Cover letter

To whom it may concern, 

My name is Alaa Benjaafar and I aspire to become a writer one day, and this class was just what I needed to motivate me. At the beginning of the semester I was unsure if I could make it anywhere and if writing was really something I could pursue, but as we had more class conversations and did more writing assignments, I found myself realizing how much I loved writing, how freeing it felt to take a paper and a pen and just let my thoughts flow. I remember when we read the letters to artists and all of the advice the beginner artist got were so helpful and motivating, it made me realize that even if my writing makes it nowhere, I still found what I love. Though I might not have become better at writing as much as I wished, I still learned so much from this course and the more I use these lessons and put them into my writing I know I will grow as a writer.

Self assessment essay

Attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users in many ways. In this semester of this course I mainly got to see how they can oppress users, how the standards that society creates around language are mainly to benefit white people, especially when we are speaking of America and the language standards we have here. In the start of the semester we saw how linguistic standards oppressed Amy Tan’s mother and how Amy Tan perceived this issue and how it affected her, a person who is highly skilled in language, then we got to see how language oppressed slaves and so on. The common thing in all of the oppressed were people of color. To me this showed me a lot about how the attitudes towards linguistic standards work and who they work for. On the bright side linguistic standards can also empower people, i learned that when a person speaks and writes professionally they are more likely to be taken serious, despite where they are from, and in a way if a person of color or an immigrant speaks very professionally people are amazed because they don’t expect that from them and in a way this empowers them because it gives them the opportunity to achieve what people didn’t believe they could and they get much more opportunities. 

In this semester I was also able to learn about many different genres and rhetorical situations. Before this semester began I wasn’t very aware of what rhetorical writing meant and how it genuinely worked but as the semester went on I was able to understand it and use it in my own writing. For example, I used it in my research paper, a subject I never thought I could genuinely speak about in writing, because I simply didn’t know exactly how to put it in words for the audience that I wanted. I learned that the genre or the rhetorical situation you use is very important when it comes to writing because it helps you get the audience you are aiming for which is a very crucial part of writing.

Throughout this course I was able to develop strategies for reading, drafting, processing, collaborating, revising and editing. Most of this semester I had to revise my own work and learn to get it to the best of my ability. This has helped me a lot because I learnt to be very critical with my writing making sure everything is well played out and put together for the reader to understand. I learnt how to use bigger words, form my essay better by being more organized and planning it out accurately.

I was also able to practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations. This course has made me much more aware of my audience as I have mentioned a couple of times before, which leads me to the rhetorical terms i was able to use when engaged in writing situations, terms such as using phrases that make my statement clear and appeal the reader, or using old fashioned words and phrases overall. These rhetorical strategies were my favorite to use because I love old phrases and what they add to one writing. 

I’m not sure if I was able to understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences, and honestly I don’t even understand what it means but based off what I can take from this I was able to because in most of my assignments this semester i was using digital technology to write and it helped me a lot with becoming a better writer because it helped me use the correct terms and words, as well as being able to do research on what I can use to gain the audience I want. 

I was able to locate research sources in the library’s databases or archives on the internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias. Whenever I did any research in this class or out of it I made sure my sources were reliable and good for use, my professor suggested websites that she knew herself to be reliable and that was a lot of help. I also learned how to check if the website or news were reliable on my own which improved my essays and the way I write. 

I was also able to compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, analysis, synthesis, and argumentation. Throughout this semester, in this class and outside of this class I had to make my writing as understandable and reliable as possible, therefore I made sure my sources were reliable, my summaries covered everything well enough so the reader didn’t have to read everything all over, combining ideas and arguments to create new outcomes and perspectives.

Lastly, I was able to practice systematic application of citation conventions. For most of my work I used MLA format and had a website that helped me a lot with it. I would just put in the website I used and the link and it would cite the link in MLA format. Before this semester I didn’t use MLA formatting as often because in Highschool plagiarism isn’t taken as serious so this was quite confusing but a lot of help at the end of the day. 

Written narrative 

At just nine years old I was informed that by the end of my 3rd grade year I would be moving to the United States of America and starting a new life with a new language. I wasn’t scared nor was I sad about it, if anything I was kind of looking forward to it. After all, moving to America is the dream for most people back home. But then again I was too young to truly grasp the reality of leaving everything you’ve once called home and leaving the idea of ever fitting in again. All I was told was that New York City was the greatest city in the world and that homework isn’t a thing, which clearly was a huge lie. Landing in New York City after living my entire childhood in Morocco, a less modern country with nowhere near the skyscrapers of NYC felt like magic. It was an indescribable feeling, a feeling I don’t think I could ever experience again. With that same feeling, I developed a sense of hope, one that made me believe that by simply living in America I was set for life, that things would always be easy. 

