Author: Diamond Ambrose

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SElf ASSESSMENT Essay

Abstract: This is a reflection of my writing during this semester; this will incorporate journal posts as well ass comments from my teacher and classmates. This will evaluate if I have truly understood the learning objectives for English 21000.

Who am I?

To whom do I owe the pleasure of writing? This question is something I constantly ask myself throughout my writing. My audience is one of the most important features I include in my writing. How can I start any paper assignment without them in mind! I have developed as a more mature writer this semester when I consider them. I choose to explore topics that have been constantly battled about in mainstream media in order to inform my intended audience on discrimination and geneticaly modifed foods. This was shown through on my opinion edited piece, Language and the visual analysis of Language  as well as my conference paper of Is genetically modified food safe for Consumption?  Through these papers I was able to further develop my skills with  writing.

Prior to taking this course I looked up to Aristotle, he was my prime example of how to be a good writer in high school. He was able to use language that effectively communicated with his audience. When I attempted to employ his tactics and dialect many of my papers were cited for being too complicated and uneasy to understand. This was because Aristotle used language that was good for his audience in 335 B.C. My work needed to be for my audience in the twenty-first century. I was forced to find new writers that I could be inspired from. This led to a big step in coming out from my bad habits as a writer.

Using Aristotle as the benchmark for bad writing I was able to see the difference between good and bad writing. One thing that has tweaked my writing is other writers. To them writing is their way to convey a message. When writers convey their message they have their own unique style to create a theory of writing. Their style of writing usually expresses their opinion and clearly states the argument, just like Aristotle. My older writing lacked those qualities and could sometimes be confusing. In order to improve this I made sure to look for authors that used sophisticated language that effectively expressed their message. The resources used for my opinion edited essay, Op-Ed, included the detailed dialect of June Jordan. She  inspired me to create an informal tone with my audience inorder to grab their attention using pathos and then later informing them with logos and ethos.

Since taking this course my style of writing has changed. Even though I still view writing as a daunting task I believe I have gotten better. What truly advanced my writing was being able to observe how other writers view writing. Reading the examples and discussing in the class discussions gave me insight on how to improve my drafts. Anne Lamott’s use of Shitty first Drafts taught me a better way to tackle my first drafts when assigned our prompt. One of the most notable things I wrote down in my journal on Blackboard was Lammots suggestion of writing like a child. “A child doesn’t care about who their audience is until they become older and more self conscious. Creating my first draft with this in mind I believe that I will be more comfortable. And when I have all my thoughts down I will take it and mature it so it’s better for my audience of scholars, scientists, my fellow students or for a group of parents.” This initial prompt to the Journal discussions made it easier to start my writing processes. With the connection of Brenda Ueland I was able to effectively start my essays and move on to the next part of reviewing.

Using the course objectives was an important factor when revising my drafts. One of the most important products to a good essay was using resources to prove my claims and validate my points. I can not possibly express the importance of having resources in the writing .One of the objects that was truly put into practice was objective eight. Using various library resources, such as jstor, made it easier for me to credit and show reputable writers for my essay Is Genetically Modified Food Safe for Consumption? I used sources from a web based Plos One to credit information from  Xin-Gao Chen in my essay about genetically modified foods.  I was able to get reliable information from a primary source which strongly validated my support in genetically modified foods.

Another accomplishment that I was able to break through was learning objective five; collaborating in the social aspects of writing gave me good feedback on my essays. For the first draft of the Op-ed draft Momtaz Ahmed, Eduard Valdez and Noelia Alonzo Guzman all commented that my draft “I Kept me [them] intrigued and wanted to read more.” This is one of the most helpful feedback informations because it shows that I was able to model my essay like Jordan as well as keep my audience interested about the topics.

One of my biggest challenges was coming up with an interesting thesis that would form my stance, objective seven. I was able to develop my stance through the feedback I received from Professor Skelly. She was able to  give me critical feedback that helped solidify my comment with my Proposal for Genetically Modified Foods.  “I would suggest organizing your thoughts a little more around which main points you want to focus on – from what I can tell, it seems like you plan to talk about the health impact, environmental impact, and impact on global food availability.” When she labeled the varying  topics into three concrete categories, health impact, environmental impact, and impact on global food I was able to create a better argument.

