Delpit

Before Reading
Generalizations help when it comes to trying to reach more people in the audience. By making generalizations, more people can be involved in the reading and make connections so that they are more interested in the reading. When I write with generalizations its more to involve people in large numbers, and to talk about a certain group and giving them certain characteristics that most people are going to be able to identify with.

Summary
The article deals with discourse communities and brings into play the issue of African-Americans. A lot of the article points out how Gee's explanation was not very friendly when it came to the African-American community. It showed that there prejudice points that just tore down and made it impossible for the African-American discourse community to seem successful.

Synthesis
A lot of the article that Delpit wrote brought into play the works of Gee. With all discourse communities, there is almost a discourse community in itself of the authors that use this as one of their primary topics when it comes to writing. With authors like Wardle and Swales, they bring up major points that have been studied by other authors (Swales with the six characteristics).

Dialectical Notebook

Response	Quotation
This is a good argument. It brings up a good example and shows how there are examples that in the class room there have been discourse communities started and have helped change the lives of students.	“The stories of two successful African-American men also challenge the belief that literate discourses cannot be acquired in classroom settings, and highlight the significance of teachers in transforming student’s futures.” (183)
I also found this troubling when I was reading Gee’s article. It made it seem like it would be impossible when it came to joining another community.	“The second aspect of Gee’s work that I find troubling suggests that an individual who is born into one discourse with one set of values may experience major conflicts when attempting to acquire another discourse with another set of values.” (182)
White I do not understand from this quote is that it is saying that just being part of the African-American discourse community means that you are not successful? This quote really confused me.	“Despite the difficulty entailed in the process, almost any African-American or other disenfranchised individual who has become ‘successful’ has done so by acquiring a discourse other than the one into which he or she was born.” (184)
I see where he is coming from when he said this. If anyone agrees that educating poor and black children is not a good idea, there is seriously something wrong with them.	“The point is that some of the aspects of his work can be disturbing for the African-American reader, and reinforcing for those who choose – wrongly, but for the ‘right’ reasons – not to educate poor and black children.” (188)

My thoughts
I found this article to be interesting. To hear one author criticize and bring down the ideals of another author was fun to read. I liked hearing the other thoughts of another author. Delpit was clearly passionate and fully believed in what he wrote about and how she did not agree with Gee had to say.