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MarisaEnos

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Control in Language: Intentional or Unintentional?

Inlifepeopletendtomorphtheirmessages(stories)andbehaviorsintosocially

acceptableformswhensharingthemwithotherpeople.RogerSchanktermsthisactasusinga

storyskeleton.Basically,hebelievesthatineverystorywetell,weusethefoundationofa

storythathasalreadybeentoldthatisrecognizabletothelistenerofthestory.Thischoice,ashe

notes,isnotalwaysaconsciousone.Sometimes,wefitourfactsintofamiliarskeletonsoutof

habit.Thebestexampleheusesofthisisdivorce.Whenpeoplegetadivorce,theygenerallytell

thestoryofitinawaywheretheywillbefavoredfromthelisteningparty.Similartothis,bell

hooksarticleLanguage:TeachingNewWorlds/NewWordsusesthenormofstandard

Englishinordertobringlighttoothervanishedlanguageswhospeoplehavebeenoppressed.

Sheusesavitalcomponenttohumanlife(language)toshowhowwecanunintentionallyfall

intotheseskeletons.Althoughbothoftheseauthorsmakesimilarandvalidpoints,theyuse

differentpointsofviewinordertoaccomplishthis.

InStorySkeletonsSchankusesthepointofviewasaneducator,heisnottellinghis

personalstoriesbutinsteadusingotherpeoplesandthenbreakingdownwhichskeletonsthey

usedtomaketheirpointsvalid.AnexampleofthisiswhenheusesarticlesfromtheNewYork

Timesfollowingthedaysoftheshootingdownofanaircraft.Eacharticlegivesitsowntakeon

RonaldRegansfeelingstowardstheincident.Schankdoesnotusehisownpersonalexperiences

ontheevent,onlythosethatwerereportedinordertoanalyzethem.Unlikethis,hookstellsher
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ownstoriesandusespersonalexperiencesinordertohelpvalidateherpoints.Infact,shestarts

outherarticletellingastoryaboutapoemshereadbyAdrienneRichthatreadThisisthe

oppressorslanguageyetIneedittotalktoyou(56).Shethenwentontosaythatshecouldnot

shakethatquoteanditbecamethebasisofanewlifestyletoher.hooksisverypassionateabout

languageoppressingminoritygroups,whichisanotheraspectthatsetsherpieceofwritingapart

fromthatofSchanks.

Hooks:entirearticleisbasedaroundtheideathatstandardEnglishoppressesgroupsof

peopleandtakesawayfromthedepthoflanguage.Shesays,Wehavesolittleknowledgeof

howdisplaced,enslaved,orfreeAfricanswhocameorwerebroughtagainsttheirwilltothe

UnitesStatesfeltaboutthelossoflanguage,aboutlearningEnglish(56).hooksusesseveral

heartwrenchingexampleslikethisonetosolidifyherpoints.WhileIdobelievethatSchanks

wouldagreethatWespeakingeneralizationsthatourlistenercanunderstand(Schanks139),

hencestandardEnglish,hedoesnotspeakaboutoppressingthepeoplewithstoryskeletons.In

fact,fromtheinformationgiveninStorySkeletonsSchankwouldbelikelytoanalyzethe

skeletonsusedinhookswritingandtrytodecipherwhatstoryfittingmoldshewasusingin

ordertobeeffectivetoherreaders.Althoughthereisadifferenceinwritingstylesasmentioned

above,hooksandSchankdoshareasimilaritywhenitcomestohowpeopleperceivetheirown

acts.
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SchankssaysInotherwords,ifwhatwedofitsintoawellknown,sociallyacceptable

