Sara S.

Odd Disconnects – Digitized Version

Because I transfered to a school in a town I grew up in, I expected my transition to the University of Delaware to go smoothly. However, growing up in the same town which I now go to college did very little for my ease of transitioning. In this piece I discuss my expectations and realities of transfering to the University of Delaware. I discussed these experiences with students and locals, and share their accounts in this piece as well. To round out my piece, I compare my experiences to fictional thrillers for an entertainment twist. I hope you enjoy.

My Final Digitized Version on Medium.com: https://medium.com/@sjsowiak/odd-disconnects-an-account-of-a-college-transfer-junior-commuter-1f570ce4aed6

Favorites

I think I would say that Gloria Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” is my favorite piece we read this semester. The way that she articulated her lack of connection from both English and Spanish speakers was intriguing. She managed to inform her audience that because she spoke a form of “Spanglish,” that she did not feel like she was part of the English-speaking community because she was Spanish, while at the same time she did not feel like part of the Spanish-speaking community because the Spanish she spoke was broken.

My favorite class response was Bridget’s response to Richard Rodriguez’s “The Achievement of Desire: Personal Reflections on Learning ‘Basics.’” I believe her response brought up interesting points about Rodriguez being a good student because he was good at mimicking his teachers.

“Newark Townies Return Underground as Fall Semester Begins”

YB. Newark Townies Return Underground as Falls Semester Begins. 1 Sept 2016, Delaware.

Link: https://theblacksheeponline.com/delaware/newark-townies-return-underground-falls-semester-begins

The author of the writing I am offering goes by the initials YB and is an anonymous satirical writer from the University of Delaware for the website TheBlackSheepOnline.com. YB addresses hypothetical (and somehow relevant) situations on and around campus in a sarcastic way that allows for humor while at the same time addressing issues University of Delaware students might experience.

In this short article, YB addresses the start of fall semester and how the students’ move-in affects the “townies” of Newark, Delaware. YB makes fun of both the “townies” and University of Delaware students in this article. The “townies” are represented by strange and made-up homeless people and uneducated locals. The students are represented by made-up young people who are stereotypical college students, “basic” or “nerdy.”

My project revolves around my individual experience of transferring into a college as a junior at an older age in a town I’ve grown up in my whole life. This piece is significant in my project because I plan on addressing the relationship between the town locals of Newark and the students who attend University of Delaware, or any college town for that matter. This piece, though the events written about are not factual on the surface, offers extreme versions of opinions some people might actually have about the topic.

I believe you guys will enjoy this piece because it is written in a very humorous way and it addresses the town which we all know quite well. It is relatable because of the location and it might entice some students to develop a new way of thinking about town/campus relationships, or maybe even start off some students to become aware of the situation at all. Even if you do not choose this piece to comment on, it is short and I believe you should definitely give it a quick look.

The Problem with Generalizations

The topics that Rebecca Solnit brought up are important to recognize, and her way of displaying them demands attention. The topic of women being held down or ignored is not a new one and will not be insignificant for a long time. She is an advocate for women to receive equal respect from men. And she wants it done in a non-violent way.

“This is a struggle that takes place in war-torn nations, but also in the bedroom, the dining room, the classroom, the workplace, and the streets. And in newspapers, magazines, and television, where women are dramatically underrepresented.”

Solnit mentions two specific experiences she has had with “explaining men” who she felt were being superior or argumentative because of the fact that she was a woman. In these examples, both the Aspen man and the translator for Tariq Ali, I feel she was correct in assuming they treated her differently because she was a woman, though I have a difficult time chalking all similar situations up to gender superiority. Her argument is powerful, and it is evident that these issues definitely do exist, but by generalizing (all men, all women) it seems to invite criticism from readers.

“Every woman knows what I’m talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.”

Though she addresses that not all men explain things to women the way they would to a child, it does stir the pot a bit aggressively. The valid and persuasive arguments she makes are dulled by the overlying assumption that she generalizes men, just like she feels generalized by men. In my experience, I do not automatically assume that men are going to talk down to me, and I have had very few instances of this happening to me. I struggle to think of an example when I have been in that type of situation. The whole piece was excellent, and for someone who feels similarly about women’s rights as Solnit I was able to buy into her rally. However, for someone who does not share her claims, it might be easier for that person to disregard (or even argue) her statements because of her generalizations.