But enough of boring you with a story you probably have heard millions of times from other immigrants. At the time of my arrival to NYC I failed to realize that nothing good lasts forever and in just a few months of being in America that reality was waiting to settle in right when I would start my first school year in the states. Picture this: you’re a 9-year-old in a classroom with a bunch of kids who grew up together and knew each other very well, not to mention none of them had a language barrier except you. I remember during the first few months of 4th grade, we had assigned seats but sometimes if we were reading a book or whatever the case may have been we would go sit on the floor on the library side of the room, in this case, most students if not all students would go and sit next to their friends and I remember very vividly wishing that somebody would decide to sit next to me, even though I knew that it was a stupid idea because they couldn’t communicate with me so why would they put in the effort of becoming my friend. I remember going home after those days and feeling pretty down because it made my little 9-year-old self feel invalidated, and to be fair I didn’t blame them but I would’ve been my friend even with a language barrier because everyone deserves a friend, and frankly that probably would’ve helped my English learning process. That was one of the first moments I realized how a language barrier negatively affects one’s life.

I think I should also include the fact that language has always been a huge part of me, I loved speaking and still do, I even developed the nickname “chniwla” in Arabic which translates to a mosquito, I think the nickname is self-explanatory but to sum it up, you know that annoying buzz sound mosquitos make that goes on and on and never stops? Yea that was me whenever I spoke. So you can assume how difficult it was for someone who loved speaking to learn a whole new language and not be able to communicate with anyone outside of the house until I did so. I felt pressured, rushed, and scared that I would never be able to. I also couldn’t help but imagine how disappointed my parents would be if I didn’t learn English or wasn’t a good student overall, as if they left their home country and family for nothing 

Nonetheless, I learned English, it was a strange experience which felt as if one day I went from not knowing anything besides “Hello my name is Alaa and I don’t speak English” and waking up the next day being able to write an entire essay in a language that in the day prior was a complete mystery. Not to mention I learned English in the span of 1 year if anything less, so I guess I was proud and happy about my achievement like anyone else would be but I couldn’t help but ask myself, what was the prize? Now all I was left with was being that one student everyone saw as less of. I was called stupid when I was taken out of class during the English state test even though I wasn’t allowed by law, I was called a terrorist for being Muslim, I was told to go back to my country, and the only friends I ever did have always chose someone over me because they had known each other longer. So I asked myself again, what was the prize? To this day I ask myself that same question because no matter how much effort I put into what I do, no matter how talented I am or how smart I am, not even the fact that I am trilingual matters, none of it matters to this country because to them I will always be an alien, someone who doesn’t belong all because their language wasn’t my first.

I could go on and on about the struggles I have endured as an immigrant and how worse it gets the older you get, but that is not the purpose of this essay. Being called stupid solely for the fact that I was new to English hit hard, throughout my whole life I have always been a perfectionist and loved doing good in school, it made me feel smart and people have always agreed that I was smart until I came to America, and that sucked my perception of myself was beginning to change and I no longer knew who I was because without language being my thing and without academic talent I was nothing.

I vividly remember this one day in 4th grade, we were doing a group assignment where we spoke on the food being served in public schools and whether they should keep or get rid of certain things. Keep in mind at this time I barely understood anything in English. Anyways as we are talking in our group, they come to me and ask if we should keep a certain food, I don’t quite remember exactly what it was but I do recall that it was bad and that we should definitely get rid of it, but my non-English speaking self didn’t know how to say “get rid of” at the time so I tried to use context clues and anything I had heard previous to this moment and what I came up with was “I think we should keep it because it is bad”. They looked at me as if I had just said the stupidest thing ever, which fairly speaking I did. And well they giggled and laughed. I was so embarrassed and ashamed even though I didn’t even know exactly what I had said that was wrong. “Why would we keep it if it’s bad?” said the quiet kid while giving me the dirtiest look possible. He had barely spoken the entire class yet what I said was so foolish that he had to speak up this one time. My teacher noticed what was going on and began walking in our direction and at that moment all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. Moments like these and people like that were some of the main reasons I began to feel insecure about my language skills. They were so quick to judge and be mean without considering my circumstances.

I think it’s safe to say that all of those mean things I was told about my intelligence made me rethink it, it began to take a toll on me, so subconsciously I began to learn everything I possibly could, all the grammar, big words, and develop as much knowledge as possible. I wanted to claim my intelligence back. I wanted people to think that I knew what I was talking about every time I spoke, I wanted them to think and believe that I was smart just based on how I spoke even if at times I did not believe it. I never wanted to be doubted on my language, writing, and speaking abilities, I was sick of people calling me stupid in such an unreasonable way as if the only time you can be smart and have knowledge is if you were born in this country and English was your first language. And what’s actually funny is the fact that the people who called me stupid in my first years here got less than me on the math state test my first year here, and in the English state test that next year, I ended up being at the top of my classes by 5th grade, my second year in America. I know that’s not the biggest accomplishment but it was huge for 10-year-old Alaa. 

