Final Essay 1

Nicolas Siino

Professor Young

ENGW Writing Skills Workshop

September 26, 2014

From Difficulty to a Sense of Identity.

     According to James Baldwin, "An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.” Identity helps define one as an individual. In "Tame the Wild Tongue," by Gloria Anzaldua defines her identity by her use of variations of Spanish. In "Black Power," James McBride was unable to identify himself because he was black, his mother was white, and he grew up in a time associated with the Black Power movement, whites against blacks. My identity has been defined by the fact that I have had to overcome many obstacles. For McBride, Anzaldua and myself difficulties help to create a sense of identity.
     The dictionary defines identity as "who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you." Gloria Anzaldua struggled with language to find her identity. When she spoke English her friends called her a “cultural traitor.” However at school she was punished for speaking Spanish. Depending on her situation, she had to speak one of eight dialects: standard English, working class and slang English, standard Spanish, standard Mexican Spanish, North Mexican Spanish, Chicano Spanish, Tex Mex, and Pachuco. For Anzaldua the struggle for identity continues, but she is proud to be Chicano. She writes, “We know how to survive when other races have given up their tongue, we’ve kept ours” (254).
     McBride had to overcome certain obstacles in order to get to know himself. He struggled with difficulties reconciling the rise of black power with the fact that his mother was white. He felt fear of the Black Panthers because he thought they would kill his mother. For example when he saw a Black Panther standing near his mother he was so upset that he punched the man’s son. This shows that he identified more with his mother than with another black child. By analyzing his thoughts and emotions he was able to discover that his identity as his mother’s son was more important than race. 
     Like Anzaldua and McBride, I found a sense of identity through difficulties. Since I was an infant I have suffered with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that is debilitating. However, I have learned to rise above it. RA has affected my hips, knees and ankles, which has made it difficult to walk, run, and perform simple tasks.  I was always told not to worry about being the last person to finish a race or having to take multiple breaks during gym class, but I did worry.  Over the years, I felt that combating these issues was so much harder than living with physical pain.  RA has brought a lot of issues into my life that I can’t control. However, I constantly remind myself that the one thing I can control is my attitude. My favorite sport and one I loved to play was football. Being part of a team and having comradery was something I took pride in.  As my disease progressed, I could no longer participate in the sport that helped me forget about the pain. Once, I entered high school I felt that things were more within my grasp.  I volunteered my time as an assistant coach for my younger brother’s football team. It was very rewarding to have children look up to me with respect and value my guidance and determination. My experiences have helped me grow, mature, boost my confidence and increase my self esteem. This has given me great satisfaction that I have actively done something for my health, not just taken an injection, but physically and mentally contributed towards conquering my RA.  I am more than this disease; I will not let this overcome my life, my conversations and my attitude. No one will ever take my identity or any of the things I have accomplished away from me.
     As one lives life, identity continues to be refined and change the way a person is and who that person becomes.  At age 18, I developed Crohn's disease, which is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the intestinal tract.  I was hospitalized at the end of my senior year of high school for one month and had to endure a major surgery. Even so, I triumphed from my experience.   Developing Crohn's disease caused me to reevaluate my strengths and weaknesses. I had to change my diet and had to overcome the pain of injecting myself with the drug Humira.  Now Crohn's is something besides my RA that defines me, but this made me a stronger person. According to the author George R.R. Martin, “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” Safeguarding one’s identity is essential, since this is the one thing that no one can ever take away.
     I am who I am, and this mindset has been so crucial to my own personal happiness. I felt at times so many different people were telling me who I was and how I was supposed to feel, it was imperative for my own sanity that I maintained some element of my own identity. Having Crohn's disease and RA has defined me and this is something no one will ever change.  Just like the way Gloria felt in the "Tame the Wild Tongue" she embraced the Chicano Spanish language and did not conform to society. Gloria Anzaldua believed in a individuality and her language relates to her cultural heritage which defined her. "Identity was partly heritage, partly upbringing, but mostly the choices you make in life.” Patricia Briggs. Identity is important because it helps us to know who we are and what we stand for in a given situation or society.

