Rolanda Harmon Dr.

Carmen Kynard African American Rhetorics 31 January 2013 Jacqueline Jones Royster Listed Below are five quotes taken from Jacqueline Jones Roysters Traces of a Stream: Literacy and Social Change among African American Women (2000) that specifically focus on the chapter entitled, Toward an Analytical Model for Literacy and Sociopolitical Action. The following Quotes definitely stand out to me because I am able to relate to each and every one of them. Surprisingly, I have only been in this class for three days and have already been able to relate to certain works of art and literature via other examples given in this class only. For example, Learning about Rachelle Farrell and Judith Jamison allowed me to realize how much I can gain from their specific works of art. With now learning about Jacqueline Jones Royster, I am able to take what I gained from the two previous artists and relate them to the works of Royster. Below, I have listed the quotes that stood out to me and have helped me understand a little more as to WHY I feel the way I do about the three artists I have just learned about within the past week. Royster states, Much like viewing a painting by Salvador Dali, we have come to appreciate the creative and interpretive power of the landscape view of literacy only as we have become aware of the striking magical distinction of the detailing within. Pg. 45 When Royster is defining literacy she uses the following quote: It is the ability to gain access to information and to use this information variously to articulate lives and experiences and also to identify, think through, refine, and solve problem, sometimes complex problems, over time. Pg. 45 When discussing African American Writers Royster feels, They model in various ways that a basic strategy in sustaining such a commitment, even in the face of unknowns, constitute a vision and a set of values based on past knowledge and experience. Pg. 58 I completely agree with Royster as she states, Whether the source of knowledge and expertise about language use results from predominantly oral practices as speakers or predominantly literate ones as writers, information from all sources constitutes an available resource- to the extent allowed by the talents and abilities of the particular language users. Pg. 62 The following viewpoint sums up how I feel as a whole. I can completely relate to Royster as she shares her viewpoint of How African American Women communicate by stating, My view is

that African American women use logical, ethical, and pathetic strategies with flair and style and that these markers manifest not only a sense of being in the text but also a sense of reaffirmation as the women connect each of the selves that they create in multiple ways to the others. Pg. 66 My definition of African American Womens Rhetoric: I feel African American Women use every aspect of their spiritual and physical being to relay messages of both past and present experiences for the benevolence of their, as Rachelle Farrell would so eloquently put it, sistas. Reflection: I think all three artists shed light on one another in some way, form, or fashion. Above, Ive listed a few quotes that have made me stop during my reading of the passage and reflect on how exactly they relate to the works of the artists that I previously learned about in this class. Using the last bullet/quote/viewpoint alone, I think as Royster explains that African American Women use flair and their own sense of style to help one another and to share their pride and beliefs amongst each other, she is able to sum up all together how I feel about these artists. They all use their own sense of swag and flair to manifest their spirits and pride within one another. Rachelle Farrell uses oral practices to express herself, Jamison uses dance, and Royster uses literacy. These three women explain to the world that there are many ways of expressing yourself and being heard and understood, no matter how familiar or unfamiliar you are to the eye that receives it.