What’s frustrating is the fact that to this day I still struggle with feeling stupid every time I speak or do a homework assignment, everything academic and language-related feels impenetrable when you’re an immigrant with English not being your first language. I have to try harder than everybody just so I can be seen on the same level as everyone, if a citizen makes a mistake or doesn’t try in school they’ll make every excuse for them in the book but the minute I or another immigrant do so, we are seen as lazy and unappreciative of the opportunities we are given, leaving us with the feeling that we always need to do better because no matter how good we do, it is never enough.

I have never been able to sit down and speak or write about this but writing this now has made me realize how much this has negatively affected me and I hate to say it but as I’m writing this I am on the verge of tears because I can’t believe that once a magical moment turned into a nightmare of constantly trying to be perfect for a country that doesn’t even recognize my accomplishments no matter how great they are or ever will be. But after the storm comes a rainbow, and no matter how low I think of myself at times because of my language abilities I have to remember that the only thing it does is make me strive to be better at everything I do. I am forever grateful for that, I have created a new perception of myself and as I grow up I will continue to develop it more and more for the better.

Spoken Narrative 

It is the first week of school, and as we’re going through the syllabus in my literature class, the teacher is picking whom to read. I raised my hand confidently and began to read the class information section. As I was reading I mispronounced the word expository, a wave of embarrassment hit me but I continued to read. I was finally done, and by then all the confidence I had before was gone, and all of a sudden I was back in my 9-year-old body that was brand new to this country and language, embarrassed and crying inside while everyone laughed at me because I misused the word keep, even though this time no one said anything, and no one laughed. My teacher calls upon the next student to read the expectations and goals section. As she’s reading she also stutters and pronounces a couple of words wrong. I didn’t judge her and I knew no one else was judging her, their eyes weren’t on her the way I felt them on me. As if because she is a citizen and English came easy to her she is allowed to make mistakes but because I learned this language later on in life and “know it less than her”, I’m allowed no mistakes, if I make any then all of my past accomplishments and goals I fought hard to achieve will be ignored. We finished reading and I sat pondering about what just occurred. Every Time I speak I criticize every word and grammar being used, knowing what will be said as soon as I finish because I have heard it so many times before, and if they don’t say it well they thought It. To them, it’s like a human instinct to assume that I’m making a mistake because this isn’t my first language. I miss my native languages on days like these. I miss them because there was no judgment in them, and when I made a mistake it was valid and a normal human thing to do so. I miss them because now they are broken and when I speak them I am judged just as much if not even more. And as we know it, language is a necessity, it’s a part of our identity, so when language becomes a struggle or something you’re afraid and ashamed of, you lose a part of yourself, you lose your identity. In a way, I feel as if I’m not allowed to say I speak any of these languages because it is only when you’re fluent that you can claim to know a language but am I fluent? I know I can speak the languages I know I can write, and understand when others speak them, but it seems as though that’s not enough. Which language am I allowed to say I know by heart without getting a look or being mocked as if I don’t own the right to say I speak it. Sometimes I hate to claim that my Arabic and French are broken because they are my last source of identity when it comes to language. They represent me and where I come from. But this has affected my entire language identity because now when I struggle to read, write, understand, or know something in English, I immediately blame myself for coming here too late, even though that was out of my control. I don’t want to allow myself to take these mistakes casually because the minute I do I can’t help but see myself as a failure, so even if no one actually thinks or believes these things I claim they do, I continuously have to place these ideas to not let myself fall on the path I did with my native languages.

Research                         

White male privilege 

Everything has a history. History lets us visualize how things became what they are as we know them. History is what brought us to the present moment, so the matter is that to make a change you must know the history and depth of where it comes from and how it branches. In this essay, I will be taking you through the history of white male privilege. How have religion, politics, and the power dynamics of gender and race played a role? We can see white male representation as the most powerful from old historical paintings and artifacts, specifically religious ones, we can see it very clearly in slavery, misogynistic values and so much more. There are no positive aspects of this subject and I want to thoroughly help you understand and see the negativity this matter has on our world and why it even came to be. Before I go on, might I add whoever writes our history holds the power of altering it and making it be whatever they wish for it to be, might I also add white men happen to be the ones who wrote history.

One of the main reasons we have seen white male privilege is because of the misinterpretation of religion. Many people back then and even up to now believe that God is a white man. If you believe that the highest power out there is white and a man then it’s inevitable that the world will begin to think anyone who falls under those categories must be better and much more powerful. Although, there is no proof that he is a man nor that he has a race people still choose to give him a label, and I bet even when you think of god you imagine a white man and that’s just what has been implemented in many people’s heads. This fact is much more focused on western society, although all other religions and cultures are sexist and racist, this one has had the biggest influence, considering white men were the ones to write it. A great example of god being portrayed as a white man is in “The creation of Adam” by Michelangelo. In this painting, we see God and Adam, although the meaning behind this painting is beautiful and whatnot, there isn’t enough talk about why is everyone in this painting white, especially God, and why is he a man.

