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Reflection The main goal and purpose of the narrative was defining the word literacy, explaining the difference between home and school voice, discussing ways to address different dialects, and relating all of these points with personal experiences. The process I used in writing this was first going through all of my writings that I did in class which really helped get my thoughts in order to begin writing. After writing my first draft, I added in personal experiences and went more indepth with my arguments and viewpoint. I feel that not only is it longer, but it is more descriptive and has better structure. Maderas article One Voice made a strong impression on me because it really highlighted that there are different ways a person can be literate. People can express themselves in many different ways. The strengths of my narrative are my introduction and the paragraph starting with Maderas quote. The most interesting thing that I have learned so far is how much a person can learn about the way a person speaks and how important it is to a persons identity. Speech doesnt define a person; however, it is an important part of their background. I feel like I may be missing more personal experiences to make it feel more personal. I feel like I may be missing more personal experiences to make it feel more personal. One thing that I learned about myself is that even though I may not be a great writer, I can still be literate in many other ways. The greatest challenge was reaching the required length but the greatest reward was actually finishing it and being able to read the final piece. The question I really would like to know is what can be improved? and what parts did you like and dislike?

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Marcus Huggins Professor Hoffman English 1101-005 18 February 2013 Literacy Memoir At this very moment, I have been asked to give my opinion or understanding of what it means to be literate, or why it is important to be literate. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word literate is defined as being able to read and write. If thats the case, isnt everybody literate? Havent we all learned to read and write? So what makes a person more literate than the other? And now, Im left asking myself what does literacy mean to me and how does it relate to me? Growing up as a child, English has always been my first language. My mother would often correct any mistakes I made when speaking as I was growing up, which probably stemmed from her career as a reading and writing teacher. My sixth grade year of middle school, my English teacher was my mother because she was the only AIG (Academically or Intellectually Gifted) reading and writing teacher for that grade. At first, I thought having her as my teacher would be a piece of cake but unfortunately, it was quite the opposite. She always called on me to participate in class, rarely helped me with my homework unless I was having a lot of trouble, and she gave me more homework than the other students. At the time I thought the reason she was

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being hard on me was because she was my mother, but now I realize she was harder on me in hopes that I would become more literate. Factors that I believe influenced my ability to read and write, or literacy, were really just about everything around me. My experiences, the people if been in contact with, the books I read, the schools I went to, my family, and everything I've been in contact with has influenced my literacy. However, the main influences to my literacy include my family, especially my mother, my English teachers, and the people that I closely associate myself with. Throughout the earlier years of school, I learn how to read and write and all of the basic rules and guidelines. As a progressed through school, English teachers began not only reinforcing the rules that I had already learned, but also began giving helpful criticism and pointing out areas that I could improve in. This ultimately helped my literacy improve and I began gaining confidence in my writing ability. The past couple of weeks Ive been reading and discussing many articles and selections in class about whether there is a difference in the way one speaks at homehome voiceversus the way they speak at school and other areasschool voice. This brings me to the topic of Ebonics and its relationship to African-Americans. In the video Ebonics in the Age of Obama, the main issue or question that was raised was the accusation that African-Americans who speak proper English are speaking "white." It also dealt with the meaning or purpose of the word Ebonics. The video was a debate whether using the term Ebonics was just, or if it was merely just giving people of African descent an excuse to use improper or "dumbed down" English. I can relate to the video due to the fact that I have been around many people who do speak with the dialect in the video. I really never have had any issues with this dialect, yet I do

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feel that in certain circumstances, people should try to speak proper English. I feel that there is a time and place to use speaking voice versus using home voice. The way a person speaks at home is more casual and comfortable for them and usually consists of slang or sometimes incorrect grammar that was picked up from the people that live in that area. Since most of the people in that area spoke that particular way, they dont realize that the way they are speaking is incorrect from a Standard English standpoint. Speaking voice is seen to be used at school and at job interviews and is typically referred to proper or Standard English, and is typically harder for people with a strong home since theyve been accustomed to speaking that way. Therefore, learning proper English for these people is basically like learning to speak a new language. In my opinion, I feel that if people all learned to speak some sort of basis of languageStandard Englishit would be easier for everyone to understand each other, therefore allowing people to connect further with others. One way this could be addressed could be by making sure that teachers are not harshly criticizing the students and making them feel uncomfortable by the way they speak, but by politely explaining to them that it is incorrect in Standard English and giving them other words they could use.. People tend to learn better in areas that they are comfortable with, so making the students feel comfortable in the classroom will help them open up and learn quicker. I remember when I was in elementary school, it was easier for me to learn and pick up on Standard English because the teachers were nice and did not harshly correct me or make me feel as if I was wrong. However, as students go through higher levels of English and Writing, they are more harshly criticized by the way they speak and write. Throughout my earlier years at high school, I received very harsh feedback on my papers, often getting low Bs and Cs on all of my papers because I often struggled with writers block, which led to an insufficient amount of detail in my

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writings.. Paper after paper, I slowly began losing all confidence in my writing until it had completely diminished. My lack of confidence showed in my SAT, ACT, and AP writing sections of the test, assuring myself that I had not one bit of writing ability. However, my last year of high school for my AP Literature class I had a great teacher who told me I had great potential in writing. Instead of criticize my writing and telling me that it was incorrect, she pointed out areas that she liked and showed me ways that I could improve my writing. She liked the point I was trying to get across, but I struggled in beginning the paper and how to get my point across. She showed me various ways to start the paper and how to incorporate detail into my body paragraphs to make my point. Throughout the year, I slowly began to regain confidence in my writing and have been writing more effectively ever since. From all of this, Ive realized what it means to be literate. The assumed definition and viewpoint of being literate is a person that can speak very well and fluently and uses a multitude of higher level words. On the other hand, people who have a hard time speaking Standard English or have a distinct dialect are viewed to be less successful and possibly unintelligent. In order to get jobs and in order to do well in school, people with these dialects must stray away from the language that they are familiar with. The way I speak does not exemplify who I am; however, my writing is a true expression of the person I am inside. This quote comes from Susan G. Maderas article One Voice, and what I love about this quote is that she recognizes that she may not be a very literate speaker, but she has tremendous literacy within her writing. She doesnt want people to judge her for her speaking literacy, but rather dig deeper and learn about her true identity through her writing. Speaking is spontaneous and is merely a glimpse of who a person really is and their identity. I feel that people should not judge a persons literacy just by the way they speak. In Madreas

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case, she is more literate in writing, therefore giving a deeper depth into the way she thinks, how she feels, and a greater sense of her personality and identity. Personally, when I write, the words and sentences I tend to use are more thought-based and therefore more precise and higher level of grammar is used. When speaking, it is more of what comes to mind and is more spontaneous, therefore less complex. This is due to knowing you're audience. If a person uses difficult grammar and complicated sentences, it may be hard for some people to understand or comprehend what you are saying. Difficult words or concepts are easier to put into writing to express feelings or thoughts that couldn't be spoken. I feel that basic day-to-day talking expresses a persons personality and a little bit of their mindset. On the other hand, writing gives a more indepth view and perception on that persons views, personality, and feelings. The way I speak doesn't define me; people have to get to know someone fully to really understand what type of person they are whether it is through speaking or in writing. Being literate is not only based on a persons ability to read and write, but also their experiences, background, and the people they meet. Literacy is more of a persons understanding of a certain subject rather than just reading and writing. A person can be literate in many areas, such as a professional basketball being literate in basketball or a swimmer being literate in various breathing techniques. Therefore, I believe that peoples literacy should not be defined by one aspect of their identity such as the way they speak or by their writing ability but by all of these aspects collectively.