Tlilli Tlapalli: The Path of the Red and Black Ink by Gloria Anzaldua

Tlilli Tlapalli: The Path of the Red and Black Ink by Gloria Anzaldua

Before you Read: I have seen many interviews of actors or singers that I truly admire and I always have found myself respecting them more. I look at these actors and musicians and notice through their interviews that they are people just like everyone else its just they go about life in a completely different way. Most of them I find myself respecting more because they follow there dreams and work hard to accomplish them. These famous people aren’t any different than anyone else it is just that they believe in themselves and hold to a greater purpose while most just go through life.

Summary: In her article Tlilli Tlapalli :the path of the red and black ink, Gloria Anzaldua discusses her tribal culture compared to western culture. She talks about her times of ritual and performance and how it differs from western culture for instance in how we see objects and symbols as “dead” things. She argues how inn her tribal culture these artifacts or piece are just like people in that they have needs like being fed (getting ritual performances). She argues how in western culture these objects are psychological in that they run their energy between the object and the witness. Then she discusses a little bit about her culture and how they perform. She discusses the singer and their duties as well as being in the Shamanic State and what all it entails. She argues that you need to use your energy and how your how body is part of the acts you perform. She discusses writing and using red ink; how she holds it and it brings her pain or how she can feel herself stomach words, phrases and so forth just like she feels herself writing with her fingers. She argues for the anxiety that is involved in writing and how in order to be a writer you have to embrace this as well as the aggravation of writing. She also discusses how you must know how to communicate with images and words and do it well. She argues for the importance of making writing more than just a thing or system but instead enact all of yourself and your spirit/body.

Synthesis: I think that both of these articles are good to read and bring relation to each other. They go in line with each other in the discussion of writing and embodying yourself with it. They also both go into relation with Delpits article in that they discuss western culture and how it has formed itself and the views within it. These articles explore how the western culture has had no regard for outside communities or even just simply forms of writing.

Questions for Journaling and Discussion:

1.     I am not sure why she choose to exclude this information from the article. I felt that I was missing a piece of the pie and it was almost frustrating but I think at the same time it was effective. I think that it was effective because it aloud for the audience to think on their own and explore the idea. Also now the audience wasn’t focusing on the concepts related just to her community but all communities that are possible. I think it was a good idea because it prevented closed-minded thoughts and judgment for the entire article.

2.     I think that if you believe in yourself and your abilities then your possibilities are endless. I think that it is very important to believe in yourself because this is how you push yourself forward. If you don’t believe in yourself then your holding yourself back from really do all that you can. I think that it negatively affects your writing also because when you fail to believe in yourself and your writing you fail to expand your thoughts and work. When you fail to do this then you lock your thoughts and possibilities with writing into a box in which you cannot escape.

Applying and Exploring:

1.     I think that it would be les effective if she wrote the piece in a academic format because she wouldn’t be able to use these different forms of convey your ideas and topics. Also this takes away from having a personal touch in her writing in which teh audience can experience through the writing. I also think that the way she write it made the piece more interesting and fun to read and I fear that if it was a strictly academic format it would take away from all of this as well.

2.     I think that the idea is simple to agree with as I am sure you have heard before a picture is worth a thousand words. I feel that writing can effectively make a point and get something across however images and non-verbal communication make up 90% of interaction. I think that images are the best source because they are so naturally appealing to the human eye and we can’t help but observe and think about everything we see whether a picture or a action. Images are much better at presenting and explaining things because they are faster, more effective and most importantly appealing and meaningful to humans naturally.

Opinion on Article: I think that these articles were interesting to read and explore within. I gained many new perspectives and It was fun and interesting to learn about a different culture and how they see things compared to western culture. Also it gave me a lot of new ways to use writing or think about writing even though it may take time and practice as they are so different than western forms such as feeling writing from within. I am glad I got to read these articles because of my interest they drew into but more importantly the new cultures I got to examine and gain some information and perspective for. 

