For our first assignment, the rhetorical analysis essay, my class was assigned to rhetorically read and analyze three texts revolving around the topic “Language Politics”. The goal for this essay, as I’ve picked the A option, was to interpret important and or interesting rhetorical features/strategies. For this option, I was tasked to use two texts, I decided to analyze the articles “The problem of linguistic double consciousness” by Vershawn Young and a spoken word “3 Ways to speak English” spoken by Jamaila Lyiscott. Both texts discuss how Black people, specifically in America, use code-switching, leading me to my target audience which was Black people in America. As I wrote my essay and imagined who my audience was, it helped me revise for effective communication and to discover different ideas to help enhance my thought process. My essay attached demonstrates this. 

Original:

“The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness”and “3 Ways to Speak English”

Vershawn Young, a known scholar for developing the concept of code meshing, in her essay “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness” (published by “Language Diversity and Academic Writing” books in 2018) argues that the use of code switching is outdated, and that as a society we should instead use code meshing. By supplying the reader with information about the historical racial divide between African-Americans and white people while comparing that to present-day society along with delving into subtle racism, Miss Young builds her claim about code meshing. Miss Young wishes to convey to the reader the importance of not conforming to society standards, how AAVE should not be seen as something less than, and African-Americans should not have to disguise a part of themselves, in order to make America a society where people of color are one more step closer to achieving actual equality. Of interest, the author appears to write for two distinct sets of readers: those who are people of color, people who can deeply relate to these experiences, and those who are rich white Americans, those who are privileged and believe standard english should be the only or right way to communicate. Comparing this text to a Ted talk video titled “3 Ways to Speak English” spoken by Lyiscott, we can see the importance of being allowed to speak three different ways, two in particularl which uses AAVE, to enhance the ideas of Young. In the following paragraphs, I will analyze Young’s evidence choices, displaying how her evidence exposes subtle racsim and demonstrantig how her evidence works to persuade a large yet diverse audience while also comparing it to Lyiscott’s spoken word to display a personal take of uing code meshing.

Early in the text, Young uses historical events to establish the idea of double consciousness. She uses, for example, the Jim Crow laws where during this period black Americans were seen as something separate and less than compared to whites. As Young writes, “Du Bois used the term double consciousness to describe the psychological impact this judgment had on blacks.” (page 1). Not only limited to this, but these historical events set the stage for establishing the subtle racism she is trying to display to the reader: that the idea of code switching also tied to double consciousness, was something that was formed long ago. As it states, double consciousness is “The doubling of one’s racial self-conscious as produced, he writes, ‘from having to always look at oneself through the eyes of others’”(Page 1); what Young is trying to display is the idea of double consciousness, which in turn, basically legalized segregation formed during the periods of the Plessy versus Ferguson court case (April 13,1886), Brown versus the Board of Education court case (May 17, 1954), and even the formation of Jim Crow laws (years 1870-1965). The idea of double consciousness was not explicitly stated to African-Americans, but was heavily implied with the help of said laws set in our society. Young’s attempt to set the scene of the many instances where double consciousness is heavily implied.

This idea of double consciousness in turn relates to code switching. “Code switching is a strategy where black students are taught contrast of analysis— a different settings.”(Page 1). This idea of code switching relates to that of double consciousness, where African-Americans have to divide themselves in order to fit “society standards”. In many schools it is recommended to teach African-Americans to recognize this grammatical difference and enforce code switching. Using this fact, along with the supporting evidence of the historical events, makes this topic more relatable to African-Americans. Growing up in a society where it is enforced that there is only one right way, many could relate to the idea of double consciousness. Not only that, but to the opposite side of the audience, this brings more awareness to the side audience. This forces white Americans to realize that there is a standard English in place. With the incorporation of the definition of what code switching is, Young persuades her audience members who can relate to this story, along with those who are ignorant to such topic about the use of code meshing.

Another way in which Young uses evidence to demonstrate subtle racism is through how she organizes her different types of evidence through the use of ethos. Throughout the essay, Young provides countless evidence with credibility. In later paragraphs Young mentions a book titled “Race: the absence presence of composition studies”; with the mention of this book, Young provides a bit of background information describing what the author talks about. “where she focuses on writing instruction at the college level and Du Bois’ complaint about double consciousness to ‘describe the experience of domination and exclusion within a society which professes equality and integration’”. (Page 2). But this brief explanation one can see that Young agrees with some of what the author has to say, but then she refutes that statement by displaying the contradictions that the author had placed. She goes on to say that she doesn’t agree that double consciousness stems from insecurity, nor are said students uncomfortable with becoming whatever profession they wish to pursue (Page 2). The addition of using ethos displays more subtle racism as it provides more clarity to the reader.

