Alon Suberi Dr.Smyth Period 10 Reality; Truth or Perspective? How can a person determine that the reality they experience is the same reality as the neighbor next-door? To clarify, let’s make the assumption that in some other place in the universe, there is a planet where people are all born color blind. Grass is red, fire is green, and to them this seems completely natural. If one of these people are to come to Earth, they will argue with everyone that the grass of the front lawn is red and ponder as to how these people be can be so certain that grass is green when to him is appears red. No one can prove to this person that the grass is truthfully green nor can this person prove the opposite because of one simple fact, you cannot define a color without using the actual color that it seems to be. Or does this only hold true in our reality? To us defining a color is impossible without using an object that has that specific pigment, but what if in another reality one can define a color with words or some other form of communication? Reality at this point in time, seems to be impossible to define without using what is generally considered to be reality by that person, just defining what a color is, remains nonviable. Actuality is almost an opinion people form as they experience life for themselves, which is further proven by Morpheus when he gives Neo a reality ultimatum and tells him, “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.” Morpheus makes it very clear that the truth is only what one believes it to be, just like one could believe chocolate is the best flavor of ice cream or dogs are superior to cats. Most importantly, this raises an essential question, is reality just a set of facts and ideas that people tend to follow? Or, is it just a matter of belief? Plato makes a great argument as to how reality differs from person to person in “The Allegory of the Cave”. In Socrates’ conversation with Glaucon, Socrates asks (paragraph 22), “He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? This rhetorical question supports the idea that in Plato’s text, there are 3 different realties all in very close proximities. First, is the most palpable, the men imprisoned in a cave and can see nothing but obscurities and a dim fire that helps project them. In their opinion shadows and their fellow inmates around them are all that is real. The next, is the truth that the general public believe reality to be. The third and final reality in this circumstance, is the man who is let free from the cave, who can point out starts at night to the public t.

1. Alon Suberi
Dr.Smyth
Period 10
Reality; Truth or Perspective?
How can a person determine that the reality they experience is
the same reality as the neighbor next-door? To clarify, let’s
make the assumption that in some other place in the universe,
there is a planet where people are all born color blind. Grass is
red, fire is green, and to them this seems completely natural. If
one of these people are to come to Earth, they will argue with
everyone that the grass of the front lawn is red and ponder as to
how these people be can be so certain that grass is green when
to him is appears red. No one can prove to this person that the
grass is truthfully green nor can this person prove the opposite
because of one simple fact, you cannot define a color without
using the actual color that it seems to be. Or does this only hold
true in our reality? To us defining a color is impossible without
using an object that has that specific pigment, but what if in
another reality one can define a color with words or some other
form of communication? Reality at this point in time, seems to
be impossible to define without using what is generally
considered to be reality by that person, just defining what a
color is, remains nonviable. Actuality is almost an opinion
people form as they experience life for themselves, which is
further proven by Morpheus when he gives Neo a reality
ultimatum and tells him, “You take the blue pill, the story ends,
you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to
believe.” Morpheus makes it very clear that the truth is only
what one believes it to be, just like one could believe chocolate
is the best flavor of ice cream or dogs are superior to cats. Most
importantly, this raises an essential question, is reality just a set
of facts and ideas that people tend to follow? Or, is it just a
matter of belief?

2. Plato makes a great argument as to how reality differs
from person to person in “The Allegory of the Cave”. In
Socrates’ conversation with Glaucon, Socrates asks (paragraph
22), “He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the
upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the
reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the
objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon
and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky
and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun
by day? This rhetorical question supports the idea that in
Plato’s text, there are 3 different realties all in very close
proximities. First, is the most palpable, the men imprisoned in a
cave and can see nothing but obscurities and a dim fire that
helps project them. In their opinion shadows and their fellow
inmates around them are all that is real. The next, is the truth
that the general public believe reality to be. The third and final
reality in this circumstance, is the man who is let free from the
cave, who can point out starts at night to the public that they
cannot see simply because the man is has been accustom to low
lighting for such an extensive period of time. His whole
perception of the truth differs from the average person as he is
blinded by the sun, yet has enhanced vision in the night. It may
seem obvious to an ordinary person that the newly released
prisoner would prefer to exist outside of the cave, however, this
may not seem as clear at second glance. This inmate received
food and water all at the expense of someone else and they did
not have to worry about conforming to their society because
their society was so small that the reality they believed in were
all very similar. Now that he has been exposed to another world,
he must find an alternative way to feed and clothe himself. He
must conform to a new reality that is far different from the one
he is used to. The life in the cave may have suited him better,
and for that specific reason he may want to believe that his
relinquishment was a nightmare and that soon he will wake up
in the reality that he believes to be the truth. Cypher, for
example, seemed to much rather have stayed in The Matrix

