Wardle

Before You Read:

I would have to say that my identity has definitely changed since I arrived at OU. I knew that I had to really start focusing on studying habits and my grades. In high school, I was able to get by without doing hardly any work. I didn't study at all and was still able to get good grades, but I knew that as soon as I got to college that my habits would have to change. I know that I now have a stronger work ethic and strive to get good grades.

Summary:

In Wardle's article, "Authority, Identity and Learning to Write in New Workplaces"she explains how the only way for someone to really join a discourse community, that person or  neophyte must learn to conform to a community's conventions, codes, and genres. In the article Wardle mentions Alan (a computer support specialist), who has trouble conforming/joining the discourse community of his workplace. Alan doesn't accept the identity of the people at the computer lab and decides to keep his authority, this keeps him from finding his niche in the discourse community.

Synthesis:

When reading this, I was able to relate this to Swales and how people should try and follow the rules of a discourse community when becoming involved with one/joining a new community. Another author that is similar to this is Brandt because Brandt explains ways to adjust to a new community. Another author that I could synthesize with would be McCloud because sometimes when people have a hard time adjusting or transitioning into a community, they will mask their true identity because they are afraid that it will prevent them from gaining acceptance.

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because Wardle basically says that by learning to write in different situations, we can grow as an individual. It is also a priceless trait.	“Learning to write in and for new situations and workplaces is complex in ways that go far beyond texts and cognitive abilities” (Wardle 521).
This is an instance in which I feel McCloud’s ideas can be applied. People often times choose to participate in certain events in which they feel comfortable. This is when they can use their masks.	“One way newcomers reconcile the competing demands of various communities is to choose to participate in some aspects of a new community and not others” (Wardle 525).
This is a significant quote because it shows how people’s opinions on who should be the authority in a community is always changing. It is a role that should always be negotiated.	“Authority (like identity) is continually negotiated within communities of practice” (Wardle 525)
Wardle explains that those who listen intently accept the speaker who he/she is. I just thought this was an interesting quote.	“Those listening accept the speaker’s pronouncement because the speaker is who she is.” (Wardle 526)
This quote really made me think of how complex the process of writing is. We learn bits and pieces from other people and cultures. It’s just a tool that is always growing. It’s just cool to think about I guess.	“If we understand writing as one tool among many through which knowledge, identity, and authority are continually negotiated, then we must view learning to write in new ways as a complex and often messy network of tool-mediated human relationships best explored in terms of the social and cultural practices that people bring to their uses of tools” (Wardle 526).

Questions for Discussion:

4.) I feel that most of the language we use is unconscious. When we speak we usually don't think of what we are going to say unless we are using new language or vocabulary, or when we are thinking about something that needs a careful choice of words. Most of what we do just comes to us, and is barely thought of. Technically our mind processes what we're going to say or write, but we don't deeply think about what we're doing.


Thoughts

This was a good article that helped me understand how people have to adapt to communities sometimes. I never really thought of applying it to something such as the workplace. Wardle does an excellent job of helping the reader understand the real life applications that the rules of discourse communities can apply to. People sometimes have to change how they are in order to fit in, such as a work environment.

Cixous

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because it Cixous tells us not to rely on the past for changes that we make in the future. We need to make changes based on society and how it is currently. Cixous states that we need to work towards change and progress.	“The future must no longer be determined by the past. I do not deny that the effects of the past are still with us. But I refuse to strengthen them by repeating them, to confer upon them an irremovability the equivalent of destiny, to confuse the biological and the cultural. Anticipation is imperative” (Cixous 247).
This quote is significant because it shows how women are always under the thumb of men. Cixous suggests to women to work towards independence. By knowing their place in history, they can be recognized and appreciated more.	“When I say “woman,” I’m speaking of woman in her inevitable struggle against conventional man; and of a universal woman subject who must bring women to their senses and to their meaning in history” (Cixous 247).
This is my favorite quote of the whole article. Cixous tells the reader that sometimes we need a culture shock in order for us to open our eyes. People often times come together in times of need and set aside differences.	“At times it is in the fissure caused by an earthquake, through that radical mutation of things brought on by a material upheaval when every structure is for a moment thrown off balance and an ephemeral wildness sweeps order away, that the poet slips something by, for a brief span, of woman” (Cixous 249).
This is a very realistic quote. If you silence a part of you, you are not able to express your full being.	“Censor the body and you censor breath and speech at the same time” (Cixous 250).
This is an interesting quote because Cixous mentions how our future is changing for the better and that it will go down in history.	“The new history is coming; it’s not a dream, though it does extend beyond men’s imagination, and for a good reason” (Cixous 252).
This is similar to the quote above. If you do not speak out, you are not able to fully express your thoughts and beliefs.	“Those who have turned their tongues 10,000 times seven times before not speaking are either dead from it or not familiar with their tongues and their mouths than any-one else” (Cixous 254).

Definitions

Whiteness
1.) the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least 
resemblance to black)
2.) the quality or state of being white

Marginalized
1.) The process by which individuals and groups are excluded from the mainstream of social life. Members of such groups often feel they are not receiving the prestige and/or economic rewards they deserve.
2.)The process through which people are prevented from finding work, attaining enhanced levels of education, gaining access to social services and therefore cannot become fully participating members of society

Heterotypical
1.) denoting or relating to the first nuclear division of meiosis, in which the chromosome number is halved
2.) Of a different type or form

Works Cited

Collins Dictionary. "Definition of €œheterotypical€." Definition of Heterotypical. Collins Dictionary, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/heterotypical>.

