After having completed this upper division writing course, I feel as if I have learned many new strategies for both reading academic articles as well as writing effective arguments that are extremely relevant for my future endeavors as a college student. Perhaps one of the most eye-opening and interesting concepts that I have been introduced to this quarter was that of reading as a social process, where the audience brings in their own contexts and ideologies to a literary work and interpret it based on their past experiences. Prior to this class, I always considered writing as dictated by the author or composer, when in reality it seems as if the audience is the driving force behind a written piece of literature or academia; the author tailors his or her arguments and evidence to the intended readers. Based on this concept, I have learned how to make specific rhetorical decisions to best influence and persuade a particular discourse community, which I believe to be highly relevant in any job or profession. Unique groups and communities see evidence in different lights and contexts, so I find it an enticing challenge as an author to synthesize the most compelling argument based on evidence and a medium that will have the greatest impact on the audience. I also found the concept of literary sources sponsoring our individual development to be incredibly fascinating, as I had never before given much thought to how the influential entities around me aided in my perception of my self-identity. Writing my literacy narrative was perhaps the very first time that I analyzed how literacy sources came to influence the person that I am today, and it’s incredible how the manner in which these entities pressed their own ideologies upon me greatly affected the way in which I view what is important to me today.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this course was listening to the Serial podcast and analyzing how the narrator Sarah Koenig made her own rhetorical decisions to entice her audience to keep tuning in for each weekly episode. The series itself was incredibly moving and exhilarating, as it felt my idea of who was guilty and who was innocent changed with every new piece of evidence Koenig presented. I loved how the content was not only a joy to listen to, but that it was also highly relevant to the concepts we were learning in class. For example, Koenig incorporates expert opinions, foreshadowing, as well as recorded interviews to not only convince her audience of the points she was making, but also to keep them on the edge of their seats and constantly hungry for more. She also was very relatable and sincere, which gave her an appeal to the audience and allowed us to place our confidence in her as a narrator and investigator. Her rhetorical decisions were masterful in accomplishing her goals, and I will definitely keep the strategies that she used in my mind whenever I am faced with composing rhetoric for particular audience.

Thanks to the lessons and strategies that I have been taught in this course, I can say with confidence that I am a much more informed reader as well as competent writer. Applying deep reading skills, utilizing evidence to best influence a particular discourse community, executing the stages of the writing process, as well as understanding my own purpose in writing are all tools and strategies that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my college and professional career. One aspect of writing that I know I can improve on is cutting down on excessive words or unnecessary literary devices, as a great writer can make the most impact on the audience in the fewest amount of words. Throughout all of my extended writing assignments, I found myself writing over the maximum word count, so going forward I will do my best to ensure that my essays are never too wordy and are clear as well as coherent for my audience. Looking back, perhaps the aspect that I found least useful or necessary was annotating numerous academic articles and literary works. While I understand the value in applying reading strategies and creating a discourse to discuss, it did at times feel excessive, especially when there were very long articles that we had to annotate. Nonetheless, I found this course incredibly useful and relevant to any college student, and I am confident in saying that I am a much more knowledgeable reader and composer of literacy because of it.

A few years back when I was a senior at Northwood High School, I was a part of a myriad of social groups and organizations that pertained to my interests and that I thought would be an intriguing way to spend my time outside of the classroom. To adhere to my competitive spirit and adoration for sports, I joined the varsity football and basketball teams; to serve my passion of giving back to my community, I applied to be a board member of various volunteering organizations on campus. Due to my involvement in these social clubs and activities, I was fortunate enough to have made many friends within these student-run associations and enjoyed interacting with the diverse groups of individuals that comprised my school. I know that this, however, is not the experience that every high school student goes through, and this was particularly true for one student who had just enrolled at Northwood after moving from a foreign European country. It was his very first time in the United States and he had only learnt to speak the English language the year prior; he had a very thick accent, peculiar way of dressing, and was understandably quite shy and introverted upon arrival. I ended up having a biology class with the new student that semester, and I noticed that he always sat in the back corner with his shoulders tensed and had his head in his hands. He rarely ever talked except when the teacher called on him, and he would answer as quiet as a mouse with his noticeable accent that frequently drew soft snickers and low laughs from the students. I rarely saw him outside of that class in the school hallways or at the lunch tables, but when I did it he was always walking or sitting alone with a hunched back and an anxious look on his face.