Alexander Response

Transgender Rhetorics (re) Competing Narratives of the Gendered Body by Jonathan Alexander

Summary: In the article Transgender Rhetorics (re) Competing Narratives of the Gendered Body, Jonathan Alexander discusses transgender, queer and feminist theories.  Alexander attempts to show how transgender theories can inspire and change different methods in which it can effect and/or complement feminist writings. Also to explore how gender can create and form social construction. He argues how these constructions can lead to growth and expansion in our analysis of stories we tell about and in relation to gender. He uses many examples from students and authors to show and support his theories. These examples bring a new perspective to writing and reading for example one piece explored how writing in a different voice(voice of a woman) can enable others and yourself as a writer to expand and explore writing in relation to gender in a safe, productive and discerning way. Alexander argues how queer text can lead to questioning writing and its fundamentals in regards to authorship, authority and new perspectives. He argues for the competence of knowing people are different and may voice in a different form based on their gender or mix. He uses his classroom and example to explore writing from different shoes and how this changes the way in which your message is conveyed and what message itself is delivered.  He argues writing from a different gender allows students to see the limitations of the group as well as be able to explore/discuss the embodiment of that group. Alexander wants us to not leave the rhetoric behind but think about the rhetoric of gender in a more relevant way of our society.

Synthesis: I think that this article relates a lot to Wardle’s article about joining a discourse community.  They both discuss topics and issues revolved around our society and the communities within it. The articles discuss the means in which you can join, understand and interpret essentially. They also talk about the engagement and alignment with others that are in the discourse community. I think they both do very well at discussing and focusing on how you work with and join a different discourse community. Alexander uses these ideas when he discusses his students writing from a different gender perspective. Also how writing in this way allows you to join their embodiment and the overall conversation of that community which happens to be different genders.

Questions for Journaling and Discussion:

6. These concepts are restricted because we ourselves restrict them from the day we are born. As we grow up from birth the role and ways you act through your gender are formed and guided by society. Society doesn’t mean to be controlling but it is how we are as people; we conform and believe in common ideas and beliefs. These ideas are then thrust down to the next generation and so forth but also just in the overall image society gives us based on gender or masculinity and it is opposite. There are millions of examples of this around us all over. Think about magazines and all the pictures in it, or maybe even more specifically the articles. Also another great example is the difference between men dolls and girl dolls how the men dolls are soldiers and the women dolls are princesses.

7. They help to reinforce these ideas because when the students write from a different perspective they themselves show and reveal stereotypes. These students unknowingly use and express stereotypes for genders because they didn’t even know it was a stereotype it was just what they have come to learn and know through their interaction and growth with society. They also reinforce stereotypes because many of them fail to know where to begin or express ideas and topics from a completely different perspective than their own.

Applying and Exploring:

3. He explains how this can allow students to explore different ways to write or express themselves. Also how this can allow the students to speak from a new voice. Students can gain a lot from this because it opens up and broadens their horizon in regards to writing and constructing arguments or ideas. Another notion is that it will enable students to write from a different perspective or gender when its needed or could maybe better benefit a piece. I think this holds true for exploring and writing from any different society or minority you know of. This is because all have their own culture, ideas, beliefs and ways of speaking or expressing themselves. When you can gain an understanding of this it allows you to write in a way that everyone can understand or maybe a way that can better suit a society you are not from. I think that learning new voices is important and essential to reaching your full potential in writing and rhetorics.

Opinion on Article: I thought that this article was extremely long and pretty confusing. The article used words and formed sentences in ways that sometimes left me confused or made me read back over. Also I thought that the article was a lot longer than it needed to be I felt at times he was repeating what he said before except in regards to a different gender. This article was not a favorite of mine and it bored me at times but I think I learned more about making and joining the conversation of different communities and especially in this case different genders. With all this being said I do think that he made some very strong points on expand and exploring our thinking and perspectives. I lastly will say the examples were very interesting to read and really helped confirm his work to me.

