Cover Letter

As we first analyzed the stance of language at broader scale through the readings of Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Nobody Means More to Me by June Jordan, we took a closer look at the meaning of language and its role in society more closely through personal essays such as My Western Roots by Marylinne Robinson and Linguistic Discrimination by Kevin Abroad. The main goal through inspecting these readings is to recognize the role of language attitudes and standards in the empowering or oppressing of certain languages derived from their users. Furthermore, we hope to learn to be open to communicating across different cultures and languages that experience these same struggles.

The first thing we had to accomplish was learning the key rhetorical terms such as Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Once we established which device best suited our analysis it was our job to identify what part of the essay correctly transpired these devices to convey the reader of their main argument. In addition, we sought to depict the range of audiences the author is trying to connect with or address to through their techniques. All these systems of critical analysis made it somewhat challenging to conquer at first but once put into practice and further discussions in class it become easier to achieve. In end I was able to appropriate these strategies and support my summary argument with the proper tools and take my writing analyzing skills to a higher level of understanding. Overall, these skills acquired allowed me to further practice my writing and engage with the readings at a deeper level than before, all while understanding how the message of language standards in our communities vary in each essay.