Dalhousie University. "Diversity Glossary." Http://hrehp.dal.ca/. Dalhousie University, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://hrehp.dal.ca/Human%20Rights%20and%20Equity/Diversity_Glossary.php>.

The Free Dictionary. "Heterotypical." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/heterotypical>.

Merriam-Webster. "WhitenessAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiteness>.

Personed. "Glossary." Glossary. Marsh Sociology, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_marsh_sociology_4/130/33342/8535747.cw/content/index.html>.

Princeton University. "WordNet Search - 3.1." WordNet Search - 3.1. Princeton.edu, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=whiteness>.

Response: These definitions could be easily related to feeling left out, or excluded from a community. The words all have to do with being different and excluded. Many people of different race or ethnicity feel this way. Much of the population of the U.S. is white (I think), which can be to the whiteness. This can make others feel left out and sometimes segregated. This can even lead to people not being "qualified" for a certain job, or marginalized. All these terms are relatable to the world today.

Alexander

Synthesis:

Right off the bat, I compared this article to Malinowitz and his discussion on the gay/lesbian community. Another similar author was Flynn and his discussion of the way men and women write. Some other authors are Wardle and Gee who talk about the importance of identity in writing. Swales can also be compared to, his discussion on discourse community and lexus can relate to this article.

Response	Quotation
I found this to be a significant quote because Alexander tells us that we are able to represent who we are through writing, rather than having to be worried about who we are and our gender.	“Seeing writing as possibility for representing gender, as opposed to a revealing of a fundamental gender, is a significant shift in thinking about the composition of gender” (Alexander 197).
I chose this quote because I believe that it is very true. There are many professions today that lack women in a particular field. If we had a variety of men and women in different fields, our society would be more accepting.	“All authoritative social roles are held by men—in politics, medicine, law, religion, science, art, and, of course, the academy” (Alexander 197).
This is an interesting quote, because we often times look at the physical features of someone, and that is why many people feel uncomfortable when they see a transgender man/woman. We need to understand that gender has to deal with how someone feels on the inside and how they identify themselves. If more people were educated about this, our society would be more accepting of people of the transgender.	“Sexuality intersects with and complicates our understanding of gender” (Alexander 198).
This quote really made me think. I guess I never realized that we don’t include other gender expressions.	“The terms feminine and masculine are the only two tools most people have to talk about the complexities of gender expression” (Alexander 200).
I like this quote because Alexander explains that by reading compositions or even hearing what other genders have to say, we can learn from them and have a stronger understanding of their thoughts and beliefs.	“Examination of narrations of gender that we come to a fuller and richer understanding of its “composition”—both personally and politically, in mind and on body” (Alexander 211).
Alexander explains in this quote that we are stereotyped by how we look and our physical appearance. I feel that our society is almost obsessed with physical appearance. This makes it hard for those who “do not fit in”.	“A significant way in which we fit in—or do not fit in—has to do with how our bodies are perceived as complying with or deviating from sets of highly gendered norms” (Alexander 212).

Thoughts:

I found this to be a very interesting article. Alexander does a good job of explaining how other genders feel in today's society. This article also taught me that by understanding the way other genders feel, we can grow as a community and in our understanding of one another. The article also made me wonder why we place so much emphasis on gender. Why does it have to be such a big deal? Just let people be who they are.

Video:

Smitherman

Before You Read:

3.) I would have to say that I have judged people on how they spoke. Usually if someone has a speech impediment, I tend to think that they have a disability or something. It isn't like I do this intentionally, it's just the first thing I think of.

Summary:

In her article Smitherman talks about how many different ethnicities and races speak with their personal dialect and jargon. Smitherman compares how white people talk with the way that black people talk. She discusses the differences in their grammer and how they present their language. Smitherman also addresses the issue of "speaking proper". She basically explains that people who say this defeat the purpose of the phrase. 

Synthesis:

In Smitherman's article, I was able to relate her discussion with McCloud's. For instance, when I'm around my friends, I speak differently than I would if I were with my parents. People usually act differently and talk differently when they are around certain people. Another author that was similar to Smitherman was Swales. Swales discusses how a lexus is the type of language that connects a discourse community together, Smitherman's article was similar to Swales' definition of lexus. Another author I found similar was Wardle because both authors discuss how finding one's identity can lead to an easier transition into a community.

Response	Quotation
I really liked this quote because Smitherman uses this style of writing throughout her article in order to get her point across and to explain the different jargon of people.	“Obviously this didn’t make things no better for the common folk” (Smitherman 190).
I found this to be an interesting quote because it shows how, we as a society, need a poor class in order to determine where the bottom is. In this circumstance, the white community would often use African Americans to define the bottom.	“So Americans, lacking a fixed place in the society, don’t know where they be in terms of social and personal identity. For this reason, it has been useful to have nigguhs around, so at least they always knows where the bottom bees” (Smitherman 190).
The was a significant quote to me, because a lot of times, teachers look at the mechanics of a student’s writing instead of the actual content. While the mechanics are important, the topic being discussed is even more important.	“Now my advice to teachers is to overlook these matters of sheer mechanical “correctness” and get on with the educational business at hand” (Smitherman 192).
This was an interesting quote because it shows that the people how tell others to “speak proper” are really trying to get them to conform to their ways of speaking and that they believe that the way they speak is superior.	“Being told to “speak proper”, meaning that you will become fluent with the jargon of power is also II part of not “speaking proper”” (Smitherman 193).

Thoughts:

I really liked this article, mainly because of the way it was written. I also found it easy to read and understand. Smitherman does an excellent job of discussing dialect and the ways that communities interact with one another by their own use of jargon.