Anzaldua

Anzaldua:

Summary:  Anzaldua's essay discusses ideas about writing processes and how writing is effected by different up bringing. She talks about her own writing style which is very different from most of the authors we have read in the class before. Her style is more like an art in that she uses images to evoke her thoughts, she sends herself into a trance state to feel what she is going to write about before she actually writes anything. She uses metaphors as a way of expressing what she is trying to explain about writing and her connection to writing but in deeper meaning.

Synthesis: Anzaldua can be synthesized with Maurry first of all because both authors talk about their writing process, and each have a different style of a process, Maurry was the one who took notes and then dictated to his wife what to say, and then would read what she typed while taking more revision notes. Anzaldua looks at writing as art, she visualizes what it is she wants to say before writing it. This essay can also connect to Hooks, Lammot, and Diaz, all authors that struggled to write when they wanted to write the most, they all mention how you must persist with writing in order to become good at it. I think this can also connect to Allan's inspired writer  you have to find that writer inside of you to bring you to the words you need to write.

Response	Quotation
I connected to this quote right away because when i was seven, eight, nine, fifteen, sixteen years old, I would lay awake at night in bed with a flashlight and read until way late in the night but hiding from my mother so i wouldn't get my book taken away.	"When I was seven, eight, nine, fifteen, sixteen years old, I would read in bed with a flashlight under the covers, hiding my self imposed insomnia from my mother."
I liked this one because when you think about it,the stories that you have are not known about or "seen" until you talk about them with others or until you write them down to be read.	"my stories are acts encapsulated in time, enacted every time they are spoken aloud or read silently."
I thought this was an interesting point. living in a westren culture i definitely see how society does these things to art. I think it takes away the value of the art when you go to such lengths to protect it, there is no personal connection to the art when you go to a museum and look at a painting behind class, because there is no story to go with it.  in the native cultures their art hangs in their homes, they treat in like a person, and sometimes even worship the art. But it has a story, and it has meaning to them which is what makes it special.	"westren cultures behave differently toward works of art than do tribal cultures. The sacrifices westren cultures make are in housing their art works in the best structures designed by the best architects and in servicing them with insurance, guards to protect them, conservators to maintain them, specialist to mount and display them and the educated and upper classes to view them. tribal cultures keep art works in honored and sacred places in the home and elsewhere. "
This quote caught my attention as well, because it was thought provoking. When you think of black and white in terms of color you think white is pure, black is evil, but in your dreams, white is associated with death, and disease.	"Though in the conscious mind, black and dark may be associated with death, evil, and destruction, in the subconscious mind and in our dreams, white is associated with disease, death and hopelessness."
All things lost or forgotten become the most powerful, I think this quote really speaks to that idea.	"It has become a conquered thing, a dead "thing" separated from nature and, therefore, its power."
I really liked this one. I love the metaphor used because of the image it puts in your mind. Also it makes since, when you see an image you are going to have feelings about that image rise. and then the words you use to describe those feelings are the cables to the bridge in this case. .	"An image is a bridge between evoked emotions and conscious knowledge, words are the cables that hold up the bridge. Images are more direct, more immediate than words, and closer to the unconscious. picture language precedes thinking in words, the metaphorical mind precedes analytical consciousness."

Thoughts: I enjoyed reading this essay, I liked the emotion in her writing, I liked all of the metaphors used in the piece because it gave the piece voice, and for me made it easier to visualize what she was explaining about her writing process  I also enjoyed reading this because reading and searching for meaning in her metaphors reminded me of my last years english class where we would analyze metaphors. I thought that this essay hit some good main points, I think maybe the author goes to the extreme case with her writing process being but in a trance to visualize her writing, but i think visualization is something that is helpful when writing or planning to write because you can give your writing a sense of direction, or map out where it is you want to end up at the end of a piece.  All in all I thought this was a good essay to read.

Cixous

Cixous

Define Whiteness: According to Summary of whiteness theory by Audrey Thompson, Whiteness is not treated as a biological category but as a social construction. Whiteness is thought of as "natural". Who counts as white depends on what is at stake. A dictionary site says whiteness as the quality or state of being white or pale.

Define Marginalized: A dictionary says marginalized is to be placed in position of marginal importance to hold power or influence. 

Define Heterotypical: Of or pertaining to the first or reductional division in meiosis  

My thoughts about these definitions are similar to the definitions and different in others. When I think of whitenesss I think two different things first I think of white people always trying to be dominate and so they have power because of their whiteness and second I think of just white paper as having whiteness. when i think marginalized i didnt really have a definition in mind because I didnt know that word at all. Lastly Heterotypical I think of Males and Females doing what is socially excepted for the that particular gender. 

Response	Quotation
I picked this quote because it is true today how the effects of the past are still with us and as a society we try to move forward from those mistakes and learn from them so they aren't repeated. I think as a society we are doing this well.	"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."
This strikes me as true also because some people find it not appropriate to talk about females in that way, but females may say something different.	"But what strikes me is the infinite richness of their individual constitutions: you cant talk about a female sexuality, uniform, homogeneous  classifiable into codes- any more than you can talk about one unconscious resembling another."
This I found interesting because if they are from Africa or black should have nothing to do with the way they are perceived by the world	"As soon as they are able to speak at the same time they are taught their name, they can be taught that their territory is black: because you are africa, you are black."
But why does it scare them??	"Smug-faced readers, managing editors, and big bosses dont like the true texts of women-female sexed texts. That kind scares them"

Alexander

Alexander:

Synthesis: Alexander's essay titled "Transgender Rhetorics: composing Narratives of the gendered Body" can connect to Flynn, Flynn talks about feminism and how gender effects the composition of students writing. Alexander mentions Flynn in his essay and is similar because he looks transgender individuals influence their writing. Alexander can connect to Milanowitz because she talks about Identity of gay and lesbian individuals, and Alexander touches on the role identify plays in the life of a transgender. Alexander can also relate to the discourse community authors we have read. Porter talks about intertextuality and Alexander uses intertextuality by using Flynn in his essay.

