Dear Tug,

I started on your webquest and what a journey it has been so far! The Ebonics blog really caught my attention when I read it. When I go to basketball camp I often find myself- a “white boy” as I’m known-engulfed in the black society. The first thing that comes to mind when speaking of internal oppression in regards to African-Americans is the spoken language. African-Americans from lower socioeconomic areas tend to have poorer grammatical and speaking skills. You may think I’m a racist by believing that but it is the truth. Straight from Nicole Iaquinto’s blog: “An African-American child grows up in the ghetto where she learns to speak a form of colloquial English known to some as "Ebonics," or in more technical terms, Black Vernacular English. She grows up in a community where this is the dominant form of languages spoken.” I believe Black Vernaculr English, or “Ebonics”, derive from the portrayal of the African-American community in the media, movies and especially the music industry. In a way black kids are conforming to their community’s style of speech. Growing in white suburbia I struggled to interpret Ebonics at basketball camp. In conclusion, the media and music industry create a culture that expects African-Americans to speak ebonics. When will this chain of poor grammar and language break for more intelligent dialogue? Tug yo’ webquest hazbeen tizight so far. This iz just da beginning o’ uh great week working fo’ya. What ya doin’ dis here weekend? Ebonix is really da truth. I can’t believe I’m starting ta jive like dis here afta reading yo’blog! All yea damn hood rattz…..

From yo brotha from anotha mutha,
Yungfriedy

P.S. don’t make me pull mah gat!

Being Yungfriedy

Hello everyone. I read the Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao and enjoyed the novel. Here is a brief summary of the novel-Mai, a teenage Vietnamese immigrant, leaves Saigon, Vietnam with her mother in hope of settling in the United States and escaping the failing and diminishing Saigon government. Mai is expecting her grandfather, Baba Quan, to meet her and travel to the United States together; however Baba Quan does not show up and leaves Mai’s heart empty. Most of the novel consists of Mai’s assimilation into American culture but the story soon turns sour. Mai finds her mother’s letter from Baba Quan…let’s just say the letter’s reveal a lot and make for an interesting Vietnamese story (I don’t want to ruin the ending for you but it gets CRAZY!) For those who are reading this post on Friday April 3, I am currently in Mexico laying on a beach. Haha have fun but click here if you really want to continue on this webquest!

Currently tanning,

yungfriedy