Interview (In-Class)

                Tuomas came from Finland, and his family members also live from there. Beginning in elementary school, he was taught English, as well as his native Finnish. One of the biggest transitions for Tuomas was when he went to high school in the middle of Finland. Being a native of western Finland, his dialect was different even though he was in the same country, so learning was not exactly as simple as it would have been otherwise, just because he had to get used to different dialects. Each different town in Finland has their own specific dialect, much like the North-South transition in the USA, so when traveling it was difficult sometimes to get used to other people’s dialects. While in High School, Tuomas learned Swedish as well as his continued learning of English. The transition to schools (college) in America is at times hard for Tuomas as it is not his native language, so sometimes he has difficulty getting his points across as clearly as he would like to.

On Critiquing and Changing Genres

After reading the article "On Critiquing and Changing Genres" I found that the concept of being able to successful (and properly) use the correct genre for a specific circumstance to be one of the (if not the) most important part of this article. While the idea may seem simple at first, its absolutely crucial that one is able to successfully (and efficiently) use the right genre in the right circumstance. If this ability is not mastered, it can lead to confusion and disorder, which in turn begets more of the latter. Questioning and evaluating assumptions is also key to this skill of analyzing genres, as through this process one can identify with efficiency how credible the source is, and if the proper genre is being used in the right circumstances (in the first place). If it is not properly used, all of the credibility and merit goes away with it, leaving the work "hollow".

On Language -

In my family, we speak in Standard English, so I feel closest and most familiar to it. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago (Glen Ellyn) where Standard English was what was spoken everywhere. There weren't any alternatives so it's pretty much just what I grew up hearing/and learning. From Kindergarten to 12th grade, Standard English was what my teachers instructed me in, and expected I respond with. There really wasn't much thought put into the emphasis of code-switching as we had been using Standard English for our whole school career. It was second nature to us, so when we were asked to do something it was automatically assumed we would use Standard English. So, overall you could say that I'm aware to some extent that I'm using Standard English in my assignments here at school, but really its just a norm to me. Whether it was spelling, grammar, or speaking itself- Standard English was what was always used for me, so I suppose I just expected that was the "right" thing to do.

"From Outside, In" Responses

(2.) Mellix remembers growing up "speaking what I considered two distinctly different languages- Black English and Standard English". Through experience she learned when, where, and how to use each language. In what kinds of situations did she use Black English was when she was with her immediate family. Standard English was used by Mellix when her relatives from out of town were visiting, and also when she was out in public (at school, etc.) How she felt about this "doubleness" was a sense of growing insecurity- she didn’t feel comfortable having to conform and be forced to step out of her comfort zone.

(3.) For Mellix as a young woman, what it meant to speak Standard English to whites was to conform from her comfortable style of language to one she didn't truly feel comfortable using. To Standard-English-speaking blacks, the same thing is with whites, when she was speaking to her relatives coming from out of town she would speak very little and when she did quietly and reserved. What the pain of having to use Standard English was to Mellix was that Standard English was not “her language”- that of the “country” black style was hers. Using standard english, as I stated before, was to step out of her comfort zone and to conform to societies norms. 

Friends/Warped Tour

It was a hot sonny day in Glen Ellyn, and I was quite excited for the day had finally come that I would be going to see different bands playing during Warped Tour with my friends! While I was excited to be going, the most important part about it was that I was going to be going with some of my close friends, the ones that I really enjoying hanging out with and I could do so anytime and under any circumstance. There's something to be said for that, even though its a simple statement, just granted all the things that had been happening recently. One of my close friends that I went with had a very unique and one of a kind sense of humor that I value so much, as it is a break from the "norm" and it forces me to see new perspectives in different ways. It's great, wouldn't have it any other way. So in summary, the day, like I said before was VERY hot and we were outside for most of the day at a music festival listening to different bands play, some of which were bands we had been listening to and enjoying for years, along with some newer ones that sounded interested, even though we had never heard of them before. It was a great experience with friends and I hope to go again next year as it is an annual event during the beginning of July. I think I can speak for all of us that went that it was a memorable experience that we all can look back on with fond recollections. 

When/Why we Speak Spanish in Public response

(1.) How Marquez explains the fact that she and her parents “haven't adopted English as our official family language" is by stating that while at home or in public areas she and her parents will speak spanish to each other.  If I were standing next to the three of them and they were speaking in Spanish, I would definitely not see it as rude, because it is their heritage and America is a melting pot, everyone is entitled to their own individual rights and freedoms, preference of language being one of them.

(4.) Under what circumstances would Marquez stop speaking Spanish and use English was when and if someone she was with could only speak english, she would immediately revert to english and continue the conversation. If I were bilingual, I would certainly behave the same in a similar situation, just because it would be rude and unfair to the non-foreign language speaker if I kept speaking in the native dialect knowing that the person I was with would not be able to understand the conversation I was having.

What I believed made this piece of writing powerful was the voice Marquez used. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and tell things exactly they way they were- she didn't sugar coat anything. She got straight to her points and said it not only with clarity and purpose but with pride as well. 

What is so valuable about this type of genre is that it has to do with nationality and pride in ones heritage. The voice being spoken in this genre (Marquez's) speaks not just to speak- but to get the word out on misconceptions that Americans have made about foriegners simply because of a lack of understanding of them such as the whole "oh they're speaking in spanish so they must be talking down about Americans" kind of mindset. Marquez is not afraid to speak what is truly on her mind- a powerful quality.

Picture Writing

This photo is from last winter, in Glen Ellyn, my hometown, we had a blizzard that  produced three feet of snow in January! It had started on a monday and snowed all the way into wednesday morning. This picture is important to me because it brings back many memories of the events that took place over the two snow days I had following the blizzard. I recall the snow being so high up that people had trouble even doing trivial things such as retrieving their mail from their mailbox which was only across the driveway! Everywhere you looked it was illuminated with white, as the sun reflected of the snow’s color everywhere, it was quite the sight to see. At one point I looked outside my front window and had to look away for a second because the glare was so bright! I remember hoping that the snow plows around town wouldn’t be able to finish all the streets in time for tomorrow so we would get another snow day, and that is exactly what happened! During all of this, I also recall me driving to my friends house which was, to my dismay twenty minutes away. I was using my Mercury Cougar, and I don’t know if you’ve ever driven without four wheel drive over unplowed roads, but it is not very fun. I was slipping all over the place and my car could not seem to grip the road! At one point during the trip I even got caught in the snow for a second but was able to inch my way out of it, luckily avoiding getting stuck! The snow days were fantastic and I will remember what happened over them for a very long time, as it is not very often that you get three feet of snow over such a short period of time and on top of that get two whole snow days out of it, instead of just one!

Three New Ideas from Readings -

1. I found the concept of a hierarchy of importance (as used in the flyer example) crucial for every writer as without such a way of writing it would be very hard to organize your thoughts, or they might be confusing and incoherent or just plain not flow.

2. The idea of images being important when mixed with writings in books was something that I found that would be important to anyone as a writer, just because images can give key insights into what the text is about even before you read one word. As the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words.".

3. The final thought I found that would be important for any writer would be the information the publisher writes, as that is essentially the books "advertising", and in a sense, the publisher isn't just advertising the book- but the whole genre the book belongs to! This creates even more links/connections for writers to utilize in identifying similar genres, finding more in-depth analyses of that genre and perhaps others that relate to it!