Entry 7

Andrew Krell

Professor Young

English 1100

November 9, 2015

Options for Andrew Krell's Essay 3

• Is violence in video games affecting children?
• Should we restrict immigration?
• Should we restrict the number of children mothers may bear?
• Do organic foods have health benefits?
• Do we need to have foreign language classes in school?
• Which is better? Bottled water or tap water?
• Is Donald Trump qualified to be President of the United States?
• Is Apple Watch worth buying?
• Is a dog or a cat a better companion?
• Does everyone need to go to college?

Entry 6

Andrew Krell
English 1100
Professor Young
October 26, 2015

Homework (Due October 27)

Quotes from Text - Still Separate, Still Unequal by Jonathan Kozol

"It stands today as one of the nation's most visible and problematic symbols of an expectation rapidly receding and a legacy substantially betrayed."  (Kozol 3)

" 'It's as if you have been put in a garage where, if they don't have room for something but aren't sure if they should throw it out, they put it there where they don't need to think of it again.' " (Kozol 4)

"If you close your eyes to the changing racial composition of the schools and look only at budget actions and political events, you're missing the assumptions that are underlying these decisions."

Toni Morrison

Entry 5

Andrew Krell

English 1100

Professor Young

September 24, 2015

I Do Want to Learn

Sad, but true, I agree would have to agree with Jean Anyon’s research claiming teachers provide different instruction based on the social class of their students.  Unfortunately, I think some teachers decide that their students cannot learn or do not want to learn because they are poor or may have parents who did not attend college, or maybe the parents do not speak English.  When a teacher decides their students have low potential, they do not teach to a higher potential.  

I happen to come from an upper-middle class family.  My father is a cardiologist and my mother is a nurse, but she did not work when I was younger.  Education was always a priority in my house.  I had to do my homework before I did anything else.  My teachers were always impressed by how prepared I was.  They knew my mother was diligent about making sure I did every assignment and more.  Unfortunately, some parents are unable to help their children the same way my mother helped me.  This may be true when both parents have to work, or when a parent does not understand the work.  These kids need a motivated, enthusiastic teacher who believes in them and can get them interested in whatever subject they are teaching.  I had some great teachers who made school interesting and relevant.  However, I was a victim of a teacher who showed a bias toward her students.  This teacher taught basic chemistry and honors chemistry.  When I was trying to download notes to study for an exam, I discovered the disparity between what the teacher posted for her honors class and the basic chemistry class.  The teacher made regular posts with detailed notes for her honors class and rarely posted anything for the basic class.  It made me feel like she did not think I was interested or wanted to learn because I was not in the upper-level class.  I understand Anyon’s observations. 

A child should never be made to feel like they cannot dream of being anything they want to be. It is not fair when a teacher assumes a child does not have the potential or drive to accomplish anything in life.  According to the adage, if you are told something often enough, you start believing it to be true.  The students in the lower social class schools will never be more than lower social class because they are taught not to be leaders but to be followers. 

Entry 4

Andrew Krell

English 1100

9-13-15

Prof. Young

Entry 4

I believe that a student should be allowed to write in their own style depending on the circumstances.  The language used in writing must be appropriate to the setting and should be grammatically correct.  For instance, a scientific research paper should use language that is more proper, formal and suited to the subject matter.  However, assignments that ask the student to be vocal, such as asking an opinion or a personal anecdote, should allow the student to use their own speech/language pattern.  The student can be more expressive in their writing and it will feel more authentic.  The language itself is a statement of who they are and where they come from.

Language used should also be appropriate for the intended audience.  If your audience were fellow students, then the use of slang, and profanity would be acceptable, and not offensive.  Yet, younger people are more open-minded to the language and the message is reflective of culture and society.  In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” when Gloria Anzaldua wrote in Spanglish, she did not assume the readers spoke Spanish, so when necessary, she offered a translation.  The use of her own language, made her story more personal, historical and cultural.  

Students should be allowed to write in their own styles as long as they are considerate of their audience and basic rules of grammar.  

Entry 3

Andrew Krell

English 1100

Professor Young

September 3, 2015

Identity

When someone brings up the term “identity”, the definition can vary from person to person.  If you ask me, identity is what makes a person different from everyone else.  It pertains to every detail about us, physical, mental or otherwise.  Just as no two snowflakes have the same shape, and no two zebras have the same pattern of stripes, no two people have the same identity.  

Some aspects of your identity you are born with, such as sex, DNA, culture and ethnicity.  Other aspects of your identity you choose such as hobbies, beliefs, friends and careers. 