I think another great example of white men being depicted as powerful and godly in history is Jesus. Christianity and many branches of it believe that either Jesus is God or he is the son of god, either way having great relation to god, and how is Jesus depicted? As a white man, despite the fact that he was from the middle east and would most likely not have been white. We can even see it in “the last supper” by Leonardo Da Vinci, all of his companions are white men and of which only two are women. 

There are many other religious artifacts that can prove the point of white men being portrayed on the highest pedestal but what I’m trying to get across is the result of these actions are far beyond these paintings and historical information, but with these pieces we have we can form an idea on why did anyone assume god was white or a man in the first place, why not a black woman? Why did they assign god a gender or a race if he was beyond us why would he have the same physical form as us?

Slavery is the typical reason we use when explaining how this world was created in favor of white men because of how intense it was, it is the perfect example of white men exceeding their limits because they subconsciously believed they were gods. We could go into the topic of slavery in America for years and years but it is far too important and significant. It deserves its own essay, but I bring this as a reason because slaves were not given freedom until the enemy spoke up and fought for them, who was the enemy? White men. Abraham lincoln got all the credit for freeing slaves as if he made a miracle happen, frankly, it was a miracle that would not have happened if the slaves themselves never fought back, I think it was clear that lincoln did not free the slaves in their favor, but for his country to be “united” if everyone in the united states would have decided slavery was good just as much as the south and they were all in agreement, then I believe slavery would have taken a far longer time to end. Based on “Editors’ Picks.org” article “ Lincoln gets way too much credit for freeing enslaved black people” it states, “ While he was anti-slavery, he was not an abolitionist, and he did not believe in the equality of races” this goes to show that all the praise he gets yet he never cared for enslaved black people, he was selfish and only cared for his legacy and his countries. The article also states, “While we can credit Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation formally, it was abolitionist and national leader Fredrick Douglass who convinced Lincoln to use freedom as a weapon. Douglass pushed Lincoln to make abolition the heart and cause of the war. He persuaded Lincoln to allow black men to fight and serve in the military, and to compensate them equally.” This is clear evidence that people of color and anyone that is not white or a man is under the shadow of white men, meanwhile, white men take all the credit and get praised and continue to make up most of our leaders up to date.

  Just take a look at the Abraham Lincoln statue, how big it is, and how popular it is. But you will never see a black man such as Fredrick Douglass who had a huge influence in the way Lincoln ended slavery have a statue close to this one.

It is inevitable that white men get away with harming the world much more than any other race does. That brings me to my next reasoning, white men are able to get away with anything. This is the most known fact when it comes to white privilege. Because of this subconscious idea that they are “angels” and “god-like” they are spared most of their consequences. We can see this with the perception of criminals, when a white man commits a horrific crime such as murder, rape, and abuse many blame mental health and past trauma for their actions, but when a person of color commits such crimes or even much smaller crimes they are perceived as terrorists and thugs despite the fact that there is actual generational trauma in people of color not only that but a system built completely against them. An example of this is given to us by the Washington Post article: “shooters of color are called ‘terrorists’ and ‘thugs’. Why are white shooters called ‘mentally ill’?”. In the article, it states, “former FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam appeared on CNN, saying that Roof probably “has some mental issues” and didn’t know he had done anything wrong. That is the power of whiteness in America.” This is clear evidence of white male privilege if this had been a black man this narrative wouldn’t even be on the table of why he had done what he did. Keep in mind white supremacist Dylann Roof killed 9 black people at a church in South Carolina. Dylann Roof is a terrorist just like every other white criminal who doesn’t get that title although they deserve it more than most people who do get called that. 

On May 14, 2022, White supremacist Payton Gendron committed a mass shooting, killing 10 black people and injuring 3 at a supermarket in buffalo. Not only did he confess to his actions being a hate crime but he also had plans of committing much more terrorism, his goal was to prevent black people from eliminating the white race. Gendron was blatantly racist with no shame whatsoever yet somehow his family and others managed to find a way to defend his actions and literally excuse them. The article “Family of buffalo mass shooting suspect blames attack on COVID” by essence states, “He was very paranoid about getting COVID, extremely paranoid, to the point that – his friends were saying – he would wear the hazmat suit to school” the article also states, “In theory [COVID] could have affected what they call the lizard brain – the part of the brain that controls aggression” this is clear proof of the extent white people are willing to go in order to defend and decriminalize white people. Blaming a hate crime and a mass shooting on Covid is about the silliest thing one might come up with, everyone around the world experienced Covid and its struggles, people with actual mental disorders and health anxiety had to experience it, and not one of them woke up racist and a mass shooter.  

