Cover Letter

For this assignment, we were supposed to talk about a moment in our lives where we had faced a struggle with language and literacy. So for my narrative, I talked about the struggles I and my parents faced when coming to this “new world”, which we knew nothing about. From learning its culture and background to learning its language. The difficulties my parents had to face-shaped me to become the person I am today, and that was a key point in my narrative. So as a result, I am sure this piece resonates with many others as well because it is an immigration story, a story which many others had experienced. Thereby, these people are my audience. I tried to make this piece as relatable and sincere as possible, so people who may have gone through the same situation as me may find this much more appealing than those who do not. The choice I made in my language and rhetorical choices were making it sound heartfelt and sincere. I made this writing with the hopes of it sounding like a touching and personal story, so I tried to talk about specific moments of my life where others may deem too personal. To show that my story is out there for them to relate with.

Throughout writing this assignment I gained meaningful insight into this phase regarding language and literacy. I learned that try to be as detailed as possible to give readers a better image in their mind and to give your opinion on a topic when you can because it shows that you are not just telling a story, but instead expressing yourself. So in a narrative that is key to writing a successful one. I also learned that when writing a narrative, try to be as personal as possible, so readers stay engaged throughout, and try to leave the reader wanting more. If you leave the reader with this satisfaction, they will very much enjoy your piece and give it a good score. But at the end of the day they are just grading your piece, not who you are as a person, so just express yourself by whatever means you see fit. I think the concept that impacted my learning and my writing practices the most was the purpose and audience. This is because when writing my narrative all I had in mind was what was my purpose for writing this piece, which was to elaborate on the struggle in language and literacy of my early childhood, and what will the audience get out of this reading, a story to relate to. Remembering these two things helped me to understand and know what I must write to complete this assignment while expressing myself.

This phase’s assignment helped me to achieve some of the Course Learning Outcomes. One of the CLO that I achieved was number 1, “Recognize the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing, and hierarchical languages and their users, and be open to communicating across different languages and cultures.” In my narrative, I talked about the struggles I faced when learning a new language, and how that made me different from others. Because of my lack of English, others thought they were better and more capable than me, and as I talked about in my piece, people took advantage of my parents for that reason. So after writing out my story, I realized how much power lies in the hands of how you use language. From the way you say it to the attitude you put it out with, it determines much of whether it empowers or oppresses its users. I also realize the importance of it when communicating across different languages and cultures. Another CLO that I achieved was number 3, “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.” Throughout the process of writing this narrative, there were multiple steps I had to do that led to this final piece. I had to read my fellow peer’s papers, write multiple drafts, collaborate with my peers on theirs and my paper, and revise/edit those drafts I did. By doing these steps, it helped to ensure that whatever I wrote was the best it could be. When working with my peers, they gave me an insight into how I could improve my piece and what was already good with it. So when doing this for every draft and me realizing my mistakes, I knew what to do to improve my narrative and gained the skill to do so for next time.

After completing this assignment I realized how much I changed from the person I was back then. Not only from a writing perspective but as a person. I went from a person who once needed help with their language and literacy to become the person that gave help. I became a person who overcame their struggle to improve themselves, and I think that is the purpose of this assignment. My purpose for this narrative may have been to write some for someone to relate to, but I think the overall purpose of this assignment is to realize how far we have gotten from that person we once were.

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Adapting to the American Ways

I cannot recall a specific moment of my life where people looked down upon me just because of my lack of “proper” language and literacy skills, as all these times of discrimination I faced, happened during my first few years in America. My experience with this matter is based on my parents’ reflection on it towards me. You see, I grew up in a household where everyone struggled to learn English at first. My family and I were all immigrants from Bangladesh, and from what I am told, the first few years of our lives were the hardest yet. My parents told me when they arrived in this brand-new world, all they had was some money they had saved up for a few years and the assistance of family members that helped them get here. They only knew the simple command words that they learned from a dictionary, so it was not much to go on, but sufficient so that they could understand simple directional words. My parents had to cope with this new world’s customs while learning its language and culture, and raising a family at that. I still think about it to this day of how they managed to do such a feat in just a few years, it still surprises me. Sure they had some hiccups along the way and still sometimes do, but it was sufficient so that it helped me to start my journey in literacy and language. My journey in adapting to this new world’s literacy and language was easier than compared to my parents because unlike me, my parents were already so familiar with one another. However, that did not stop them from trying. Their main reason for coming here is to give me and my brother the chance for a better life. Although life back there was not bad, just old-fashioned, and my parents wanted more for us. They wanted something new, especially my mother, who tried her best to give me the best life I could have.