Another issue I faced in previous writing was only using quotes to explain the author’s point of view. In my writing in high school my teacher would always ask me to expand on my ideas but I never really could understand what he meant. The Conference essay prompt was one of the helpful essays that helped me develop my own voice to speak to my audience. I used to over quote my authors and now I am able to paraphrase what they say and expand their ideas. In the essay Is Genetically modified foods safe for consumption? I discuss the benefits of genetically modified foods as well as some of the potential risks. This is an example of my paraphrasing.“Kouser mentions that since tomatoes are resistant to freezing temperatures they are able to withstand freezing weather so people in colder climates can grow tomatoes in their countries rather than import them.” Paraphrasing is a skill I mastered in this class solely because I understand that the Conference paper is meant to be read outloud to a huge group of people.Therefore, I knew I could not regurgitate all the information to an unexpecting audAssience. 

Overall, I feel like I have evolved into a better writer but I still feel as if there is room for improvement. This class has provided a secure foundation for me in writing and the tools learned from the inquiry essay and sourced based essay truly made an impact on my writing. In the future I hope that my theory of writing will be able to develop in my time in college. In the future I know I will be exposed to other theories of writing and they too will have an impact on my writing. 

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Geneticaly Modifed Food

Abstract: In this essay I will be evaluating if genetically Modified foods are safe for consumption. Using 6 different authors nd rhetorical analysis I also seek to prove that faulty resources can say ones options on the topic. This is meant to serve as a logical argument among the masses, the goal for this paper is to match the intended audience; the everyday consumer.

Everyone eats– and within recent years consumers are starting to care more about what goes into their bodies. Food is essential for the body and everyone needs to have it but the imbalance of supply and demand has created food insecurity within large communities. Food is going under constant changes in order to establish equilibrium between consumers and crop raising.

One popular solution has been using genetically modified foods.  Food that is genetically altered is derived from genetically modified organisms such as plants, animals, microorganisms and other organisms whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering to make it resistant to change. Genetically modified foods have become one of the top methods to preserve food against pests, diseases and other environmental conditions. Despite the many benefits that modified food has over naturally grown food some believe genetically modified food can cause genetic mutation that impose on crops. On the other hand, others believe the engineered food can permanently change desolate areas where vegetation could not previously grow. 

After hearing disputes in support of and against genetically modified foods many people have formed misconceptions and are unsure on which side to support. This topic has been argued on several platforms ranging from websites, magazines, newspapers, and even from reputable sources. Although genetically modified foods have been used in various products, new methods to accelerate food growth have raised questions from concerned consumers. In this essay, I will dive into reputable and non reputable sources and exploit the many misconceptions surrounding genetic modification through the use of rhetorical analysis.  

It has been said that food may be essential as fuel for the body, but good food is fuel for the soul. But what exactly is “good” food, is it the good healthy vegetables like broccoli, peas and carrots or is it the good tasty food like ice cream, cookies, and cakes? And does genetically modified food make the cut in this category of “good” food? In order to answer this question I scoured the internet, one author captured my interests.  Jennifer Ackerman, renowned writer, employs National Geographic to share her article Food: How altered? In which she claims that genetic food is good food thus safe for consumption. 

Ackerman defends her claim by stating the statistics of already genetically modified food whilst incorporating the research from other scientists. Her article serves to inform the everyday audience about genetically modified food inorder to disarm the raging consumers. Ackerman gives a factual statement with a semi formal tone to assist the general public with the knowledge of genetically modified food. One way writers sway the public’s interpretations of genetically modified foods is through adjectives and their connotations. Ackerman uses vocabulary like, “envisions, engineered, and spawned” to familiarize the audience with common vocabulary so she can better explain difficult concepts about the GMO industry. This ensures her message comes across clear and precise. The audience can then allude that Ackerman is aware that not everyone is educated on the new developments in food science and terms and thus uses this vocabulary so all audiences can understand Ackerman’s message. Ackerman’s communication with the audience relied on using simple words so that anyone can understand despite their age or familiarity with the topic

Along with her use of simple vocabulary it gives the reader the idea that genetically modified foods are creating something new that can shake up the agriculture world for the better. Which heavily contracts with blogger Deniza Gertsberg. Who uses the website The Non-GMO Project to share her article “6 Reasons to Avoid GMOs.” which ridicules the existence of genetically modified organisms in our food claiming that the ingestion is unnatural and insidious. Gertsberg supports her opinion by utilizing, now retracted, statistics from non reputable research. Her purpose is to make the readers aware of what they are putting in their bodies in order to have any potential support for genetically modified food diminished. In her post she rages that it was “disturbing we are forced to write ”wholesome” messages about the alleged benefits of GM.” The words “disturbingly” and “alleged” were meant to convey an unsettling feeling in the audience. Clearly, Gertsberg does not agree with how the public were told that GMO foods were let into the market until after it had been circulated into the stores years before. Although her vision is to advise and inform the people about genetically modified food, her form of media as well as the words she employs makes it seem like the article is more of a persuasive piece rather than an informative article. From the title alone, 6 Reasons to Avoid GMOs, one can observe that Gertsberg is going to constantly refute genetically modified food and brings up her belief on why it should not be used.

