Baugh 1 Matthew Baugh Professor Alicia Bolton ENG 101 12 September 2013

Grammar and the Womens Movement

What does the women's movement have to do with grammar, you ask? Plenty, if you consider the influence my mother's erudition has had on my ability to communicate. Without her insight, I would not appreciate the disciplines involved. She was aware that a mastery of the English language and being able to communicate effectively was vital to her ability to earn a living during a time that women were undervalued and underpaid. As I grew up as a child and young adult, asking for her help throughout my early years, it turned out her experiences and her learning had a profound influence on my understanding of writing and grammar. The 60s and 70s were decades of change, and it was during this time gender roles were beginning to evolve, and women were making the transition from the home to the workplace. The competitive environment of New York City was challenging, and its atmosphere placed an emphasis on strong verbal and communication skills. My mother's dream while growing up during the 1950s was to become an airline pilot. She took flying lessons, and was accepted into the University of Illinois' flight training program during her senior year in high school. However, as family finances became tight, my mother had to make other arrangements. She overcame the adversity associated with the disappointment of not being able to pursue her dreams, by directing her energies toward other objectives, enrolling at NYU and the prestigious Katherine Gibbs Secretarial Academy in New York City, where she graduated with honors. This would accelerate her entrance into the business world, and aid her in becoming an independent woman.

Baugh 2 She landed several jobs as a secretary in New York City. The first was at General Electric at 570 Lexington, Ave. My mother would go on to work for Helmsley-Spear, attorney Herrick K. Lidstone and for United States Industries in the Empire State Building. I was born in New York City, and soon after, I moved to St. Thomas, V.I., where my father worked as an accountant. I lived there until my parents divorce, at which time, my mother, brother and I returned to New York to live with my mother's parents. During my time as a young child growing up in the islands, I was exposed to different languages and people of different nationalities. Many of the islanders were British, Danish, Swedish, Spanish or the native Caribbean "Creole." The combination of these previous influences in concert with the English I was being taught at home and in school, had a resonating impact on my present use of English and the way I speak. It was through this vast exposure to a wide variety of languages and dialects--and semantic grilling by my mother throughout the years--I wound up developing a style of my own that would avoid all confusion. I believe this style is referred to as "General American" a term that describes the voices of news anchors, talk shows hosts and TV reporters nationwide. This widely accepted "generic" way of speaking English seems to possess no regional accent at all, and is therefore meant to be easily understood by all English speaking people who hear it, no matter where they are. In the early years of my life, my mother would create books with large illustrations and humorous and colorful wording. She would bring these books to my classrooms and read them aloud to all the children. Although made at home, stapled together with construction paper, the illustrations drawn with crayons, they showed a tremendous degree of skill and creativity. One of the themes was about a witch who invited all of her ghoulish acquaintances to a Halloween dinner party. These books were adorable. Everyone appreciated them, especially me and my brother. I wasn't fond of school, but I excelled in art classes. My mother recognized my talent and potential as an artist, and was a strong advocate. English and math were acceptable disciplines, but I

Baugh 3 was passionate about art. My mother always encouraged my interest in art, complimenting my work effusively and supported my efforts. It wasn't until my early twenties that I sought my mother's direction and help with improving my writing. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively, having both verbal and written command of the English language, was crucial to my success. The first thing I recall asking my mother to help me with was my introductory letter. I wanted a professionally written cover to accompany a brochure of my humorous illustrations, which I was planning to mail out to different Fortune 500 companies in an attempt to get published in their newsletters and advertising campaigns. I was just out of high school, and had demonstrated my artistic ability that was often punctuated with a healthy amount of humor. My work had been recognized when I was a teenager, winning a national contest at the Museum of Cartoon Art in Rye, N.Y. However, I didn't possess the confidence and self-assurance as to how I should present myself to Corporate America. Who better to ask than my mother? Her introduction letter was incredibly clear, concise and direct. She drafted a letter very quickly. The document consisted of three short paragraphs, succinct and comprehensive. The composition was thorough in its explanation, commanding in its presentation and was defining as a memorandum. I received many favorable responses from editors, after my first set of mailings, and landed contract jobs as a paid freelance illustrator from three major companies. My mother's advice proved to be an invaluable resource, providing me with the proper foundation to communicate effectively in both business and personal environments and situations. I wouldn't have accomplished this without my mother's expertise and grammatical correctness. A year or so later, when I was in college, I presented a draft of a term paper to my mother to critique. Her response was less than favorable. My incorrect use of hyphens was egregious. She said, in an admonishing tone, "What is this are you out of your mind? This is terrible. You can't hyphenate outside of syllables like this!" Needless to say, I didn't make the mistakes again.

Baugh 4 In retrospect, it would seem like the women's movement of the 60s and 70s ultimately had a great influence on my communication skills. The underpinnings of the movement motivated my mother to make certain choices and achieve at a high level of proficiency in the business driven environment of the time. It gave my mother the courage to go to St. Thomas. These choices, the exposure to the English language from my mother's perspective, helped shape my understanding of communication and what it means to be grammatically correct.