Delpit and Smitherman

The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse by Lisa Delpit and God Don’t Never Change: Black English from a Black Perspective by Geneva Smitherman

Summary: In the first article The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse by Lisa Delpit we begin to see a position on viewing and exploring discourse. In this article Lisa Delpit argues against some of the points made in the Gee article we read earlier. Lisa argues that you can’t others nor yourself as stuck to your primary and secondary discourse. Lisa says that Gee is wrong with his argument because it is through interacting and working with other discourses that you better enact around them and especially with your own.  Lisa says that just because you are not born to the power or primary discourse doesn’t mean you can’t join it. She uses numerous examples of African Americans that grew up in a poor area or with poor education and somehow still became very successful in a white man’s world. She argues that in order to be successful in a primary discourse doesn’t mean you have to leave your own it just means you must expand and acquire theirs as well. She puts this into context when using numerous examples about blacks growing up in segregation that had to learn to write, read and communicate in the whites way while still being able to have their own voice. Lisa argues and speaks mainly to teachers asking them to acknowledge and use students own discourse but not to an extent to which falters their growth and understanding of others. Also she argues that teachers must recognize the conflict between student’s home discourse and schools and must adapt it to give the students a sense of home while more importantly engaging and growing onward/upward. Lastly she wants teachers to see and acknowledge the discourses then refute others from entry and present students with ways to “cheat” or join the discourse. In God Don’t Never Change: Black English from a Black Perspective by Geneva Smitherman we see the argument for evasion of school room grammar, critique and exclusion. Geneva talks about how many are put down, ridiculed and excluded based on competence and ability to conform to others. Geneva is arguing about the black culture revolving around the white. She discusses how blacks often are pushed away because there grammar is incorrect or they don’t make sense when they write. However, she shows examples on how the wording may be different or there may be a few mistakes but you can clearly understand and interpret the works. Geneva argues that we need to rid of this strict conformity because not even all whites fit it; she expands on this and discusses how black’s different writing is easier for whites in America to read than actual proper British writing. Geneva argues against the injustice of conformity and argues for the understanding of others and their differences.

Synthesis: I think that these two articles were highly related to each other as they both discussed black culture compared to white culture. They also argued for the acceptance and understanding that discourses are different but that doesn’t mean we can’t use them. Also that just because writing is different between discourses doesn’t eliminate the meaning and purpose which will always remain. They both critique and attack the white culture as it has tried to exclude blacks with its language and forms of writing. They both argue along this that blacks can still join and be a part of this writing while attending their own. Geneva focuses on the aspects of writing itself while Lisa focuses more on joining different discourse in order to act along with them. Both articles fight for open-mindedness and awareness of others and their potential; that it shouldn’t be excluded or faltered but understood.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

1. The fact that Delpit never releases her race doesn’t bother me at all really because it doesn’t affect the message behind the article. I think that by leaving her race anonymous she actually helps her article. This is because now nobody can say she is white and that it is wrong she is speaking for and about black culture for the majority of the paper. Also then if she says she is black people might think she is doing guilt trip in her article or some other nonsense. I think that her racial context does matter in the story and I do think she should be black if she is going to speak for them the way she does however if she is speaking about blacks as a culture I think it is much more acceptable for her to write this piece. I think that the message would change depending on her identity just in the way we view her and how reliable her writing is. The idea sounds racist but if a white person was speaking for a black culture and saying all the things she did I would feel annoyed and a little upset that they think they have the right or the place to do so.

3. I do agree with what Delpit is saying and I think it is very true that we can expand and it is necessary to expand ourselves to other discourse. Also that we must acknowledge other discourse and the ways they conduct themselves such as writing and communicating. I think she makes some valid points discussing how many African Americans that are successful were pushed by teachers or expanded their own knowledge to that of the white culture. I like how she argues we must be able to act not only in our home discourse but in others as well In order to be accepted and more important understood. This makes logical sense as well as reason because if blacks never did expand their discourse to whites as well then we may still have a segregated world today as sad as that is to say. I didn’t see many faults In her argument however I would say some points were very iffy or not well supported. I didn’t like how she pressured teachers and said that the home discourse is different from the school discourse. I felt bad for teachers having this pressure and need to work/apply all these discourses into your teachings and class. The fact is that would be way too hard to do as well as it would be way too hard to focus on students that “don’t want to learn”.

