My Pen Writes in Blue and White VINCENT CREMONA, Vincent Cremona gree wp in a midie-class neighbor on Long Island, [Naw York Hei crrently orig ful ime wl parsing es auction in the eventing at Queensborough Conrmunity College, CUNY. one morte saat my see anes in black al white Tend to view things lite bit ciferenty. Tike to say tat Use things in blue and Ative Certain things that 1 wil see, or eat, oF vad, and I will sy, “Ih is blue” Other ties Til come fo the conclusion, “That svtite” Sometimes can even iew things ase and whiteat the sare Whe have bean fought hough anintertionsly 4 ew things inthis tranner sinc ist learned to read and write "The manner in which I now seit, and communicate for that mat- ter anbeen directly affected by thetro major tafluencesin my ie ay patente Even thouglt my parents cozureate in wo completly cit Pant vay, have borrowed fom both of them, Tam reminded ofthe fronds of Richard Rodriguez when he lamented, “Trove speak in the Ciromium accents of my grammar school classmates...” L myself fave taken the pain. frank, honest words of my father and joined them Mh the proper and formal word of my mother o form the calect hat Tow apeak This combination has ive ne the ability to commaricate inmony different ways ‘When I say that se things as blue, mean that view them as basis bold, and Wworksan-ike 1 se things rom «blue-collar point of Sieve [have leaned to view things in fis manner fom my father. A truck driver by wade, my father was a cax-carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 51. MY father was cutin the Jimmy Hotta mold n that my Hoffa believed Oat most Amer Cans are basically hard working individuals, who have respect for one Snother as they fee the tials and tibulatone of providing a good home fe forthe families, Asa on man, thee is lo of pre anc patton inhis words He would say things ike, “A day's work ora ays poy” It vas sald by Barbara Brandt that, “For many Americans today, pald orks notjusta way to make money but isa crucial source thei sel worth” These words could eaily be used fo describe my father’s tite towards work. Work was a vaya efor my athe: 206 Vincent Ckeoxa ¢ My Pes Whines iv Bits ano Wein. 207 The most interesting thing to me was not his work, but rather my {father's relationship with his co-workers. [would go to union meetings ‘with my father and listen to the men talc about politics, finances, and all aspects of life. [was amazed that at such a young age, Leould under- stand everything that they were saying. They spoke in a plain, although oud and brash, English. When I read their union-oriented propaganda, noticed that it t00 was easy to understand. These were not compli- cated men, No one was out to impress er upstage anyone else. These men were union brothers, unmistakably blue-collared, and proud of it ‘While I was listening to my father with one ear, my other was always pointed towards my mother. Although my mother also spoke English like my father, they hardly sounded similar. My mother speaks ‘what [ike to call white-collar English. My mother is an office manager at a law firm. She goes to work all cleaned and pressed, briefcase in hand. When T listen to her talk about work, all I would hear was legalese, My mother uses words with many syllables and plenty of let- ters. She speaks in a very proper andl clear voice. When she writes, she oes s0 in a manner that makes the most ordinary things seem com- plicated. I remember she once wrote me a note for school that read, "Vincent will be unable to attend the upcoming academic function due to a prior commitment.” [think she was trying to tell my teacher that 1 ‘couldn't go on a class trip because we were going on vacation, but Lam not really sure. My mother aligned herself more with Emily Post because she believed the manner in which you talk, or write, oF act in a certain situ- ation would determine whether you have acted with class and dignity. ‘My mother is all about being proper, no matter what the situation. Her T's are always dotted and her T's are always crossed. In my mother’s white-collated world, the manner in which you conduct yourself has a direct influence on your career, Learning to sce things from these two different points of view has had a dramatic effect on the way [communicate Iris also very evident in :my writing, [recently had to write a leter to an airline that had canceled. ‘my fight home from vacation, causing me to miss work on Monday. Needless to say this cancellation was a tremendous inconvenience to me. conveyed those feelings to the airline, in the bold, brash words of my. father, inthe beginning of the letter. Then, [used the poignant and legal sounding terms of my mother to convince them that they had better ‘make restitution to me, I received a check from the airline only a few weeks later ‘Since most of my writing is now done at work, Ican see examples of ‘ay dual dialects all over my dask. Lam a foreman ata construction com= pany. The people who work directly under me are union construction208 CHAPTERS © Eoecariow workers. When I write their work orders, Ido it in plain, ordinary, lay men’s terms, Ido this not because I think they will not understand, but ‘because [know this is the way they choose to communicate. ‘When I write the same work orders for my supervisors, I write them completely differently. My supervisors are mace up of account ants, architects, and other assorted managers and executives. When 1 ‘communicate with them, whether it is via e-mail, fax, memo, or report, Ido itin a very professional manner. The terms I use are very technical and offical sounding, I know this the way ithas to bein the corporate world, Even the writings that I do for school have the traces of these two viewpoints. When I am asked to do a serious business paper, for instance, I tend to write very professionally: [ use the long-winded terms used hy my professors and textbooks. On the other hand, when fam asked to write about more common ideas, ike my experiences, or ‘about myself, I write differently. I prefer to writen a more basic, every day English I like to write to the point and from the heart. When it is appropriate, I can even write from both perspectives at the same time, ‘Some people may have to work at this, but to me it comes naturally ‘All of my writing, now, I can see as either blue, or white, or some shade thereof. [used to think this made me write like two different people, with different personalities. Now I feel that I have the voice of oneauthor, witha broadened horizon, INTERPRETATIONS: 1, How effective is Cremona’s metaphor for describing his writing process? Try to create one to describe yours. 2. How do his parents’ prose styles differ? Which do you prefer? How has he used both to his advantage? APPLICATIONS. Review Cremona’s last paragraph. What point does he make ‘about language and identity? What view of literacy does each of Cremona’s parents represent? ‘What evidence do you find to support your analysis? In the fourth paragraph of the essay, Cremona recounts going te his father’s union meetings. What kind of literacy did he observe at those times? VovemvtCrmiona + -MvPeyWaresi Bus an Wi 209 ‘Who is Emily Post (mentioned in paragraph 6)? What kind of literacy does she represent? Who is an “Emily Post” in yout life? How does Cremona ultimately integrate the literacies that he pres- tents in the essay? How well do you relate to what the author has ‘written about? In what situations do you find yourself navigating among seemingly conflicting definitions of literacy?