 Gertsberg has an informal and somewhat critical tone when addressing the audience which gives off an impression of a rant more than a scientific explanation. She argues that “GMOs may also have the potential to further lower the effectiveness of antibiotics in the population. Superbugs anyone?”: Gertsberg highlights the potential negative effects of GMOs and uses a sarcastic tone to mention that like pests genetically modified food can also gain resistance to antibiotics. Which further supports the idea that  Gertsberg’s purpose is to persuade readers not to inform. In contrast to Ackerman whose tone is written formally but while also using casual words to be easy to follow. For example, “The aim was to create a more nutritious soybean for use in animal feed.” After reading this sentence one could easily see Ackerman is saying scientists wanted to create better soybeans for animal feeders. Her stance remains to be neutral because she does not state which side she belongs on but her information and resources highlight the positives of the recent developments in genetically modified foods. All in all, based on Getsbergs tone and purpose it becomes clear that her stance is to spread misinformation when informing others about GMOs. 

 Xin Chen graduate from the College of Veterinary Medicine, located at the Northwest A&F University, utilizes the website Journals Review to share his article “Effects of Genetically Modified Milk Containing Human Beta-Defensin-3 on Gastrointestinal Health of Mice.” Chen argues whether the effects of genetically modified milk can affect the digestion system of mice. His believed abstraction is founded upon his research in the article in which he describes the absorption tract of mice through the use of  charts and graphs.  Chen’s main purpose for publishing this piece is to have readers armed with evidence in order to make their own inquiry on genetically modified food. Although Chen’s purpose is to spread information on the effects of genetically modified milks his audience is not intended for the everyday Joe, it is for other researchers and curious consumers such as myself who already have someone with an understanding of the tests and language. Clearly, Chen’s audience mostly consists of distinguished scientists interested in genetically modified food as is evident through his incorporation of a tricine SDS page and electrophoretogram; he addresses the reader with a tone that is  formal and factual.

For the most part of his research Chen employs a formal tone when addressing his audience. When opening up with his abstract there is not a friendly greeting or a call for attention like in Getsberg’s piece but simply a bland statement of what the research is observing. Chen begins by stating, “The research was meant to test the effects of GM milk on mice for a 90 day peroid.” while Getsberg opens by stating,“Disturbingly, while we are force-fed “wholesome” messages about the alleged benefits of GM foods.” When Comparing the tones of Chen and Getsberg, Getsberg possesses her disapproval of GM foods to the audience while Chen neither confounds or contradicts the usage of GM foods in his initial statements. Since Chen does not provide a bias statement in his abstract it can make it difficult to determine his stance but throughout his research he shows graphs and tables that illustrate the positive relationship between mice and GM milk. Chen even states that,“There is no evidence that the GM animals or products have harmful effects on human or animal health.”  Chen does not state explicitly his belief but based on his conclusion his stance proves to favor GM Foods. 

There is a section in his study where he provides a simulation of how a human stomach would react if it were to try to process the proteins inside the genetically modified milk. He uses an electrophoresis which is a type of graph to illustrate this idea. The milk contained proteins and the proteins were labeled as human beta-defensin 3 or hbd3 for short. Pepsin is the acidic fluid found in our stomachs and helps break down the proteins found in our food. The marker was used to indicate the genes inside the hbd3 strands that would soon be broken down and digested by pepsin. At  0 mins there is a prominent black line in section B which shows that the proteins inside the milk were not able to be broken down by the pepsin but at 1 min and so on there is no black line which means that the proteins inside the milk can be broken down by the pepsin. Overall, this test shows that our stomachs are able to digest genetically modified foods without a single threat or problem.

