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.