One winter afternoon while I was eating lunch at the school tables surrounded by my fellow football players, I saw the new student walking past us and heading towards the lunch line. The lunch room is as spacious as an empty stadium, with the chatter of students bouncing off the walls and the scent of freshly-toasted sandwiches dancing across the tables. I didn’t quite know what was happening until I saw a few players huddle around the foreign student with small snickers coming from their mouths. These particular teammates were mammoths, as tall as New York skyscrapers and bulky as tree trunks; they seemed to block the very sun from casting a shadow on the new kid’s body. I walked over and overheard some of the jokes that these immature football players were making to the new kid, mocking his accent and the way that he dressed.

“What language are you speaking there? You one of the elves from Lord of the Rings?” “Dressing like that you don’t even have to wear a costume for Halloween.”

I knew that their actions were wrong and that any decent person should step in and defend the boy, as he had done nothing to anybody else and didn’t deserve the treatment that he was getting. However, in high school, it’s all about reputation; almost every student, whether they like to admit it or not, cares about what others think of them and will make conscious decisions to uphold their reputations amongst their peers. As I was walking over to the scene, many thoughts ran through my mind. Helping that poor kid and standing up for the new student clearly dominated, but I also thought about how if I stood up to my teammates, I may be seen as an outcast and wouldn’t be able to hang around them any longer. I could be the real-life incarnation of Napoleon Dynamite, an awkward castaway whose only purpose is to be mocked and ridiculed by everyone else in school. Being a social outcast is a fear I believe many students have, and I certainly thought about how my friend group may dwindle based on the actions that I chose to perform.

I realized though that standing up and supporting a student who was new to not only the school but American culture was the right thing to do, no matter the personal cost. It became apparent that no amount of social anxiety could compare to the guilt I would feel if I just stood by and watched. So I went up to the football players and told them to leave the foreign student alone, that he was new here and that he hasn’t done anything to deserve the abuse and ridicule that was being thrust upon him. I didn’t care that these players, who were quite popular around the town, were acquaintances and could possibly spread the word that I stood up for a stranger; I knew that if I were in the foreign student’s shoes that I would have wished for someone, anyone to come by my side and stand up for me. Afterwards, I walked the boy over to a grassy area to make sure that he was alright. I tried to comfort him by saying, “if anything like that happens again I’ll do my best to be there and have your back.” He thanked me for what I had done, and the gratitude that he reciprocated to me was so satisfying that my fear of being seen as an outcast completely dissipated from my mind. As he looked up at me, I saw the light gleaming from his eyes, as if he were staring at the night sky on the 4th of July. He was smiling from ear to ear, and it seemed to me as if he was skipping back to the classrooms, like a little child on Christmas morning after opening all of the presents. It turns out that my intervention didn’t cause me to lose any friends or diminish my reputation within the school confines, but instead I received compliments about how I had done right by new kid.

“That took some guts, man. I don’t know if I would’ve had it in me,” said one of my fellow Key Club board members.

Even one of my football teammates came up to me after practice and said, “Nice job, bro. Good to know you aren’t like those other dumb jocks.”

I knew without a doubt from that time on that helping out others and standing up for what is right will outweigh any fear or trepidation that may cause for a moment of pause, even when you have nothing to gain from it.

Reflection

After revisiting my essay, I chose to incorporate specific literary devices that would help to better set the scene for the audience and paint a vivid picture within the readers’ minds of the events that transpired from the perspective of my own eyes. Mainly, I wanted to add detail to the locations and individuals within my narrative in a creative way so that the audience’s imagination could be captured and so their comprehension and vision of my story could become more clear. In describing my high school’s lunch room, I chose to incorporate a metaphor of comparing the location to a stadium in order to portray to the audience how large in scale this particular setting was; I also employed personification in giving human-like qualities to the students’ chatter and the food’s aroma to allow the audience to feel as if they were in the very cafeteria themselves. When it came to describing the characters within my narrative, I found it significant to highlight how large and daunting the individual football players were in comparison to the new student, as it made the scene that much more tense and tipped even more so in the favor of the athletes. By utilizing similes as well as metaphors to convey to the audience the sheer size of these individuals in comparison to the meek foreign student, they will hopefully come to side with the boy and feel the same sympathy and sense of compassion for him that I did. To help increase this empathy for the student, I also employed the use of alliteration with phrases such as “soft snickers” and “low laughs” in order to emphasize the hardships that the foreign student came to endure at the hands of classmates. In order to provide even clearer description and detail, I chose to incorporate dialogue in my narrative so that the reading audience could have a greater understanding of the conflict that was created between the football players and student. By giving specific, concrete quotes highlighting the cruel and demeaning nature of these athletes, the audience will hopefully come to build an emotional connection with the bullied boy and relate to his trying situation in a more personal manner. My aim in incorporating a myriad of literary devices throughout my narrative was to paint a more vivid picture of the setting, individuals, and tension that existed on that specific day; hopefully by doing so, my readers can come to sympathize with and connect to the young foreign student in as personal a way as I did.

