, and they warn you that. But of course, I took these warnings about as seriously as I do 2012, and joked away. And let me tell you, when the consequences hit, they hit hard.

Luckily, I’ve never been to boot camp, and out of the two times I went to church, I don’t recall making any jokes, mostly because I was sleeping. But I won’t deny; there have been times when I was in the red on the jerk spectrum. On several occasions, I made the mistake of getting personal with my jokes, usually bringing family into my jokes. In other words, my jokes came off as insults. That doesn’t make someone like you, that makes them hate you, and when they hate you, they don’t laugh. That’s a big no-no when you’re trying to be funny.  I sometimes feel like I have no control of my sarcasm sometimes, and it pops up at the most inconvenient times. Like, for example, at a funeral.

 

 

 

The sister of a really good friend of mine died and I went to the funeral with him. Now, he was very familiar with my comedic nature, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt if I tried to cheer him up a little bit. I said, “At least she can’t annoy you anymore.” Again, I made a joke about family, and at the worst possible time to boot. Needless to say, that was a stupid thing to do. Very stupid. Extremely stupid. Obviously, he took that in a way I didn’t want him to, and that left a heavy blow in our friendship and left a bad mark. I looked like a cold, heartless jerk. It took months of me apologizing, begging, and even doing his work for him before he could even talk to me again, and even more groveling after that to restore the friendship.  That taught me the lesson of choosing the proper time and proper place to joke around.

I’m not a bad person, and I’m not a boring person. Being funny helps dispel those thoughts when I meet people. It’s always worked for me in the past, and will keep working in the future. Like I said, it’s my specialty. I don’t think I could be anything else. I’m not anyone else. I’m not the cool guy. Not the mysterious guy. Definitely not the tough guy. I’m just the funny guy, and that’s the way I like it.  

 

 

 

 

Adjusting to a brand new environment is not always easy. A wide array of unfamiliar faces, languages and cultures can really have its toll on your self-expression and how you react to the new people around you. When I first moved to America and started the seventh grade at my new school, I did not talk to anybody. I could tell that I did not fit in, so I tried desperately to stay by myself. I was completely surprised when a kid walked up to me during lunch on my third day of school and began speaking to me in Jamaica Creole, but I was even more surprised when I responded in Creole too.

         “Kuyaman, awara Shamarlon?” said Stephen politely.

--Hey Shamarlon, what’s up?

         “Nutten nah gwaan, a nyam mi a nyam lunch.” I responded, looking up

           from my table.

         --Nothing is going on, I am just eating lunch.

“Suh, yuh gudehe? I hav bwein nuticing yuh ina klashe ahn yuh sheem suh kiete? Ah why yuh suh shiete and tensiete? ” replied Steven, in a fluent Creole accent. He stared into my eyes as if he was reading my mind.

--So, are you okay? I have been noticing you in class and you are so quiet! Why are you so shy and tense?

“Bway, ebethinete es jus nwew tuh mi bekahese mi jus movitete fah Jamaica. Mi jus nuh fit een!” I answered. I was gaining more confidence with each question I answered.

           --Well, everything is just new to me because I just moved from Jamaica. I  

              just don’t fit in!

“Haha…Bway mi diiete pheel de samiete way pheie mi de movitete fah Jamaica tuh wen mi dida jus six. Eniyone woulda pheel dat way ef dey lefiete deh jome dey phewn alla dey liphe. Jus khone dat yuh a mi fren.” he replied in a friendly voice as he turned and walked away.

--Haha…well, I felt the same way because I moved from Jamaica too when I was only six years old. Anyone would feel that way if they leave the place where they had grown up all their life. Just know that I am your friend!

 Over the course of the next few weeks, Steven and I developed an unbreakable and sacred friendship that was centered around our similar language. We did everything together, from sitting at the same table at lunch to going to the movies on Saturdays. Throughout the course of our friendship and by speaking to him in Creole, my personality had begun to change. I was not the same shy insecure boy who was afraid to talk to people and to be apart of the society that existed outside of my home. I was not the same boy who only left my house when I had to go to school and who didn’t socialize with anyone except for my family. I had always blamed my language for my complete withdrawal from society because English was the dominant language in this new country and I did not relate to it. I soon came to realize that Creole also liberated me from the same secluded pit that it had created. Creole was the reason why Steven and I developed such a wonderful friendship and through this friendship, I gained a better understanding of society and my language. From this experience, I developed the courage to speak Creole in public without looking over my shoulders to see if someone is ridiculing me. Fast-forward three years and now I am teaching my friends how to say different phrases in Creole. My friendship with Steven has changed my life by making me embrace my language and not being ashamed of it. Due to the fact that Steven also moved to America from Jamaica, and went through the same situation that I was in, he gained a lot of experience on how to not seclude himself from society because of his language.

In the words of James Baldwin, “…[Language] reveals the private identity and connects one, with or divorces one from, the larger, public or communal identity.” Language can either bring people together or set them apart from the larger identity that is widely accepted by the speakers of this language.  Language can also determine how you associate yourself with a person and also a larger group within society. Through this, it also helps you to understand your true identity and develop your own unique perception of your language. In my story, I had difficulty associating myself with other people at school, in my community and wherever I went. I only connected with people who spoke Creole, including my family and Steven. It came down to the point that my language controlled my life by alienating me from the rest of society, but at the same time, it connected me with a specific group of people. As time progressed and with the mentoring from Steven, I was able to develop a better understanding of my personal identity and Creole. I realized that my language made me unique and that I should embrace and not disgrace it. From understanding my personal identity, I was then able to connect with other larger groups in society, something that I had never done before. I began to socialize with my peers, teachers and anyone that who I came in contact with.

“Patios es apaat a yuh identity, yuh jus hafi akcep ite. Yuh language fi mek yuh hapi!” was an inspirational phrase that Stephen often told me to live by every day and that it will always bring guidance and support.

--Creole is apart of your identity and you just have to accept it. Your language should make you happy!

I often told Steven that he was Dr. Phil’s little prodigy because he is such a smart person who can solve anybody’s problem and make them happier. I am surely a testament to that.