Gilyard-Race Theory

In this examination of racism in the American culture I have never heard such a true portray of this long debated diverse-multi-cultural world and how it has come to be. This article starts off with a story of a student at Columbus University who is going to school, working hard, and gathering worldly knowledge. Makil is an African-American student whose professor challenges him to improve his composition skills. Throughout the essay many racial issues concerning rhetoric and discourse are addressed. Makil eventually turns in a paper of good quality and his professor questions whether it was a valid essay because of his race.The Article shifts views into how this story plays into what “race” is. Why does it have to be something brought up? Isn’t that what racism is in the first place? There can definitely be counter-racism too. This professor was trying to push the stereotypes further by trying to make the situation, a situation. The first mistake we make is by even laying out the framework through our head that White people are like this, Orientals are like that, and Latinos are this too. That is the underlying issue here. It’s just We, People are like that. We all are one, but through the media, through history and through our social lives we have become completely Racialized. I liked this article a lot. It has shined a new light on an old thought in my head. We never really take the time to step back to see that we are the ones who perpetuate “racism” ourselves by being prideful and proud of our heritage or false heritage. We all have the same heritage; we are all the same culture, just different ideas.

Lunsford-Feminism and Textual Ownership

This essay really caught my interest. It had never occurred to me that textual ownership or author's rights could be such an issue in the writing world today. I also did not look at copyrighting as something in terms of branding or creating an original piece of work. I had always associated the term copyright with writing. I believe that an author should be able to receive credit for their work without going through the corporate ladder. I agree with websites and blogs that allow writers to express themselves and enable others to view their work. While some writing is better than others, it is at the readers discretion to enjoy it or not. Publishing and claiming legal copyrights have become such a prolonged process that many writers are starting to question whether textual ownership is losing its power. Lunsford brings up several points as to why this is such a problem today. One point I agree with is that the shift in values of society has been the underlying reason. Everything today is corporate and if not they will soon be bought out by a corporation. It is hard to have anything original or organic and writing will soon be all corporate. Hopefully the internet can survive this change and help author's get their work out if they want to.

Heath- Dilemmas of Identity

The essay Work, Class, and Categories: Dilemmas of Identity written by Shirley Brice Heath explores the role different identities play in writing. Heath addresses the dilemmas of identity by forming a narrative that deals with different problems. The scene takes place in an urban area on the third floor of an abandoned school. Here, a group of kids from all different backgrounds are free to express different forms of art such as writing, dance, and even music. Throughout the essay, Heath looks at how each is affected differently based on their class, work ethic, or social background. Each kid was somehow shaped by the community around them.

I personally did not agree with this essay. While I do think that where a person comes from or what ethnicity, religion, or even social class you belong to does have a impact on writing, I feel the writer's beliefs are really what shows. A writer evolves their own identity throughout their life and who is to really say if we have just one identity. I have read many different pieces of literature from the same author in which each new piece they write they reinvent themselves. I don't think that any one person has just one identity but a combination of identities.

Royster-Voice

In her essay, When the First Voice You Hear is Not Your Own, Jacqueline Jones Royster examines the different voices any one person can have in rhetoric. Royster discusses a situation in which she was viewed as an African-American woman in her writing. Readers agreed that when she wrote like this she was using her "authentic voice." Royster was frustrated by this accusation because she felt that she had many voices and not just one authentic voice. I have had similar situations occur to me throughout my life. I have felt that my voice has been lost in the world at some point. One instance took place when I was a sophomore in high school. I began working at a Mexican restaurant as a hostess. I was the only "white girl" working at the hostess stand amongst Spanish girls. The Spanish girls would always speak in spanish which made me feel left out. I felt the need to adapt to my environment and learn Spanish in order to fit in with these girls. Although my voice had not been heard in my surrounding environment, I overcame the situation and adapted to my environment. Royster makes an excellent point that a person can have several different voices.

Berlin- Rhetoric and Ideology

In this essay, James Berlin discusses how ideology impacts rhetoric. Berlin divides the essay into three sections which represent the different forms of rhetoric. These forms include Cognitive rhetoric, Expressionistic rhetoric, and Social-Epistemic rhetoric. Each form of rhetoric is affected differently by ideology. The first form known as cognitive rhetoric. Cognitive rhetoric is a thinking process that has the end goal in mind always. It is a form of problem solving in which the writer is mainly concerned with recognizing the problem and finding a solution. Expressionistic rhetoric takes a different approach. This form of rhetoric is based on the author's experience. It is a sensory experience about what is real or what exists to the author. The rhetoric is the author's own personal genius. The power of this rhetoric is located in the author, text, and writing process. Social- Epistemic rhetoric is in a category on its own. This form of rhetoric exists through the individual's cognitive. Social-Epistemic focuses on the social community and how individuals are affected by the material world around them. The end goal/solution is only possible through a specific social group. Berlin explores these different forms of rhetoric to see how a writer/reader is affected by ideology.