“Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes is about a student who attends Columbia University, more specifically, a black college student, who has to write a paper about himself for his English class. He starts to think about what it means to be him and whether his life experiences will make sense to his white teacher. He realizes that even though they come from different backgrounds, they share some of the same feelings and experiences. The poem shows that identity isn’t as simple as it seems, it can also be shaped by race and a person’s history. He acknowledges that everyone is different in their own ways but states that they are also equal since they are all American. Langston Hughes purpose was to share his beliefs on identity and race. He wants to show that as a Black student at a mainly white school, his life is very different from others. Hughes also believes that people can find a similar feeling and experience that will help them connect to each other better. Hughes is trying to encourage the readers to think about how everyone’s backgrounds help shape who they are as people. The message is basically him telling the readers to understand the importance of learning about each other better and appreciate the diversity of each person’s life. The intended audience is his English teacher since the assignment was for him . You can also say that the intended audience could be to his fellow classmates or to everyone in general since he is not only talking to his teacher but to all students. He uses his personal experiences in order to engage the readers into thinking about their perspective on race and identity. Langston Hughes also uses several ways to get his message across.

First, he talks about his own life as a Black student at a mostly white school, which helps readers relate to his feelings and see the differences in their backgrounds. This really helps readers connect with his feelings and see how different their backgrounds can be. By sharing his experiences, Hughes makes it clear that identity is shaped by many factors. He also asks questions like, “Is what I write true?” These questions make readers think about identity and race, showing that understanding each other can be important. Lastly, Hughes repeats phrases like “I wonder” and “I guess,” which makes his thoughts feel more personal. Ultimately, these strategies help people see the need for understanding and connecting with those who are different, making his message stronger and encouraging readers to think about their own experiences and perspective on identity and race. Hughes tells us to reflect on our own lives and consider how we relate to others. Hughes is trying to tell us that despite our differences, we all share something in common, being American, which is something we should celebrate and embrace together. I would say that Hughes does achieve his purpose because his purpose was to make the readers think about their perspective or view about identity or race, and as a reader i can easily say that after reading his poem and seeing the different strategies he used in order to get his message across, it made me think about how we really are all completely different but also very similar in different ways. At the end of the poem when he says “As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me— although you’re older—and white— and somewhat more free.” It really hit me because he is basically saying that no matter how different from each other we are, we will always learn from each other no matter if we want to or not.

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       Throughout the course with Professor Rose, I have developed and improved my writing skills with the help of multiple assignments and phases we had throughout the class. Phase 1 began with a focus on analyzing and reflecting my personal experiences with language and writing. In this phase, we mostly did rhetorical analysis of different stories, the ones that stood out to me were the  rhetorical analysis of June Jordan’s “Nobody Mean More to Me Than You” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl.” Both works showed me how language can have a huge impact on individuals , a theme in which I continue to talk about in my future writing. These assignments helped me find the power of language and the impact of language standards on how people are treated based on how good they are at certain language

In my literacy narrative, I was able to reflect on my own experiences with language, specifically talking about the challenges I faced when I first moved to the United States and how I had to adapt to English language standards. The pressure to reach the standards of English in school created an unhealthy environment. As I struggled to communicate with my peers. I still remember the words a classmate said to me when I was trying to communicate: “Now, Jero, para que te vas a poner a hacer todo eso.” These words made me question my language skills and made me feel like I didn’t belong. Writing this essay at first was very challenging because I didn’t know how to put my story into words and express my emotions. But with the help of multiple drafts and peer reviews i was able to successfully write my literacy narrative in a way i wanted to

Throughout Phase 1, I not only analyzed works like Jordan’s and Kincaid’s but also explored how authors use language to connect with their audience. For example, in Kincaid’s “Girl,” the repetition of the mother’s commands and the imagery used to describe the girl’s future and how language can restrict and control people. This rhetorical analysis helped me see how writers use language as a way to communicate about society standards and expectations. Kincaid’s story uses the mother’s strict advice to show how these expectations limit the daughter’s ability to do certain things. The tone of the narrative shows the strict nature of these language standards, much like the expectations I felt when trying to fit into English standards. Doing these rhetorical analysis throughout the first phase also helped me complete my course learning outcome goal which was to get better at “exploring and analyzing writing and reading a variety of genres and rhetorical situations”.