“Beauty in Brawn” by Sandra Kimokoti

https://player.themoth.org/#/?actionType=ADD_AND_PLAY&storyId=20353

Notes

• As a child, Sandra idolized her brothers as they were the cool kids in school and around town; they played sports, so naturally she did too
• One day, when she was 10 and playing basketball, she saw her brothers comparing the size of their biceps
• Speaker said she had big biceps too, but brother asked her “who told you that girls with muscles are beautiful?”
• Sandra felt a combination of confusion and hurt, was confused why it wasn’t okay to look the way she did and why someone else should tell her what to look like
  • As a girl, it was okay to be athletic but not too athletic as appearance takes precedence over all else
• When speaker was in 6^th grade, Sandra’s classmate’s brother tells Sandra that she had very big calves and looks like a boy
  • Teasing about how boyish she looked continued for a year
• Pubic boarding school in Kenya
  • Sandra had to cut her hair or the school would do it for her
  • On way back home, 2 men said that they were confused on whether the speaker was a girl or boy
    • Felt like she wasn’t feminine enough and not beautiful enough
• Sandra played sports throughout high school, and she tried out for rugby in the United States
  • One of the coaches feels her shoulders and says that she is so solid, and that it’s awesome
  • Speaker basks in the glory
  • Fell in love with rugby, competed on how fast and strong you were, not what the body looked like
• A few weeks into the season, speaker looked at herself in mirror and she realized she had much more muscle mass than before
  • Thoughts of looking to boyish came back
  • Internal conflict- doesn’t want to be kept being confused for a boy, but takes great pride in her strength and body when it comes to the sport of rugby
• Sandra reduces weight-lifting and does much more cardio than suggested, and lost a lot of weight
  • Body morphs into the ideal body she believes it to be
  • Coach asks what happened to her body, as narrator’s best assets for her position are strength and size
• For next few years, narrator did just enough to pass by for her position, but she was always toning down the weight and muscle gain
• Gets opportunity to train with national rugby team for Kenya
  • All the girls are big, strong, and fast
  • More muscular and completely unapologetic
  • Believes that self-sabotage has to stop if she wants to represent her country
• Sandra realizes that the body she needed to perform optimally as an athlete might not be the body that society thinks is ideal for a woman
• In that moment, Sandra was just ready to go out there and be the best rugby player that her body would allow her to be

Narrative Arch

• Exposition
  • Protagonist: Sandra Kimokoti
  • Antagonist: Members of society critiquing his muscular physique and confusing her for a man
  • Setting: home in Kenya as well as high school in United States
  • Background Information
    • Sandra has brothers who she idolizes and tries to be like, takes up sports to follow in their footsteps
    • Sandra has a very muscular physique with defined features, which is seen as unusual for females
• Rising Action
  • Sandra’s older brothers mock her strong biceps and scold her by stating that muscles aren’t a feature of beauty for women
  • Men both in her school as well as out in public tell Sandra that she looks like a boy because of her muscular and toned body physique
    • Sandra feels both hurt and confusion, especially because she can’t comprehend why she couldn’t be accepted for the way she looked as well as why others should judge her for her characteristics
  • In high school, Sandra tries out for the rugby team and falls in love with the sport; her coach glorifies her for her toned body and muscular strength
  • Sandra realizes that she has much more muscle mass after a few weeks into the season, and does much more cardio and decreases her muscle-building; self-sabotage as her rugby position relies on her strength
  • Sandra’s coach isn’t pleased with her weight and muscle loss
  • Sandra gets an opportunity to try out for the Kenya national rugby team, which is comprised of female athletes who are all much stronger than Sandra and are unapologetic for it
  • Inner conflict: Sandra wants to be viewed as beautiful according to society’s standards by decreasing her muscle mass, and yet must maximize her strength and athleticism in order to participate in the sport she loves
• Climax
  • Sandra realizes that the body she needed to perform optimally as an athlete might not be the body that society thinks is ideal for a woman
  • Decides to follow her dream of partaking in the Kenyan national rugby team by becoming the best athlete that she can possibly be, no matter how society comes to judge her
• Falling Action
  • Sandra begins to train in a manner that maximizes her strength and power, wants to elevate herself to the incredible level of competition that faces her
• Resolution
  • Sandra became the best rugby player that her body would allow her to be, even though society may judge her and mock her masculinity in terms of her great strength and muscle mass
• Theme
  • Coming to love and accept oneself for who they are and who they wish to be, no matter how society comes to view their personal attributes or judge their beauty by appearance