Applying and Exploring:

3. I saw a big generalization when she talked about students that can’t learn or don’t want to learn are the main ones to focus on. I think that she generalized based on her discourse and culture and felt that these students all have high potential but nobody is there to push them. This is unfair to other students who are working hard and attempting to understand and expand their discourse. Also how that fair if is all effort and time is given to these students over the others. I know it’s hard to conceive which is better off or which idea makes sense but the fact that she made it seem like the answer was right there and that she thought teachers had no clue was a terrible and ineffective generalization on her part.

Second Article

Pre Reading: I have judge someone based on how they spoke and I think we all have numerous times in our lives. The fact is we can’t help but do so it is our human nature as we always are comparing and contrasting people to past people, ideas and even concepts we have in our head. I think that when we hear a different form of speech or different word use we attempt to discover the source immediately. I always find myself thinking right away that they are from somewhere I am not. When I think about what elements effect how I view them or think about someone who speaks differently I think about the basics to communication. I think that I immediately begin looking and integrating myself to their speed, length, sound and rhythm.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

2. I think that Smitherman uses BI rhetorically by simply expanding on what it means and using the word over and over. I think that this may seem annoying or like a nuisance to some but it actually is very effective and helps explain the true difference between what she class black and white.

Applying and Exploring:

5. I think that the big difference between these two statements is not the correctness or the meaning behind it but instead the representation it illuminates. The “God don’t never change” is considered by many to be written wrong and not make sense but it actually makes more sense than not. This is a way for Smitherman to show her discourse or anyone to show their discourse as it is purposefully written this way to express the culture behind it. The true difference between these two quotes is not the word choice or the form in which they are placed but instead the culture in the formation. “God don’t never change” is significant and important to this article because it drives her point across that language isn’t all about things being correct or proper but sometimes and often more importantly about what it says or drives home if you will.

Opinion on Articles: I think these articles were very interesting to read and gave me another new perspective to view writing and language. Also it changed my view of discourses and how they work, change and accept or work with outsiders. Also how these outsiders actually can become members and indulge in the other discourse through work and processing in their forms as well as your own. I also developed a new understanding of language and how it is written in that you can’t always look at it directly but from different angles or purposes.

Elizabeth A. Flynn Response

Composing as a Woman and Contextualizing “Composing as a Woman” by Elizabeth A. Flynn

Summary: In her first article Composing as a Woman Elizabeth Flynn introduces the idea that is beginning to grow in discussion. She argues for the concept of women and men developing and growing differently. Flynn also argues how this then in turn changes or affects the ways in which males and females act, react and think about things. Flynn uses other author’s articles to help her discussion on why there is this difference and how we have never noticed it. Flynn as well as others in her article discusses how men have always been the cue and learning example for both males and females to develop and write and so forth. She argues women voices and different experiences than that of men have been oppressed. Flynn argues through examples that women and men think about and take things differently than each other. She also in turn agrees that we do think and conform and so many ways but that we are also so different. Flynn concludes the article arguing for us to embrace the differences in society between men and women and those we remain aware of these differences. Also she argues women embrace their differences and write from the power of these differences and experiences. After this article Flynn talks about it in Contextualizing “Composing as a Woman”. Flynn explains why she put out this information and how it was important to woman at the time. Flynn wanted to express the need to know and embrace the differences in which men and women grow as well as write. Flynn talks about how she doesn’t regret what she says but how she knows in modern time some things differ now like the fact that mothers aren’t always the main parent now. She also expresses that she thinks it is still very important to view the article but that it should be understood for when it was written and that it doesn’t all apply to today’s day and age.

Synthesis: I think that these two articles relate highly as they are written by the same author and discuss the same topic. Although the second article by Fylnn is extremely short they both talk about and discuss the importance of seeing and embracing differences between men and women. They both discuss examples and methods used to finding these differences. Also in the second article Flynn explains why she said certain things and how they were relevant and important back then as well as some are still today. They also relate as they express the importance of knowing we have similarities but that it is possibly more important to know and use the differences we have.