storyskeleton,thenwecanbelievewehaveactedproperly(134).Inotherwords,ifthewaywe

actmakessensetoourselvesandsociety,thenwemustbelievethatwhatwedidwasgoodand

acceptable.Humansneedvalidationorreasoningbeforemakingadecision,accordingto

Schanks.ThisrelatestohookspointsontheuseofStandardEnglish.Shesaysthatitisso

commonthatwearequicktolabelsomeonewhodoesnotspeakproperEnglishasuneducatedor

inferior.Wefindourbehavioracceptablebecauseitmakessensetothosearoundus,whilenot

necessarilyseeingthepointofviewoftheminoritygroups.Hookssaysthatsheencouragedher

studentstousetheirfirstlanguageandtranslateitsotheydidnotfeelthateducationwillalways

taketheircultureawayfromthem(58).hookssaysthatthiswasespeciallyhardforthewhite

students,whichagainrelatesbacktoSchankspoint,itseemedimproperforthem,becauseitis

notwhattheyfindacceptable.FromherarticlehookssaysTheselessonsseemparticularly

crucialinamulticulturalsocietythatremainswhitesupremacist,thatusesstandardEnglishasa

weapontosilenceandcensor(59).Hooksusesthisquotetosolidifyherteachingsinclassand

alsodemonstratehowcontrolisfoundinlanguage,Schankwouldagreewiththisaswell.

SchanksopensupstoryskeletonswithIfweconstructourownversionoftruthby

relianceuponskeletonstories,twopeoplecanknowexactlythesamefactsbutconstructastory

thatrelaysthosefactsinverydifferentways(129).Inotherwords,whenastorytelleruses

skeletonswhetherintentionallyorunintentionally,differentskeletonscanrelayhardfactsin
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completelydifferentways.Thestorytellerhasthepowertocontrolhowthelistenerperceives

thesituationandmorethanlikelyinfluenceshowtheyreacttoitbasedontheskeletonthey

choose.ThisisoneexampleofhowSchankswouldsaythatlanguageinaway,comeswiththe

responsibilityofcontrol.hooksalsobelievesthatlanguagecanbeusedforcontrol,infactalmost

allofherarticleLanguage:TeachingNewWorlds/NewWordsisbasedontheideathat

languageoppresses(controls).Asmentionedbeforeoneofthemostpowerfulquotesthathooks

usesisthatofAdrienneRichthatsays,ThisistheoppressorslanguageyetIneedittotalkto

you(56).Thatonequoteshowsjusthowpowerfulhooksbelieveslanguagetobe,aforceof

controlthatcantakeoverlives,butcannotbestoppedbecauseitisvitaltoeverydaylife.

Languageisnotonlyusedforoppressionaccordingtohooks,butalsoforanothertypeof

control:resistance.BytransformingstandardEnglishtheminoritygroupscould,inaway,fight

back.hookssays,Inbothcases,theruptureofstandardEnglishenabledandenablesrebellion

andresistance.Bytransformingtheoppressorslanguage,makingacultureofresistance,black

peoplecreatedanintimatespeechthatcouldsayformorethanwaspermissiblewithinthe

boundariesofstandardEnglish(58).BythishooksjustmeansthatbytransformingEnglishasa

language,blackpeoplewereabletocreatingawholeculturebasedonresistance,whichwas

theirwayofregainingacertainlevelofcontrol.

bellhooksusesherarticleLanguage:TeachingNewWorlds/NewWordstodevelopan

awarenessthatstandardEnglishoppressescertaingroupsofpeopleandallowstherestto
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dominateoverthem.RogerSchanksshedssomelightonthepossibilitiesofwhythishappensin

theworldusinghispieceofwritingStorySkeletons.Heemphasizestheuseoftheskeletons

thatweputourfactsintoinordertomakethemseemacceptabletothosewhoarelistening.Both

oftheseselectionscorrelatetoeachotherinsomewaysyes,butalsosharetheirdifferenceswhen

itcomestopointsofviewandindividualwritingstyles.
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WorksCited

hooks,bell.Language:TeachingNewWorlds/NewWords.ExploringConnections,Mid
MichiganCommunityCollege,2016,pp#5660.

Schank,Roger.StorySkeletons.Exploringconnections,MidMichiganCommunityCollege,
2016,pp128140.