Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:

I write to you today with utter excitement. I have just returned from my trip to Ohio, where I attended a women’s rights convention, and could barely wait to tell you of this incredible experience! During the convention, a woman by the name of Sojourner Truth gave a speech about women’s rights, except she is a Negro and so her speech concerns not only women but Negro women. Now I do not know where you stand concerning this issue but I do think it is worth your time to read what I will tell you here today.

This Truth, she is six feet tall and has a clear, deep voice that, as soon as she started speaking, embraced the room and brought it to complete silence. I have never seen a crowd so excited and fueled up by what a Negro has to say, much less a lady Negro, but I find myself as excited as the rest of the crowd.

 A colleague of mine, Frances Gage, recorded most of what Truth said and I can give you an address to write to Frances if you are interested in reading the entire speech. Let me tell you what I heard that day.

Truth starts out complaining (a lady Negro complaining!) that, although one of the men had stated that women should be helped into carriages and helped over ditches, she has never been offered this help. Why not? She is indeed a woman! She then uncovered her arm to reveal an extremity resembling that of a strong male…twice as large as yours I’m sure! She goes on to say that she has worked very hard, many years, and that no man could head her. You should have heard the crowd roaring Sir. Her voice was so powerful I wanted to jump up and roar with them! But let me tell you, this woman is smart. She is smart because she uses her labor to show that she is worth just as much as a man who does that same labor, only she could do it better…yet she is a woman! Then she goes on to talk about her children, sold into slavery as she cries a mother’s grief…do you know the love that a mother has for her child? No, how could you? You are a man. Do you understand what Ms. Truth has done here? She has allowed those old men who think that women should be helped, because they are weak, because they are worth less, to see the strength that a woman acquires from being a laboring woman, from being a mother! They could not understand this strength because they can never go through what we as women have gone through, what Truth as a Negro lady has gone through.

Do you think she ends here? O no, she is not done. She embarrasses one of the ministers by pointing out that this “intellect” that he argues is had by men alone, is rubbish as it only means that men are mean. This might be confusing but I am sure you will read every speech given by the white men at the conference on tomorrow’s front page!

Finally, she ridicules another speaker who argued that women should have fewer rights than men because God was a man and not a woman. Excuse me Sir if I need to take a moment…but this argument, even when I heard it spoken by that man, made me want to give up completely. Not Ms. Truth though…she asks this man where his Christ came from, because her Christ came from a woman and God. Can you imagine the crowd, louder than ever! I did in fact jump up to join the cheering at this point.

Sir, I find it difficult to express to you in a mere letter what this Sojourner Truth did on that day. I can merely try to make you understand the intensity, the truth, and the rawness of what she said.

I ask you today to take the time to read her speech, maybe even write to her, because she is an incredible leader that should be known and heard by everyone. Use your sources to make this happen, I beg of you.

Ms. Sojourner Truth, in this speech, allowed equality to be a reality, even for a mere fifteen minutes. All the women who have worked as hard as the men next to them, but have been paid less, who have raised the children alone while working, who have suffered under the hand and words of a man, stronger than them, who have been silenced because they are women, all of these women were given a voice when Truth went to the podium that day.

I ask you, as a woman, and as a friend, to consider what I have tried to convey in this letter. Change is coming, women will be equal. Know this and see the opportunity you have in publishing this information.

My regards,

Ellen Radcliffe.

The Bilingual Curse.

I became bilingual at the age of fourteen, when I learned to speak English. At this time I also moved to the US where I was forced to use my English (still broken at the time) to adjust to a new culture. I remember entering Freshman year six months late and spending the rest of the school year completely silent. Many kids tried to talk to me, but I couldn't raise my voice to the level of normalcy and lost many potential friends to this silent struggle. I was astonished at how unbearably loud Americans are and fully noticed this in my Freshman English class, when we played "Popcorn". Every person would read just fine and when my name was called, I would make such an effort to read loudly, only to have the teacher interrupt and tell me to speak up. This did not only happen during class, but going to dinner with my family, speaking on the phone with an American, or ordering food through the drive through all ended with the same response...speak up! I am reminded of this frustrating time as I read the essay "The Language of Silence", by Maxine Hong Kingston. I can completely relate to her struggle as fear would sweep away her voice completely. I spent my days in silence as well, until I became more accustomed to the culture. I found my voice during my second year in the US but it came only after the damage had been done. Till this day I am uncomfortable speaking out or being listened to by many people. The discomfort that came with having to speak English during that first year will probably be with me forever.
Being bilingual has also caused me many frustrating moments. Over the years I have noticed how this has affected my speech and communication with people who speak only one language. My dad always says "in the US we are stupid, while in South Africa we are smart." Let me explain. Once I finally found my voice, I noticed that, when trying to develop a conversation, I found myself often searching for the right word to express myself. This would usually result in a word that does not quite make sense, followed by frustration boiling inside of me. I realized that, to Americans (or anyone who does not understand what it is like to have two languages mixed up in your head), I look pretty stupid when I search for the 'right' word or say something that made sense to me but not to them. The looks and gestures have become normal to me and the frustration only a mere sting in my heart. These experiences have made me wish sometimes that I spoke only English and could master it as I have my first language. Language is so vital in life and this has caused me to resent my roots at times. It has also made me aware of the importance of communication and how truly different each person and culture expresses themselves. Out of my journey with this has come a greater appreciation for those who struggle with language and communication, no matter the form it comes in.  

One Stubborn Lady.

Critical Thinking is probably one of the scariest concepts in English writing. Some may disagree with this but I make this statement confidently, as, in my experience with it, I have found that I am a stubborn girl who likes her comfort box. This is not only true in writing essays or analyzing a book for some class, but in other aspects of my life as well. I have found that, in order to think critically, one must let go of any preconceived notions, biases, opinions, and basically innate instincts in order to get started. This might seem extreme, but my fear of it is extreme. To be successful it seems one must be open-minded, rational, and disciplined. I do not only lack these things in writing, but also in everyday-life decisions and actions. Don't get me wrong, I am not an evil person that passes judgment or makes irrational decisions, I am just human, and with that comes the ability to look at a book, passage, or piece of literature without much thought. It is difficult for me to set aside any opinion or even my first thoughts that a specific passage says no more than what I got form it the first time through, and once I do make an effort to analyze it critically, I find myself influenced greatly by the biases that influence my thought process.
On the other hand, it seems what makes one unique in analyzing a piece of literature is the fact that every person comes from a different background that has shaped their thought process to produce ideas that are not like any other. For this reason, thinking critically feels like a balancing act between personal analysis and open-mindedness. I am not good at this balancing act. With previous work I find that I do not thoroughly remove my biases and opinions in order to analyze a piece and end up making my analysis too personal. I am very nationalistic and I am influenced by this in every aspect of my life. A few examples of this include the following: I feel that the education system in America lacks many things compared to the education system in the country I am from, the media is like poison to a society and I pay little attention to it, although America is a nation influenced mostly by the media and its portrayal of beauty and happiness, and finally I am reluctant to spend any time on politics because my own country as many political issues. These are examples of my nationalism that influences my ability to go from surface analysis of the things I have listed to critical analysis.
Taking a Critical Thinking and Research course is like signing my death certificate...at least that is what it feels like! I am however ready to be challenged and by taking this course I am convinced that the skills I will learn here will help me to balance the act of critical analysis and I will end the semester with the ability to critically analyze a piece of work without biases and opinions tainting my thought process, yet still use a writing style that reflects my individuality.
Stay tuned!