Problem solved, right? Well not in its entirety, people are able to eat  genetically modified food but there are still some worries about its impact on other wildlife. One doubt that was expressed in Gertsber’s blog is the possible creation of superbugs. Superbug is a term used to describe a special type of bacteria that has been groomed to be immune to insect-resistant crops. The great fear of superbugs is logical since it can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and skin infections. However, corporations such as Monsanto have seen the concerns and strived to avoid the spread of superbugs. Monsanto created crops using bt, bacillus thuringiensis, proteins. The bt proteins are inserted into crops the proteins will only fight specific pests such as the European corn borer and rootworm (Gaskell). Companies working in the genetically modified food business have set numerous rules and regulations in order to evade the expansion of supper bugs. It is clear that many “health experts” cautioned against the engineered foods without even truly understanding its limits.

Nevertheless, genetically modified foods have made meaningful impacts. According to Francis Dizon genetically modified corn is one of the most grown products. Scientists have modified corn in order to feed it to livestock and now corn can grow larger in a shorter period. Potato plants have been produced and tested successfully and deliver a pharmaceutical immunization against cholera. While strawberries and tomatoes are injected with fish genes to protect the fruit from freezing. Tomatoes last longer, so that they can tolerate longer periods of transportation. Dizon goes into detail about all the genetic foods that have been created as well as their components. 

Shahzad Kouser elaborates how these genetically engineered foods have helped the people through the inserted genes.  Kouser mentions that since tomatoes are resistant to freezing temperatures they are able to withstand freezing weather so people in colder climates can grow tomatoes in their countries rather than import them. Genetically modified foods are also able to grow in areas with poor soil and they’re also able to withstand droughts and floods. By having the ability to plant food in places that previously could not support crops, farmers are able to provide more food. Places like Africa, which have poor and dry soil, are able to sustain and produce more crops which in turn, help hunger in poverty-stricken areas. Kouser states that food security for homes with less food have seen a dramatic increase within the years. Households in India have been able to accomplish their overcoming in food. An example of this is the GM crop used by farmers in developing countries. Half of the global GM crop area is located in developing countries, but much of it is in farms.

All in all, genetically modified foods have an array of benefits in the agriculture world. Their employment in the field can help many people in poverty stricken areas as well as those who farm the food. However, with the food being relatively new there can be unseen dangers with genetically altering our food but as far as we know genetically modified foods are safe for consumption.

WORKS CITED

Ackerman, Jennifer. “Altered Food, GMOs, Genetically Modified Food – National Geographic.”      

            Altered Food, GMOs,  Genetically Modified Food – National Geographic, 28 Sept. 2016,    

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/food-how-altered/.

Brody, Jane E. “Are G.M.O. Foods Safe?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Apr.

 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html.

 Chen, Xin Gao, and Yong Gao Zhang “Effects of Genetically Modified Milk Containing Human 

   Beta-Defensin-3 on Gastrointestinal Health of Mice.” Yange Gao Yang. 

Ming-Qing Gao Zhaopeng Shi, PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 20 

July 2016, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159700

Dizon, Francis, et al. “Genetically Modified (GM) Foods and Ethical Eating.” Wiley Online 

Library, 28 Dec. 2015, 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1750-3841.13191.

Gaskell, George, “GM Foods and the Misperception of Risk Perception.” Wiley Online 

Library, 18 Feb. 2004, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00421.x.

Gertsberg, Deniza. “6 Reasons To Avoid GMOs” The Non-GMO Project, 29 Sept. 2010,  

https://www.nongmoproject.org/blog/6-reasons-to-avoid-gmos/.

Kouser, Shahzad. “Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security.” PLOS ONE, Public Library   

of Science, 5 June 2013, 

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0064879.

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Visual Essay

Absratct: This is the visual representation that I choose believing it would help put more information about Language and Accent Discrimination. For more information please refer to the Post Language. This is a medium is through video and can only be viewed through this link.


Original Transcript 

We all know about racial profiling, but do we all undesatnd language profiling?

You see flyers in our community and sometimes in school giving lessons to remove your accent. 

So you could remove what makes you, You 

In “melting pot” American

Accent discrimination is not just with bi- angual people either 

It is even with native speakers, 

For example a New york Accent and  Southern accent 

People form misconceptions on both accents, the twang in the southern accents associates people with illteralcy and people with a new york accent being associated with rowdy tailgaters 

 But both  of these are Stereotypes

So,  Who do we sound like? 

A native speaker?

But what is the sound of a native american speaker?

