Greetings
Reader,
English
and the English language has always interested me because of how powerful words
are and their ability to move a reader. As an incoming first time freshman, I
have always enjoyed writing, and creating a blog was a completely new
experience for me. On my blog, you will find my very first college written
essays for my English 115 course.
Rather
than only selecting two essays to share with you, I chose to include all three
because they all represent a different side of me as well as my writing styles.
The first essay, “Perspectives and Personalities of a Primitive Utopian
Society” is significant to me because it is my very first college essay. Our
essay was based on the literature work, Holy
Land by D.J. Waldie. This book was an interesting read because it was a
memoir and followed a different format of writing. It was interesting to note
how much of an impact a writing style can have on a reader and this helped
inspire my essay to be able to hopefully impact the reader as well. I
experienced great anxiety when writing because I was unsure of how my writing
level and capabilities were to be received at the university standard.
Ultimately however, I am proud of the outcome. My second essay, “Identity
Crisis in the space of Conformism” interests me because its primary source
consisted of our fieldwork and our understanding of space. I was able to experience how people’s perspectives and behaviorisms are altered
by the spaces they reside in. This essay encouraged me to develop new
perspectives and views on the world from an objective lens, testing my
abilities to think abstractly. Even though I felt my last essay wasn’t every
strong, I still chose to include it because it is my literacy narrative. The
essay is titled, “Language Access: The Key to Literacy” because of its focus on
how through my experiences volunteering within the Deaf community, I discovered
my love for teaching and how important access to language is to help aid in
developing a strong literacy.
My
future goal is to be an English teacher for the Deaf and I hope that after
reading my essays, you will be able to see and feel my thoughts as well as my
aspirations.
Progression 1
Perspectives and Personalities of a
Primitive Utopian Society
The suburban memoir Holy Land written by D.J. Waldie
outlines the development of California’s first suburban area. The typical
structure and content of a memoir usually consists of the personal life story
of the author from their perspective, but in contrast, Holy Land discusses the historical accounts of Lakewood’s
beginnings. Waldie discusses the founding of the Lakewood area and the roles
people assume when building a new society. However, this concept of living a
utopian lifestyle with perceptions of how a city should look ultimately
prohibits a community from developing on its own. Through the use of facts,
personal observations and the attitudes of the residents, Waldie gives the
audience insight into suburbanization and the affect that a desire for a
utopian society has on the development of cities and personal character.
In the text, Waldie addresses how the
Lakewood area was planned with a focus on the image that the society was trying
to uphold, ultimately leading to decisions being made without a concern for
long-term stability. In the 1950s, many young couples sought out the perfect
house, and when consulting with salesmen, “husbands and wives selected a floor
plan, signed a sales contract, looked at a map of the tract, and accepted the
house they were assigned” (36). These houses were built to please the customer,
and without fail, many new buyers made purchases. The desire for living a
high-class lifestyle outweighed all other conditions that usually are addressed
when purchasing a home, such as the quality of the neighborhood or the schools
in the area. Lakewood was beginning to resemble an established city; however,
structurally the “foundations [of the
houses] are hardly more than a foot deep. It took a bucket excavator only
fifteen minutes to dig each one… The crews poured 2,113 foundations in a
hundred days”(41) thus illustrating the lack of precision and time taken in
building each new household. Many of these houses failed to meet requirements
because of the focus on quantity over quality, which lead to issues concerning
safety. Waldie humorously states how, “houses in Southern California are built
as sketchily as possible, while still able to shed rain. Walls are thin cement
skin over absence. Roofs are important here, but only when it rains. The rest
is for modesty” (42), blatantly stating the faultiness of rapid
suburbanization. From an outward appearance the houses are “modest” yet the
foundations are as unstable as the people residing there. The desire for an image of perfection leads to
a misperception of stability, causing people overlook the building structures,
ultimately rendering the development of the city.