3. because the reality he had known was difficult for him to cope
with and he would have rather stayed in the cave, like in the
hypothetical circumstance of the man who had difficulty feeding
himself outside of his dimmed world. In attempt to return to
The Matrix system Cypher has a conversation with Agent Smith
and tells him [Referring to the conditions he will want when he
returns to The Matrix], “I don’t want to remember nothing,
nothing, you understand? And I want to be rich, you know,
someone important, like an actor.” In Cypher’s opinion, an
extravagant life is a great escape from the horrifying reality
outside of The Matrix. He would rather change trade his reality
for one that will make his life easier. Agent Smith believes the
reality he is trapped in is a dreadful, rotten place to be. When
attempting to break Morpheus’ mind to acquire the key codes to
Zion he states, “I’m going to be honest with you. I hate this
place, this zoo, this prison, this reality, whatever you want to
call it. I can’t stand it any longer. It’s the smell, if there is such
a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste your stink, and every
time I do I fear that I have somehow been infected by it. It’s
repulsive, isn’t it? I must get out of here. I must get free, and
this mind is the key, my key!” Agent Smith clearly cannot stand
living inside The Matrix and because he knows there is a reality
other than his own, he is determined to be there, almost as if his
reality is based on where he would rather be. This proves reality
is simply not things as one see’s them, because people seem to
have the tendency to see things differently as the cave prisoner
does from the rest of society. Very clearly, reality is based on a
matter of opinion, and there are many conflicting positions as to
what their reality is simply because it suits them more
comfortably.
Since reality has been established to have absolutely no
meaning, how does one cope with their reality in life
recognizing the fact that actuality is simply based on opinion
and convenience? Pratt’s “Art of the Contact Zone” gives some
guidance as to how cope with people’s alternate views on
reality and how that guides people to find what their true reality

4. is. Pratt describes what the ultimate method for people to
become knowledgeable is, and it is much simpler than one
would think. Pratt claims (paragraph 36-37), “The very nature
of the course [referring to her son’s course] put ideas and
identities on the line. All the students in the class had the
experience, for example, of hearing their culture discussed and
objectified in ways that horrified them; all the students saw
their roots traced back to legacies of both glory and shame; all
the students experienced face-to-face the ignorance and
incomprehension, and occasionally the hostility, of others. In
the absence of community values and the hope of synthesis, it
was easy to forget the positives; the fact, for instance, that
kinds of marginalization once taken for granted were gone.
Virtually every student was having the experience of seeing the
world described with him or her in it. Along with rage,
incomprehension, and pain there were exhilarating moments of
wonder and revelation, mutual understanding, and new wisdom-
- the joys of the contact zone. The sufferings and revelations
were, at different moments to be sure, experienced by every
student. No one was excluded, and no one was safe. The fact
that no one was safe made all of us involved in the course
appreciate the importance of what we came to call “safe
houses.” We used the term to refer to social and intellectual
spaces where groups can constitute themselves as horizontal,
homogeneous, sovereign communities with high degrees of
trust, shared understandings, temporary protection from legacies
of oppression. This is why, as we realized, multicultural
curricula should not seek to replace ethnic or women’s studies,
for example. Where there are legacies of subordination, groups
need places for healing and mutual recognition, safe houses in
which to construct shared understandings, knowledges, claims
on the world that they can then bring into the contact zone.”
Pratt is telling the reader that the best way to learn is by
questioning every little detail a person believes in, even if it
offends them, because once you have full vision of what each
person’s view of reality is, one can create their own opinion