This use of ethos also helps Young address her diverse audience. Throughout the essay the mention of code switching is presented. Whether that be through the explanation of what double consciousness is or to display several examples of racial discrimination, Young wishes to bring this to the audience’s attention and urges them to instead use code meshing. Code meshing is the idea that both AAVE and standard English is used when one is speaking; one would assume that throughout the essay Young would use this idea of code meshing when addressing her audience, but she doesn’t. One could assume that she uses standard English to help the organization of her essay while also understanding how diverse her audience is. She understands that the same people who believe in code switching and should be enforced in our society will possibly partake in the reading, thus she uses standard english to keep from certain groups undermining her ideas.

Comparing Young’s view of code switching to Jamaila Lyiscott’s Ted Talk spoken word, “3 Ways to Speak English” one could further understand that the concept of code switching is subtly racist and we should instead use code meshing. In this Lyiscott explores the history and present day identity struggles that the three languages, within her friends, in the classroom and with her parents, as she unravels what it means to be “articulate”. In the video it is presented that Lyiscott’s point is to show that code switching and meshing is sophisticated: that all Englishes we each use are equal and should be used interchangeably. This compared to Young’s essay coincide with each other; bringing awareness to the subtle racsim that is embedded in each of us from young and that the use of code meshing should be implemented into our daily education system. 

The rhetorical essay of Young  and Lyiscott’s video presented an argument in “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness”and “3 Ways to Speak English” based through their backgrounds; Lyiscott is someone who is black whilst using her experience to explain her story of using code meshing and Young as a scholar who uses their background knowledge in the subject to present her evidence on said topic. With the use of historical evidence from the essay and one’s own personal experiences from the video, they build up their arguments for their audiences. For the people who have came from similar backgrounds like Lyiscott and for those who come from the opposite side of the spectrum while reading Young’s essay their audiences can either relate to their stories or gain a new perspective on the topic of code meshing. To those who might see Standard English as “the only means or the right way to speak”, both the video and the text present the argument that code meshing is the way for our society to advance. Through both Young’s and Lyiscott’s work that they present to you, they create a cohesive argument by presenting different forms of evidence through metaphors, through the use of rhetorical devices, and just powerful speech. In this way, they reveal that one should not try to diminish another’s language just because they may be ignorant or uncomfortable by it. As a result, they both hope to make African Americans feel more welcomed and have a safe space, which will enable them to break down the stereotypes/stigmas that exist between African-Americans and rich white Americans which will in turn shape our society into becoming something brand new.

Bibliography

Jamila Lyoscott:”3 Ways to speak English”| Ted TalkYoung, Vershawn Ashanti. “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness.” Language Diversity and Academic Writing. Edited by Samantha Looker-Koenigs., Bedford/St. Martins, Boston, MA, 2018, pp. 325–334.

Revised:

“The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness” and “3 Ways to Speak English”

Vershawn Young, a known scholar for developing the concept of code meshing, in his essay “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness” (published by “Language Diversity and Academic Writing” books in 2018) argues that the use of code-switching is outdate, and that as a society we should instead use code meshing. By supplying the reader with information about the historical racial divide between African-Americans and white people while comparing that to present-day society along with delving into subtle racism, Dr.Young builds his claim about code meshing. Dr.Young wishes to convey to the reader the importance of not conforming to society’s standards, how AAVE should not be seen as something less than others, and African-Americans should not have to disguise a part of themselves, in order to make America a society where people of color are one more step closer to achieving actual equality. Of interest, the author appears to write for two distinct sets of readers: those who are people of color, people who can deeply relate to these experiences, and those who are white Americans, those who are privileged and believe standard English should be the only or right way to communicate. Comparing this text to a Ted talk video titled “3 Ways to Speak English” spoken by Lyiscott, we can see the importance of being allowed to speak three different ways, two in particular which uses AAVE, to enhance the ideas of Young. In the following paragraphs, I will analyze Young’s evidence choices, displaying how his evidence exposes subtle racism and demonstrating how her evidence works to persuade a large yet diverse audience while also comparing it to Lyiscott’s spoken word to display a personal take of using code meshing.

Early in the text, Young uses historical events to establish the idea of double consciousness. He uses, for example, the Jim Crow laws where during this period black Americans were seen as something separate and less than compared whites. Young writes, “Du Bois used the term double consciousness to describe the psychological impact this judgment had on blacks.” (page 1). Not only limited to the usage of Jim Crow, but these historical events set the stage for establishing the subtle racism he is trying to display to the reader: that the idea of code-switching also tied to double consciousness, was something that was formed long ago. As the text states, double consciousness is “The doubling of one’s racial self-conscious as produced, he writes, ‘from having to always look at oneself through the eyes of others’”(Page 1); what Young is trying to display is the idea of double consciousness, which in turn, basically legalized segregation formed during the periods of the Plessy versus Ferguson court case (April 13,1886), Brown versus the Board of Education court case (May 17, 1954), and even the formation of Jim Crow laws (years 1870-1965). The idea of double consciousness was not explicitly stated to African-Americans but was heavily implied with the help of said laws set in our society. Young’s attempt to set the scene of the many instances where double consciousness is heavily implied.