Question for Journaling and Discussion:

2. I think that we should always take in to account when a piece is written in order to understand their point and meaning behind the piece. This is important because it will allow us to better understand where they are coming from and maybe why they said the things they did. Also there will be differences in style of writing as well as vocabulary and it is important to note this and take it into account. Although I say all this I think that a piece that is most valid and important for us to use and keep is one that is timeless. Articles or any piece of work even music can last forever if what behind it and how it is expressed is done so in the best and most righteous manner.

3. I think what Fylnn is saying here is that all of women’s voices and or works ever expressed or attempted to be so had failed. She is arguing that we have never given any credit or notice to women but instead used men for the example of everything. She argues men use to be the experimented and exampled for every piece of understanding from writing to growing up. I think that she is arguing g that this was a way for society to come as one but really it was just hiding and riding of the differences.  Fylnn notes that these differences aren’t a problem they are something we need to use and keep in mind instead of silence. I believe this has the same effect or leads to effects in turn on minorities because If we also look at the past we have never looked at these differences. Men are men and women are women and that is how we have always thought about it. However, different minorities and different people in general have different cultures and voices. This means that everyone grows, develops, experiences and even writes differently. The marginalization has taken away from our opportunity to see and understand the different ways in which people of different cultures develop in life.

5. I think that this claim between the differences of feminine and masculine identification is a very strong one. This arguments hits big points that I would see true in both male as well as female. Also I can even notice and observe some of this in my life as well as the first readings examples in themselves. This argument expresses and explains how we have differences in between the two and what exactly these differences are. These differences due exist and I see them relevant around society however I also see some faults in the argument so I don’t know if what exactly he is saying is true and fitting. This is my best answer but I will say a lot to is his argument is valid and I stand by.

Applying and Exploring:

 4. I think it shows the limitation of research especially. After reading Flynn’s article and thinking about everything that she said I understand her points and they are valid I would think. This may be the case but she even admits before she can confirm anything she would need to conduct a lot of research and observation. Also with this I don’t think it would be easy to get this research or observations done. In saying this I mean that I don’t see what ways or methods in which they would collect and observe the differences between males and females in growth, experiencing and possibly in some ways even writing. I think that her piece isn’t able to stand on its own and it has some flaws but her point makes sense and I can see it in today’s society so I think that for the purpose she wants to reach I would say generalization serves as a benefit. This is because generalization doesn’t allow us to see how much we are alike or how little we differ but instead lets us know that we do in fact differ. Also besides driving her point home better it gives the audience an opportunity to think over and maybe discover the relevance of this in their life or society.

5. How does gender influence how writers use language? Explain. Gender is a big influence or writer’s choice of language. When writing women and men think differently as women tend to want to express every detail as well as involve feelings and emotions. This seems more refrained in male writing depending on the topic but men for the most part write to summarize and entail the key and important parts. Men tend to think and write more for a purpose and less for the fun of it or just saying something. Also men are more masculine then women and tend to use language and vocabulary that is more aggressive and vulgar because men are that way and seem to enjoy writing and expressing themselves freely. Women on the other hand tend to write and use vocabulary that is hidden or metaphorical: writing that makes you think and feel the way they do. I think that gender is a big influence on the ways in which we write and its very importance to establish and embrace this for all that it is.

Opinion on Article: I think that both of these articles were interesting to read. I first felt annoyed because I thought it was going to be just another big argument for women’s rights. I was caught off guard fast as it was less about that and more about how we have been over-looking and neglecting things in our society. I never thought of the differences in develop of writing to have anything to do with gender. I thought this article or the first one by Flynn offered a very strong argument and explanation. Also I think it was interesting to hear what she had to say and then see back up for it with her examples. These articles were easy to read and kept me interested as well. I was very pleased to read this and it helped me to see and hopefully now understand and embrace the differences between male and female writing and experiences.