When you are born, you are either male or female, DNA determines the color of your hair, eyes and skin, and your parents determine your ethnicity and decide your religious affiliation and cultural experiences.  Initially, people with similar characteristics and affiliations are the people you identify with.  As people get older and form their own opinions, they may decide to change some of the identity characteristics they are born with.  For example, people change their hair color all the time, change their appearance with plastic surgery and even change their sexual identity.  Although you cannot change your ethnic heritage, one can either embrace it or try to minimize it so it is not an obvious factor in their identity.  A person might choose to change religions because of marriage or other influences that change their beliefs.  Moving to another geographic location, whether it be a different country, a different region or even from rural to urban will change the cultural influences that are part of a person’s identity.

The saying, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”, expresses the idea that we socialize with people with similar traits, values, interests, and beliefs as our own.  We can identify with people from the same socio-economic class, who enjoy the same activities, and who may work in the same profession.  Have you ever noticed that many professions have their own language?  When two doctors are talking to each other, a non-medical person may feel like they are speaking a foreign language.  People who enjoy similar sports, such as golf, dress in a similar manner.  Even though golfers do not wear a uniform, their clothing style is very distinctive and identify them as golfers.  The people we choose to spend our time with are usually people with similar characteristics to ourselves.  

Our identity is what makes us unique from one another.  It is the combination of interests, ideas, beliefs, and characteristics that make us individuals.  While we have similarities to others, we have our own shape, and our own stripes. 

 

Journal Entry #2

Andrew Krell
August 30, 2015
Prof. Young
English 1100

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

1.  In the opening scene, when Anzaldua is in the dentist chair, the author says "the dentist is cleaning out my roots".  What is implied is her ethnic roots are trying to be removed.  Anzaldua's language or native tongue, Spanish, is very much a symbol of her ethnicity and not allowing her to express herself with any trace of her Spanish language is the goal in taming her tongue.

2.  Anzaldua's use of Spanish language throughout her writing makes a lot of sense.  She often uses Spanish when recalling events from her childhood such as things her mother would say to her.  Her purpose was to remind the reader of the culture she grew up with that is still part of who she is now.

3.  I am not sure I understand the question, but, I would not say Academic English is standard and Chicano Spanish is non-standard.  I am not sure for any language there is a standard because there are so many different dialects and geographic variations.  Most English speaking people do not speak Academic English, so how can it be the standard.  Anzaldua talks about people judging based on one's native tongue, inferring lack of education, wealth or culture.

4.  I think at times, speaking and/or writing in a more formal, proper Academic English is necessary.  For instance, business situations, informative writing and more formal events lend itself to the use of proper Academic English.  The use of slang or regional variations of language may not be understood when trying to communicate to a diverse population of people.

5.  As with the Spanish language, there are various English language identities which often indicate which part of the country you live in.  For instance, a Boston accent is very distinctive and different from a New York accent.  If someone says "Y'all", you can assume they lived in the South for a period of time.  Social media has created a whole new language of its own.

6.  No, I do not have a secret language that I use.

7.  I typically speak non-Standard English with my friends and my family.  Although sometimes, I probably speak more standard English with my parents out of respect.  I would also be more likely to speak Standard English with a Professor, out of respect.

8.  "I am my language" means the language I speak tells you where I grew up and what groups I identify with.  However, the language you speak does not tell your whole story.

9.  In the introduction, Anzaldua talks about fighting the change even though there were many who thought the Spanish language should be silenced.  Her mother did not want her to speak "English like a Mexican" and Chicano students took classes to eliminate their accents.  Anzaldua rebelled against these beliefs.  In the conclusion, it was the rebellion of the people that gave the Chicano Spanish its name and identity.  They no longer wanted to be silenced or let their race or culture die.

10.  Yes, the language we speak can be part of our identity.  It identifies where we come from, groups we identify with.  It might identify a profession we belong to, or interests we may have.

11.  Anzaldua thinks it is important to have identity.  She states "I am my language.  Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself".  She speaks of surprise and joy when the bilingual book, "I Am Joaquin" gets published.  She feels her Chicano identity is being recognized and legitimized.         

Homework 1-Getting to Know You

Andrew Krell
English 1100
8-27-15
Prof. Young

Day 1

My name is Andrew.  I'm a freshman at Fairleigh Dickinson University (Florham Campus) and I'm a sociology major.  I created this blog for a homework assignment in my English class.  This will be where I post my assignments about twice a week.

I am not an athlete, however I like jogging for leisure.  Though my favorite pastimes are internet surfing and playing video games.  However, I do not have a social media account, yet I follow certain Youtube channels.  I do not have a nickname and to be honest, I would rather just be called Andrew.  My favorite type of music is just about anything with a guitar, particularly an electric one.  My favorite band is Crush 40. 

Normally I keep an outline and plan for writing, as I am not one for spontaneity and I learned to do this in high school.  If I had to say the most important thing to learn this semester, it would most likely be to learn writing essays better.  I would rate myself as a B writer because I can be a good writer, but it would depend on the topic.