This idea of double consciousness in turn relates to code-switching. “Code switching is a strategy where black students are taught contrast of analysis— a different settings.”(Page 1). This idea of code-switching relates to double consciousness, where African-Americans have to divide themselves to fit “society standards”. In many schools, it is recommended to teach African-Americans to recognize this grammatical difference and enforce code-switching. Using this fact, along with the supporting evidence of the historical events, makes this topic more relatable to African-Americans. Growing up in a society where it is enforced that there is only one right way, many could relate to the idea of double consciousness. Not only that, but the opposite side of the audience, brings more awareness to this opposing view. This forces white Americans to realize that there is standard English. With the incorporation of the definition of code-switching, Young persuades his audience members who can relate to this story, along with those who are ignorant to such a topic about the use of code meshing.

Another way in which Young uses evidence to demonstrate subtle racism is through how he organizes his different types of evidence through the use of ethos. Throughout the essay, Young provides countless pieces of evidence with credibility. In later paragraphs Young mentions a book titled “Race: the absence presence of composition studies”; with the mention of this book, Young provides a bit of background information describing what the author talks about. “where she focuses on writing instruction at the college level and Du Bois’ complaint about double consciousness to ‘describe the experience of domination and exclusion within a society which professes equality and integration’”. (Page 2). But in this brief explanation one can see that Young agrees with some of what the author has to say, but then he refutes that statement by displaying the contradictions that the author had placed. She goes on to say that she doesn’t agree that double consciousness stems from insecurity, nor are said students uncomfortable with becoming whatever profession they wish to pursue (Page 2). The addition of using ethos displays more subtle racism as it provides more clarity to the reader.

This use of ethos also helps Young address his diverse audience. Throughout the essay, the mention of code-switching is presented. Whether that be through the explanation of what double consciousness is or to display of several examples of racial discrimination, Young wishes to bring this to the audience’s attention and urges them to instead use code meshing. Code meshing is the idea that both AAVE and standard English is used when one is speaking; one would assume that throughout the essay Young would use this idea of code meshing when addressing her audience, but she doesn’t. One could assume that she uses standard English to help the organization of her essay while also understanding how diverse her audience is. She understands that the same people who believe in code-switching and should be enforced in our society will possibly partake in the reading, thus she uses standard english to keep from certain groups undermining her ideas.

Comparing Young’s view of code-switching to Jamaila Lyiscott’s Ted Talk spoken word, “3 Ways to Speak English” one could further understand that the concept of code-switching is subtly racist and we should instead use code meshing. In this Lyiscott explores the history and present-day identity struggles that the three languages, within her friends, in the classroom and with her parents, as she unravels what it means to be “articulate”. In the video, it is presented that Lyiscott’s point is to show that code-switching and meshing are sophisticated: that all Englishes we each use are equal and should be used interchangeably. This compared to Young’s essay coincides with each other; bringing awareness to the subtle racism that is embedded in each of us from young and that the use of code meshing should be implemented into our daily education system. 

The rhetorical essay of Young and Lyiscott’s video presented an argument in “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness” and “3 Ways to Speak English” based on their backgrounds; Lyiscott is someone who is black whilst using her experience to explain her story of using code meshing and Young as a scholar who uses his background knowledge in the subject to present his evidence on said topic. With the use of historical evidence from the essay and one’s own personal experiences from the video, they build up their arguments for their audiences. For the people who have came from similar backgrounds like Lyiscott and for those who come from the opposite side of the spectrum while reading Young’s essay their audiences can either relate to their stories or gain a new perspective on the topic of code meshing. To those who might see Standard English as “the only means or the right way to speak”, both the video and the text present the argument that code meshing is the way for our society to advance. Through both Young’s and Lyiscott’s work that they present to you, they create a cohesive argument by presenting different forms of evidence through metaphors, through the use of rhetorical devices, and just powerful speech. In this way, they reveal that one should not try to diminish another’s language just because they may be ignorant or uncomfortable by it. As a result, they both hope to make African Americans feel more welcomed and have a safe space, which will enable them to break down the stereotypes/stigmas that exist between African-Americans and rich white Americans which will in turn shape our society into becoming something brand new.