I will be discussing how the three poems "Halfe Caste", "Unrelated
incidents", and "search for my tongue" do not use standard English. I
will be exploring the poets motivation and discussing how the poets
deviate from standard English.
In the poem "Search for my tongue" the poet Sujata Bhatt uses the
language Gujarat. Using an alternative language such as (Gujarat) has
an effect in ways that it shows how Sujata Bhatt had went from
speaking English to Gujarat and back to English. It has an effect
showing how she has two tongues in her mouth, one the English tongue,
and the other tongue being the foreign tongue. Sujata's English tongue
is talking however overnight her Gujarat tongue has taken over in her
dreams. Then in the morning her English tongue comes back like a
flower growing, "the bud opens, the bud opens in my mouth, it pushes
the other tongue aside.
In the poem "Unrelated incidents" is a reporter from the BBC talking.
From the way the words are spelt we can gather that the reporter is
Scottish, "this is thi six a clock thi man said n thi reason a talk
wia BBC accent iz coz yi widny wahnt mi ti talk about thi trooth".
Also in this poem is hardly any standard English at all. It is
effective in ways that we get ideas of what the character is like. We
know how the reporter is feeling. He doesn't sound to happy "this is
thi six a clock nyooz. belt up". Where as if it was said, "This is the
six a clock news. Belt up", it would have no expression to the way the
reporter is actually feeling and this is why it would be better not to
have used standard English.
In the poem "Halfe Caste" the poet John Agard is talking about how he
only half person. He says he is Half white, and Half black. We would
have no idea of how the character would behave or speak, half white or
half black. Judging from the way he talks, "well in dat case england
weather nearly always half caste in fact some o dem cloud half caste
Berkhoffer, Robert F., The White Man’s Indian, 1978, Random House, Inc., New York, 261, nonfiction.
For my Identity Essay I read Negotiating Differences Glimpses into a Canadian Interracial Relationship by Bina Mehta and Kevin Spooner. The chapter talks about their relationships and some of the conflicts they faced as an interracial couple.
Not only was the age of Dickens' script evident in his style of writing, but also in the actions and reactions of his characters. Both the signal man and the narrator were uncomfortably polite and their language was noticably archaic:
...t example because if a person were in a fight they wouldn't say "You say enough when you have had enough." The use in the story makes it more realistic.
Have you ever wanted something really badly, but couldn’t afford it? This is a common occurrence, but what about food? Have you ever went to be hungry because you couldn’t afford to eat? Unfortunately, Junior, the main character in the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, felt exactly this way for food. Even though Junior didn’t have as many resources as the other “white kids,” he still chose to look at the positives. This novel shows that even in times of great hardship, people can still choose to have hope and look at the good in their lives.
Adolescents experience a developmental journey as they transition from child to adult, and in doing so are faced with many developmental milestones. Physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes are occurring during this tumultuous stage of life, and making sense of one’s self and identity becomes a priority. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian addresses the challenges of adolescence in an engaging tale, but deals with minority communities and cultures as well.
“Cultural identity is a broader term: people from multiple ethnic backgrounds may identify as belonging to the same culture” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). Though people may identify themselves with a certain culture, their beliefs and actions varies and adjust to their experiences. “…We do not consciously pick and choose attributes from the total set; rather, the conditions and events in our individual lives…” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). A person is easily influenced by their culture which also makes an impact on their beliefs as well as their view of the world which can cause conflict with another person.
It can be very difficult being different. Sometimes being different scares people. Being judged by people have never met and who do not even know you and they have already labeled you, can lead up to suicide or depression. This feeling was described in the novel Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. There is only one reservation in Wellpoint, Washington and it is really never reached on accident because it is not on most maps and it is very rare to find this small city. One of the main characters of the novel is Robert Johnson and he tries to find the women in his dreams to get back the soul he once lost. The novel makes the audience feel what it is like trying to find your identity, race, and suffering. It also makes you realize who the people
Law, Celtic. "MacBeth MacFindlaech." EHistory at OSU | Welcome to EHistory. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
“Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen” (Lahiri, My Two lives). Jhumpa Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize winner, describes herself as Indian-American, where she feels she is neither an Indian nor an American. Lahiri feels alienated by struggling to live two lives by maintaining two distinct cultures. Lahiri’s most of the work is recognized in the USA rather than in India where she is descents from (the guardian.com). Lahiri’s character’s, themes, and imagery in her short stories and novels describes the cultural differences of being Indian American and how Indian’s maintain their identity when moved to a new world. Lahiri’s inability to feel accepted within her home, inability to be fully American, being an Indian-American, and the difference between families with same culture which is reflected in one of her short stories “Once in a Lifetime” through characterization and imagery.
have you ever gone to a different place and seen people dressed differently. or have you recently moved to the U.S. from a different country and some people are doing things differently than from where u come from. well, this essay will talk about how our culture consistently informs the way we view others and the world around the U.S.
“Let's go Indians, Let’s go,” chants from the crowd while teammates eagerly await the last pitch of the tightly contested tied game, Nate and Ben are pacing back and forth in the dugout, while Mitch is on deck taking practice swings for his turn at bat. This game decides whether their team makes it to the playoffs or if they go home early. The South Central Indians are the best AAA team in their division but this game is closer than any of the games they have played before. As the pitcher's arm comes forward his hand releases the ball to the catcher. Conor is sixty feet away standing near home plate as he grips the bat as tight as he can with his worn out batting gloves.
My father immigrated to the United States when he was ten years old. He worked hard in his childhood and strived to become the first member of his family to attend college. While I was growing up he had only two requests for me: that I only do what I truly enjoy doing and that I don’t forget my Indian heritage.
"I don't mind if my parents try to find a boy for me. Arranged marriages are still a common thing in my family. I don't know what my parents will say if I have a boyfriend here and he is from another country. I am sure that they will not adamantly reject it, but they maybe disappointed."
In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake, the protagonist, Gogol, struggles with his cultural identity. He is an American-born Bengali struggling to define himself. He wants to fit into the typical American-lifestyle, a lifestyle his parents do not understand. This causes him tension through his adolescence and adult life, he has trouble finding a balance between America and Bengali culture. This is exemplified with his romantic relationships. These relationships directly reflect where he is in his life, what he is going through and his relationship with his parents. Each woman indicates a particular moment in time where he is trying to figure out his cultural identity. Ruth represents an initial break away from Bengali culture; Maxine represents