Reflection

I found Sandra Kimokoti’s story to be incredibly fascinating and moving, as her fear of being accepted by society based on her unique looks and attributes is one that most of us humans share. I’m sure that being mocked for your looks and mistaken for the opposite gender can be incredibly humiliating and disheartening, especially when it is coming from individuals who you are close to, as was the case with Sandra’s two brothers. However, I believe that the resiliency she showed in not allowing society’s view of her to alter her dream of becoming a professional rugby player was inspiring, not only to women but men as well. For me personally, I was always self-conscious and constantly worrying about how my peers would look upon and judge me; fitting into society is one of the biggest aims for developing adolescents, and we usually do whatever it takes to accomplish this. Sandra, on the other hand, refused to let her fears of how others would judge her physique interfere with her aspiration to play the sport that she loved, and that’s bravery that I believe many individuals wouldn’t even think to display. Her strong message coupled with her incorporation of personal anecdotes allowed the audience to build a sense of trust and emotional connection to Sandra, and her courageous story is one that I most certainly will not forget any time soon.

A few years back when I was a senior at Northwood High School, I was a part of a myriad of social groups and organizations that pertained to my interests and that I thought would be an intriguing way to spend my time outside of the classroom. To adhere to my competitive spirit and adoration for sports, I joined the varsity football and basketball teams; to serve my passion of giving back to my community, I applied to be a board member of various volunteering organizations on campus. Due to my involvement in these social clubs and activities, I was fortunate enough to have made many friends within these organizations and enjoyed interacting with the diverse groups of individuals that comprised my school. I know that this, however, is not the experience that every high school student goes through, and this was particularly true for one student who had just enrolled at Northwood after moving from a foreign European country. It was his very first time in the United States and he had only learnt to speak the English language the year prior; he had a very thick accent, peculiar way of dressing, and was understandably quite shy and introverted upon arrival. I ended up having a biology class with the new student that semester, and I noticed that he always sat in the back corner with his shoulders tensed and had his head in his hands. He rarely ever talked except when the teacher called on him, and he would answer quietly with his noticeable accent that frequently drew quiet snickers and muffled laughs from the class. I rarely saw him outside of that class in the school hallways or at the lunch tables, but when I did it he was always walking or sitting alone with a hunched back and an anxious look on his face.

One winter afternoon while I was eating lunch at the school tables surrounded by my fellow football players, I saw the new student walking past us and heading towards the lunch line. I didn’t quite know what was happening until I saw a few players huddle around the foreign student with small snickers coming from their mouths. I walked over and overheard some of the jokes that a few of the immature football players were making to the new kid, mocking his accent and the way that he dressed. I knew that their actions were wrong and that any decent person should step in and defend the boy, as he had done nothing to anybody else and didn’t deserve the treatment that he was getting. However, in high school, it’s all about reputation; almost every student, whether they like to admit it or not, cares about what others think of them and will make conscious decisions to uphold their reputations amongst their peers. As I was walking over to the scene, many thoughts ran through my mind. Helping the poor kid and standing up for the new student clearly dominated, but I also thought about how if I stood up to my teammates, I may be seen as an outcast and wouldn’t be able to hang around them any longer. Being a social outcast is a fear I believe many students have, and I certainly thought about how my friend group may dwindle based on the actions that I chose to perform.

I realized though that standing up and supporting a student who was new to not only the school but American culture was the right thing to do, no matter the personal cost. It became apparent that no amount of social anxiety could compare to the guilt I would feel if I just stood by and watched. So I went up to the football players and told them to leave the foreign student alone, that he was new here and that he hasn’t done anything to deserve the abuse and ridicule that was being thrust upon him. I didn’t care that these players, who were quite popular around the town, were acquaintances and could possibly spread the word that I stood up for a stranger; I knew that if I were in the foreign student’s shoes that I would have wished for someone, anyone to come by my side and stand up for me. Afterwards, I walked the boy over to a grassy area to make sure that he was alright. I wanted to comfort him by saying that if anything like that happened again I would do my best do be there and intervene. He thanked me for what I had done, and the gratitude that he reciprocated to me was so satisfying that my fear of being seen as an outcast completely dissipated from my mind. It turns out that my intervention didn’t cause me to lose any friends or diminish my reputation within the school confines, but instead I received compliments about how I had done the right thing for the new kid. I knew without a doubt from that time on that helping out others and standing up for what is right will outweigh any fear or trepidation that may cause for a moment of pause, even when you have nothing to gain from it.