 

 

 

The Place Where I Spend Most of My Time

Nicolas Siino

9/25/14

English Writing Skills Workshop

Professor Young                                             

                            "Pier 4" The Place I Spend My Summer's  

     There's something to be said about the calm  blue ocean  that makes me want to forget about everything that is a constant worry in my life.  The sound of seagulls and the smell of the ocean air is so relaxing and it's something I look forward to experiencing every weekend  in the summer.  My family's boat  is the place where I spend my most of my time at during  the Spring and Summer. The boat is a 37 foot sport fisherman located in Point Pleasant, NJ. It consists of  a salon area for entertaining and two cabins that sleeps six people comfortably. At least that's what my parents believe! I sleep on an air mattress next to my older brother who gets the pull out sofa. 

     I have spent the last nine summers growing up at Crystal Point Marina on the Manasquan River with my two brothers and sister. Our boat is located on Pier 4, slip 419 and since the boats are merely 3 - 4 feet away from each other we had no choice but to grow up with all the kids that are docked around  us.          

     I have made a lot of friends at the marina. My older brother and I became close with two boys at the end of our pier, Zach and Greg. We formed a relationship in which I consider them just like my brothers. We all frequent the Pt. Pleasant boardwalk with little spending money. The candy wheel  is where I usually ended up losing all my money, but always go home a winner. My brother  on the other hand waits to spend his money in the arcades along with Greg and Zach.  We can all smell the pizza baking and watch as funnel cake is made and sprinkled with powdered sugar. We also can hear the sounds of kids screaming from the rides and watch as people surf  in the ocean.   
      When a group of us from the dock go out fishing it's rare that we don't come back without dinner. We travel 30 - 40 miles off the jersey coast for mahi, tuna, and fluke.  I have experienced  4 - 6 foot seas and have had to endure sea sickness and also the wrath of my father, when I lose a fish at the side of the boat.  However, even though he's frustrated with me at times, I continue to go back out every weekend.  Boating is a part of me and it's something I enjoy doing.    
     Once Labor Day arrives, everyone heads home and the group of people on the pier dwindles.   Both Greg and Zach live only about an hour from  my hometown so we usually get together in January or February before we meet up again March.  This is when everybody begins getting their boat ready for the next season. I head down to the shore with my father and  brothers since we need to help wax the hull and paint the bottom of the boat.  Getting the boat ready for the upcoming season is a grueling process and takes about two - three weeks but it's all worth it!  
     Boating is my home away from home. It's fun, peaceful and relaxing. I have made a lot of friends there and the friendships continue even after the season is over.  My family and I spend quality time on "Pier 4" and this is where I spend my summer.

Response to "Hip Hop Planet"

 

Nicolas Siino
09/23/14
English Writing Skills Workshop
Professor Young

Response to "Hip Hop Planet"

     James McBride’s essay “Hip Hop Planet”  discusses the history of hip hop and studies how it speaks for the disadvantaged. He talks about how the music came out of Black and Latino communities in the Bronx and how rappers like Biggie Smalls stood on the street corner trying to make a name for himself. "Hip Hop Planet"  was the time period  in which McBride grew however, he tried to avoid it and " in doing  so, he missed the most important cultural event in his lifetime."
     McBride's perception of hip hop was expressed in his nightmare. His daughter comes home with a guy and says, "Dad, we're getting married." He's a rapper, with a mouthful of gold teeth, a do-rag on his head, muscles popping out his arms, and a thug attitude. McBride see's his likeness in the boy and realizes it's everything he wanted to leave behind but simply couldn't avoid. He lived on hip-hop planet.
     "It is a music that defies definition, yet defines our collective societies in immeasurable ways. To many of my generation, despite all attempts to exploit it, belittle it, numb it, classify it, and analyze it, hip-hop remains an enigma, a clarion call, a cry of "I am" from the youth of the world. We'd be wise, I suppose, to start paying attention."  This shows that McBride is beginning to identify with hip hop and it's true meaning. Rapping is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become extremely popular. This is true of hip-hop.

