Blog #8
1. What sorts of literacies is Villanueva part of?
- Being a part of a literacy is being a part of a discourse community. According to our class notes from April 6th, a discourse community consists of members who share a language, values generic conventions and a set expectation for the requirements for an effective text. Villanueva’s most prominent literacy is being involved in the Puerto Rican community because of his heritage. Everyone in this community has a certain lifestyle and way of speaking. For example, while living in California he would have trouble conversing with Mexicans even though they both spoke Spanish. If he said salsa, referring to the music, the Mexican would think he was talking about hot sauce (41). This shows how there was a communication barrier with someone not in his own discourse community. Also, people within these communities share similar views about those in other communities. “And the white kids speak a different language, listen to a music that sounds foreign to his ears—the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean: surfin’ safaris and deuce coupes and sloops John D, meaningless.” (35). This excerpt from Villanueva’s work shows the Puerto Rican view of white music and how singers perform songs based on meaningless things.
2. What sorts of literacies do you have?
- Because I have many interests and live in Staten Island, I am a part of various discourse communities. Members within the Staten Island community can understand and communicate easily with each other, while those who are outside of the group might find it hard to comprehend. For example, in Staten Island when someone says, “I’m going to the city” we all know he/she is talking about going to Manhattan. However, someone outside this community would not know what “the city” refers to. I am also part of the Glee discourse community. As an avid “Gleek”, (glee + geek) I know the songs the cast sings, the dances they perform and some of the dialogue they speak. In addition, I follow the cast on Twitter, which is a discourse community itself, and read spoiler information about upcoming episodes. Because of this knowledge I have about the show, it makes me a “Gleek” and a part of its community. A final subject where I am literate is in the area of dance. As a dancer for fifteen years I know about rhythm, timing, and the technical terms of various dance moves. Having studied tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, and pointe, I have a wide range of knowledge about some of the styles of dance and have performed these styles in competitions.
Work Cited:
Villanueva, Victor. Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color. Urbana, IL: NCTE. 34-50.