• Exposition
  • Setting is Northwood High School in Irvine, California
  • Protagonist- myself and the new foreign student
  • Antagonists- football players who bullied the new student
  • Human-to-human conflict between the student and football players, but also inner conflict within myself about considering the potential implications of intervening
  • Background information
    • New foreign student arrives at my high school who is very peculiar and timid, doesn’t have lots of acquaintances
• Rising action
  • Football players begin to mock and tease new student during lunch in public
  • I question how intervening and standing up for the boy may cause my fellow teammates to cast me out and try to ruin my reputation
  • Human vs. themselves conflict- I know that standing up for the boy in front of my teammates is the right thing to do, but I worry how this decision will affect my standing amongst my peers
• Climax
  • I choose to stand up for the foreign student as I realize no amount of social exclusion/backlash can compare to the guilt of not standing up for what I believe in
  • Resolution of conflict, even though it may take a toll on my personal life
• Falling action
  • The football players leave the boy alone and I walk over to make sure he is alright
  • Foreign student thanks me for standing up on his behalf, and I feel the gratitude and satisfaction for my actions
  • Friends compliment the decision that I made
• Resolution
  • I knew that I made the right choice by standing up for the new student
  • Solidified in my mind that doing what is right will outweigh any negative thoughts or fears that may cause a sense of doubt or moment of pause

Notes

• Tasmania as place where Gadsby grew up
  • Very against gays and homosexuals, was seen as a crime until 1997
  • Debates about homosexuality, no one really talked about lesbians, which Gadsby is
    • Much less press and knowledge about lesbians, more of a focus on gay men
• Gadsby struggled to identify as gay due to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
  • First introduction to lesbians, watched on T.V.
  • Depiction of great flaunting of lifestyle, seen as partying and dancing and very outlandish affair
  • Gadsby saw the pressure on lesbians to express pride and identity through the metaphor of partying was very intense
  • Against the pride flag design
    • Very assertive colors with no rest for the eyes
    • Does love what it stands for
• Lesbian discourse community
  • Gave negative feedback to Gadsby; spokesperson said that she was disappointed in Hannah Gadsby’s show, not “enough lesbian content”
  • Gadsby told lots of jokes and stories about homosexuality as a comic for previous decades, content was “wall to wall” full of gay/lesbian content
  • Centerpiece of show was coming out to her family, particularly her mom
    • Mom’s response- “Why did you have to tell me that? That’s something I didn’t need to know”
  • Gadsby believes and recognizes that she has been slacking off in recent years with lesbian content; not representing her people as much as she should be
• Gadsby states that “not a lot of lesbian goes on” throughout her week
• Gadsby states she built a career out of self-deprecating humor, and doesn’t want to do that anymore
  • Self-deprecation coming from someone who already exists in the margins: not humility, it’s humiliation
  • Will no longer do that to herself or those who identify with her
• Received letter recently from Facebook
  • Said that Gadsby owes it to her community to come out as transgender
  • Gadsby doesn’t identify as transgender, doesn’t completely feels as if she identifies with lesbians either
• Gadsby believes that there’s too much hysteria around gender from gender-normals
  • They are rather uptight and need to calm down
  • Always focus on difference between men and women, but there are more things in common between them