Accent discrimination does more harm than good

Classification of your worth as a human being has been reduced to your

Background; race, geography and class means to be stereotyped

You have witnessed this or have experienced this in your life 

Everyone has an accent 

<For my friends who code switch and those who are  bi langual they have constantly been undermined in school and at home where the “proper” pronunciations and use of language have been imposed on them under the guise of blending in>

<Today, the worth of a human being has been reduced to background, race and geography.  The ancient class system have allowed us to be stereotypes for too long.>

Let’s do better 

Reflection

Language discrimation has become something more demanding in recent years. It goes beyond a simple joke when everyone uses it as their punchline. To associate one’s educational background and concept of information with their dialect and choice of words is one of the most unbefitting ways people are weighted in the world. To fit in with everyone else, means you need to speak the same language the same way, to dress the same way, to remove the culture that  makes you, you. It is one thing to use appropriate speech, no profanity or sexual remarks, but if you have to change how you say and arrange your words for an office job, a job interview and even at school you are self censoring yourself in order to fit in. 

This reason why I chose this topic is because of a discussion I had with my previous english class in my 2020 semester about their previous language experiences. I only speak one language but I didn’t realise how much my language has changed inorder to blend in with everyone else in New York since I mostly grew up in North Carolina and had a southern accent. When I heard from my other classmates who came from a bi langual family home I was shocked that some of them weren’t even taught spanish because their parents didn’t want them to face the same language discrimation they once had when they first came to the New country.

I choose my genre inorder to reach the modern audience since most people use the internet to share and create opioids and ideas. My intended audience influenced me to strive for something simplistic that would catch their ideas. I didn’t include personal pictures of people because I don’t want them to associate language with a particular race or group of people. I want them to be able to point it out in their own personal friend groups and at their social gatherings and work settings. I attempt to draw my audience’s emotions from paphos using music, the type of music typically associated with a sad story or negative feeling  that evokes a sense of change in the story. I don’t want my views to associate the topic of language discrimination  with a

happy idea or thought but rather associate it with their bad experiences inorder for them to relate to or even have a beter understand of the perspective I am trying to display. Similarly to when you listen to a break up song and you start to reminisce about your first disappointing relationship. 

Formulating this project was a lot easier than a traditional essay because I get to use minimal words and I get to explain my issue in a more pleasurable way. The amount of work is less when it comes to typing but, getting all the footage together and taking pictures using my camera and drone took a lot of work to bring together. 

https://youtu.be/cE2xmvfvA3E
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Languagev (OP-ED)

Abstract: In this essay I will be introduce writes June Jordan, Amy Tan as well as myself to speak about their experiences with accent and language discrimination. This will also incorporate a rhetorical analysis of how they choose to approach their audience. These hardships are not easy to overcome in our life times but acknowledging them prevents ignorance.

I have been studying the concept of English over the past few weeks and everything appeared to be about basic syntax and diction. But, it wasn’t until I read articles from different authors from different backgrounds that I discovered syntax and diction alone do not make up language, but along with these principles comes dialect, style and most importantly culture. There are, to my surprise, many different ways to speak english with those three variable involved but, my favorite method was explored through reading June Jordans’s “Nobody Mean More to Me Than You And the Future Life of Willie Jordan.”  Amy Tan’s “Mother tongue” and the connection to my personal story that I can see the effects of language discrimination. These sets of people have explored how different standards of english have affected their lives.

To say it simply, Jordan’s audience is not just for people of color.  Her piece is intended to stick out from others’ instruction of the english language. One of the most captivating ways Jordan draws in her audience is through pathos. Jordan recalls a conversation with her students about the book The Color Purple inorder to provide insight of how African American students reacted to Black English. When Jordan posed a question inquiring about the students comprehension and favorability on the book there was a long pause before one of the students said,“Why does she have them talk so funny. It doesn’t sound right.” If you have ever read or watched the color purple more than once you are probably accustomed to the style of the dialog which is slang. But for the students who are reading it for the first time they can not truly grasp the situation unfolding in the book. Jordan’s purpose when implementing this quote is to have leaders somewhat shocked. This is because the student themself spoke the same english like the main character and to hear them call their own language “funny” leaves a disheartening effect on readers, which really connects with the rhetorical device pathos. With this idea in mind, one can see that only fostering the typical American language can take away from one’s own identity. 