In Phase 2, I transitioned to writing a research essay where I analyzed the importance of safety measures in sports, focusing specifically on Guardian Caps. This assignment allowed me to explore how rhetorical strategies can be used to inform and persuade. The use of logos in this essay was a good way to make a good argument because since I needed to present statistical evidence to back up my claims. Additionally, I was able to apply ethos to establish my credibility by using reliable sources and pathos to appeal to readers’ emotions by emphasizing the potential risks athletes face without proper protection and how that can affect them in many ways The process of drafting, revising, and editing my research essay allowed me to get my ideas together and improve the quality of my arguments. Peer Editing played a big role in this assignment because I received feedback from classmates that helped me help my points and make my writing better.  I believe I successfully improved in the learning goal to improve “strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing”, In which I believe I have made significant progress. In Phase 1, my approach to writing was more focused on personal reflection and analysis. By Phase 2, I had developed stronger research and drafting strategies. 

Another area in which I have grown this semester is recognizing and practicing key rhetorical terms and strategies. I became more familiar with the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos  Additionally, in my analysis of Kincaid’s “Girl,” I recognized how the author used repetition and tone to convey a sense of control, showing the theme of society standards. In my research essay, I was able to find sources and properly cite them in MLA format. In terms of course learning outcomes, I believe I have made significant progress in several areas. I have improved my ability to recognize and apply rhetorical strategies and also my skills in drafting, revising, and editing. I have also become more confident in using sources to support my writing, whether through research or drafting. However, there are areas where I feel I could have made more progress, particularly in adapting my writing to different audiences. I would like to continue improving my ability to analyze and adjust my tone and style depending on the specific audience I am addressing.

In conclusion, this semester has been a journey of growth and development in my writing skills. I have learned to engage with different genres and rhetorical situations and then apply key strategies to improve my writing. Through critical analysis and feedback, I have become more skilled in the process of drafting, revising, and editing. While I have made good progress I look forward to further improving my ability to adapt my writing for different audiences and contexts. This course has shown me a numerous amount of writing tools that I will continue to use in the future

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Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” involves a narrative between a strict mother and her daughter. The story is written in a style of speech where the mother speaks almost throughout advising her daughter on how to do housework like cooking, cleaning and washing clothes, and how she should behave when moving around society. She tells her all about walking, smiling and how she should be around men. The mother always tells the girl to keep away from doing things that may make them look chide. She advises the girl, for example, not to become “the type of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread,” to basically not do anything which might damage your reputation.

Kincaid uses her story “Girl” to  show the idea that such a life of expectations and rules will cause great constriction in young girls. The narrative proposes that these norms can crowd out identity, expression and choice.  Kincaid wrote this story to be relatable to any woman who has been forced into these situations by her family or society in general. She may of also written this to show how the expectations of women have changed throughout time and how forcing expectations to a young women can be overwhelming 

Kincaid uses a few key tools in “Girl” to effectively make her point. One is repetition, where the mother keeps saying things like “this is how you do this,”. This repetition helps show how overwhelming it must feel for the girl, who is constantly being told what to do and how to behave. The rules cover things from daily chores to more personal aspects of life, Kincaid also uses imagery to paint a picture of what might happen if the girl doesn’t follow the rules. For example, the line about the girl becoming “the kind of woman the baker won’t let near the bread” gives an image of how her reputation could be ruined if she steps out of line. This image helps the reader understand the stakes involved, showing that the girl’s future depends on her ability to meet these expectations.The tone of the mother’s voice is serious and strict, showing that there is no room for discussion or disagreement. The girl’s two attempts to speak up are quickly ignored, making it clear that her voice and opinions do not matter.. This tone shows how unchanging these societal expectations are, leaving little room for the girl to express herself 

