(re) Making Language Summary
The reading “(re)Making Language” conveys the message that words (language) can be helpful in understanding others and one’s own self. To prove this claim, the reading puts forth the example of the classic gothic novel from 1818, “Frankenstein.” the gothic genre was a result of the enlightenment ideas of “freedom of mind.” Through this genre, people started exploring the corruptions of the mind and the common fears that most people have. Similarly, this was the case with “Frankenstein.” Dr. Frankenstein’s unnamed monster learns about the world and the concept of war which makes him sad and bewildered as to how can one human take the life of another. Moving on, as he gains more knowledge, he realizes that he is lonely and has no one to communicate and share the weight of the world with. All in all, Dr. Frankenstein unnamed brings back the point that language helps people acquire knowledge which is essential in understanding “meaning and feelings in our lives.”
Language, Discourse, and Literacy Summary
Language doesn’t suggest grammar, what it really means is recognizable interaction within a community. Language is also an important part of our reality; it shapes how and what we think. A group that uses similar “language-use practices” forms a discourse, and the group who uses is known as a discourse community. Discourses are very important since they, in a sense, are small aspects of our lives that form who we are as a whole. Literacy is a term used to define someone’s knowledge of a discourse. In other words, literacy is how we interact with others using language. There are many types of literacies such as digital literacy, rhetorical literacy, and culture, all of whom are referred to as an “understanding and ability to participate in the literacy practices of a discourse community.” Amongst some ways of gaining literacy skills, one way is to understand the genre convention of the languages used in the discourse community one is part of. Also, one important factor that effects literacy is what is perceived to be possible by someone.
Response
One thing I learned after reading these two texts is that communication holds utmost importance since we are always being judged. So keeping this in mind, what is more important is that we should use careful language since it represents who we are. What really startled me was the notion that although knowledge opens us up to the truth, it also makes us vulnerable to all emotions since not all the truths are easy to hear.