an examination of the use of Pidgin and how it communicates humor without relying on the “it sounds [so] funny it tickles” factor. I think that there is something a little more sophisticated than readers (and sometimes writers) care to admit about the use of dialects, accents, regional speech, etc. And since you are exploring that territory, I want you to take a close look at how Linmark or Yamanaka use it. Why is it funny? How do we Western proper-English readers keep these characters from becoming clowns or fools? How is their complexity established and maintained? I want you to be very conscious about this when you read and write using Pidgin. Otherwise, you will be relying on the funny-sounding things that come out of characters’ mouths. It should not only be funny because it sounds different. But how do these characters display depth? There is something very cultural and working class about speech, but it should be handled delicately, respectfully.My desk is covered with books, my thick file of articles and research about pidgin/Hawaiian Creole English, and another thick file of my undergrad senior year-long paper, "The Viscosity of Vernacular: The Politics of Employing Endemic Language in Literature." I reread that paper and I think damn I was a genius back then, and now every critical part of my brain had rotted away to make room for proofreaders' marks and the AAA Style Guide.
I do not have high hopes.
Why is this so fucking hard?! I used to write 30-50 page papers a few times a semester in undergraduate, and now I am being felled by a single three-page paper? WTF?!
3 comments:
You are the same genius you were back then! You just have lots of other fun grown-up things in your life to distract you now. But you are a genius nonetheless.
That's funny, the exact same thought crosses my mind every time I go to work. I used to look back at my old project papers/code from college and think...who WAS this person? She was a GENIUS, and now it takes her a week to do anything significant at work. And even then, the work is miniscule and was accomplished with the help of others. It makes me sad, because I think I've gotten lazy and don't have the passion for this that I used to. But then, something will always happen.. Like, I'll read a technical paper, help someone else do their homework, or I'll just have this really intense technical discussion with someone. And then i'll remember why i liked it so much and that college person is still in me. she just hasn't come out to play for a while. so, i KNOW you're still a genius May. You just have to be reminded sometimes by your profs and peers, because like sidewalk monkey says, you just have a lot of other fun, non-academic distractions.
Oh man. I hear ya! For the four years between undergrad and grad school, I had been writing lesson plans and creating phonics songs and grading simple addition papers! And then I got to grad school and I had the same experience as you are having now: my first assignment was a three page paper, and it nearly killed me! BUT...once you find your groove again and shake off those cobwebs, it will all start a-flowin'. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think SLC did a more phenomenal job of preparing me for grad school than I ever would have anticipated. You will feel the same way, I'm sure!
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