Jordan is very conscious of her word choice and uses it as a way for her audience to see that Black English is needed. Jordans argument stems around supporting Black English but in order to convey her ideas her word choice needs to be displayed sophisticatedly. And she does this when calling out the injustices she’s noticed when it comes to the White standard for English and the Black standard for English. When Jordan says, “White standards of English persist, supreme and unquestioned” this makes it evident that people have only chosen to acknowledge white language thus making it appear to be the only correct way to speak English. Her word choice sculpted the way I perceived Black English. Rather than just a dialect of English I now view it as a blend of  language, culture and identity. 

One of the most common problems immigrants face when coming to the United States is a language barrier. For some it will be learning the language of a typical American person but for most it will be having to have others learn their style of english. The next variation of english I will be speaking about will be Chinese English. Amy Tan, writer and child of immigrated parents, reflects on her experiences with her mothers english while growing up. Tan writes this personal essay in an informal manner. Despite her English college degree and credentials as a best selling author opens the piece assuring the reader that she is not a scholar in English but simply a writer who loves the language. She uses this narrative to ease the reader into her essay and aims to manifest relatability between herself and all the readers. 

  As an immigrant child, Tan examines the various forms of English she uses and how they change depending on her environment. She realized her switch in Englishes during one of her book talks where she used perfect English. She had said, “The intersection of memory upon imagination,”  which she realized differed from her other English. She uses a more comfortable form of English around her family where she uses phrases like “Not waste money that way”. By addressing this circumstance, she is highlighting the effect her native language has had on the English that she speaks around her family. This scenario is common within a lot of immigrant children. They switch between the English that they speak with their family which is influenced by their native languages and the standard English they use to speak in public places. 

Tan’s mother utilizes english that is different from your typical american literature book but it is nonetheless english.  Throughout her childhood, Tan had to assist her mom in public places with her English skills. She had to pretend to be her mom on phone calls so that her mother receives the services she needs. Tan includes one instance where her mother visited the hospital to retrieve her CAT scan. The hospital claimed to have lost her CAT scan and informed her to make another appointment. They simply dismissed her despite her concerns that she had lost her husband and son due to brain tumors. The author uses pathos here and gives the reader a real life personal example to illustrate the mistreatment her mother received because she does not use “standard” English the nurses are equipped with. In the long run the report made to the mother in the hospital was a mistake, but the hospital still did not apologize because of the mother’s English, even though the mother had tried her best to speak English well. They refused to hear her out until the hospital made a call to Tan. “And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English-lo and behold-we had assurances the CAT scan would be found.” The writer explained her mother’s issue in “perfect” English and then they immediately addressed the issue and apologized to her mother. This respect was not something Tan’s mother was afforded with her “broken” English.  When Tan used the most standard English to communicate with the hospital the hospital apologized to Ms. Tan. This real example captures the reader’s heart and proves that accent and language discrimination have an imapct on social lives of people.. The readers of “mother tongue” mostly face immigrants from foreign countries. Most of them have the same life experience. The unfair treatment because of the non-standard English is most resonant. The author uses pathos in rhetorical strategies to arouse readers’ sympathy and remind readers of themselves. The argument was made that people who do not speak standard English should also be treated with respect and fairness. And once again emphasized that even if English is a second language, people can speak standard and fluently. 

One problem I faced growing up was people misjudging me because of the way I talked. I originally grew up in the Southern state of North Carolina so I naturally developed a southern accent and would often speak a mile within a minute. So when I moved to New York and went to my first Catholic school at the age of ten many of the students and teachers couldn’t understand what I was saying. Actually, they could understand bits and pieces but they would mimic my vocabulary. So I was placed in, what it was called at the time, the special education classroom. Where it was prominent that many of the students did not have a learning disability but a behavior issue. We were labeled less than when we were compared to the “gifted class” of 5-301. Because of this “disability” I was never able to learn at the proper rate a child in elementary school would have. However, it wasn’t until I started to lose my accent in the seventh grade that I was able to be taken out of these special education classrooms. My version of English had nothing to do with my learning capability. It is one thing for me to be placed into that class because of the learning scale between northern and southern schools, it is another to only judge me based on my accent. 

In conclusion, accent and language discrimintion go hand in hand in contributing to the constant battling in the social and economic worlds. Jordan, Tan and myself included have seen the consequences of only being taught that Standard English is the only correct way for American speakers to intectat. Including these views will only hurt the prosperity of people. For a country that claims to be a melting pot it is highly ironic that certain jobs can only be attainable by the sound of your voice.