Bell Hooks Teaching To Transgress Summary

In “Teaching to Transgress: Education as the practice of Freedom”, Author, feminist, and social activist Bell hooks made a point to go beyond Standard English and express ourselves through one's own cultural language. Hooks believes that African Americans created a speech that could convey more than Standard English does. I agree with Hooks because different languages are used in many different ways, whether it is to insult someone or to express how much you care. I believe that Standard English became a symbol of oppression and Standard English covers up the true language of Black Vernacular English.
There is a wide variety of English other than the standard, for example, Black Vernacular English. Black Vernacular English is a speech that African Americans created to express themselves. Common sense seems to dictate that Standard English is not the easiest language to learn but it is the most well-used language in America. Hooks claims that “The power of this speech is not simply that it enables resistance to white supremacy, but that it also forges a space for alternative cultural production.” (pg. 171, par.6) I admire Hooks claim because Black Vernacular should not be a way to rebel against Standard English but a way to include different cultural languages. In “Teaching to Transgress: Education as the practice of Freedom”, Hooks asserts that

As I see it, Standard English secretes Black Vernacular English and other languages. According to Hooks, “It is a mask which hides the loss of so many tongues, all those sounds of diverse, native communities we will never hear…” (pg.168, par. 2) Hooks makes a good point because people are expected to speak Standard English but in reality people speak different languages. Vernacular English speakers are trying so hard to speak Standard English because that is what they are told to do that they forget about their own