One last example of white men always being spared and treated with peace while people of color get attacked is the BLM movement vs the capitol terrorist attack on January 6th, 2021. Donald Trump called black lives matter protesters thugs for fighting against police brutality and the unjust system that targets African-Americans, a system that has ruined many lives and continues to, the same system that allows black men to be killed by the people that are there to “protect” them, yet somehow they are the thugs. Ironically the same man who called BLM protesters thugs went on to say the terrorists of the January 6th attack opposed no threat and were just fighting for their country as he said to do. Article “Trump falsely claims Jan.6 rioters were ‘hugging and kissing’ police” by the Washington Post states, “ ‘I knew those were people that loved this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law, and so I wasn’t concerned,’ Johnson said” the article also states, “ He then added, ‘had the tables been turned and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned” Sen. Ron Johnson is straight up supporting white supremacy with no shame, this is a man in power we are talking about, a man who gets to make rules, a man that people support. Not only did he show his racism with these lines but he also claims the terrorist of the capitol attack wouldn’t do anything to break a law, as if raiding the capitol and getting in the way of government action is not against the law. Not only are they making them seem innocent but also choosing to act as if the attack was something small and unharmful, what they failed to mention is how many people were affected, and injured and that there were even lives taken.

In conclusion, white male privilege is a serious issue we fail to acknowledge, and the lack of attention it receives is what causes white supremacy. We can find white male privilege in everything, from our religion, culture, our history, and the system. When we make the executive decision to ignore this issue, we are choosing the wrong side of history. If we focused more on why things are the way they are, we can solve so many more problems in the world. White men are not better than anyone, we are all equal, and if we go on with this idea that anyone is better than the other then we will continue to live in this corrupt world led by narcissists who believe they can do no wrong because society favors them and if they do any wrong then the system has their back.

Jackson, Kellie Carter. “Lincoln Gets Way Too Much Credit for Freeing Enslaved Black People – The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 24 June 2022, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/06/16/opinion/lincoln-gets-way-too-much-credit-freeing-enslaved-black-people/. 

Butler, Anthea. “Shooters of Color Are Called ‘Terrorists’ and ‘Thugs.’ Why Are White Shooters Called ‘Mentally Ill’?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Oct. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/06/18/call-the-charleston-church-shooting-what-it-is-terrorism/. 

Reid, Rayna. “Family of Buffalo Mass Shooting Suspect Blames Attack on Covid.” Essence, Essence, 18 May 2022, https://www.essence.com/news/payton-gendron-family-covid/. Itkowitz, Colby. “Trump Falsely Claims Jan. 6 Rioters Were ‘Hugging and Kissing’ Police.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Mar. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-riot-capitol-police/2021/03/26/0ba7e844-8e40-11eb-9423-04079921c915_story.html.

          Rhetorical Worksheet 

Alaa Benjaafar 

Context and exigence: This video is responding to the topic/conversation of what is considered normal in terms of speaking and accents, as well as the insecurity and low self esteem that begins to develop due to comments  being made on someone’s speaking abilities. This video was published on August 15,2016. I believe the exigence of this speech would be the recurring dream Saleem mentions, in this dream he is basically shy and too afraid to be judged when he speaks so he just stays quiet meanwhile the people are making a joke out of him. This dream relates to his real life and connects to his feelings towards this topic. 

Author: The speaker in this video is Safwat Saleem. Some of Saleem’s credentials are working in media such as illustration, writing, animation, audio, video and sculpture, he is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in illustration and graphic design. And due to him being an immigrant and facing the struggles of it he dedicates his art to the idea of not belonging. That is how his credentials connect to his investment in this topic, so because he has endured the immigrant life and knows a thing or two, it has made him passionate about the topic so he uses his art to spread awareness and explain his emotions. 

Text: I would say the genre of this ted talk is a motivational speech. The conventions of this genre that determine the depth, complexity, and even appearance of the argument, are the addition of a personal experience, personal emotions and struggle, as well as adding humor to keep the audience interested and hungry for more, and lastly the honesty in the speech. All of these conventions really gave this speech its depth, complexity and appearance because it made it valuable to watch and to take something out of it. This speech was published on TEDtalk youtube channel, this information helps explain the perspective of Saleem and how no matter how much he has struggled with speaking, he still chooses to make it a part of his job and use it as a style of expressing his argument, 

Audience:  I don’t think Saleem has an intended audience when it comes to this speech because it is a  speech that brings awareness to this topic and that’s what he wants , he wants people to understand there is no such thing as normal speech and no one should be judged for the way they speak. But i do believe that an intended audience could be anybody who has been or is in his same position, and this leads me to infer that this audience is too struggling with not fitting it and “not being normal” and this speech could make them feel not so alone and help them understand that there is nothing wrong with them. This speech can also motivate them to not give up on their dreams or what they love doing just because people mock them for their language or don’t give them the same level of respect as anyone else.