5. (reality). Learning by this method also is a great way to change
literacies when needed and conform to society in order to avoid
becoming an outcast of a specific society, for example a book
club, or to people one is trying to impress. With this method,
one can change realities more authentically to make life easier
for them learn much faster as opposed to the conventional
learning environment, which is leaning towards the Freire’s
“The Banking Concept of Education” where (paragraph 2), “The
teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static,
compartmentalized, and predictable. Or else he expounds on a
topic completely alien to the existential experience of the
students. His task is to fill the students with the contents of his
narration- contents which are detached from reality,
disconnected from the totality endangered them and could give
them significance. Words are emptied into the concreteness and
become a hollow, alienated, and alienating verbosity.” If
education wants students to develop their own opinion, would it
not be obvious that a student must see all views of the subject
rather than to tint views with an unbiased assessment, and
question it over and over in order to find clarity, or perhaps a
fault in the ideology? Forming one’s reality is very important
but it cannot be accomplished properly if scholars cannot see all
views.
In today’s world, it is unacceptable to challenge a person, or the
values that they stand for because every issue has become too
sensitive. The general public is too worried about who is
offending their personal views or their reality rather than
embrace questioning and criticism in order to better understand
what they stand for as well as what other people believe. By
questioning what a person believes in with critical thinking,
people will learn that many aspects of their reality may need to
be rebuffed or perhaps dropped altogether. Because these people
are too focus on staying in groups where everyone has the same
views, people become stuck in their own reality. June Jordan,
for example, helped translate many texts into different
languages and expresses the difficulty of translating entire texts

6. into different languages. She was praised for her work that is
still studied until this day. Imagine if the whole planet decided
to step out of their cocoon just to experience the life of
someone else. People will receive a new understanding as to
what their reality is and what they can take from other people’s
opinions in order to better their life. Every person should
consider what reality they are in and if they enjoy it or if they
would rather change realities in order to better their well-being.
Finally, it may be concluded that reality is a simple a matter of
opinion and perspective rather than a set of laid out rules
someone has set out because after all, that is their reality and
not someone else’s.
References
Freire, Paolo. "The "Banking" Concept of Education." (n.d.): n.
pag. Web.
Plato. "The Allegory of the Cave." N.p., n.d. Web.
Pratt, Mary L. "Arts of the Contact Zone." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
The Matrix. Dir. Lily Wachkowski and Lana Wachkowski. Perf.
Keanu Reeves. N.p., n.d. Web.
Alon Suberi
Dr. Smyth
Period 10
Hip Hop/Rap; More than Cultural Resistance, but a Way of Life
At first, Hip Hop’s original purpose was simple, culturally
resist all the pressures of life and dance while listening to
music. The lyrics from what is classified as the first hip-hop
song (The Sugarhill Gang- Rapper’s Delight, 1979) mostly
discussed“moving to the beat”, and was recorded in one take
according to the artists, something that would come off as a
very odd subject to one who has only started to listening to hip

7. hop recently. Social Rap from its origins, that which has
characterized rap - and hip hop culture of which it is part - is its
condition of marginality, as it arises from an oppressed and
segregated social segment that carries strong social stigmata.
Therefore, as being embedded within an unequal socio-political
framework and fighting against injustices created by that
system, rap is a form of resistance. Shortly after the hip-hop
genre was established, the icons of cultural resistance had
appeared. This subgenre of rap is commonly referred to as
“Gangsta Rap” and culturally resisted a multitude of social
aspects that people were just beginning to get used to such as
the modern social caste system, where majority of African-
Americans do not receive the same opportunities that many
others do due to nationwide racism. When the term cultural
resistance is brought up in today’s world, people usually discuss
acts of protest, or violence, or groups who are willing to change
social constructs despite the reaction the general public may
have. Most interest groups (like Black Lives Matter) were
empowered by the movement in the 90s. If the Los Angeles riots
started to reform the Black underclass status, then why can’t
groups protest and reach the same goal in a more
modern/civilized world 30 years later?
What many people do not understand today about modern rap is
that artists explain a lifestyle of drugs and guns because they
have lived that way growing up and were continuously exposed
to that type of environment. The artists feel that because they
have been exposed to so much success, they must “credit their
sources” and give a shout-out to friends and family who have
not made it as far as they have. This does not necessarily mean
that these rappers abuse these drugs today. In fact, many
rappers admit they used to take drugs but have discontinued
their usage or went to rehabilitation since their upgrade in
lifestyle such as, Eminem, Flavor Flav, and Gucci Mane. What
modern day Hip-Hop offers is a false sense of cultural
resistance as opposed to the cultural resistance of 30 years ago,
which fought against inequality, and is still being fought for by