Victor Villanueva Response

Memoria Is a Friend of Ours: On the Discourses of Color by Victor Villanueva

Summary: In his article Memoria Is a Friend of Ours: On the Discourses of Color, Victor Villanueva intertwines poetry, narratives, and memory to alter traditional conventions memory does not belong. Victor argues that these conventions are too logocentric (reach the Aristotelian ideal of being completely logocentric).  Victor also argues that the personal doesn’t have to ruin or falter the works of academia. Victor argues that they can actually complement the intelligence. Victor also argues for us to know and comprehend the memories that infatuate color. Also he argues for us to know the processes discovered and openings found.  He talks about how memory or “Memoria” use to be one of the biggest and most essential rhetorics. Villanueva attempts to alter the role in which memory plays when dealing with narratives. He argues for people of color, as well as all of us should know and be aware of our own memory narratives and others around us. Also that we should bring this to the classroom to expand and broaden our understanding.

Synthesis: I think that this article is relatable to the article by Peter Elbow title Voice in Writing. This article is all about the different types of voices we all have and how it can be used in an effective way. This is in relation to this article by Victor Villanueva because his is about people of different color and the different experiences and history they have. Victor talks about how this has a role and what they role does to people and their experiences. This is like the effects that different voices you use can have on people. They are both about how these different elements of who you are essentially can effect and change the people and things around you. Also how it can alter how things are perceived or seen by others.

Questions for Journaling and Discussing:

3. I think that this makes the piece more relatable and it also think that it helps the article be more effective because the audience members can see and get an example of the discussion that Victor is trying to bring up to you. This makes the paper start off relevant to the audience and helps them get a solid kick start to the paper.

4.  I don’t think that these poems and passages contribute much to Victors point. They only seemed to confuse me more because it was hard for me to interpret all of them but some I think I understood them or at least their main points. In this article some of the narratives would better explain the topic or victor would use these as an example of the forms that people would have to go through. These were mainly hard to understand but the one’s I could understand helped with my understanding of the color memories and how they affect or play a role and should play a role in our lives.

8. I think that students without color can learn a new perspective or way of looking at students of color and their way of life. This allows students to experience and understand something that they may not be useful. Also they can learn better ways to interact and perform around or with people of color. These students get a chance to grow and maybe look at their past memories or generations that could have a piece of life that they have.

Applying and Exploring:

2. I think that intertextuality can have a role and be effective in the ways in which memoria is present and/or affects us and our role in the realm of color. This concept of intertexuality is important because memoria can be written and transcribe unto items and it is important that we notice this and be well aware. Also we should know that these pieces can affect us and who we are by the message or information it reveals to us. I have not myself experienced any traces of memoria involving color that have affected me. I am Irish and English/European. However, this being the case I think that I have changed the way in which I view my past memorias and generations because of others memoria. The other peoples memoria has left an effect on me and how I choose to think and understand others and there interaction.

Opinion on Article: I think that this article was very confusing as I couldn’t really even make out the point of the whole essay. I also think that it was pointless to have some of the poetry elements that he did as they didn’t seem very relevant to me and they also just left me more confused as I would sit and try to think about the meaning behind it. Also I think that the main purpose was good but the examples and overall article was written and a very ineffective way. I think I learn a little bit about gaining a new perspective and a new way of imaging or using memory to image but it think that the article was a drawn out and confusing way of getting the message across.  