• Gadsby used to being called “sir,” often mistaken for a man
  • Doesn’t want to be a straight white man; suddenly a sub-category of human
  • Gadsby always been judged for what she is- “fat ugly dike,” but men are not used to being so judged for who they are
  • Tells men to move of from their defensiveness, lighten up and learn to laugh; uses this against men as this is often what women are told when men judge or poke fun at them
• What a joke is
  • Needs 2 things: setup and a punch line
    • Question and quick answer
  • Gadsby makes audience tense and makes them laugh to release that tension
  • Gadsby as a child was the tension, and feels the need now to quit comedy
• Academic discourse community
  • Received an art history degree 15 years ago
  • Art history is a highbrow, a world Gadsby isn’t from
  • High art elevates and civilizes people; comedy on the other hand is a low brow
• Most common advice that Gadsby gets: don’t be so sensitive
  • Sensitivity is Gadsby’s strength, doesn’t understand the desire to strive towards insensitivity
• Coming out story
  • Gadsby says her mom is glad she raised her children without religion because they grew up making up their own mind
  • Mom says the things she regrets is that she raised Gadsby raised her as if she was straight; mom knew before Gadsby did that she was going to live a tough life
• Comedy show about coming out
  • Gadsby froze an incredibly formative experience at its trauma point and sealed it off into jokes
  • Through repetition, joke version fused with actual memory, but it wasn’t sophisticated enough to undo the damage
  • Punchlines need trauma as they need tension, and tension feeds trauma
  • Gadsby still feels shame about who she is, needs to tell her story properly
• Tasmania from 1989-1997
  • At center of toxic national debate about homosexuality whether it should be legalized
  • 70% of people believed homosexuality was a sin and criminal act, and these were the people raising Gadsby
  • Gadsby was already homophobic, internalized it and she learned to hate herself
  • She learned to be invisible and hate herself, needs to tell story properly because she payed dearly for a lesson that no one wanted to learn
• Only 2 options for a girl to be born into: virgin or whore
  • Gadsby doesn’t fit into either categories
• Gadsby believes that even though high art is seen as elite, it is far from it
  • Describes the history of western art as the history of men painting women in an overly-sexually manner
  • Points out that Picasso suffered from the mental illness of misogyny- had relations with an underage girl 30 years younger
• Gadsby states that the center of jokes at the moment should be society’s obsession with reputation
  • Only care about man’s reputations, who control the stories of women and children at the expense of humanity
• Man beat Gadsby and tells her that since she is a lesbian that he could beat her; Gadsby didn’t report to the police or go to hospital as that was what she thought she was worth
  • Will not diffuse the tension as society needs to know what it feels like; dangerous to be different
  • Gadsby doesn’t hate men, but states men don’t have a monopoly on the human condition
  • Only people who lose their humanity are those who believe they have the right to render another human powerless
  • The reason why Gadsby is quitting comedy is because the only way she can tell her truth is with anger

Reflection

After watching Hannah Gadsby’s inspiring “Nanette” special, I felt both moved by the strength she showed in telling her tragic stories as well as angered that she had to endure what she did because of who she is and what she identifies as. I completely agree with her statements that emphasized men, especially men of privilege, will take control over the stories of women and children who are vulnerable to satisfy their own desires as well as to protect their own reputations. Stories throughout history are often biased in the sense that they are almost always told from the perspective of men, neglecting the views and values of women; relating to the Serial podcast episodes, stories should always be told and viewed through as many perspectives as possible, as limiting the number of viewpoints inherently changes how a story or situation is told and the entire truth or reality is often obstructed. I loved how Gadsby chose to focus on the stories of famous men, often revered and held on a pedestal, that mainly included the perspectives of women intertwined yet forgotten within the situations; her expansion on Picasso and detailing how he took advantage of a younger woman was truly shocking, as I had never learned this information prior. Seeing and hearing stories from a different perspective can truly change how one views the situation and the people involved, and Gadsby did a masterful job at highlighting how society must learn to become more connected and accepting of the diversity amongst us, as only through this can we learn to evolve as a human race towards a more caring and compassionate society.

Interestingly, Gadsby’s show incorporated many of the concepts that we have been discussing in lecture to develop and enhance her storytelling. For example, Gadsby discusses the multitude of discourse communities that shaped her into the person she is today, many of which have caused her to be ashamed of her identity and bring upon ideas of self-loathe and hate. The people of Tasmania at the time of Gadsby’s adolescence perhaps had the most negative impact on her identity, as she revealed that over 70% of those living within the state abhorred and opposed homosexuality, labeling it as a sin and a heinous crime. This mass of individuals shared a common belief that homosexuality should be outlawed and a common goal to eliminate homosexuality within their community; this widespread hate of the non-heterosexual identity Gadsby had already become a part of caused her to hate and be ashamed of herself. At such a young age, Gadsby learned to hide who she truly was from the discourse community that was compromised of nearly everyone she grew up with or was raised by; personally, I find it a miracle that she was able to accept her own identity and speak out about it after so many years of covering up who she was because of the mass hatred of homosexuality within her community. A few other discourse communities that she discussed as having an impact on her self-view and development were the lesbian community as well as the art history academic discourse community that she received an education from. While she received negative feedback from the lesbian community for not including enough lesbian content in her shows, she responded that she feels as though she needs to tell her story as it was, and not poke fun of her sexual identity or those who identify as homosexuals. She also interestingly mocks elitist or high-cultured art as a discourse community by stating that it is simply about privileged men portraying women in a way that is pleasing to them, mainly in a sexual manner. While Joseph Harris felt as if he was partially a part of two separate discourse communities at once, it seems as if Gadsby fails to identify with any single discourse community at all; nonetheless, she was able to take pride in her own identity and speak out against those individuals or groups that condescendingly disapprove of her sexual orientation and question her place within society.