Before I started going to school, my mother would often take me to the library. She thought it was the best place to enhance my reading skills because of the serene environment. We would get a handful of books, sit down, and attempt to read them aloud together. When we came across words that were unfamiliar to us, she would ask the older children or workers around us for help. Though there was a language barrier, she gradually overcame it, and on certain days, someone who spoke the same language as us was there to aid us along the way. While teaching me to read and write, she, herself, was learning too. Back then I thought the world was a nice place, where if I needed help, people were there to give it without any negative ideas. However, later I realized that it was not the case. I found many people to look down at the so-called “uneducated”, where they would think less of you if you could not simply speak English. Where they would take advantage of you when they could, just because they think you do not know what they were secretly doing. I saw this a lot throughout those early years when I was with my parents, but I did not understand its extent till later. The older I got, the more I realized the world was full of people who treated you like a simple-minded person just because you cannot say what you are thinking properly.

Being Bengali was our prime focus in my household, so learning its language and culture while learning America’s language and culture was hard for me. Furthermore, my parents tried to put religion on top of that. I would try to transition between both, but in the end, the English side came out at the top. Probably because school was a bigger part of my life than I realized. Although now I have a better grasp of things, I still do make the occasional mistake. Sometimes confusing a Bengali word for an English one or vice versa. I would consider myself more proficient in English than I would in Bengali, and my parents would agree. From their perspective, I would have a “broken” Bengali. For example, I would occasionally use English words when communicating with parents in Bengali, as those Bengali words I don’t know how to say I would try to say them in English, but with an accent. Yet, from the perspective of people outside the Bengali culture, it would appear I have somewhat of an “Indian” accent. Personally, I do not see it, other than the occasional hiccup where my Bengali sides come out at the top, or when I do it on purpose. I consider myself more American than I would Bengali because I have spent more time developing it than Bengali, but from the eyes of other Americans, they would disagree because I am not up to their standards. I now considered my writing “normal” from the American point of view and my literacy just as much, that of which I could back up. However, even though I have come a long way from those first few years in America, the only part I would say that still needs work is my speaking side. Even so, is that so wrong because at the end of the day, it is just a part of my Bengali side? The other half of my identity.

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What the Library Means to Me

“Before my school days, my mother would often take me to the library. She thought it was the best place to enhance my reading skills because of the serene environment. We would get a handful of books, sit down, and attempt to read them aloud together.”

The Bronx Library Center, my local library, was a place where I and my mother could sit down and learn. It is my second home. It’s a place where one could involve themselves in their community, by attending community events, etc. Of which my mother realized, so she would bring me here, very often, as a means for me to get involved. I remember going to the library and browsing the shelves in the young adult section. Finding the next book, I was yearning to read. However, reading wasn’t the only thing I did there. I always did try to have some fun adventures, and so I wasn’t the best behaved. But as time passed, I learned my lessons and matured, as did my preference for books. This library is a place of growth for me. And now, the library has become a social gathering hub for my friends and me. We come together and find fun activities to do around the area, or join in on events taking place at the library. It’s a place where anyone could become part of a community, bringing people from all over together. And due to this, I knew I wanted to play a more significant role in this community of mine, so during my junior year of high school, I started volunteering. This lasted for a year and a half, and it started as something I was required to do for school, as a way of community service.  But, soon that mindset changed. And it became a passion of mine trying to help others any way I could. With this new mindset and my experience there volunteering, it led to me having a job there. Of which now I could do what I was already doing, but with that extra cash on the side. And well, that is where I am today.