Many city planners were focused on economic
and financial gain, and therefore deemphasized other important aspects, such as
recreational areas, which are crucial to a residential area. With the city so
focused on the amount of houses they could fit per acre, “the city built a park
under the power lines, since no house can be built under the wires. The city
built jogging paths, playgrounds, picnic shelters and restrooms. They planted a
meadow of California wildflowers around the base of one of the transmission
towers”(52). Since the city was in need of recreational space, the convenience of
building parks where housing was not an option was considered economically
beneficial. Waldie also humorously explains how California “wildflowers” are
“planted” around the transmission tower because in a utopian society, nature
and suburbanization hypothetically coexist, but this is not the case. Waldie
acknowledges the parks but reveals the mindset of the city planners who lack
understanding of the park’s purpose. Recreational venues are built to bring a
community together rather than being used for the convenience of the space to
fulfill a need. The majority of the Lakewood area started out as farmland and
progressed into suburban area and when designing the city, developers imported
and strategically placed trees, “because
trees are thought to encourage business growth [and] the state’s redevelopment
law encourages cities to plant trees with borrowed money” (26). This idea of
importing and planting trees for economic benefit became popular, but
ironically the trees were for promoting business growth rather than being
planted out of concern for the air quality of the city. Ironically, Lakewood is
labeled a “Tree City” meaning that the city is commended for “replacing [trees]
that die,” however; “when the city replaces the tree, some of the residents
kill it again”(56). On the surface the facts about the trees of Lakewood
present a positive appearance. The fact that the trees are imported and are
dying possibly is the result of the tress not being able to adapt to the area.
The residents are held responsible for the killing of the trees because they
care more about the image of the area than the trees. The mindsets of the
residents are questionable and by noting their perspective, Waldie forces the
reader to question their intentions.
By examining the topic of beauty, Waldie
addresses how the residents of Lakewood are blinded by the concept a perfect
society thus they disregard all flaws. During his walks home from city hall, Waldie
openly questions, “ What is beautiful here? The calling of a mourning dove, the
others answering from yard to yard. Perhaps this is the only thing beautiful
here” (13). At first glance, the area is beautiful but when given the
opportunity to observe closely, the flaws are revealed. By asking the
rhetorical question, “what is beautiful?”, one can respond with the trees that
were strategically placed, or the houses that have been built in quantity
rather than quality but these are not actually beautiful. The dove symbolizing purity and beauty in this
quote is not singing but is mourning due to a loss of nature that comes with
the suburbanization of these natural areas. Waldie continues with this idea of
beauty and suburbanization by stating: “Every map is a fiction. Every map
offers choices. Its even possible to choose something beautiful”(47). This
metaphorical map addresses how the perception of a city does not always
correlate with reality. In an attempt to create a utopian society, developers
made decisions related to an idealist perspective, but they were not able to
execute it successfully. Although Waldie acknowledges that Lakewood was not a
perfect utopian society in many ways, he still calls it his home.
Many topics noted in the memoir discuss
the appearance of the town, which reveals the high focus on living a utopian
lifestyle. These subjective standards, which many societies have created for themselves,
lead to decisions being made that replace quality with quantity and create a
sense of superficiality. Waldie’s observations reveal the unexpressed concepts
concerning suburbanization and explain the interworking of the city revealing
the mentality behind many of the initial decisions made. For a city to become a
utopia it must be given the opportunity to gradually grow independent of the perspective
of the people and have the ability to fulfill the need of those in search for a
place to call home.
