Songs of Freedom My definition of a great writer was someone who possessed a complex mind and was able to view the world in a way the average person cannot. Growing up, I never felt comfortable in my own skin. Writing for me, serves as an escape and is the only time I truly feel comfortable. When I write, I transform in to someone confident and liberated; I truly become myself. Coming from the Gambia, West Africa, I’ve always struggled with identity and who I was as a person. I never truly felt a sense of belonging and always struggled with where I fit in or belong to. At home, I am viewed as slightly different from everyone else; children and even elders constantly questioned my nationality. When I speak, I was repeatedly asked “where are you from?” This question would always confuse me and I would hastily reply “I am from Gambia of course, where else?” My sharp diction, rich grammar and command of the English Language seemed “foreign”, and for this particular reason I was viewed as a “foreigner”. Another reason for this, is my inability to articulate the local languages well. I could comprehend and understand Wolof (the main national language), but could never seem to speak it as effortlessly or as naturally as other Gambians could. However, English is my first language, the first language I ever heard, the first language I ever spoke, the first language I was ever taught and ultimately the language I grew to love. The difference in the way I spoke English compared to
In the article, Fernsten and Reda (2011) explore the relationship between writer self-identity and academic writing. They assert that self-awareness of writer identity can improve academic writing for disadvantaged student writers, those described as basic writers due to socio-cultural differences from the dominant culture, or from previous educational evaluation experiences (Fernsten and Reda 171). The rationale is that writing skills can improve through the practice and informal (non-graded) evaluation provided through self-reflective exercises regarding writer identity (Fernsten and Reda 171). The article introduces the subject matter by explaining
During World War II, a Czechoslovakian Jewish girl named Edith Singer was able to survive the holocaust by her faith. Not only was she able to keep herself a live, but she also was able to push, and help other’s to survive. Edith does not lose her faith in God, and is able to transfer her faith into other’s that she cares for. Her faith also leads her to keep her mental health during the horrible times she and other Jewish people went through. The Nazi soldier’s did not give the Jewish people any type of mercy which made the holocaust even more horrific than anyone can imagine.
The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key on the day September 16, 1814 and the poem was set to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven." The original name of the poem was “The defense of Fort McHenry” and the poem was first published in several Baltimore news papers when it was written.
“12 years a slave” is a book about the slavery in the pre-Civil War South. It was written based on a true story that happened to Solomon Northup who is also the author of the book. The story was a violent protestation, but also full of love without any hatred of Black people, who were being slaved for all their life. The Slavery was abolished in North America; however, it still existed in the South America at that time. Solomon Northup, a Black citizen of New York City, was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1851. He was rescued at a Louisianan cotton plantation in 1853. After being freed, Solomon Northup wrote the book “12 years a slave” to recount the years of terrible abuses that he had been bearing under the Slavery. Northup’s story was regarded as a source of inspiration in Civil War which contributed in the democracy of United States as today. It was also a piece of art as well as a work of human insight which awaked the human love, conscious fight, dignity protection, and the freedom of man.
If any questions remain about whether the Mississippi freedom movement was an organic resistance movement, then Charles M. Payne's “I've Got the Light of Freedom” should remove all doubt. The movement was created and maintained by an organizing tradition that stretched back to the early 1940s. It featured an activism of an earlier, socially invisible generation, including war veterans, ministers, civic-minded businessmen, and average laborers. Greenwood is the focus of Payne's story, and the peak years of movement activity there were 1962-1964, which was the time local activists paid a very heroic struggle for political access, economic justice, and social equality.
The Star - Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key as he watched his fellow Americans stand strong in their darkest hour. For over twenty four hours Fort McHenry was bombarded by British Navy, but the American troops fought, and so did their families. The Americans rallied around the singular flag that stood high in the fort, and a flag that was a target for the British armada. They planned to destroy the flag to disrupt moral, but the Americans refused to let it fall. They used that singular flag as motivation, and motivation that eventually won them the battle. The flag still holds the same purpose today. To remember those who have fought, or are currently fighting in our armies. It also serves as a source of pride, motivation, and patriotism towards our country. Knowing what our flag means to our history and our country, we can’t possibly keep letting our countries source of pride be disrespected by those attempting to promote their own cause. Are nations athletes that choose to display their displeasure with our nation’s current state, and disrespect what our flag means for our country.
