identity

Kayla Leone

September 10, 2014

Professor Young

ENGW 1100

Essay 1

            Identity is defined as the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group. While reading “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzadula and “Black Power” by James McBride, I thought a lot about what identity was and what it meant to me. From something as straight forward as your social security number, to what kind of clothes you wear, identity is distinguished in many different ways. Identity is one of the most important aspects in life, and helps us figure out who we really are. To me, cheerleading is a huge part of my identity.

            In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Anzadula talks a lot about language being part of her identity. As this is true for all of us, cheerleading has it’s own language.  Language can be anything from English or Spanish, to slang or hip. If someone were to go up to you and yell, “hit a scorp lip double down”, chances are you would be confused. To me, this makes perfect sense. Cheerleading has a type of language that only other cheerleaders can understand. This is one reason why cheerleading is something that identifies me.

            In “Black Power” McBride reflected back on many scenarios that involved his mom being teased for being white. His mother showed dignity when she ignored the comments and went on with her life. Dignity can be defined as the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect. Dignity also plays a part in a person’s identity. With personal experience of being a cheerleader all of my life, I can honestly say that there are rude people out there who will say anything to make you feel belittled. Through all the “cheerleading isn’t a sport” and “all you need to do is smile and yell” comments from other classmates, I was able to keep my head held high. This shows that I have dignity in what I do. I have never been ashamed of being a cheerleader and I never will be. Taking pride in whom you are and what you do is a step to taking pride in your true identity.

            In conclusion, identity is very important. As I have talked about earlier, identity comes in many forms. For Anzadula it was language, for McBride it was race and dignity, and to me it is cheerleading. Being able to understand your identity and how important it is can be complicated, but once you realize who you truly are, it’s the best feeling ever.

Black Power

Kayla Leone

September 9, 2014

Professor Young

ENGW1100

Black Power Response

            In “Black Power” The Color of Water, by James McBride, the main point being made is that most whites were fearful of the blacks and the power they withheld. Black Power was happening all over the city. They had fast cars that they would name and race, graffiti all over the city, and cheering and uproars when a black man did something that they thought was beneficial. The white man feared the Negro, except for his mother. She was a white woman with black children. She was tormented and harassed because of black power, but the passage helps show that she was strong enough to ignore the commentary.

            I think it is an identity that defines McBride. Growing up, McBride was able to live through his family’s identity. He describes his grandmother as “an ancient black woman with a beautiful face who seemed very confused, walking around with a blue dress and a fishing pole, the bait, tackle, and line dragging down around her ankles”. McBride describes his dad as “a man who was always concerned about money, and trusted the providence of the Holy Father to do the rest”.  Throughout the passage, McBride descriptively identifies the people in his life. Because he is doing this, I believe that identity plays a large role in defining himself. I feel this way because identity plays a big part in someone’s life.

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

Kayla Leone

September 3, 2014

Professor Young

Engl 1100

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

1)   The opening scene of Anzadula in the dentist’s chair connects to the overall point/message of the essay. In the scene, the dentist says that her tongue is wild because it will not stay still in her mouth. The rest of the reading talks about a tongue being wild based on speaking. This connects because it shows that there can be different meanings to a wild tongue.

2)   Anzadula uses Spanish throughout her writing. I think she does this to demonstrate her wild tongue. She speaks English, but once in awhile her Spanish side lashes out and she cannot tame her tongue.

3)    

4)   Speaking or writing in Academic English as an identity is necessary because how you speak academically and help show who you are. People have different identities academically and nonacademically, and this is one way to help see the difference.

5)   There are multiple different types of English identities. In the more southern states there are Southern accents. They also have different words for objects. For example, they call soda “pop”. There are also Boston accents, Jersey accents, and British accents.

6)   A secret language I use to communicate is Pig Latin. I use this language with my mom and we do not want people to catch on to what we are saying. We also used to have code words when I was younger and needed help in a situation.

7)   When I am with my friends I tend to talk more nonstandard English. When I am talking to my parents or professors, I speak more Standard English. I think this is because Standard English is more proper and portrays someone as more mature.

8)   “I am my language” basically means that how you talk is who you really are. This connects to a persons identity because someone’s identity may change based on who they are around.

9)   The intro and conclusion are connected because they both refer to cutting tongues out. However, in the beginning it says that in order to tame a tongue you must cut it out, but at the end it says you cannot cut out a tongue, you must tame it.

10)          The language you speak can most definitely be a port of your identity because it helps wrap up your character and who you truly are.

11)         To me, identity is important. Identity does not seem to be important to Anzadula. It seems this way because when talking about herself, she does not always tell her real heritage. Depending on the audience, she says Mexican, Latin-American, Spanish-American, etc.

What Defines Me

Kayla Leone

September 3, 2014

Professor Young

Engl 1100

What Defines Me

Cheerleading to me is not just a sport. Cheerleading is much more than that. It’s the adrenaline rush before stepping on the competition mat, the butterflies in your stomach before performing at a high school football game, and it’s the applause after you nail a routine.  I have been cheerleading since I was a little girl and it truly did shape me into the person that I am today. Thanks to cheerleading I am a more confident, outgoing, and charismatic person.

Growing up, cheerleading was the main sport that I participated in. I made friends that are as close as family. The friends that I made while doing what I love still hold a special place in my heart. Each cheerleader I met had a different way of saying what cheerleading meant to her. They also had different cheer lingo than I did. Cheer lingo could be considered our own language as a group of cheerleaders.

Anzadula writes about how language has shaped her. Someone’s language can identify who he or she is, just like an activity or sport. Every individual has his or her own language.  It is unique to them and may change where they are. The way I spoke to my teammates was different to the way I spoke to my coaches, parents, and fans in the stands.