Progression 2
Identity Crisis in the Space of
Conformism
In this world, we are always occupying a
space. As discussed in the textbook Convergences,
whether it is a public, private, or transient space, every space has an atmosphere
that people are well aware of. Once de-familiarized with an area, one discovers
that everywhere we go, there is an outward appearance that is considered to be
socially acceptable; individuals will either choose to conform to the societal
norm, or deny it at the cost of disapproving looks. In every space, these
appearances and behaviors challenge one’s self-identity and have an effect on
our consumerist nature. Stefano Passini analyzes this concept in his scholarly article, “A Binge-Consuming culture: The effect
of Consumerism on Social Interactions in Western Societies”, and addresses how people
sacrifice their identity to be comfortable and thus conform to the expectations
of others. This common occurrence is very pronounced in particular areas such
as Los Angeles, and is noted in the anthology, Another City, edited by David L. Ulin. As seen through my fieldwork
and various literature works, the desire for acceptance in all spaces alters
our behavior and identity leading to conformism and consumerism.
The way people behave in specific spaces
that we occupy changes because of our desire for acceptance. In the short
essay, “Interesting Times” by Judith Lewis, she recounts her day in Los Angeles
stating, “I jog, eat granola for breakfast, guzzle Chardonnay, practice yoga,
and attend premieres. I am a walking cliché. On the other hand, I am not always
sure this character is me” (Lewis 6). Once living in Los Angeles, she changed
her lifestyle to mirror those of the people surrounding her. Moving from
Minnesota, the cultures of these two areas are vastly different and because of
this, Lewis may have felt uncomfortable sticking to her normal Minnesota
routine. The idea of “playing a character in life” to portray a façade is an
issue that the majority of individuals struggle with. In specific spaces, people’s
behaviors shift and many feel as though they must change their attitude or
appearance to be accepted or to feel comfortable. In the case of Brent Staples,
in his personal essay, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders his Power to Alter
Public Spaces”, he recounts living in
Manhattan and how his appearance had a high influence on those around him. In
his situation, many people perceived him as a threat because he was a six foot,
two inches, tall, brute black man. Staples altered his appearance and behavior
to ease those around him by “exchang[ing] business clothes for jeans…[and]
whistl[ing] melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi”(Staples 333). These
characteristics are not necessarily true to his normal behavior or appearance,
but because of the spaces that he occupies, he must either deny the comfortableness
of others as well as his own, or change who he is.
The concept of diversity and
individualism is highly praised in many public spaces however, in reality,
conformity is still an issue in the majority of all spaces, because of the need
to escape the judgment of others. In the short essay, “This Year in Los Angeles”,
David L. Ulin writes about how his family ceased to partake in Jewish
traditions and cultural customs to escape persecution. In attempt to conform to
societies views, he remembers "when [he] was five, [his] parents traded
[their] menorah for a Christmas tree, and from then on, [he] was not taught to
respect [his] traditions, not even to know them, but to shed them like old
skin, after which [he] might walk bravely, nakedly, encumbered into a better
world"(Ulin 260). In many public spaces sometimes our race, ethnicity, or
religious background, hinders us from being comfortable. From his parent’s
perspective, conforming was the only way to succeed, feel comfortable and to
escape persecution in the space they lived. In some circumstances, people
conform to such an extent that when placed back into their private spaces they
cannot escape their own conformity. When Ulin was trying to integrate Jewish traditions,
such as the Seder meal, back into to his family he felt as though, "this
process of re-conciliation is a tricky one, and even now, I don't know what to
think. I'm not the only one; from their places at the table, my parents look be bewildered, while my brother and his wife
seem more than a little uncomfortable, as if they're not sure why they're
here" (Ulin 260).This
is very depressing, given the understanding
that Ulin and his family moved from Manhattan, a city also
known for diversity, to escape persecution. They conformed to society so
devoutly that their own traditions became the place of discomfort, rather than
the society that they initially were conforming to. Just as I experienced at
the OC Night Market, in Costa Mesa, conformity to societal norms is a
commonality seen through the experiences of many culturally oriented
individual. The purpose of the event was to “bring the night markets and
festivals of Asia home” in hope of reuniting many Asian Americans with their
culture. To my dismay, the event was very Americanized and the concepts that
were presented to represent Asia, such as pandas, boba tea and Pokémon, are all
adopted concepts that many people are already hugely familiar with. The purpose
became more to find aspects of Asian culture that Americans could connect with,
rather than exposure to their own culture. This is also a type of conformity
because it caused cultural aspects to be substantially subdued to setup an
atmosphere that is relatively more comfortable for the majority of the people
in attendance. Also, profitability played a huge role when it came to planning
the event because consumerism is what drives our society in many social
environments.