Decades of the Same Issue: Can it be Resolved?

After viewing this debate, it does not shock me that James Baldwin successfully won the debate, “Is the American dream at the expense of the American Nigro?” Baldwin was able to eloquently describe his points that were, especially at the time, controversial topics of race to a room of around six hundred white men. His stature and confidence in his presentation was impressive. His argument was that in order to understand how the American dream hinders the American Nigro, perspective of an individual can greatly affect how the question is answered. If someone does not have experience from the perspective of an African American, then it becomes extremely difficult to understand the setbacks that are present. Baldwin states:

“The reaction to that question has to depend on an affect, an affect on where you find yourself in the world. What your sense of reality is, what your system of reality is. That is, it depends on assumptions which we hold so deeply as to be scarcely aware of them.”

This is a significant point in his argument because it allows him to next explain the American dream in the eyes of an Africans American man. By emphasizing that there truly is a gap that divides black and white peoples’ experience, Baldwin captures the audience’s attention, an effective transition in his setting.

Baldwin explains to the audience that as a child, African Americans are raised thinking that they are white, truly equal, until about the age 8. Reality turns the world upside down, and by the age of 30 nothing has changed, despite all the efforts. The idea of being raised to value a society that does not value you is incredibly difficult to comprehend. Today, most people are told to make a name for themselves, to make a space in society that is significant to them. It is staggering that this notion is still applicable today. The effort of true equality can only start on an individual level, and across every household and in every group. The only way to change the outlook on groups of minority is to change the way we teach about them. As Baldwin suggests, history and the way it is taught must be made more diverse.

Fear of the Language vs. Content

Min-Zhan Lu’s experience with language selection differs greatly from the other examples so far this semester. Opposed to the desire for people to feel comfortable expressing themselves using their native dialect, as a young child Lu was urged to use three different languages. More interestingly, Lu’s home language was the furthest from the native language of the area. The native language, Shanghai, was only to be used with the servants because that was all they could speak and was quickly being replaced with Standard Chinese, which she used in school. Her parents urged Lu to use English because they believed it was the language that would cause the most success.

“My grandmother reminisced constantly about how she had slaved and saved to send my father to a first-rate missionary school. And we were made to understand that it was my father’s fluent English that had opened the door to his success.”
Lu, “From Silence to Words: Writing as Struggle”

An issue seen in American culture is fear of expression for different cultures in certain areas. It is remarkable that Lu had the same emotions around this issue, but her experience was the exact opposite. A language that was not even her native language became her home language, and then suddenly she was persuaded away from using it anymore. It was fascinating that as soon as Lu grew older, she realized the political climate change. English, once being the language that offered a brighter future, became the language of the “Bourgeois.” It was frowned upon to use anything other than Standard Chinese because of judgement from the “working class.” She felt uncomfortable using English because people would assume she felt more superior. She says, “From then on, I took care not to use English outside home and to conceal my knowledge of English from my new classmates.” This brings up some important questions. Why is it that using a certain language can be met with such strongly opposing cultural opinion, resulting in fear for the speaker or the audience? Why is it the way that something is said is focused on, and not the content of what is being said?

Wabi Sabi as it applies to my life

It’s a simple example, however in all aspects of my life I like to keep a balance of organization and disorganization. My room, for example, will probably appear as a disorganized mess to the outsider looking in, however I like to live life by the moto, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Just because there is a lot of stuff (everything I own in one small box I call a bedroom) it is cluttered, but it remains organized. My backpack is another good example of this. All of the books are organized by size and everything has a specific place for itself, but once you open up the notebooks it is difficult for the outsider to sort through and understand all the scribbled notes.

I enjoyed the insertion of “wabi sabi” in the article because I had not heard of it before. I enjoy the concept because it “insists upon asymmetry and imperfection,” as Lambeth stated in her article. I consider many things throughout my daily life to have a bit of wabi sabi in them.