Essay 1 - Rough Draft

Essay 1

Nicolas Siino
09/19/14
ENGL Writing Skills Workshop
Professor Young

                                                            Importance of Identity

"An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience"  James Baldwin.  Identity helps define one as an individual as demonstrated in "Tame the Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua as exemplified by Gloria's use of her variations of spanish.  While in "Black Power" by James McBride, he was unable to identify himself because he was black, his mother was white, and he grew up in a time associated by the Black Power movement, whites against blacks.  James McBride is defined by his identity.  James had difficulty reconciling the rise of black power with the fact that his mother was white. James had to overcome certain obstacles in order to get to know himself. By analyzing his thoughts and emotions he was able to discover where he fit into society.   As defined by the Psychology Glossary in Alley Dog, identity is defined as  "The easiest way I know to explain and understand identity is this way: a person's identity is his or her own sense of self; of who they are. "  As such your identity can be defined by your language and use of language as it was for Gloria in "Tame the Wild Tongue."  Identity can also be defined by the way that James McBride in "Black Power" reconciled his upbringing by a white mother in a black neighborhood.

My identity is defined by the fact that I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 17 years and have had to overcome many obstacles.  There are many different qualities that a person may poses that would contribute to their personality.  For example, I have suffered with arthritis a disease that is debilitating however, I have learned to rise above it. RA has affected my hips, knees and ankles which has made it difficult to walk, run, and perform simple tasks.  I was always told not to worry about being the last person to finish a race or having to take multiple breaks during gym class, but I did worry.  Over the years  I felt that combating these issues was so much harder than living with physical pain.  RA has brought a lot of issues into my life that I can’t control, however I constantly remind myself that the one thing I can control is my attitude. My favorite sport and one I loved to play was football. Being part of a team and having comradery was something I took pride in.  As my disease progressed, I could no longer participate in the sport that help me forget about the pain. Once, I entered high school I felt that things were more within my grasp.  I volunteered my time as an assistant coach for my younger brother’s football team. It was very rewarding to have children look up to me with respect and valve my guidance and determination. My experiences have helped me grow, mature, boost my confidence and increase my self esteem. This has given me great satisfaction that I have actively done something for my health, not just taken an injection, but physically and mentally contributed towards conquering my RA.  I am more than this disease; I will not let this overcome my life, my conversations and my attitude. No one will ever take my identity or any of the things I have accomplished away from me.                       

As one lives life, your identity continues to be refined and change the way that you are and who you become.  At age 18, I developed Crohn's disease which is inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the intestinal tract.  I was hospitalized at the end of my senior year of high school for one month, I had to endure a major surgery and believe it  or not, I triumphed from my experience.   Developing Crohn's disease caused me to reevaluate my strengths and weakness. I had to change my diet and had to overcome the concept of injecting myself with the drug Humira.  This made me a  stronger person and now Crohn's was something besides my RA that defines me.   “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin. Safeguarding of your identity is essential, since this is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you.

I am who I am and this mindset has been so crucial to my own personal happiness. I felt at times so many different people were telling me who I was and how I was supposed to feel, it was imperative for my own sanity that I maintained some element of my own identity. Having Crohn's disease and RA has defined me and this is something  no one will ever change.  Just like the way Gloria felt in the "Tame the Wild Tongue" she embraced the Chicano Spanish language and did not conform to society. Gloria Anzaldua believed in a individuality and her language relates to her cultural heritage which defined her. "Identity was partly heritage, partly upbringing, but mostly the choices you make in life. ” Patricia Briggs. Identity is important because it helps us to know who we are and what we stand for in a given situation or society.

