To introduce myself to all classmates and my instructor in English 1301, to let them know how did I blended into this discourse community when I was in high school for the last 3 years as a non-native English speaker.
As the requirement of this essay I will use my experiences to identify the logos, ethos and pathos. Throughout my high school years I’ve been going through a hardship to get the community around me to accepts as a piece of them. The fact that I’m a non-native speaker that just moved here 3 years had given me more challenge to accomplish what I want is part of the community that I’m going to live in this near future.Communication is a very important skill that could not miss in everyday social life, even people those are deaf and mute have their own way to express what they want and if I can’t explain what in my mind because the barrier of language how could I survive in this society, that was my motivation when I first entered this discourse community. ?what is the community? Looking back at 3 years ago when I just moved here, with just a little vocabulary of English I entered high school; luckily for me that I fortunate to live in a city that provide school for those who just immigrated from other countries.I spend about three months in that school, everybody around me have the same situation as I was, so it was easy to speak up your thoughts and opinion or to opened a conversation.
Nobody going to minded about my accent or incorrect grammar sentences that I made during conversation with them, because of this 3 months experience surrounded by other non-native English speaker gave me the confidence to enter a real high school, where everybody are native speakers. I tended to believe that being surrounded by native speakers would be better than be around by other non-native speakers. where logos? I was so excited about the new school, but over the time I figured out that not everybody want to talk to me because of my accent and my topic for the conversation weren’t interesting enough to get their attention, most of the conversations I made were shortly end after their answer about the question I asked. For months and months I stop speaking in English and came back to my mother language which is Vietnamese, I started to make friend only with people have the same situation like me, we both speak Vietnamese with each other.This period slow down the progress of developing my speaking skill in English. In my junior year I decided to take honor classes, at this time the environment around me changed again; I was surrounded by not only native speakers but also intelligent people,(Vietnamese speaker are all stupid? ) the eager to get myself blend in the community again push me to used English more and more.
It’s time to put away my self-esteem and become a part of the community.The environment around me surely changed my thought dramatically, these people from this new community did not ignore my efforts in trying to be part of them; instead of short answer they also help me and correct my wrong sentences that I made. At first being corrected by people gave me a disgusting feeling for myself, my thought was I was that bad in English, but I came to realize that being corrected was also mean that I was being accepted into the community. (Oki,,, English speaker community,,, D minus)But not everybody expected a beginner like me to be at the same level as them.
The only thing that I lack of to be same as them is my English, instead of using my weakness which is my English skill I put more effort in Math class and Physic class; I was good at these subjects. My grades in these classes made people come to me when I they need help, just like a mutation relationship we helping each other when needed. Taking advantage I slightly became a piece that can’t be missed in the community.I slowly changed the perspective of those people who look down on me to accepted that I would be able to stand at the same stage with them. I would like to put ethos representative for my teacher, Mrs.
Kopetsky; she was my math teacher for all three years since I first entered high school till I graduated. She noticed me when I enrolled into her pre-AP geometry class, I put the most efforts in this class compare to the other because I know my advantage in math. She was the one who encouraged me to join honor classes, I didn’t know anything about honor classes except my pre-AP geometry class.My parents would not give me those advices because the education system here in United States is totally different from their experiences.
She gave me directions for my education road, without her advices I would not able to attend to college like this. At first I tended to believe her in everything she told me because she was one of the best math teacher in my school. She told me that with my ability at that time would be enough to enter honor class which will prepare me for college in the future.Well compare my ability in her class to the other students after I joined her honor class I would be in the middle, I was neither the best student she has but not the bad one. But she still acknowledges my efforts in trying to understand her lessons and complete what she expected a student would do in her class. Even thought that I end up not getting credit for college in her class but she told me that she proud of me because I dare to challenge myself.
Her acknowledge for my efforts proved that I would be able to enter other discourse community as a non-native English speaker.My strongly believe that the environment around you can change your ability and how would you react to the push and pull force of this environment; (who is you, avoiding to address reader in formal writing )once I realized that I usually put myself into where everybody are speaking in English. Other non-native English opposed me for my action because I would forget and not using my mother language anymore. I understand what they stand for but I would like to used English more when I go to school and used my first language at home.If I used my first language at school more than I used English, it would once again slow down and put me aside from the community I want to blended in.
One individual will not able to forget their first language. I agreeing that using Vietnamese with other non-native speakers in school would pull us closer but doing that in front of people who don’t understand our language would be impolite and disrespectful. We are the non-native English speakers all have the same goal is being to master our skill in English and being a part of the community.I finally able to convince my friends not to use Vietnamese when we’re with other people that couldn’t understand Vietnamese, this agreement beneficial for everyone because nobody want to left behind and outskirt from the community. The experiences I had in high school gives me confident to enter a bigger discourse community is college. I believed that the credit and acknowledgment of my teachers and friends from the last community is the prove that I will be able to successfully join new discourse community.
