Power in Words

Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I have a Dream”, and Sojourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” are similar in being rhetorical. They repeat many words more than once for the emphasis of emotion. They want the audience to feel their speech, which they do a real good job at. They also emphasis by repeating key words for the importance of the issue they are both talking about in their speeches.

Both speeches talk about human rights. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech talks about civil rights of Black people. Sojourner Truth’s speech talks about the rights of women. She especially emphasizes on how men do not think woman can do certain things for the women’s suffrage and mentions how she does these things men say women cannot do. One mentions the Declaration of Independence and what is promised as far as equality and that promise broken. Also, how things have not changed in a century and how people need to stand up for justice. The other mentions the things men think woman should not or could not do, emphasizing on being a woman and using herself as proof women can do these things men say they could not and mentioning respectable women like the mother of Jesus.

Both speeches mention something from the biblical point of view. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes the bible in his speech and Sojourner Truth mentions how Jesus came from a woman. They also had a poetic style about their speeches not only by repetitiveness, but also in using metaphors and symbolism.

In parenthesis, Sojourner Truth’s speech has the tone of how she spoke. It seems that she spoke with the same tone of Martin Luther King Jr. They both had the raising of their voices with the “rolling thunder” that brought a lot of emotion into the speeches. One of the only differences between the speeches was that Sojourner Truth spoke somewhat bluntly and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke more respectively and educated, though both never lost that power in their voice and words when they spoke. They both had a way of getting their point across and touching the audience.

They were both very powerful speakers. I think they would respond to each other’s speech just like the rest of the audience was expected to respond. They would feel the emotion from the words being repeated and understand the importance of these words. They would have a common understanding from being treated differently and unfairly as well as watching others being treated differently and unfairly. They both were seeking justice in being treated fairly and without oppression.

I believe they would approve of each other’s speeches as far as subject matter as well. They were both speaking about human rights and believed in what they were saying. They also were two people in different eras to stand up for what they believed in. They both fought for a cause by standing in front of people and saying what they felt knowing that there could be consequences and they both believed that in their doing, there would be change.

Literacy. What Fun!

There are so many more things I could not do that I do now if I were to be illiterate. I think life would be a lot more confusing if I could not read or write. I love to read books. Although there are books read on audio, I would not be able to read those books I enjoy so much that have not been recorded on audio. I also like to write poetry. I enjoy having my alone time to write my poetry as an outlet. There are more things I would be unable to do, but the most important thing illiteracy would affect is my family.

            I am not a phone person. When on the phone I get distracted and end up not listening and my ears start to hurt after a while. I prefer to write letters or e-mails. I have family that lives outside of California that writes to me through letters and e-mails. Our relationship is through the reading and writing, which is easier to get everything wanted to be said out either before it is forgotten, or as it is happening. If I were to be illiterate, the pen and paper or e-mails would be of no use to me, and since I do not like to use the phone, my family relationships outside California would probably be almost nonexistent. That would be quite upsetting due to the fact that my family, immediate or extended, is very important to me.

            Speaking of family, my daughter loves to read. I have read to her since she was in my tummy. Sometimes we take turns reading to each other and it has been something we have done and still do for fun. When my daughter has homework where she has to write something, I am the one she reads it to. When she was younger I would check for spelling errors and we would fix them together. Another thing we do for fun is write little poems to each other back and forth. Also the board games we play together have writing on the cards and on the spaces we move to during our turns. We would miss out on all the fun we have had these last eleven years if I could not read or write.

            Some people do not concentrate on how much being able to read and write affects our everyday lives. I have not thought about, before now, how much literacy affects not only my life, but those around me as well. Literacy plays a huge role when it comes to being in contact with my family and even spending time with my family. If I were illiterate, I would probably not have the closeness I have with my family, immediate, or extended. I could only imagine what it would be like to not be able to do these things I do now if I were unable to read and write. There would also be the question of if my daughter would love reading as much as she does now, if she would like poetry, write poetry, and if she would be into writing her stories that she writes so well.

Thinking Critically

Critical thinking, to me, is to think beyond the surface. We try to find evidence, then follow where evidence may lead and ask questions, then try to answer those questions. Critical thinking is also thinking carefully about something as to not interpret wrong. Sometimes I have a habit of reading to where I am just reading. I absorbed nothing and have to read it again to get a grasp on what it is about. There are times where I have to read something over and over again because I want to be careful as to not miss something that can either lead me to interpret something right or wrong.

            When it comes to reading and thinking critically, my habits are somewhat weak. I try to understand what I may be thinking by asking questions, but it usually turns into questioning whether I am asking the right questions to begin with. I only question myself when it comes to an assignment where I will be graded. Sometimes this is because I tend to think too much on the supporting factors and am not careful to stay on topic. Other times this is because I think I do not understand what the assignment is, even when understanding perfectly when looking at the directions again.

            In politics I try to figure out what a speaker is saying and if they are just saying it to get followers. I make sure to read everything and look at the small details when making a decision on voting. I do not pay attention to a lot of media on television or in certain magazines because they tend to exaggerate, misinterpret, and throw words or pictures out there to make one think falsely. The newspaper is a good way for me to analyze politics because some articles are biased, so I could see other people’s views and compare them to my own in making a decision on where I stand.

            In my professional goals I use critical thinking by questioning all that has to be done to attain my goals and by analyzing how far or close I am to attaining them. What is to be done after attaining my professional goals, is also a way of using critical thinking. I must take all the classes needed to get my Associates Degree and my Bachelor’s Degree with grades that are acceptable. Also, when I reach my professional goal I have to think on how I will get done everything within that work day or week and possibly think on how to move up in the workplace.

            By being in this English 103 class, I feel my analysis of skills and how I view things will differ greatly. I will most likely not question myself on if I am doing an assignment right or wrong. I will not question whether I am asking the right or wrong questions also. I know that my ways of critical thinking will strengthen in ways of being able to look at things and be able to understand when analyzing or reading something. I am hoping to be able to understand what to look for when reading, so as to not have to read something over and over to understand it. I expect this class to help me be a better reader and writer.