Analysis Of Allison Joseph's On Being Told I Don T Speak Like A Black Person

Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher, once made the statement that “If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.” If this is true, is it safe to inquire that if we did speak a different language, we could perceive another’s world somewhat incorrectly? Could language be the binding source of culture, or is language the primary enforcer of stereotypes? After pondering on these questions, I developed the idea that language acts as the mediator of understanding, which either binds culture or enforces stereotypes depending on whether or not stereotypes are active between either parties that are interacting. Through language, Individuals tend to incorrectly perceive the world of others in spontaneous

On the other hand, when individuals use language to unify meaning, which refers to the spontaneous act of meeting a common ground or understanding between two parties of different cultures, they tend to be aware of stereotypes but do not necessarily believe them. In this essay, I will critically analyze Allison Joseph’s poem "On Being Told I Don't Speak Like a Black Person", which illustrates her and her mother’s personal experiences with language as a Jamaican emigrant family living in the United States, to support the claim that language is the avenue to unifying meaning, which advances culture interaction, if stereotypes are inactive or disregarded.

Allison Joseph’s “On Being Told I Don't Speak Like a Black Person" mainly illustrates the effects that stereotypes have on language and first impressions. One of the first issues of the poem that Joseph addresses, is the difference in reason between Jamaicans and Americans to learn each other’s language. “Emphasize the “h,” you hignorant ass, was what my mother was told when colonial-minded teachers slapped her open palm with a ruler in that Jamaican school room. They tried to force their

If stereotypes are not active, I believe that an avenue of culture interaction is created that encourages both parties to effectively learn each other’s culture through language. Additionally, I believe that when stereotypes are active during spontaneous culture interaction, it hinders one ability to effectively unify meaning through language because there are assumptions that exist between either parties pertaining to what is expected of the other party. Last but not least, although stereotypes may exist, if an individual tend to be aware of stereotypes but does not necessarily believe them, an avenue to unifying meaning is created, in which culture interaction leads to effective culture