8. many today.
The most predominant rap group that slingshotted millions in
America to culturally resist the unfair treatment of Black was
NWA, a group of 4 African-Americans who did not sugarcoat
any of the issues that they had faced at the time. However,
rappers of the time refuse to call this genre of hip-hop Gangsta
Rap. in fact, from the point of view of these artists this is not
Gangsta Rap, but rather Reality Rap, as this is not just a way to
express what they think, but what they genuinely face. Dr. Dre,
the producer of NWA was interviewed in 1993 and he states, “If
I'm promoting violence, they're promoting it just as much as I
am by focusing on it in the article. That really bugs me out —
you know, if it weren't going on, I couldn't talk about it. And
who came up with that term gangsta rap anyway?” As one of the
icons of Rap in the 90s, he clearly is insulted by referring to his
art as the acts of a “Gangsta”. This music was a way to respond
to the acts of violence police would commit in order to stop a
criminal who did not understand that the music is supposed to
prevent people from behaving in such a matter. According to
statistics, crime rate increased in Compton, where majority of
Reality Rappers originated. In the 1980s, when hip-hop was
born, the total amount of violent crimes that year was 2,194,
what seems to be a remarkably large number for one year. When
the subgenre of Reality Rap was established, that number had
jumped by nearly 1,000 crimes, with a total amount of violent
crimes totalling 3,143. This may now seem like the music at the
time triggered violent crimes, and that may be true. However, if
people had referred to them as realists rather than rappers, is it
possible that that dynamic would have changed?
The song most notoriously known for triggering the listeners of
rap was a single called “F--- tha Police”. The name itself can
trigger a lot of controversy, however, it is the first amendment
of this nation to speak freely without consequence. In the 1989
Detroit concert performed by NWA this right was challenged. In

9. the Detroit Press, a local newspaper in close proximity to where
the incident occurred, the night started and ended as followed,
“the rappers are warned before taking the stage at Joe Louis
Arena not to perform the controversial anthem, “F--- tha
Police.” One very stern officer says, “Just watch yourself.” The
group makes a stand for free speech and starts performing the
song anyway. Then Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and the other members
are chased out of the arena by the cops and thrown into a police
van”. In our slightly more evolved society today, we know that
the police have no right to arrest people who are using their
words, a right given from the same people who culturally
resisted being dominated by a country from across the world
and used violence in order to break free from Colonial control.
Rappers and Hip Hop stars in the past decade have seem to
evolve into lifestyle ambassadors. Increased influence over
adolescence, especially over lower income communities where
youth look up to the music stars living “the life”. Subsequently
every teenager wants to be high off of something and straddle
around in expensive designer clothing, like Future, 2 Chainz
etc...) “Codeine”, Promethazine, Lean, these party drugs are
becoming ever so popular in our society. If you look back 20
years or so ago, and asked kids in middle or high school what
they wanted to be, you’d probably hear “doctor, lawyer,
astronaut”. Today you’d probably get more rambunctious
answers. In a time period where everyone dyes their hair
ecstatic colors and where everyone is on SoundCloud, in an
attempt to be heard and maybe make it as a rapper, it may seem
ludicrous and superficial, but there’s more to it than that. It’s a
lifestyle under Hip Hop that is a manifestation of today’s type
of cultural resistance.
Alon Suberi
Dr.Smyth
Cultural Resistance Mini Dialogue

10. Symere Woods (or Lil Uzi Vert) a very well-known modern day
rapper and O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube), American rapper
infamously remembered as the star rapper for NWA and Da
Lench Mob, meet to discuss the influence artists had on people
and how rap today impacts peoples live in the modern world.
O’Shea Jackson: I feel like as a rapper, I spoke for a culture
that was left unheard. The masses of America tried to ignore
black communities, even though people who were raised in
those communities were dominating radio billboards in attempt
to be heard. The general trend today seems to lean toward
artists who talk about taking dangerous drugs and driving sports
cars while the main purpose of rap and hip-hop was to tell
people that African Americans were being discriminated against
and still are being discriminated against. Because the voice of
activists in the rapper’s industry had started to fade away and
modern rap took its place, others have protested and created
movements in order to fill the void that was created with the
disappearing of political rappers from the billboards.
Alon Suberi: I agree that modern rap has changed the general
subjects discussed in rap, however this is because Gangster Rap
was directly targeted to the African American people who were
sick of the modern day social class system and wanted equality
while today’s artists behave as if the fight for equality has been
won. In order to keep the movement for equality going groups
that are willing to protest for equality (such as Black Lives
Matter) have been created as well as Colin Kaepernick’s
controversial kneeling during the national anthem because he
does not believe the anthem stands for all people of America.
Symere Woods: Clearly the black grammar laws and culture is
often frowned upon by other cultures but artists should not
always publish music that divides a nation. Violent lyrics in rap
music in the 90s caused people to riot and caused many deaths.
Why should people return to listening to a style of music that
could put their friends and family at risk as opposed to listening
to modern music which does not stir as much conflict?
Alon Suberi: Because rap still has a very strong influence on

11. society. Much of rap used to be about marijuana until laws and
bills were passed to allow its use in many states. And now the
hip-hop culture has taken a turn for the worst where it mostly
discusses the use of very addictive drugs and living a high-end
lifestyle. As a result America has had the largest Heroin crisis
in years as well as an opioid addiction crisis as well.
O’Shea Jackson: Modern day rappers do not realize that they
have the power to determine what is considered socially
acceptable and what is not. If an artist says do drugs many of
the listeners will go out to do drugs because they now want to
because the rapper claimed it is socially acceptable. That is just
unacceptable because many of these rappers act as a role model
for success yet their impact on society is very negative to their
mainly young audience.
Symere Woods: The overall message modern hip-hop sends out
today does not involve fighting for equality because once other
groups took the reins to battle for equality (such as Black Lives
Matter) hip-hop could focus on other messages rather than to
constantly pressure people with politics and what you believe
the social construct should be. The youth of America responded
very positively to the music’s meaning because the message was
no longer specific to only the African-American culture but also
to many other cultures.
Alon Suberi: Hip-hops original purpose was to tell everyone
that black people are just like everyone else but are
discriminated against because of their color. They are stuck in
schools that are not good enough to give them a promising
future in education or vocation and bullied by police for their
race. Now that hip-hop’s core message has been morphed into
something else have you not in a way taken the spotlight from a
matter that still bothers the public today?
Symere Woods: I believe some artists (such as Deandre Cortez
Way or Soulja) already made way for other cultures to enjoy
hip-hop rather than isolate it only to one group of people. If
anything new hip hop did not steal the message of old hip hop,
it just refined its original meaning to fit all the cultures that

12. listen to hip-hop nowadays. There are also subcultures in hip-
hop where rappers discuss their political believes.
O’Shea Jackson: Yes but rather than to tell people about
unimportant things and bringing more of an audience you
should attract your audience to the social issues our country
most of all faces. Racism is still a worldwide issue and is very
much so in America so using your publicity for the equality for
blacks could be so much more beneficial to the social system
and perhaps one day remove the modern caste system in our
society.
Alon Suberi
Dr. Smyth
Assignment 1
Every person has different vocabulary. In “Rewriting” by Chris
Harris he states, “to understand a text you need…to take the
ideas and phrasings of the author and turn them into your own.”
Learning to rephrase sentences into your own words will help
you achieve a better understanding of the text. As well as to get
the reader to question why the author decided to phrase it in the
way that he did.
Assignment 2
One technique was questioning what stands out to you. For
example, if you see repetition in the text, you should question
why this is so important, and sometimes even, why it was said a
specific number of times. The final technique is for the writer,
and it is a 3 step process. Firstly you must communicate with
the reader and get them on the same page as you are. The
second step is to maintain focus on your message. And the third
is to simply present the point with writing skill such as
vocabulary and sentence structure One of the techniques
discussed in chapter one was withholding your judgement (until
the end of the text). If you add your opinions into the piece you
will have trouble’s getting the true meaning because it was
clouded by your meaning. This is something I struggle with but

13. try to do every time I read a text because I have the tendency to
believe that my views are the most accurate.
Assignment 3
The difference between reading a text and watching a film
is very far from one another. In writing, a person must imagine
a scene, the setting, and even the physical characteristics of the
characters. However, in a video, everything is visually scene so
there is no argument as to exactly how the film played out. I
personally prefer films because when not having to focus on the
setting of a place or scene, I can focus on the speech between
characters to better understand their relationship.
Assignment 4
One of Ahmed’s claims are that a stranger equals threat. This is
simply paranoia at its finest. Strangers (most of the time) are
average people and asking them for the time is not a life or
death situation. I have many times asked for someone to use
their phone and most of the time they are hesitant, meaning they
are scared that I will steal it. They are just as afraid as everyone
else is so clearly there is not much danger in strangers. This
does not mean trust them whole-heartedly. It just means that
you do not need to avoid them at all costs. Another claim
Ahmed makes is that he does not believe someone you do not
recognize may not be a stranger. Google defines stranger as, “A
person whom one does not know or whom they are not familiar
with”. I just cannot agree with something that is supposed to
enlighten me, yet it goes against the direct definition of the
word he is trying to define.
Assignment 5
“Arts of the Contact Zone” talked about how the Spanish had
taken over the Incan empire and had either excommunicated, or
killed most of the population. We see a group of people with
more money and power get rid of a group of people who they
believed to be lesser than they are. This is similar to Mitchell’s
argument where they general public almost want to get rid of
the homeless in their area because they visually have a negative
effect on their community.

14. Assignment 6
One connection between the texts is that Ahmed started with an
almost personal account of encountering a stranger. Although
the other 2 texts did not start in that exact personal text way,
they still described a specific situation. Another connection is
that whole meaning of something that the average reader
understands is changed. Ahmed changes the definition of a
stranger. And of course all 3 of them had relevant evidence to
prove their message.
Assingment 7
For my essay I plan on talking about how my college public
affairs class is a contact zone. This class usually gets heated
due to differences in political views, and in a way many people
are redefined as to who they are because of their political
stance.
Assignment 8
Chapter 2 of Writing Analytically discussed how the average
reader tends to generalize the message of a text before they
finish it. This leads to the reader’s understanding of the text to
be morphed because they believed it was a cliché text that has
the same meaning as many others. Many times, this leads to a
lack of general knowledge because they had thought they knew
what the message of a text was, but it might have been
something completely different.
Assignment 9
(PRATT) I use this term (contact zone) to refer to social spaces
where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other.
PARAPHRASE 1- The definition of this phrase relates to place
where people debate with one another
PARAPHRASE 2- The meaning of a contact zone is where
groups of individuals try to make their point heard over the
other.
PARAPHRASE 3- The words “contact zone” is defined as a
geographical location that brings persons to claim the validity
of their argument.
Assignment 10

15. June Jordan was a heavily decorated poet, teacher, and activist
for both the women community and the African- American
community. She is also well-known for her texts, describing the
difficulty of translating literacies, especially from one language
to another because sometimes there is not a direct translation
for a phrase or word. She also explains that some literacies that
seem like slang actually have a specific structure to it and it not
as laid back as it may seem to outsiders.
Assignment 11
Almost all people are literate in more than 1 way. Unless this
person is cocooned by the same group of people, they most
likely have experienced a need to change literacies. A great
example is the one listed on the website of NPR. When you are
at work you tend to speak to people more grammatically correct
because it is appropriate for that specific environment.
However, when with another person or group of people, you
may tend to be a little looser with your grammar because it is
more fitting at that time. This is a change of literacy and
changes are, most people have had to change their literacy at
one point or another.
I have had to change literacies many times in my life in order to
stay relevant to my environment. When I had lived in Brooklyn,
I had adapted to the way people spoke to one another, a more
laid back, grammatically incorrect way of speaking. However,
when returning to Long Island and Hewlett High School, I had
readapted to the more correct way of speaking. I speak
grammatically correct because if I decide to speak with the
literacy I do in Brooklyn, I may come off as unintelligent, or
even rude. I visit Brooklyn often and still have to constantly
change between those two specific literacies.
Assignment 12
After just reading the title, I had already understood that
the grammar in the essay would not necessarily agree with the
Standard English rules for grammar. I had assumed this is one
of the reasons this text became so famous. I was beginning to
lose interest until I had reached the part about Willie Jordan. He

16. had a very specific history that made the article much more
interesting to read. The article, overall, enlightens the reader
and tells them that the Standard way of speaking English is not
the only right way to speak. In fact, there are guidelines as to
how to speak in the way that she did in her essay.
Her essay generally speaks to as many groups of society as
possible. People who are well educated can catch on to the rules
of the grammar and other, more urban readers, can understand it
because it is in their everyday language. Although I did not
really enjoy the essay, I thought her decision to write in this
dialect was very clever and unique.
Assignment 13
Boyd discusses how teens on the internet may have a different
persona than what they do in the real world. This is due to the
fact that teens create an online identity for themselves with
their audience in mind already. Their online name, comments,
and activity are all selected to please the audience they intent to
contact with. Boyd also talks about how their online profiles are
like a combination of all the characteristics of the teen in real
life. On one profile, they may be a gamer and on the other, they
may be a political activist. All of the profiles have some
correlation with who they are in the real world.
Assignment 14
This I believe is a website where people can share their core
values that help them get through every day through writing and
other methods of communication. It was founded in 2004 and is
based on a 1950s radio station that read out loud essays from
famous people. The website is not specific about who can write
on their website but from my research it seems like almost
anyone can write an essay there.
Assignment 15
I do not read blogs as I see them as a waste of time, but if I had
to choose 3 that I would have to read they would be: 1. Health
Blog- they will help motivate people to stay healthy and slim 2.
Sports blog- have like-minded people read about sports they
enjoy watching and playing. 3- blog that reviews products- will

17. give an in depth review about a product that will either motivate
or refrain people from buying it.
Assignment 16
One point in chapter 4 that humored me and enlightened me was
the so what questioning method. After reading a certain amount,
you need to stop and ask “so what?” this will help the reader
understand what is the meaning of the text. The author also
discussed the differences between implications and hidden
meanings. When a reader has a trigger in their brain that
reminds them of something, chances are, the author intended for
you to think that way. You must question why they triggered
this thought into your brain and why it relates to the text. The
hidden meaning of a text are things that are a litter harder to
find, but the author really wants you to scour the text to find
them as they aid to the pieces meaning. The author then goes on
to discuss “interpretive context” you interpretation of the text
may be different from the original author’s intentions. You must
decide if your interpretation of the text is accurate, or if the
intention of the author might be something else.
Assignment 17
After reading the text, I do believe that everything has meaning.
If something does not have meaning, then why is it in the place
that it is in in the first place? They say that a first impression
takes seven seconds to be determined, and if something as
trivial as you shirt triggers their first impression, then clearly
even that had meaning for that specific amount of time.
Assignment 18
“The Banking Concept of Education” loosely depicts the
environment of a school. A teacher must teach, yes, but a
teacher must also sometimes be corrected by the students. Freire
was way too specific as to how a school works and therefore I
only partially can agree with him. Authorities of the school are
not gods, they way he makes them sound to be. They are just
authorities, and for the benefit of the student, the student listens
because chances are it is better for them to do so.
Assignment 19

18. Plato’s, “The Allegory of the Cave” raises a question that many
are afraid to know the answer to. Is there something in this
world we do not know of or cannot see? Are we part of
something much bigger than we are, such as a simulation? If so,
is it better to not know we are part of some type of simulation
and go on with our lives as we do now?
Assignment 20
In Araby a boy goes to Araby at the will of a girl he seems to
like. At first he does not understand what is the purpose of
going. The description of the setting was also very eerie and
melancholy which made it seem like the boy was missing some
type of purpose. After reaching Araby the boy is enlightened
and understands the purpose of going to Araby. He then finally
understands his purpose of going to the market.