Matthew Lovett

ID# 20566522

Revised Draft Reflections

 What have you learned about your identity in relation to language? What did you learn about how
have learned to language and what role all the different experience you have had in your life did to
the way you use language? Had you already given these topic thought? Did you find new things?

I have learned that despite having been relatively surrounded by English media for most of my life, I’ve been
exposed to a large amount of Mexican culture. So, I’ve had a good mix of both cultures and my tastes in
writing have been greatly influenced by it. I believe when I have a large palette of “colors, if you will, to
choose from when writing and brainstorming ideas, or when I’m reading and trying to understand the text. In
my day to day life, I don’t view the world in black and white because I’ve seen different points of views from
many different people. And I like to imagine that I don’t conform to stereotypes and that I’m unbiased, which
is a first in my family as I’m the first of both sides of my family to be mixed. I have realized it before but never
as in depth as I have with this project, so I’ve learned more than a thing or two about why I am this way.

 Which texts – whether they were complete texts or just excerpts – and videos were especially
meaningful for you during this series? What kind of impact did they have on you?

I found myself to agree with a lot of what Anjali Pattanayak wrote in “There is one correct way of writing and
speaking”. She says, “The way that we conceptualize language is not just detrimental to minorities; it also
devalues the identities that working and lower-class people bring to communicative situations”, which is
something I’m very familiar with. During school I often found that I was among those children who did not
have a “sizable” amount of money. So, a lot of my classmates had certain items I couldn’t afford so there was
this sense of “lingo” between these kids that I never understood. They developed their own form of
communicating while I was isolated and developed my own way of interpreting certain aspects of life. So, I’ve
never found myself following a crowd, I’ve always strived for individuality and following my own path. I’ve
actually never realized that aspect of mine until I read Ms. Pattanayak’s piece.

 Overall, what are you thinking about language and identity and the way language and identity are
(or are not) intertwined? What did you find particularly challenging or interesting about this?

It is a connection I’ve never realized until now, and in retrospective it makes a lot of sense. It was very
interesting to think about what influenced me as a person and how my childhood and school played a big part
in how I think and create. It’s a very nostalgic feeling going through all these memories, I had to go through
my house looking for these items like books and movies that affected the way I write and read. It was also
extremely fun to ask my parents about certain topics because we would go in depth and realize how much
that certain aspect or item in my life played a role in shaping me and they helped me greatly. The only part
that was challenging was trying to remember because it has been so long since I was 8 but it was a nice trip
down memory lane.