In our society, people are constantly
compromising their identity in attempt to conform to societal norms, ultimately
leading to consumerism. In the article by
Stefano Passini, he addresses the psychological aspect that is involved,
pertaining to people’s everyday decisions. Constantly, “people interact ‘with
and what’ people expect from the world around them,” (Passini 370) meaning people
will purchase clothing and items and behave a certain way primarily because
they feel as though it is expected of them. These mannerisms we see of people
in specific spaces may not necessarily be true to their identity, but it is the
image they choose to portray in that particular space. Passini assesses how our
identity holds significant meaning and “the consumer culture encourages us not
only to buy more, but to seek our identity and fulfillment through what we buy,
to express our individuality through our ‘choices’ of products”(Passini 375). Based
upon this concept, many times people will act on consumption impulses to
receive approval from others when traveling through spaces. For example, if an
individual found themselves in a space consisting of a wealthier population,
that person is likely to buy products that hold connection to upper class
lifestyles to portray an image that would make them more comfortable in that
space. Ultimately, everything traces
back to one’s own perception and the weight that they place on the opinions of
others surrounding them. As mentioned by Passini, our identity is connected to
space and “identity is strongly a relational concept. We cannot realize
ourselves if we do not recognize others, and we cannot respect others if we do
not know ourselves” (Passini 380). People have become so conscious of the
others’ thoughts that individuals are willing to alter their appearances and
behavior to feel in a position of status or a place of belonging. In spaces,
people are constantly in contact with one another and are subconsciously making
judgments and comparisons. Because of this, people regardless of the space,
feel a need to make known their identity for the purpose of internal
fulfillment. However, if people were more conscious of the individuality
present in spaces rather than attempting to conform, it would create a
better-rounded society because we would be able to be more respectful of others.
In any space we find ourselves, we are
aware of our presence and the presence of others. Undoubtedly, the connections that are made within spaces correlate with the attitudes of the people residing
in that space. Ones behavior and respectfulness toward others shift when that individual
feels as though their own comfort in a space may be jeopardized because of race
or ethnicity, thus hurting the atmosphere entirely. Psychologically,
individuals let the mentality of meeting societal standards be the determining
factor when choosing how to portray their identity within a particular space.
This viewpoint can be seen when observing how people interact in spaces, whether
it be witnessing our consumerist nature, or noticing shifts in behavior and
mannerisms. Los Angeles is a city that holds many preconceived perceptions when
it comes to attitudes, identities and concept of space. Because of this, it is
difficult to reshape and define how our own perceptions have been altered due
to our familiarity within this space. Society has created standards that they
themselves cannot meet continually, therefore hindering the majority’s
self-identity in public spaces. However, if everyone came to the understanding
that comfort in all spaces begins within themselves, the way that we interact
within spaces would change drastically.
Progression 3
Language Access: The Key to Literacy
The connection between language, literacy
and education is undoubtedly acknowledged. Since reading and writing are
essential to surviving in our society, without the development of these skills
at a young age leads to many obstacles arising in educational settings. As
discussed in my child development class, at California State University
Northridge, stimulation of the brain is crucial at a young age to help aid in
cognitive development. Many young children, such as myself, received this
stimulation in the form of bedtime stories and frequent conversation, thus
gaining constant exposure to language. However, many deaf children are deprived
of continual communication at a young age, therefore a language delay develops,
ultimately hindering their chances to improve their literacy at the same rate
as their hearing classmates. For the past two years, I volunteered at Venado
Middle School and Taft Elementary’s Deaf Summer School Programs, and was given
the opportunity to work with these children and help aid them with their
reading comprehension, improvement of grammar usage and key concepts of the
English language. My experience working within the Deaf community has caused me
to appreciate my literacy and is the reason that I chose to pursue a career in
the field of Deaf Education.
