- A moment that’s stood out to me from Rankine’s excerpt was when he described Serena’s and Kim Clijsters’ semi-final. Serena was called out for a too fault which means that she was line stepping while serving. However, there’s no proof of that event occurring because the cameras did not capture it. On top of that many of the other viewers also stated that it didn’t happen, which led to declaring that no foot fault was done by Serena in the game. This piece from the text actually shocked me because it’s crazy to me he even said that even though there was no solid proof. It’s almost like he didn’t want her to succeed, he just wanted to make her look bad and see her fail. In the text, it states that a tennis commentator who likes to find fault within certain tennis players even said that “her foot call was way off.” This all ties back into the notion of wanting to see others fail, especially people of color because Serena Williams has an entirely different skin color than everyone surrounding her in the tennis world. So, therefore, the issue also ties into the race and makes it seem that the line judge didn’t want an African American tennis player to succeed due to her skin color.
- Rankine uses pathos when she talks about the foot fault of Serena Williams in the 2008 US open semifinals. Rankine makes sure the reader knows that this is a very crucial moment because she states “What! Are you serious? She is serious…” The tonality of her writing makes it extremely clear that Rankine couldn’t believe what she was hearing and that she was in a state of shock and anger and frustration, which leads the reader to experience the same feelings because of the words that the author used. Another lens Rankine used was the racial theory which discriminates and stereotypes people of color. Serena Williams gets accused of a foot fault falsely, it’s evident that this is a false claim because there was literally no proof whatsoever. In the text it states “…if Serena lost…. it could be because… trapped in a racial imaginary” This quote basically connects the race issue at hand and the false claim that was made about Serena Williams, and leads the reader to believe that this was done because in a predominantly white-dominated sport, they didn’t want to see a black woman win.
- A moment when I communicate without using words is when my best friend and I work together. I would be at the register and she would be on the floor helping customers or walking stuff over elsewhere in the store. She would give me a look that just screams “is everything alright do you need help?”. In response, I would just nod for yes or shake my head for no. If I respond with yes, she would give me a thumbs up and go on about her business, and if I say no, she would come and help me with the register. Certain looks with eyes and head and hand gestures are all we need sometimes to communicate effectively at work when it gets busy.
One thought on “Nishmitha Rodrigo Week 6 Reading Responses”
Comments are closed.
Strong, attentive reading of Rankine’s analysis here, Nish! And yes, there’s a whole world of silent communication that happens in the world of customer service; this is a strong example.