James McBride Question

Nicolas  Siino

9/16/14

ENGW 1100 Writing Skills Workshop

Professor Rasheda Young

 

"What main point is McBride making about the concept of black power? Is it a concept, an identity, or an idea that defines him? Discuss why you feel this way."

 

 

                James McBride concept of black power is expressed in the fourth chapter of The Color of Water. The media portrayed the concept of black power as white against black.  This chapter deals with the whole issue of blacks fighting for pride and, more specifically, justice against white oppression. The "black panthers" were made out to be a violent group that were anti white.

                James was frighten by the concept of black power and felt that his mother was in constant danger from his fellow black man. His encounter with a black panther was when he boarded a bus for summer camp and left his white mother behind waving to him from the sidewalk.  James watched as a handsome, nicely dressed and sophisticated young boy said goodbye to his dad by performing the "dap" a black power soul handshake.  When the boy took his seat behind James on the bus someone asked where did you learn that handshake. The boy replied proudly, "My father taught me, he's a Black Panther." McBride feared his mother was in great danger because she was standing next to a black panther. He shouted for her out the window, but the bus pulled away. However, the father and James's mother never seemed to even notice each other. This just goes to show that the media portrayed  the black panthers as a powerful group that were against white people.

                James McBride is defined by his identity.  James had difficulty reconciling the rise of black power with the fact that his mother was white. James had to overcome certain obstacles in order to get to know himself. By analyzing his thoughts and emotions and he was able to discover where he fit into society.  People need to experiment with different groups of people in order to find out what the best fit is for them with relation to society . Your identity is something that defines and something you should always be proud of.

 

Key Concepts from "Black Power"

Nicolas Siino

09/12/14

ENGW 1100

Professor Young

Key Concepts from “Black power”

 

1.            The media portrayed the concept of Black Power as white against black as exemplified in their criticism of black athletes over white athletes.

2.            Mother’s appreciation for black power was strong.  She viewed the civil rights achievements of black Americans with pride and put Malcolm X in the same category as other civil rights heroes.  She often spoke about “the white man” in the third person, as if she had nothing to do with that race.

3.            McBride’s encounter with the Black Panther on the bus is different from the media’s portrayal of them.  The Black Panther’s son was handsome, nicely dressed, and sophisticated.  They shook hands and the young boy sat on the bus waving to his dad.

4.            The people that believed in black power were influenced by the Black Panthers and are portrayed as having afros, listening to conga music and in the colors of red, black and green.

5.            The phrase “we thought he was god” referred to the driver of the soup-ed up GTO with the words Black Power written on the side of the car.  This individual symbolized power, as a person that overtook others in every race, as an individual that could not be caught by the police, as someone who did not care for authority.  This connects to McBride’s understanding of Black Power as a force that did not care for others and as a group that did what they wanted to do, regardless of right or wrong.

6.            The concept of contradictions consists of a logical incompatibility between two or more propositions.  Contradictions do permeate throughout the reading in that McBride’s mother did not believe in following society but in providing a contradiction to society as exemplified in her desire to have her kids attend White schools for a better education and her dislike for money but was in need of it.

7.            Your identity can be a contradiction as was McBride’s mothers when she did not follow social norms and did what she wanted to do such as going to the projects to visit her friend.            