Paul Heilker and Melanie Yergeau Response

Autism and Rhetorics by Paul Heilker and Melanie Yergeau

Summary: In the article Autism and Rhetoric’s Paul Heilker and Melanie Yergeau discuss what exactly autism is in this day and age. Paul and Melanie explain that autism is very hard to understand and little is known about it in regards to science and neurology. Paul and Melanie later go to argue that we fail to see autism for what it is and instead are attempting to label it as a problem. They argue we are trying to see whether it’s a condition, a disease and so forth. That we as neurotypicals as they like to say see autism as a problem and automatically assume that it is not ok. Melanie talks about how her schools Vice President felt the need and right to speak for her and other autistics as though they have empathy for them. Scientist argue that autistics don’t have a keen ability to understand, communicate and have empathy at all times. Melanie argues the opposite saying that neurotypicals themselves do not understand or can feel empathy for autistics. They argue that we need to view autism as a rhetoric or form of otherness. That it is not a disability or disease but more or less should be considered that of rhetoric. They argue that we might better understand, communicate, relate and have empathy between the two different rhetoric’s (neurotypical and autistics) if we see it as a sense of separation. That we all have different cultures, languages, distinctions and ways of thinking. Paul and Melanie say so do autistics and if we can learn to look at it through this lens we can all better understand each other in all aspects. This goes for autistics, neurotypicals and all different forms of rhetoric’s and discourses.

Synthesis:  This article is related to Swales article in the nature of discourse communities and all that goes into them. All three authors discuss the themes and ideas that make up a discourse community. Swales talks about the different elements and culture behind a discourse as well as their own distinctive language. This is also discussed in this article on autism as they talk about how the rhetoric of autism consist of people having their own way of think and acting. They also have a different interpretation of interaction as well as their own language. They talk about how people with autism have their own way of speaking and communicating with other autistics or just themselves.

·         “…we contend that autism itself is a rhetoric, that autism is a way of being in the world through language, through invention, structure, and style (pg.2630).”

o   I think that it is important to listen and grasp this sentence. This Is saying that autism isn’t something we should look at as bad or a problem. That instead it is just part of life and the different people it brings. When you see autism in this way it allows for better understanding because you’re more open to them being another part of society then a problem in society.

·         “We might ask, for instance, which kind of rhetoric- judicial, epideictic, or deliberate- do autistics tend to employ, and what might that mean? Or what are the characteristics troops in autistics’ discourse, and what might that signify (pg.365).”

o   This quote I chose to grab because it is a summary of how you should gage yourself when aiming at autistics. Its important to view and understand a different rhetoric than your own whether it be autistics or not from all angles so as to prevent stereotyping or false imagery. By false imagery I am referring to what this article talks about in the discussion of the school administrator putting down autism and saying it is something we need to get rid of. This idea is important because it prevent wrongful thinking like this and helps us to understand rhetorics all around.

·         “In a flagrant arrogant construction, such scholars suggest that autistics cannot write or read in a rhetorically effective manner because they are empathetically challenged, because they lack empathy for neurotypical readers; yet, neurotypicals can read and write about autism and autistics because their empathy is so fully realized: they understand autistics better than they understand themselves (pg.265-66).”

o   This is important to me because it is something I did without even realizing it. I grew up understanding and learning that autism is a disease if you will and that autistics are hard to in counter and understand. Although this may be the case they might find it hard to follow and understand “neurotypicals” as well. I never thought about autism from a different perspective like this and I think it is important that we all do. This is regarding not just autism but everything in life as we should not be ignorant to our surroundings.

·         “Conceiving of autism as a rhetoric, as a way of being in the world through language, allows us to reconstrue what we have historically seen as language deficits as, instead, language differences (pg.269).”

o   I lastly chose this quote for my dialect because it is a overall summary in essence of what this article attempts to get across to the reader. I also chose it because it is very important and relevant to everyone and everything. This is saying that we should view autism as a problem or disorder but almost as a different culture in our society. Even though autistics need help and can have problems interacting and being a part of society they still are none the less and should be treated as such. We need to see this as an example of viewing things and discourses.

               

Opinion on Article: I thought this was a great article to read. The article was short and very effective getting the point across easily. The article was not intense with vocabulary and flowed very well make it quick and fun. Also the entire topic was very interesting to read about and to gain a new perspective. I feel sorry for the way I thought in the past I never saw it as offensive to see autism as a problem and that we should instead see it as a difference. I like how this Melanie Yergeau argued this it was very cool to see this new style of thinking and to get a chance to hear and understand an autistics perspective. The article relates well to what we have been discussing as well with rhetoric’s and discourse communities. This article helped expand my way of thinking and acknowledging discourses and rhetoric’s and for that big reason I would also say this was a greatly effective and interesting paper.