As a teacher’s assistant, working with
the children at Venado Middle School in Irvine changed my life and the way I
view literacy and education. Rather than just helping pass out, collect and
file papers, I was able to help teach and really interact with the students. In
the program, every year the students were assigned a novel to read. In Ms. Asia’s
class, the focus was reading and writing comprehension and I was excited to
know that the year I volunteered the course novel was the classic, Holes by Louis Sachar. The
students had little notebooks were they were required to copy down the chapter
summary for the day and many times when asked questions immediately after in
regards to the text, they were unable to answer correctly. A couple chapters
into the reading, Ms. Asia and Ms. Kim, the English teacher, called a meeting
because a handful of the students were continually failing the comprehension
quizzes, which were mandatory at the end of the week. Ms. Kim suggested that
rather than allowing the students to complete the test independently, to sign
the question, as well as the answer choices, directly to the students, to see
if it caused an improvement on their test scores. I then tested these handful
of students to try out this new method with them. It was nerve-racking to think
that this theory they were testing depended on my ability to properly sign the questions
and possible answer choices. To my surprise, the test scores of the students
improved drastically just as Ms. Kim hypothesized. How shocking it was to me to
see how merely changing the method of communication had such an impact on their
understanding. At the same time this gave evidence to a more serious issue.
These children were incapable of reading independently and struggled to grasp
the connection between language and literacy. It was just as Helen Keller
discussed in her narrative, she “ did not know she was spelling a word or even
that words existed; [she] was simply making [her] fingers go in monkey-like
imitation” (Keller). When I was in middle school, I remember having to analyze
themes and use critical thinking skills and it baffled me to know and see how
these student who were suppose to be entering and graduating from middle school
lacked basic comprehension skills.
Prior to working with the deaf and hard
of hearing, I took my reading and writing comprehension for granted. When
learning to read and write, my parents were a huge part of my literacy journey.
My mother was a teacher before she decided to become a stay-at-home mom and I
recall constant hours of summertime workbooks to prepare for the upcoming
school year. We would do homework as a family, when I was younger, and Mother would
read the directions and my responses aloud with me to make sure that I fully
understood my assignments and their purpose. Compared to the deaf students I
worked with, they struggled because of language barriers and lack of guidance.
The students when given a handout and asked to read the directions and complete
independently, continuously failed. However, if the directions were explained
to them in sign language individually and there was a conformation of
understanding the task, they could compete it perfectly with minor errors. I
formulated the question then, how can this constant issue be justified? I spoke
with Ms. Kim shortly after about why these issues of literacy were common among
deaf students. She told me that it was because these children were essentially
being required to learn two languages at once. I was informed that the average
deaf adult has a fourth grade reading comprehension level, and unfortunately this
is because they did not receive proper primary education. I began to feel a
sense of frustration that the education I received growing up was considered a
privilege compared to the education that many of these children were being
deprived of. I can remember being apart of the AR reading program in my
elementary classroom and how through this program, students were to focus on
improving their reading comprehension. I had cultivated a love for reading at a
young age and was fascinated with the complexity of stories and their
underlining messages. I took pride in my 8th grade reading level as
a 5th grade student and to think that someone else was not given the
proper assistance and attention needed to learn to read, deeply saddened me.
 |
| Helen Keller Age 7 |
Over the years, I developed an interest
in linguistics, which pushed me to become curious about how language shapes our
education and its effect on literacy. Pronunciation and comprehension of
language are two different concepts and many times people use these terms
interchangeably. Helen Keller’s experience serves as a clear example of how
language is irrelevant without understanding. In her narrative, she was able to
spell the word “doll” paralleling pronunciation but the word held no meaning
until she was able to make the connection that words are symbolic to objects in
the world. This led me to reflect back two years ago when I volunteered in the second
grade deaf elementary classroom. Our focus back then was to expose these
children to as much language vocabulary as possible. I remember having fifty
flashcards of just commonly used words and having the student sign the word on
the flashcard or find the flashcard as I signed the word. Through this activity
we were shaping the connection between the words and the language ultimately
striving to connect language and literacy.
