James Franco

Professor Grant
UWRT 1103
Draft Due: 10/02/14
Final Due: 10/10/14
Three Vignettes
In these 3 vignettes, I will be discussing my literacy and what has affected it the most to this day.
I feel as if my literacy was compromised by many challenges, but I was able to adapt to these
challenges and overcome the obstacles of life. There have also been many positive inuences in
my literacy which I will not be discussing entirely within these three vignettes.
Intertwined
Growing up in a house with two languages may be difcult for some. I was one of those people
whom it was difcult for. Growing up, I was learning two languages at onceEnglish and
Spanish. Now while this is such a huge advantage in society, especially in America due to it
being a melting pot, it was a little disadvantage in my literacy as I was growing older. In my
elementary school days I was the kid that was hauled out of my classes to be put in another
classroom for a brief moment to work on improving my speech. I was a splendid student back in
the day just as I am now. I had no trouble thinking, writing or listening to the English language,
but when it came to speaking it, my Brocas area (the region in the brain responsible for the
production of speech) was not in my favor. To top that, I couldnt even write or speak Spanish, I
could only understand it. I gure that the two languages intertwined together in my mind and this
is where it made speaking difcult for me. I always loathed the one-on-one speech sessions that
I would have with my speech teacher. I remember the hollowness and coldness of the room. It
1
resembled a library. It would just be me and my instructor. I would be practicing my speech as I
continued failing saying certain words. Of course one could imagine the frustration
I was experiencing due to the difculty that I had completing such a simple task. As I kept going
to those sessions, my speech gradually got better. I was learning the difference between English
and Spanish. See, heres the reason I believe that my literacy was affected, my parents both
spoke to me in Spanish. I replied to them in English. I believe that if I would have kept
everything Spanish related at home and everything English related at school I would have been
able to distinguish the two languages. They might never would have intertwined with one
another. To this day, I continue speaking to my parents in English as they reply to me in Spanish.
Another reason I wish I would have kept these two languages separate from one another is
because I still cannot speak, write or at times understand Spanish 100% uently. If my parents
are watching the Spanish news I cannot keep up with the reporter at times because the talking
seems really rapid to me. Im not trying to complain too much about this. I still appreciate the
fact that I at least know two languages.
State Shifts
Moving from the North to the South denitely affected my literacy in ways I may not even be
aware of. Moving to North Carolina from a Yankee State like New York was a big change. I
moved here to North Carolina at the age of 10. When I heard that we were moving to North
Carolina, it was the rst time I heard of North Carolina. I didnt expect anything in North
Carolina to be different. Obviously two places approximately twelve hours apart by car is sure to
be somewhat different. When I rst began socializing with my new fellow North Carolinians I
immediately noticed the change in accent, along with dialect. I felt as if I was in the wrong place.
2
I felt as if I was a Union soldier in the Confederate States of America. (I didnt think that at the
time, just a metaphor for this vignette.) I wasnt at the age yet that I acquired the full Northern
dialect but I still wasnt used to the southern language just yet. Contractions like yall and
aint were foreign to me. The rst time I heard someone say yall I was perplexed by whom
or what they were addressing. I had to get comfortable to hearing words like these because I
would hear them constantly everyday by everyone around me. I also remember hearing the word
cuss for the rst time and thinking to myself why did they exclude the letter r and e?
Here in North Carolina the majority of people use the word cuss rather than curse when
profanity is used. This is one example of a change I cannot get used to, including to this day. I
dont ever see myself using it because it is not comfortable for me to conform with the Southern
dialect. When I say that moving affected my literacy in ways I may not be aware of, I am
referring to my accent. Im not sure whether my Northern accent has been altered to a more
Southern accent. I personally think I still have a Northern accent, but Im not able to determine
that on my own. After all, living here in North Carolina for 8 years makes me prone to change. I
may also not be aware of the way I structure my sentences. Its hard to evaluate this since I
moved as such a young age. I was also just getting out of the stage that I was repairing my
speech. My literacy was probably developing twenty times more than it is now. Nowadays, the
Southern accent isnt so Southern anymore. Unless someone has a really heavy accent that
anyone can differentiate, I cannot tell the difference. I guess I can say that I have adapted myself
to the South.
Language of Gaming
Ive always been a video game nerd. (Yes Ill admit it.) Ive been enthralled by video games
from the rst time that Ive played one all they way to this very day. I began playing video games
3
on the reputable Nintendo 64. I cant recall the rst game that Ive ever played, but I know that I
loved it. It amazes me to see such improvement over the years. I feel that as the technology of
games have improved, so has my literacy. Its almost as if there is a correlation between the two.
Ive had the Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Gameboy SP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox
One and now the Playstation 4. Gaming to me is something that is tranquil even if its a violent
game such as God of War or a fast paced shooter such as Call of Duty. Ive learned to understand
the language of gaming. A non-gamer may ask what the language of gaming is and how could
there even be a language for it? Well, if I were to say words like noob camper and acronyms
such as KD or FPS they may not know what meaning these terms hold. Ive become literate
in gaming from all the experiences that Ive had with it for these past 18 years of my life. I can
buy a game Ive never played and get used to it within a couple of minutes. I know the basic idea
of gaming and I am able to understand the controls very easily. One of the gaming franchises that
have affected my literacy considerably is the well known Call of Duty. It is the franchise that has
consumed the most amount of hours out of my life. (Ill admit that too.) Not only has it provided
me with the literacy of gaming, it has taught me a multitude of facts about the military. Im no
military specialist or enthusiast or anything, but I sure know more about it than I would have
known not playing it. I guess you can say that your literacy can branch from one video game to
many other types of literacies. If I were to have one my parents play a game like Call of Duty it
would be equivalent to them trying to speak Russian (They cannot speak Russian.) If I were to
have them play a much more simple and easier game like Mario, it would still be like them
trying to speak Russian. Theyre not literate in video games. As a gamer, I am also able to
understand the serenity and joy that gaming brings to an individual. It denitely relieves my
4
mind of stress and other worries. I dont game as much as I once did, but I will always consider
myself a gamer.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed learning about some of the challenges and advantages that have inuenced
my literacy. I continue to improve my literacy everyday as I gain new experiences and obtain
new knowledge. I believe that the best way of learning is through trial and error. You learn best
from your mistakes.
5