Name: Hongda Jiang
Instructor: Lorelei Blackburn
Course: WRA150-730
Date: 06/26/13
Literacy Narrative of Project4/5
From worm to Butterfly
Hello, Everyone. My name is Hongda Jiang. It's easier just call me Ocean. I
am an international students from China, and my major is supply chain management.
Today, I will share my experience about how did I improve my English literacy.
I was emotional and honest when I was young. Because I belonged to the
Chinese culture, it's challenged for me to adopt the Western culture and writing style.
During the education in past years, I would say thank you to my parents and teacher
first. I undergo a remarkable change with their help. These two sets of personalities
had a great influence in my reading and writing skills through their encouragement
and support. You know, I had difficulties of writing a script like this and read it aloud
before, typically because my literacy was influenced by my cultural background. So,
In order to improve my literacy level, I have to mix my thoughts from the Chinese to
American. It was difficult at beginning, but after couples of year practice. I found a
way out to combine Chinese and western writing together. I will tell you guys about
my true story of transforming from worm to butterfly.
The story started with my high school. That was my first time touch the
English writing formally. At that time, I couldn't establish my selfhood in writing
English. In other word, the Chinese writing convention greatly influenced my English
writing. In the Chinese culture, we value and emphasize on “we” more than “I”, or
“myself”. For example, "We thought the Beijing Olympic Game brought a huge
opportunity to demonstrate our Country strength, and this event are always proud by
ourselves. " This is a sentence I used in my high school English writing. I always use
"we" and "ourselves" to persuade readers. But actually, this is a fake evidence. There
are not research approves that every Chinese people accept and support Beijing
Olympic Game, and also not everyone proud of it. So, this only represents my
position but not ours. This made it difficult to identify my identity in English writings
that required me to use “we” in identifying subjects. It bothered me for 3 years until
my English Language teacher help to develop my traditional literacy. I remember She
said" Using “I” in English will make the writing more believable to the readers.
Because it makes the writer himself always appear in the writing." Therefore, I was
trying to use more own opinion and position to persuades the reader more than using
“we”.
After I got MSU's offer. I started hard working about learning "useful English"
in that 3 Months holidays. During that time, My parents gave me a great support in
creating a different mood between the Chinese and English. They found that native
Chinese culture brought a negative impacts on my literacy badly. Time and again,
they encouraged me to drift my thoughts from being Chinese and identify myself as
belonging to the western culture. The funny thing is they re pick up the book and
study English with me. They spent time with me to see American movie and
introduce their American business cooperator to me. Although we won't doing
business with me, I had a wonderful time with them during the pure English business
meeting and presentation. Actually, all these movement brought me into a American
environment that makes me prepare to study abroad.
After I attending MSU, I started everything with a not bad English level. I was
able to develop the author self followed by the discourse self. I met my English tutor,
Miss Zhang. She contributed greatly in my reading and writing. In my subsequent
writings, I was able to redefine myself and found the power of using my own
production. I was becoming more of an author whom representing individual identity
rather that community values. I began to use the “I” in both English and Chinese
writing. Like if I rewrite the title " influence of Beijing Olympic Game", I will
absolutely do research and express my own opinion and separate with other peoples. I
found that even the "I" as a single unit, likes a needle; if someone makes it sharp
enough, it can produce more pressure then stark hundred of blunt needles.
After gaining the self identity, my teacher asked me to write an argumentative
essay “for and against.” This kind of essay requires writer to give a standpoint on the
topic being discussed. I found it difficult to give a standpoint, especially that I was
asked to give a neutral position on the topic. Alright, this is tough for me. I told my
teacher that it's my first time have this type of topic, and I had challenge with writing
this. She said" you can pick one side first which you prefer, than write on it."
If I
fail to give a standpoint in the essay, then there is no need for giving the title “for and
against”. She asked me to clearly illustrate my voice in the essay and defend that
voice accordingly. Later on, she gave me a series of similar essays and asked me to
analyze and establish whether the authors have given their position in the writings.
After bunch of practices, I was able to abandon the rules that always force my mind.
Most of these rules were being influenced by the thought of being Chinese. I needed
to cut them off in order to improve my writing skills. For there on, I was able to give
clear stances in my later writings.
Looking back to my English and literacy development, my teacher helped me
to develop more individualism in mind to escape the native Chinese culture. Don't
you think this was an important step to develop own identity in English writing? It is
crystal clear that developing my identity gradually played a fundamental role in my
literacy. I realize the writing background and audient's habit is the root of a attractive
article. Although it is a little boring, I am glad to share my experience to all the
Chinese students. Finally, remember don't lose your shining personality in the
meanwhile of suiting ourselves into a new culture.