Since American Sign Language is not
English and does not have a written from, these children were being told to
write and understand a second language simultaneously. Many of the students
were very well spoken in sign language, when talking to them; however, they
could not comprehend many grammar concepts at a seventh grade level. A student
that I became close friends with shared that she was the only deaf person in
her family. As expected in this common situation, her family members did not
take the time to learn sign language and they only knew the basics of Deaf
Culture. It made her very happy to see me, a hearing person, taking a moment to
step into her shoes and spend time with her. She thanked me for using my summer
time to help with her education, just as Ann Sullivan did for Helen Keller. It
broke my heart to know that some of these children did not have anyone at home
to converse with and how the majority of them just wanted
to be encouraged and supported. I felt as thoughI had been given insight into her world and it made
 |
| Amy Tan and her mother |
me take a step back and reflect on how people perceive language and literacy. It
is just as Amy Tan discussed in her narrative how many people “believed that
[her mother’s] English, reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is,
because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect” (Tan). Many
times I have witnessed not only with the Deaf but other groups of people such
as African Americans have their intelligence is determined by their literacy. However
literacy is not the definition of intelligence. John Corcoran, a man who was a
relator and teacher for seventeen years, was illiterate and hid it over the
course of his life. He said that it wasn’t until he joined the Adult literacy
program and “had a one on one relationship with somebody who thought and
believed they could teach [him] how to read” (Corcoran). Many deaf children
struggle with literacy and I also believed that it is because they need one on
one experiences and relationships, which is something that school systems
cannot necessarily provide. I wanted to be that one teacher, for these
students, that has an impact on their lives.
 |
| John Corcoran |
When looking back at my experiences,
I came to realize how much of an effect that communication and language has on
developing a strong literacy. My overall experiences with literacy also caused
me to reflect on the meaning of language, the concept of words and writing and
its importance. Without language literacy is impossible and without
communication language is irrelevant. I
appreciate my literacy, and when working with these children, I was able to see
the desire they had to be successful and the love they had towards learning and
receiving an education. I was able to build relationships with these students,
thus inspiring me to use my abilities and talents to help those around me. Everyday
the desire to learn was evident even though the connection between language and
reading comprehension was difficult to understand. They ignited a passion in
me, which inspired me to do all that I can to help promote and improve Deaf Education
and Deaf Literacy.
Works Cited
Corcoran, John. "John Corcoran
Illiterate Life Story." YouTube. YouTube, 3 Sept. 2008. Web. 20
Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaGuMqs9E4M>.
Keller, Helen. "The Story of My
Life." Helen Keller. American Foundation for the Blind, Web. 17
Nov. 2014.
Lewis, Judith. “Interesting Times.” Another City: Writing from Los Angeles.
Ed. David L. Ulin. San Francisco: City Lights, 2001. 5-10. Print.
Passini, Stefano. "A binge-consuming
culture: The effect of consumerism on social interactions in western
societies." Culture & Psychology 19.3 (2013): 369-390. Web.
Staples, Brent. “Just Walk on By: A Black
Man Ponders his Power to Alter Public Space.” Convergences. 3rd ed.
Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 331-334.Print.
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Literacy Narrative, Essay. PDF file
Ulin, David. “This Year in Los Angeles.” Another City: Writing from Los Angeles.
Ed. David L. Ulin. San Francisco: City Lights, 2001. 259-262. Print.
Waldie, D.J. Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir. New York: Norton, 1996, 2005. Print