Purpose: Safwat Saleem is trying to educate his audience, he is telling the people that there is no such thing as normal and no one should have to feel bad for the way they speak or their accent simply because of society’s idea of normal and what language is. He wants them to understand that mocking or making a joke out of people with accents, or a stutter is wrong because not only is it beyond their control but it also doesn’t define them, nor does it make them any less of than anybody else. I know this because in his speech Saleem mentions how the reason he was afraid to speak or ever felt bad about the way he spoke was because of what others had implemented in his head and the negative things they said that stuck with him.

Argument: The main argument that Saleem is trying to communicate is the stereotypes that affect minorities, how negatively they impact minorities and the toll it takes on them. Saleem’s stance in this argument is on the negative stereotypes when it comes to speech and how an accent is seen as not normal and how being mocked on it really lowers your self esteem and makes you never want to speak again. Saleems personal experience is a good example of how a negative comment can lead to long term mental damage because even though he was able to speak out loud again and not feel as ashamed as before there will always be a fear in his heart when he speaks, and as he mentions his recurring dream. 

Evidence: Saleem supports his argument by using his personal experience and his own feelings as a way to show the effects the negative stereotypes have on minorities,  which he also gives some examples of the negative stereotypes placed on minorities by society to make them seem less than and in a way to make sure they are never seen as normal. Saleem explains how being mocked on his speaking skills made him never want to speak again even though it was a part of a job he truly enjoyed. Lastly, Saleem uses the statistics of people of color representation in books to support his idea. Overall Saleem uses personal experience, society’s ideas, and statistics to support his argument.

Rhetorical Strategies: Some aspects of this speech that stood out for me would be the mentioning of this recurring dream, almost a nightmare that haunted Saleem in a way because of this fear of speaking he had and I think the usage of this dream really gave his speech depth. The humor was another aspect that stood out to me, because in a way you can tell  that he was still nervous and using humor was his way to cope with it and it also gave the speech a better look. Lastly, I liked how he knew when it was time to get serious and not make jokes, for example when he was speaking about negative effects the stereotypes have on minorities, in this part of the video you can see how serious he gets.

Citation:

1. “About.” Safwat Saleem, www.safwatsaleem.com/about.
2. https://www.ted.com/talks/safwat_saleem_why_i_keep_speaking_up_even_when_people_mock_my_accent

Notes: From this video I want to remember to never let the negative stereotype of immigrants get to me and never let anyone tell me what is and is not normal because nobody has the right to decide that. I know that I don’t have an obvious accent anymore but I know very close loved ones that do and this video reminded me to understand how they feel and how tough it can get sometimes, because being an immigrant is one struggle but having an accent that everyone can hear and judge is another. 

Rhetorical Situation Worksheet 

Alaa Benjaafar 

Context & Exigence: This text is responding to the topic/conversation of immigrants with a limited English language or if generally speaking it is simply responding to the topic of English not being a first language and the side effects it comes with especially in one’s usage of language. “Mother tongue” was published in 1990. I would say the exigence for this text would be when Amy Tan was giving a talk that she had already given multiple times before but she noticed a difference in her language and she made the realization that it was due to her mother being there, this then motivated her to look further into this and think deeper about it. 

Author: The author of this text is Amy Tan. She attended five colleges in which she studied and majored in English and linguistics. Her focus seems to stick to language because all of her jobs after that seem to all have a connection to it, such as a language development specialist, a director for a demonstration project to mainstream multicultural children with developmental disabilities into early childhood programs, and a freelance writer. Amy’s credentials clearly show her investment in the issue she speaks about in mother tongue because tan is clearly very conscious and into the way people express themselves with words or language as a whole 

Text: The genre of mother tongue by Amy Tan would be a personal essay. The conventions of a personal essay help determine the depth, complexity, and even appearance of the argument by giving an interesting story with interesting characters and a meaningful point of view, in this essay Tan is explaining her and her mothers experiences in learning the English language and how her mothers journey affected her, when Amy connects this argument to her own personal experience it opens a new side of the argument because she is giving information and emotions that can only be spoken thru experience and that gives this essay the depth, complexity and the appearance that it holds. “Mother tongue” was published in the threepenny review magazine, this information can help explain the writer’s perspective and style of the argument because this magazine focuses on things such as reflection, and argument which is the style that Amy Tan chose to use in her personal essay.  

Audience: The author’s intended audience is her mother. What I can infer about her mother (the audience) based on the essay is that she has a “limited” English but not a limited imagination. Just like anyone her mother has the ability to think and see things deeper than what they are and her English does not define her, after all it is not her first language. Amy even mentions how her mother reads, listens, and communicates in levels not even Amy herself can reach.

