Brown Ch. 22 and Kumar Ch. 7 & 8

In chapter seven of Kumar the entire first paragraph was so captivating to me especially because I have read one much like it, but with even bolder statements.

In the article “Warriors with Words: Toward a Post- Columbine Writing Curriculum” by G. Lynn Nelson, Nelson says “language is both the source of much violence in our society—and its potential cure” which reminds me much of the first paragraph in Kumar’s chapter, and how fostering students awareness of the role played by language is so important (42). Rhetoric and the power of speech is an incredible tool and one students should both recognize and understand.

Another reason I think language awareness is so important in a more specific sense comes down to language awareness in writing. A huge part of writing is voice and finding our own identity—identity especially being an element that is so important to L2 learners. In Nelson’s article she says “deny me my stories, as the modern dominant culture does, and I will eventually turn to the language of violence,” and although I question the validity of that statement, it also makes me nervous to think about my L2 learners since writing and understanding language is already a struggle for them (42).  Is this why motivation is sometimes low for learners? Do they feel denied of their stories and identity? If L1 students are acting out because of this wont the effects of this on L2 students be even worse because they struggle in writing?

Writing makes both the writer and the story meaningful. Just as we want our students to be aware of language, we also want our students to be aware of their own language as much as we are aware of their language. After all, language is the awareness of it is power.