Response	Quotation
I liked this because it set up what the essay was going to be about. I like when essays to that because then I know what is going to be happening.	"This essay attempts to demonstrate how transgender theories can inspire pedagogical methods that complement feminist compositionist pedagogical approaches to understanding the narration of gender as a social construct."
A lot of feminist writers discuss how gender can effect the way that people write and how the gender identity can effect writing. I think that it does. because girls and guys have different mind set, they have sperate past experiences that influence their writing.	"A significant number of early feminist compositionist worked in vein, asking whether or men and women fundamentally write the stories  of their lives differently gendered ways.
in todays society topics like gender, transgender, and gays and lesbians are a political topic target. and it is important that people learn the proper language to explore those topics or discourse communities.	"Rather, our experience of gender and the use of language are wrapped up in the politics of we need new ways to use language to explore that relationship"
The more writing there is about gender the more people can learn about it and become comfortable with it. Also the more writing the more individuals that are transgender can feel represented and more open.	"seeing writing as possibility for respecting gender, as opposed to revealing a fundamental gender, is a significant shift in thinking about the composition of gender"
to an extent this is was i have always thought when I think transgender. except I dont think that it should be stereotyped as wrong or a mistake because it is not a persons fault for feeling like they dont belong in their own body.	"We know the stereotype of transsexuality a women or man feels trapped in a "wrong body"and thus seeks sexual reassignment surgery to correct natures big mistake".
I think that there are a lot of opportunities in today society for people to get involved in grous that help you explore gender, and sexuality.	"I am not sure that our narratives of gender swapping and transition were necessarily helping liberate participants from gender norms, even though i believe they have offered us opportunities to explore useful insights".

Thoughts: I thought the essay was interesting. Interesting in the sense that so many people have different views on the matter that it is open to a large range of likes and dislikes. I think that before coming to college i would have turned away from the essay but since i have been here I had the opportunity to listen to LGBT members in my LC class and it opened me up to how their lives are and made me more aware of the actual meaning. Its interesting how language and writing are also connected to the topic of transgender.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5P9kUz0yO0

Delpit

Delpit:

Before you read: I use generalizations when talking about subjects or groups that I am not familiar with. I do this because I dont want to use any specific terms that could be wrong. I also tend to generalize more when speaking about particular groups so not to offend anyone in the group.


Summary:  Delpit's essay "The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse"  Is about teaching literate discourse in the class room. It really looks at how teachers try to take away minorities own discourse and replacing it with the mainstream discourse. She uses the store of Marge and Susan. and also the story of the football inner city kid who is told to get his grades up or lose football.  She looks at the issue of trying to main stream minorities as a form of oppression.

Synthesis: Lisa Delpit can compare to Gee, because she specifically uses Gee to compare her own thoughts to. She things Gee's argument has problems in which she adresses her reasons. First she thinks that Gee's notion that people not more into a dominate discourse will find it difficult to get in is problematic. She talks about Gees identity kit as well.  Delpit also connects to Bell hooks. Bell Hooks writes of the consequences to this teaching methodology. Bell hooks also talks about how teaches didnt recognize the need for african american students to have access to many voices and to maintain their own voice. Lastly Delpit connects to Vilanuevea because both authors touch on the importance of group of people knowing their heritage.

Response	Quotation
I think this is true to some extent. I take my home town area for instance and looks at the suburb schools versus Dayton public schools where most of the kids are from low income families, Dayton the city is not the nicest place to live. There are always news stories where teachers are trying to do what is best for the kids in school, but at times they feel it is hopeless because of the children's background.	" Instead of being locked into "your place" by your genes, you are now locked hopelessly into a lower-class status by your discourse. Clearly, such a stance can leave a teacher feeling powerless to effect change, and a student feeling hopeless that change can occur. "
I think this goes back to what we taked about with villanuevea, assimilation, if you try to teach mainstream discourse, its kind of like pushing their heritage out of their life.	" The sensitive teacher might well conclude that even to try to teach a dominant discourse to students who are members of a non dominant oppressed group would be to oppress them further. "
This is changing more in todays society I think. because more whites and african americans are on the same level of education	"you must do twice as well as white people to be considered half as good"
Its important for teachers to help students envision a future. if their discourse at home is what they see from their family, and if it isnt much they are going to need some vision, some goal to strive for so that they can reach potential.	" Trent recalls that growing up in the "inner city" he had no conception of life beyond high school, but his high school teachers helped him to envision one. "
If you put in the effort and work had you can achieve your goals.	"you can and you will do well"
The issue is whether secondary discourse should be taught in the class room. and I think it should to an extent. I think the secondary discourse should be taught to help students have a bright future. I dont think it should be used to oppress them though.	"But the issue is not only whether students can learn a dominant secondary discourse in the classroom, perhaps the more significant issue is, should they attempt to do so. "

AE4:  they should help students envision a future. strive to meet their full potential with grades. but teachers should let students use their own dialect of their culture and home discourse.

Thoughts: I thought this essay was good. I like that it was Delpit comparing to Gee and Bell Hooks because those were previous authors we had read. I tend to agree with Gee in the fact that if you are born or not born into a dominate group you will find it hard to get into it or out of it depending on the situation. with that said though, I dont think that minorities are locked into  "your place" so to speak because into todays society there are many many opportunities for everyone to achieve success.