Purpose: Amy Tan is trying to accomplish a new perspective of people with broken English, she is trying to persuade, inform and educate the reader i know this because in her personal essay “Mother tongue” she continuously mentions the struggles immigrants endure due to English being a secondary language and how it negatively affects them overall, by doing this she is almost trying to make the reader feel sympathy for them instead of seeing them as less of or not seeing their full potential simply because of a broken English. She is educating and informing the reader on her own experiences and connecting them to her argument.

Argument: I believe the main idea and argument of this essay is to never view anyone with imperfect English speaking skills as less of and to always remember that it doesn’t define them nor is it a reflection of their ideas and thoughts especially  those with family members or loved ones who have broken English, instead of judging them help them understand better and teach them if necessary. The stance that Amy takes is disappointment and realization. Her attitude throughout the texts almost shows how she is disappointed that she once viewed her mother as less of at some point simply because of her English, but she then deeply realizes what this meant and how beautiful her experience really was in a way.

Evidence: The argument is supported by Amy’s personal experience with the topic. Amy states her side of the argument and explains how she feels about this topic to further support why people with broken English are not any less than those with perfect English. She admits that at some point she herself was ashamed of her mothers poor English but she shows how she has grown from that and in this way she lets the reader learn from her mistakes and understand her argument. Personal experience is a great piece of evidence because not so many people have the privilege of understanding the topic first hand.

Rhetorical Strategies: the aspects of this text that stand out for me as a rhetorical reader are amy using not only her and her mothers experience but also mentioning her own shameful mistakes, i believe that amy chose to include her own mistakes to show others how deep it really gets when you are an immigrant that you even become ashamed of the way your mother speaks, when she adds this vulnerable piece of her she almost lets the reader in on a secret and it lets the reader see a different aspect of the topic. Another aspect that stood out to me was how Amy gives examples of how her mother would speak or the things she had to do for her mother because of  her broken English, it just makes the reader feel very welcomed in a way that almost creates a safe space.

Citation: 

1.“Exploring Language and Identity: Amy Tan’s ‘Mother Tongue’ and Beyond.” Exploring Language and Identity: Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Beyond | Read Write Think, https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-language-identity-mother#:~:text=Arrange%20for%20copies%20of%20the,The%20Threepenny%20Review%20in%201990. 

2. “Bio.” Amy Tan, http://www.amytan.net/about.html#:~:text=Amy%20attended%20five%20colleges%3A%20Linfield,in%20Linguistics. 

3.The Threepenny Review, https://www.threepennyreview.com/.  

Notes: I truly enjoyed reading this essay it really gave me something new to ponder about but what i really want to remember about this text is to never see my mother as any less and stand up for her anytime anyone tries to treat her less off just because she has an accent, if anything her accent makes her different and shows that she is a multilingual person and that’s better than having no accent.

Rhetorical Situation Worksheet

Alaa Benjaafar

Context and exigence: I would have to say that this text is responding to multiple topics, it is responding to the brutal killings of innocent black people and no justice being served because of systematic racism and police brutality. This text is also responding to racism in language and the difference between black English and standard English, it goes deeper into this topic and even explains almost all of the differences and how it is portrayed by the eye of white men who will find any way to belittle black people and their words. This text was published in 1985. After reading this text I think June Jordan made it quite clear that the motivating issue and situation that prompted the writing would be the story of Willie Jordan and the misfortunate death of his brother during the time Willie was June’s student. Reggie Jordans death due to police brutality sparked up a new topic in June Jordans black English class, it raised anger and the will to fight for what’s right, this was an important event in June Jordan’s class and her motivation behind this text. 

Author: The author of this text is June Jordan. June Jordan was born into a west Indian immigrant family, she was born in Harlem but raised in Brooklyn. She would later attend Barnard College and graduate with her B.A. June was an activist, a poet, a writer and a teacher. She was an activist for women’s rights, civil rights, antiwar, as well as LGBTQ movements. Overall her poetry and writing involved a lot around her beliefs and her activism. She wrote many books of poetry as well as books for children. Based off Jordans credentials we can clearly see her investment in the issues she addressed in the text, her style and motivation revolves around speaking against all of those things she was against, to spread awareness, to make a change, and to simply speak of it because it needed to be heard and using her talent and art to speak on these topics was a great way to do so.

Text: I would have to say the genre of the text will have to be a personal/informative essay. The way June used these genres to give her writing  depth, complexity, and the appearance of the argument was by including such a deep and heartfelt personal story of her student willie Jordan yet also informing and literally teaching the reader the difference between black English and standard English and connecting both of these issues really had such an amazing effect on the text and the way I personally felt while reading it. This text was published in On Call: Political Essays, a book by June Jordan. This information about the publication of the text  helps explain Jordan’s perspective and structure of the argument because it shows that she expresses her ideas in essays to further explain and add personal details and that she clearly feels very strongly about what she is writing about.