While not explicitly mentioned in her show, Hannah Gadsby’s points about men taking advantage of their power and privilege over females relates to Ira Shor’s emphasis on critical literacy. As Shor defines it, critical literacy is the need to become self-aware and conscious of influences within our society as well as how those influential sponsors lead to our own development of literacy. Shor specifically argues that similarly to the post-Marxist critical theory, society must become aware of our influences as access to literacy sources is inherently biased towards the privileged, and we have a duty to challenge the established status quo in order to develop towards a more egalitarian community. Similarly, Gadsby emphasizes the unfair advantage that men have over women and children in defining their own story and protecting their reputations at all cost, including by casting blame on the victims themselves. By adding new perspectives from the side of the women involved in the stories of revered men such as Bill Clinton and Pablo Picasso, Gadsby herself is enacting the principles of critical literacy in that she is challenging the power and reputation of men, who are at the top of the societal power pyramid. She lends credence to perspectives of the women who were the victims and pushes the audience to sympathize with them in order to even the playing field between genders. Throughout her show, Hannah Gadsby relays personal and public stories to depict how she developed into an individual that came to accept her identity after so many years of intense hatred from those around her for who she is; she emphasizes the need to develop towards a more equal and accepting society through the incorporation of ideals of discourse communities as well as critical literacy, all the while keeping her audience intensively captivated and thoroughly entertained.

The infamous controversy between students at the Covington Catholic High School and a Native American elder at the March for Life anti-abortion rally is a very compelling and peculiar one in that based on whose viewpoint and stance you see the situation from, the story itself changes with respect to the events that took place and the motives of each group involved. I believe that every story has at least two sides to it, and based on whose side you’re on and which individual or group you support, the facts of that story can drastically change; what makes this particular situation even more fascinating, however, is that there are actually three sides to the story. While the media initially covered the confrontation between the Catholic high school students and Nathan Phillips, the Native American Army veteran, a key component and player involved in the situation-the Black Hebrew Israelites-were mistakenly left out. With just this limited perspective, the Catholic students, especially Nick Sandmann who remained still and smiled while the elderly veteran drummed in front of him, look to be in the wrong; the videos show a mob-like gang of these students surrounding the single elderly Native American and acting both boisterous and foolish. However, when the fact that the Black Hebrew Israelites were shouting out racist and hateful slurs at the students, who in response took it upon themselves to stand up to this opposing group by shouting school chants in unison, then the view that the students were immoral and outright disrespectful seems to wane. Anybody in the students situation would most likely have acted in a similar way; we are taught to stand up for ourselves and take pride in who we are, and I believe that is what the students were aiming for after being targeted by the Black Hebrew Israelites, although the students themselves still seem far from angelic even through this perspective.

While it may be impossible to comprehend the truth with all of the facts failing to be presented, I do not believe that the Catholic high school students-specifically Nick Sandmann-were being purposefully racist to the elderly Nathan Phillips. I believe that the Black Hebrew Israelites had greatly riled up the emotions of the students with their hateful remarks, and when Phillips came to calm the situation with his drumming and chanting the tensed emotion as well as confusion from the students may have rolled over. When Phillips was walking up the stairs near the Lincoln Memorial by the students, he himself described the high school group from Covington continuing to move back with every step he made; I believe this emphasizes that the boys weren’t attempting to initiate any conflict with the man. Furthermore, to highlight that Sandmann wasn’t being racist towards the Native American, the video from the Washington Post states and shows that when a member of Phillips’ group began yelling at a student, Sandmann motioned at his fellow classmate to stop engaging in the situation. However, this does not resolve all of the blame from the Covington high schoolers. As other videos reveal, members of the high school were recorded harassing a female prior to the incident with Phillips occurring. Furthermore, the scene with one of the students stripping down to his shorts and chanting rowdily with a group of his peers made the boys seem immature and confrontational. Again, depending on whose side you see the story from, the “facts” and motives for each group will change entirely.