Something That Defines Me

Nicolas Siino

ENGW 100 Writing Skills Workshop

Professor Young

09/19/2014

 

                The thing that defines me as a person is that I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 17 years and have had to overcome many obstacles.  There are many different qualities that a person may poses that would contribute to their personality.  For example, I have suffered with arthritis a disease that is debilitating however, I have learned to rise above it. RA has affected my hips, knees and ankles which has made it difficult to walk, run, and perform simple tasks.  I was always told not to worry about being the last person to finish a race or having to take multiple breaks during gym class, but I did worry.  Over the years  I felt that combating these issues was so much harder than living with physical pain.  RA has brought a lot of issues into my life that I can’t control, however I constantly remind myself that the one thing I can control is my attitude. My favorite sport and one I loved to play was football. Being part of a team and having comradery was something I took pride in.  As my disease progressed, I could no longer participate in the sport that help me forget about the pain. Once, I entered high school I felt that things were more within my grasp.  I volunteered my time as an assistant coach for my younger brother’s football team. It was very rewarding to have children look up to me with respect and valve my guidance and determination. My experiences have helped me grow, mature, boost my confidence and increase my self esteem. This has given me great satisfaction that I have actively done something for my health, not just taken an injection, but physically and mentally contributed towards conquering my RA.  I am more than this disease; I will not let this overcome my life, my conversations and my attitude. No one will ever take my identity or any of the things I have accomplished away from me.                    

                                            

Nicolas Siino

9/5/2014

Professor Young

ENGL 1100 Writing Skills Workshop

Response Questions to “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”

 

1.            The opening scene talks about taking control over the tongue so that the dentist can do the work necessary to fix her mouth.  The tongue represents the language that she speaks and the need to control the language that she uses to conform to society.  She was constantly persecuted by teachers for not speaking Academic English or American.  However, to maintain her identify and her individuality, as well as those of her friends and family, she spoke her language as an individual.  She illustrates that identify can be perceived by others based on the language used by the individual.  Language is part of one’s culture and one’s culture is what defines a person.

2.            Anzaldua’s use of Spanish throughout her writing did not make sense and I found it very frustrating. Her purpose was to have the readers feel her frustration with the different treatment she gets when people talk to her and notice that her first language is not English.  I think people’s whose native language is English now have an example of how Anzaldua feels every day of her life.

3.            Academic English can be defined as Spanish (standard) the language that one uses to converse with others in a standard way.  However, nonstandard is the way that most individuals communicate with one another. If someone were to speak to each other in a standard language, then everyone is conforming to that language with no individualism.  If we use nonstandard language, we are able to put our individual into the language and therefore develop an identify that defines us as a person.

4.            I believe that speaking in Academic English provides a basic identity, an identity as a professional.  It is necessary when you are in eclectic groups to speak a common language or dialect which in this case would be Academic English.  However, speaking in non-standard English does provide identify as an individual.

5.            There are various type of English identities based on where you reside in the US.  In the south, there are different dialects and different phraseology then in the north east or other parts of the US which provides a sense of identify and culture.  Even in specific neighborhoods there are different identities such as the slang that is used in the inner city of America.

6.            No I do not use a different language or secret language.  However, I do know some individuals that use different languages or dialects to speak to one another based on where they grew up or what country they came from.

7.            I speak non-standard English with my friends where we have different phrases such as “hey bro” when I talk to my friends.  When I am in a professional and social environment, I do speak or attempt to speak Standard English.  I do this to be seen as a specific type of individual, one that is educated and has some sense of awareness for where I came from.

8.            I am my language means that the language one uses defines their personality and culture from where they originated.  One’s identify is directly related to the language that they use and the culture that this defines.

9.            The introduction talks about controlling the tongue or conforming to others while the conclusion defines the need to be an individual and maintain a sense of identity to survive.  The message of the overall chapter to me is to not conform but maintain some sense of individuality.

 

10.          I believe that the language that we speak or that I speak is part of my identity and who I am as an individual.  The language relates to my cultural heritage which defines my persona or who I am.

11.          Identify is very important to me and it means to me to not conform to society and the boundaries that society creates.  Anzaldua believes in an individual’s identity based on how one talks to others and what dialects that one uses.  She would not have 8 different dialects or “tongues” as she refers to them if she did not believe that one needs to be an individual.  She also talked about how she talks to others and the differences that she uses when speaking to others of the Latin or Spanish background in the chapter and the importance of maintaining some individuality verses conforming to others.