Kincaid’s use of repetition, imagery, and tone works to show how powerful and controlling societal expectations can be to not only young women but to people throughout the world. The mother’s constant advice represents the many rules that young girls are expected to follow, while the imagery shows the consequences of not being able to fit in. These strategies show how these expectations can trap the  young women, which can be  making it difficult for them to make their own choices. In the end, Kincaid achieves her goal of showing how harmful these rules can be, she encourages readers to think about the ways in which the expectations of society can affect  people’s lives

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Name: Jeronimo Echavarria

October 7, 2024 

Freshman Composition (ENGL 110)

Professor Rose 

Written Language and Literacy Narrative 

     Nos vamos para Estados Unidos 

“Nos vamos para Estados Unidos!!” my mom blurts out while we are in the beautiful streets of Medellín, Colombia. Obviously, I didn’t believe her one bit, but she said it in such a tone that made me start questioning if maybe she was serious after all. You see, my parents started working on getting our resident visa way before I was even born, specifically in the year 2001. My parents were supposed to get their visa in 2003, but it was extremely delayed after the 9/11 attacks. This takes me back to 2013, when my parents finally got accepted for their visa. The process got delayed a whopping 12 years, which took a huge toll on my parents mentally. I wish I was able to recreate the look on my mom’s face when she finally got the news. The way she stared at that email made me think we won the lottery or something. From the moment we got back home, she was already considering quitting her job and moving to the United States the very next week; and that’s exactly what we did.

I remember when I first arrived here in the United States at 7 years old and felt something so weird—being an outsider. The feeling of not knowing anything in a new country was just so scary, but it motivated me to take my family ahead and beat any obstacles that came with it. During my very first days of elementary school, I was placed in a program specifically for kids with no English experience. This was very significant to me because it made me realize that I wasn’t the only kid feeling the same way as me—being an outsider.

My favorite experience when practicing  English at a young age was a fairly funny one. In my last year of elementary school, I, for some reason, decided to join the acting club in my school. Mind you, at that time I didn’t even know enough English to get around by myself, just the ABCs and the things they teach little kids. I vividly remember the little friends I had in the program telling me, “Now, Jero, para que te vas a poner a hacer todo eso,” basically telling me not to join and that I would embarrass myself. For some weird reason, I kinda liked that they told me that. Something about people doubting me or not believing in me just brought something out of me that I can’t explain. However, I decided to join the club. We did a total of 4 plays throughout the year, but I only participated in one of them, which was the very last one we did.

There was a character called Thomas, who was the shy kid of the play who just stuck around with his friends without saying a word, and in some weird coincidence, the character was exactly how I was in real life. Although he only had 2 lines in total, I decided to pick this role because of how much he resembled me as a person. I wouldn’t realize how much of an impact those 2 lines would have on me until the day of the play arrived. When the time came for those 2 lines and I saw the auditorium completely packed, my heart dropped. Although I was only saying 2 lines, I started thinking in my head, “What will they think once they hear my accent? Will they laugh at me?” A range of emotions traveled through my head. But once I said my lines, I realized that there was no odd reaction at all. At the end of the play, even though I only had 2 lines, I felt like the main character. That was my first major experience with the English language, and it is one that I will never forget.

There is one person that I give major credit to who helped me a lot: my first ever official English teacher, Mrs. Colon, who was also Hispanic, being one—if not the main—reason why I am able to understand and speak English today. She was basically my best friend. I learned that she also came to this country at a very young age like me, so she was able to understand how I felt when I used to rant to her about how horrible my day was because I wasn’t able to understand anyone. All those moments I shared with her will always have a special place in my heart, and whenever I—if I do—ever see her again, I will let her know how important she was to me and show her how much better my English has gotten.

To summarize  all the years after that: making friends was tricky too. I didn’t always get what the other kids were talking about. I’d laugh along at jokes even though I didn’t understand them, just trying to fit in. But my parents always reminded me why we came here—to have a better life. So, I pushed through. I watched cartoons in English, practiced with my classmates who also had the same struggle, and little by little, things started to click. Those years were tough. My parents had worked so hard to get here, but starting from scratch in a new country was overwhelming. Still, looking back, it taught me a lot. I learned how to adapt, how to push through when things are difficult, and how important it is to keep moving forward.

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