Intro and Synthesis so far

Kyle A. Loftus

Steven Kapela

English 1510

October 31, 2012

MW3: A Gamers Discourse Community

Imagine a world where war never ends and nobody is safe. This is a world where animated limbs and blood splatters can be found in every square pixel of your screen. Millions die every day in this world but wait it gets better… Everyone receives multiple weapons of choice along with equipment accessories (grenades, flash bangs, knives, scopes, heat sensors, night vision etc.). Not only this but no matter how many times your killed you always come back to life usually in between instantaneously and a matter of fifteen seconds. This world is known across the globe as Modern Warfare 3.  This community has an exponentially large set of members all of which have learned and acquire skills to communicate and understand the languages and lexis. These gamers also have the same set of goals in which they attempt to accomplish through participatory and communicative mechanisms. Modern Warfare 3 is a community with two genres “the game” and “the online game”. Venture Inside this world of gaming to fathom the different genres, the ways in which members are inducted or removed, and to understand the means in which Modern Warfare 3 is a discourse community.

            Modern Warfare 3, the online experience…it is something you may interact through but you cannot act upon without induction. One element needed to be a discourse community according to John Swales in The Concept of Discourse Community is “Discourse communities have changing memberships; individuals enter as apprentices and leave by death or in other less involuntary ways. However, survival of the community depends on reasonable ratio between novices and experts (Swales pg.473).” In order to be inducted into the realm of Modern Warfare 3 you must first purchase the game. Then after purchase you must apply and confirm your account with Xbox live. This allows the discourse to place a threshold on the number of members allowed in. In order to be inducted you must be at least seventeen years of age as well as have a certified payment method. This payment method is key as it is what allows you to interact and communicate with all other members in the discourse community. These requirements are important as they keep out those who don’t have expertise in this gaming field. They also help to keep all the components of the game relevant because all the players have relatively similar gaming intellect.

Modern Warfare 3 involves a shared gaming intellect but more so a shared set of common goals. These goals are all dependent on what you seek out of the community. This is called engagement and alignment, both subjects Elizabeth Wardle discusses in Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces. In this article Wardle says ‘“Engagement entails defining a “common enterprise” that newcomers and old-timers pursue together to develop “interpersonal relationships”…Alignment entails “negotiating perspectives, finding common ground…defining broad visions and aspirations (Wardle pg.524).”’ This means that they all play this game in a common pursuit. Through researching gamers by interacting in the community myself I have developed a list of gamer types. The gamer types are different groups in the overall discourse and are known as competitive players, recreational players, and glitch players. If you don’t know what glitching is, it is a process in which you discover and/or develop issues in an online games coding. This then in turn allows you to do weird and unpredictable things in the game. Regardless to all that, these types of gamers all have a specific goal in mind when they play this game. The competitors strive to be ranked the best in the world, win tournaments or just simply win the game. Recreational gamers tend to play for the fun of the game and opportunity to interact with others online. Lastly, the glitches are also in a sense recreational as they find it fun to find these gaps in the games development. In order to share these goals they have to be able to share information.

This discourse community thrives on what is called Xbox live for without this element the ability to communicate and participate with other members would be nearly impossible. In his article The Concept of Discourse Community John Swales discusses the importance of community members sharing mechanisms of intercommunication and participating. Swales says “A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback (Swales pg.472).”  This communication and participation is extremely important for gamers because it helps them further their specific goals in being a member of the community. As discussed earlier these goals differ depending on the gamer type but they all share the common goals of playing the game and being able to communicate in the process. Although this is true they more specifically use information to increase their skills or get better scores. These are two common goals all members want to reach regardless of gamer type. Also it is through this communication/participation that they can exchange their information for advancement in level of skill and subject rankings. They use two forms of communication among members one of which is messaging. This form isn’t common among many as it is only used when one is without a headset. The other form is live communication through these headsets. They are used by gamers because they allow you to have conversations with your friends, teammates and sometimes even competitors. This communication could not be possible without an understanding of the different lexis and languages.