Personally, I value evidence that I know comes from a trustworthy source and that clearly lays out the entire situation in a way that can’t be fabricated or misinterpreted. I have seen and heard many crime-related stories, either from documentaries or podcasts, that are so captivating because the truth behind the situation is often a mystery. Based on the way that an individual, such as a jury member, receives and views pieces of evidence, their interpretation and comprehension of the story may change. This is due to the fact that evidence presented fails to paint the entire picture; rather, it leaves gaps that individuals may interpret differently. I do not trust this kind of evidence because the truth can not be determined from this alone. Groups of eye-witness testimonies, clear and comprehensive video evidence, and biological or genetic tests are the main sources that I trust because there is very little to no room for interpretation from outsiders. These evidence sources most often paint a clear picture of the scenario, and the truth can be determined from it. One of the reasons why I believe the judicial system in America is so flawed is because we rely on evidence that isn’t comprehensive or unbiased; single eyewitnesses are usually held as the most valuable sources of evidence, but it has been proven that these testimonies are often flawed due to their limited perception and cause false stories to be regarded as the truth. Without extensive evidence that comes from a reliable and unbiased source, the truth of a situation can’t be perfectly determined; this is why the controversy between the Covington Catholic high school students and elderly Native American veteran was so blatantly misperceived by millions across the country.

Due to my widespread access to a great variety of literacy sources and sponsors, as well as the constant practicing and perfecting of my reading and writing comprehension skills, I feel as if I have an advanced and elevated knowledge of literacy and the techniques that it employs. I was lucky enough to have been born and raised in an affluent community with educated parents who, throughout my childhood, saw to it that I received a comprehensive and thorough education. I enrolled in highly rigorous and competitive middle and high schools that strongly stressed the significance of analyzing advanced academic texts and synthesizing a unique argument in a structured essay format. We as students were assigned many texts from reputable and influential authors, from Shakespeare and Lorraine Hansberry to John Steinbeck and Mark Twain; delving into these captivating and enthralling reads exposed us as students to a wide variety of writing techniques and rhetorical devices, which we learned to analyze and comprehend why exactly each of those choices were employed by the author to synthesize his or her piece of work. My schooling communities along with the teachers within them were the main sources that have influenced and enhanced my literacy capacity, and without them I would not have been able to develop the critical reading and writing skills that I have attained today. Another community that influenced my literacy was the public library system within my county, which provided me with an outlet to invigorate my interest with texts and genres that appealed to my own imagination. The novels and plays that I read in school were mainly to pass my classes and complete my assignments, yet those that I checked out from the library were to ease my mind and transport myself to another world that I wanted to explore.

I mainly had access to these various communities due to the affluent community in which I was raised as well as my family’s socioeconomic status, which allowed me to explore my own desired sources of literacy. As Deborah Brandt eluded to in her article “The Sponsors of Literacy,” “affluent people from high-caste racial groups
have multiple and redundant contacts with powerful literacy sponsors as a routine part of their economic and political privileges” (Brandt 6). I believe that if an individual is born into an averagely or above averagely wealthy family, this greatly increases their ability to attain excellence in reading and writing comprehension skills, as they inherently have greater access to literacy sources that can allow them to develop the advanced academic abilities that will allow them to succeed in their future professional endeavors. However, those born into underprivileged families or communities are far less likely to be exposed to valuable literacy sources as they are growing up, which can negatively affect their ability to develop the necessary reading and writing comprehension skills. Personally, I feel that this inherent discrepancy in access to literacy sources and sponsors is unfair as well as unjustifiable. Policies need to be enacted where a greater variety of literacy sources are allocated to those individuals in lower socioeconomic classes so that they can be better prepared for the demands and requirements of the workforce in the future.

While not pertaining directly to me, I do believe that there are many social factors that prevent individuals from having access to vital literacy resources. For example, racial minorities usually have less exposure to sponsors of literacy and do not gain the same reading and writing skills that racial majorities attain; this can be due to the fact that racial minorities are often subjected to living in less affluent neighborhoods where educational resources aren’t the main priority. This relates to location as a possible constraint as well; highly populated cities that are the centers of advancements and rapid developments in different sectors are more likely to have a wider variety of literacy sources that can aid in literacy development for youth, whereas smaller rural towns may not have the same access to public libraries and top-notch educational schools, which affects one’s ability to attain said reading and writing comprehension skills. Lastly, as previously mentioned, class is perhaps the biggest constraint as to whether or not a person gains certain types of literacy. Those in higher socioeconomic classes typically have greater power and influence in society, which equates to a greater and wider variety of access to different types of literacy. More exposure to sources and sponsors of literacy most typically leads to more advanced development in critical reading and writing skills, which can lead to advantages in job employment and wage earnings in the future. I tend to advocate for the principles of critical literacy and critical theory elaborated on in Ira Shor’s “What Is Critical Literacy” article, which emphasizes challenging the established status quo in pursuit of a more equal society; hopefully we begin to provide equal access to vital literacy sources to all individuals regardless of background or race or individual identity, and in this way begin to develop towards establishing a truly egalitarian community.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton