Within her interview with Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, Christina McVay emphasizes the uniqueness and the creativity of the “black language”. She expresses her concern to want blacks, especially females, to be able to realize they in actuality do like language; they just feel compelled to be able to only relate to the language that which surrounds them. Due to the school systems criticism on the proper etiquettes of the language presented to them, most blacks in essence make themselves believe they hate the language itself. During the interview Christina McVay comments on an assignment she gave her students pertaining to the play A Raisin in the Sun. I felt her comment being brought to attention within the interview symbolized more than she cog notated it to represent. I believe when one conveys the word language, they are rendering a sense of themselves as well. A part of them that is like no other human being: like a raisin in the sun. Depending upon where a particular person is from, they will speak using both a different dialect and vocabulary. No two people speak the exact same. In order to be able to relate yourself to another and the way they articulate, one must find a common ground in which the two share mutual resemblances. Once a person can relate to another they begin to let their guard down and as a result become comfortable with each other and are more open with the other and are able to express the true them. Another point from the interview proposed by Christina McVay was the idea of language connecting people. She stated although she was not black she was able to relate to the black students through language and literature. Through language people are able to teach one another unintentionally. Language will always be a brilliant, as well as fascinating aspect of life that will forever be evolving yet unexplainable. Language will always be that connecting factor of the world.
- Brittney L. Echols
As a group we agree with this blog. The blogger does a good job in exploring McVay's outlook on the black language and her teaching style of it. Just as the blogger pointed out, she did bring to realization the proficiency of the black language to not only the students she taught at Kent State but also to the reader of the interview (us).
ReplyDelete- Aminta Parker, Erica Paige, Candice Frazier
Shaniqua says...
ReplyDeletethe writer did a great job capturing the uniqueness and creativeness of black lingo literacy. Christina McVay emphasized that Black English is actually a language that black people used to communicate with one another. McVay who teaches Black Literature explained if more black people learned to appreciate language they can alternate between their cultural and societal language. I agree with that because like the blogger explained, people have different dialects and different ways of expressing themselves in which both parties have to communicate on mutual grounds. I enjoyed reading the blog.
I like how you took a different perspective on the reading, stating that language will always be a connecting factor of the world. Some might assume the fact that if you speak a different language, you will never be able to understand that person.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the blog.
-Victoria Stewart
I agree with how the writer explains that there must be common grounds between two people and how they must become comfortable with each other before they let their true selves be seen.
ReplyDelete-Brianna
I believe that language is a unifying factor for people in any culture. Mcvay expresses that to her students which boosts their confidence. They show an appreciation for their culture as it relates to Black literature.
ReplyDelete-Lauren T.
Language is a connecting factor. We're all from different places and have different words (as seen in monday's class)but we can understand one another. This is because we are all spelminite women in our first year we can relate. So I do agree.
ReplyDeleteShaniqua Burton
I agree with your comment made about how once you can relate to someone you can let your gaurd down and in turn feel comfortable with eachother and more open. I feel like Mcvay did an excellent job in doing this to help her students feel as though they were in a safe learning environment which helped them in expressing themselves freely and allowing them to be more comfortable in an english class. A quote from Sharon Darling's "Literacy and the Black Woman" states: "the more she feels part of a family, the more successful she will be." I believe that this quote sums up my response to the blog and Mcvay did a remarkable job in helping the black students feel comfortable and "part of a family" despite her race.
ReplyDelete-Saba Tesfamariam
I also feel the same. I have a friend from South Carolina and when I first met her I believed she was from an island. She just has the fast talk and her words ran together. Her accent is one that is commonly referd to as "geeche." One of many dialects African Americans can have.
ReplyDeleteJasmine E. Williams