Audience: The author intended audience would be African Americans, in specific those who speak black English and were discriminated against because of it and those who know someone that had faced racial profiling and lost their innocent lives because of their skin color and the cruel system, but overall it is for African Americans who had to and have to face the systematic racism and constant belittling this country puts on them to this day. But I think it definitely was intended for white people as well because it is educating and allowing them to see a new perspective on this topic because they get to see a personal view of it, a side they would never experience to understand the frustration of it. 

Purpose: June Jordan is trying to inform, educate, and call to action in this text. She starts off by informing the reader on black English, the statistics, the basics, and the deeper history of it, she then brings up her student Willie Jordan and later on informs the reader of the misfortunate event of his brothers death due to police brutality and racism, when she brings this up she starts to speak on the call to action and how her and her students were going to write a piece to try and get Reggie Jordan the justice he deserves. Therefore while she is informing, and calling to action she is also educating her audience on multiple topics revolving around racism in America. 

Argument: I believe that this essay definitely has more than one main idea/argument but if we have to be general I would have to say the main idea/argument is the systematic racism in America and how it negatively impacts African Americans. The stance that June takes on this idea is her and her students personal experiences as people of color in this country. She mentions her opinions and states facts while also adding heartfelt experiences to show her stance in this topic.

Evidence: June Jordan supports her argument by giving statistics and numbers when speaking about black English and its background, she as well shows examples of black English and standard English and how and why they are different. When she was speaking about police brutality and overall systematic racism she used the evidence of a close to home story from her student Willie Jordan and the passing of his brother Reggie Jordan. She not only uses the story itself as proof to the racial profiling in America but she aslo adds the results of the experience from how it affected her class to Reggies family.

Rhetorical strategies: Some aspects of this text that stood out to me would be the way June takes two quite different topics that fall under the same major topic and connecting them so well without missing a beat on any detail, it was so well written so deeply emotional and heartfelt, I truly enjoyed how powerful she made it just by her words and experience. one more aspect for me was also her including Willie Jordans essay. I think that was the perfect way to end the essay and a key addition to it, it was the cherry on top.

Citation: 

1.“Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan.” English 110 to Clone, https://engl110ccny1.commons.gc.cuny.edu/content/june_jordan/. 

2. Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, https://poets.org/poet/june-jordan.  

3. “Bio.” June Jordan, http://www.junejordan.net/bio.html. 

4.“Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan.” English 110 to Clone, https://engl110ccny1.commons.gc.cuny.edu/content/june_jordan/.  

Notes: I want to remember everything from this text, from how deep the story and experiences were to how well written this essay is I wish to read more pieces by June Jordan because I truly enjoyed her style of writing and the structure she uses, so I would say that’s another thing I wish to remember so that I can implement it in my future writing pieces.

Free Write

1.

so many things to get done 

yet no motivation to do it 

a future to look forward to 

yet no good about it 

afraid that it might fail 

the way I fail in completing my work 

but why do i blame myself 

I’m choosing my mental health after all

2.

It’s worse than they said it would be 

The workload

The overthinking 

The stress and anxiety 

The lack of sleep 

The lack of care for mental health by teachers

The constant panic about the future 

Nothing could’ve prepared me for junior year 

But this isn’t even the hardest school will get 

3.I have so much coming up, I have two tests on Monday, so many missing assignments that I can not figure out where to start, my mind is all over the place and so is my work and I absolutely hate it because this is not me and I don’t want this to be me because I want to get good grades and keep my GPA as high as it can get. But my school decided to put me in a class that they knew the teacher was bad meanwhile the class is hard at the same time, knowing that no one gets a good grade in his class, so now I’m stuck trying to fight as hard as possible to get a good grade in a class I don’t need to graduate. And may I add that my status in America is already making my college future look rough so there’s literally no point in working so hard towards a good GPA if I’m gonna end up in the same spot no matter what.

4.I wonder what’s beyond us 

 The things we don’t know 

 The things we wonder 

 The things that would solve every problem if we just knew 

if we understood everyone and everything 

What would change 

But with no wrong there is no right 

If we had no bad we would have no good 

Everything would just be there

5.that moment you connect your charger to the wall adapter

an electrical connection occurs

two pieces come together and create a bond 

An electrical bond 

The electrical bond helps things grow 

helps things stay alive 

That little connection is essential to all of technology 

It’s the way technology is kept alive

It’s the way we develop 

But sometimes that electric bond dies and it hurts both pieces 

Sometimes they just don’t work well together anymore 

Sometimes the pieces connect better with other pieces

And that’s just the electrical connection  

Not much different from the human connection