The Arguement Within

When i look at this pictutre it says alot with just one glance. This picture was taken in Spokane, Washington , in 2008. I would say that the artist did this picture as a way to get more people to vote for president Obama, therefore the audience was for voters. In this picture there is a little girl who looks like she's goin to President Obama for his helo, while John McCain is nogging him.

Talking Language With Laura

As I sat in class and interviewed Laura, I found out many interesting things about her and her view on language. Laura is from Clinton,IL and is majoring in Biological Science. I found out that Laura has a speech impendiment and its a speech problem. When others hear Laura speak they say that she has an accent and I too thought the same thing. In Laura's house her family just speaks regular English, she says there is no slang spoken in her house, and its "so boring". As a child Laura said she did not really too much care about grammar and proper English, but as she got older she started to care. Language helps others interact with one another and could be good for ones career. I enjoyed interviewing Laura and I found out a lot about her.

Getting Personal

After reading Getting Personal, I learned alot about personal essays and what it takes to write a personal essay. The point of a personal is that you, the writer, are the only person that can get the point you are trying to make across. When writing a personal essay you have to find ways to get the readers attention because you do not want them to say after reading it, "why did I just read this?". As a writer its your responbilty to pick a topic that you do not mind in depth with. I also learned that a personal essay should also make the reader feel comfortable.

What Language Is My Own?

When I am at school , I sometimes speak differently, from when I am at home with my family or with my friends. At school I find myself speaking proper English, but I often catch myself slipping and using un proper English. I was born and raised in Detroit, MI so I've always had a different vocabulary than those in Illinois. I would always say things that even my friends different understand. I soon learned that sometimes I have to adopt to the language around me than using my own.  When I am around my latino friends sometimes I feel the need to only speak spanish, but in school I find myself not wanting to speak my "Detroit Street Language" or "Black English".  The way one talks has alot to do with how others view you.

From Outside In

Question 2

Mellix would use "Black English" at home while arguing with her sibilings and she would use " Standard English" when she was at school and when writing letters. She did not like this doubleness.

Question 4

Mellix parents would correct her when she choose to use un proper english in the house. The power of langauge is very important.  Proper english is able to get one further in life than someone that uses something like, "Black English". There is a time and place where proper english is needed and people should know these places.

Meet Latoya Chandler

In life you always meet one person that will always have a great impact on your life and I was blessed to meet that one person early. My cousin Toya has made a great impact on my life and she inspires me to do my best. Although Toya was my second cousin, she was more like a third big sister. When she walked in the room she would always light it up with her beautiful smile nd great personality. She was a nice, outgoing, and determined person. Everywhere she went she made new friends.I loved being around her and she was one of the few people that I could consider my role model. Toya went through alot growing up, but she didn't let that stop nor define her. After Toya finished high school she went to college in Mississippi. I'll always remember the day she left for college because we both were crying so hard. She did not want to go because she did not want to leave me and my family, but it was time for a new beginning.


My favorite memeory that comes to mind when I think of her is when she went with me on my field trip in elementary school. We were going skating and I knew she would love to go considering how great she was at skating. I can see her now, backwards skating and I can hear her voice. No matter what she was going through she always had a smile on her face and she never wore her emotions. When Toya was diagnosed with brain cancer, she didn't let that stop her. She was determined to keep going, but her battled ended on July 2, 2007 and she was no longer in pain.

Why And When We Speak Spanish In Public

Question 1

Marquez explains that her and her family haven't adopted English as an official family language because of the respect they have for their parents. Also, speaking Spanish is part of their culture and it brings them much comfort.

If I were around the three of them I wouldn't feel as though they were being rude. I have a different view, I guess because I know Spanish and I have Latino friends. If i didn't know Spanish though, I still wouldn't consider it rude. A person speaks their own language for many reasons. It can be that the people they're with knows little to no English or that they more comforter with their own language.

Question 4

Marquez stops speaking Spanish when there is a non-Spanish speaker around. I think that its great gesture. If i were around someone that didn't speak Spanish, I wouldn't speak it because it would not want them to be left out in the conversation. If it were a private conversation that I didn't want them to hear, I would have it at a different time.


This piece is so powerful because the reader is able to understand how language is so important to many people and the things they have to deal with for speaking it.

Whats valuable about this genre is that it's more personal and that many people can relate to it.

Attention Genre

After reading the article by Jordana Hall I learned there are many things that one can do to catch their audiences attention. The flier was a good example of trying to grab someones attention. When you are trying to grab someones attention it is important to have attention grabbers like pictures or even big words. As seen in the book, the flier made the most important facts like who,where, and when in big bold letters so even if the reader didnt want to read the entire flier, they new the main things. Learning to make sure the reader gets the main point is one of many ways to become a great writer.Jordana Hall
s article in the book was of great help.