All writing comes in many different styles and attracts a certain audience in which it strikes their minds and opens them up to a new world of thinking or looking at things. “Writing to Connect” by Mary Pipher tells about this concept and elaborates on it greatly to encourage aspiring writers who may be feeling discouraged. Writing to Connect is a chapter in Mary Pipher’s newest book Writing to Change the World, where she discusses the use of powerful writing, changing aspects of the way people view things, and inspiring others to share their own stories and never be afraid of what you feel needs to be shared. Pipher directs the chapter toward aspiring writers to tell her audience they should never give up and inspires them with the use of rhetorical choices. Specific rhetorical choices provide further support for Pipher’s purpose of writing the chapter, she effectively writes to show her audience it’s never wrong to write what they feel, and to take chances in their writing. In “Writing to Connect” by Mary Pipher, she urges aspiring writers to push past their comfort zone of writing with the use of identification, personal anecdotes, and historical texts/occasions to effectively persuade them to never give up on what they feel needs to be said through writing.
I Am From - is a type of poem that Mary Pipher asked refuges to write when she researched The Middle of Everywhere. Refugees write this type of poem because they struggled to understand who they are in a new country and languages. “If you look back on your life, most likely you will be able to trace a trail from the present to deep into your past.” (Pipher 32) Different people have different trail into their past. The trail could be good, or it could be bad at some point. Writing comes from an innate temperament, a belief, and a work ethic in each person. Everyone can write with their own topics and their own desires. Writing make it easier for everyone to realize why their stories are matter, and why they need to tell their stories. “Our
The article 'Showing Off' by the Scottish writer Janice Galloway describes how she overcame obstacles in her life to become a writer and shows that even if you are not blessed with the best oppurtunities in life and suffer from prejudice, it is still possible to achieve your goals. Through the clever use of language and technique, Galloway presents her writing in such a way that it has a great deal of inspirational impact on the reader.
From a young age, children in a first world country are expected to have the ability to read and write. But if you think about this, more than 100 million youths in the world are illiterate (UNESCO). Growing up in a place where pencils and papers are scarce, being able to read and write is a blessing, yet most kids in America just see it as something they’re forced to do in school. Although most children write just for educational purposes, I see writing as something much more. Writing truly allows for a greater emotional output than other types of communication and in my rhetorical self, it is an incredible way to express myself and my thoughts to others.
Few phrases evoke American patriotism in the same magnitude as the pledge of allegiance. Written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, he hopped to inspire americans and remind people of what makes america great. In the final line “liberty and Justice for all”, Bellamy summarized the ideals our country was founded on and what we should continue to strive for as we grow as we continue into the future. That the government should preserve the liberty of its people.
Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory
In the movie, The Freedom Writers Mrs. Erin Gruwell (Hillary Swank) plays a role of a dedicated teacher who did all she could, to help her students learn to respect themselves and each other. She has little idea of what she's getting into when she volunteers to be an English teacher at a newly integrated high school in Long Beach, California. Her students were divided along racial lines and had few aspirations beyond basic survival. Mrs. Gruwell was faced with a big challenge when a group of freshmen students showed her nothing but disrespect which made it hard for her to communicate, teach and understand them. However, Erin Gruwell was determined that no matter the cost she would teach her students not only
In this poem is such a big shock and may wonder why these people did such a thing. In Africa these people culture is way different than ours. They have to work for what they want in life. They are all strong no matter what, they still try to get through life.
Writing has always played a huge role in my life. I’ve been reading writing for as long as I can remember as I have an immense love of reading. This love would grow into a love for writing as well; I still stumble upon journals and writings from my five-year-old self about the happenings in my kindergarten class. As time would go on I would discover academic writing, and how to convey my thoughts on what was the topic of student that particular year or semester in my schooling. Later, writing would become a constant for me, and a comfort; I was known to my friends as always having a journal, and a pen on my person. I learned to write down my feelings and my thoughts, song lyrics that were in my head, reflections for the day. I learned how