Anthony M ello

M icro-Ethnography
Groups of people often spend so much time together that they begin to develop such
close bonds and relationships. These relationships become so unique and specified that they can
even be defined as being their own culture. In my dorm, I live with two of my good friends that I
have known for many years and among the three of us we have established and developed our
own unique culture. Although not apparent to me at first, after moving in together and living

Commented [JB1]: I see what you are doing with your

first two sentences, but I think they are more for your
benefit than your readersmaybe you could consider
starting your paper right here, or starting with an example
or anecdote that illustrates for you how you function as a
culture. Just something to think about!

together for the past few months I have seen a large increase in how we function as our own
culture.
Upon coming into our discourse community there are a few important things that need to
be established and understood in order for you to fit in and not be offended or get upset. Almost
everything that we talk about is in a joking manner even if we seem serious. We all enjoy

Commented [JB2]: Love thisyoure talking about

Swaless idea of the threshold and incorporating it
smoothly into your paper. And thank you for inviting the
reader into your community!

messing around and picking on one another in good spirited fun. After observing I realized some
big specifics that play a large role in how we act. Pranks and jokes are used as a source of
entertainment for our group and no one is safe from being a victim. It seems that these pranks are
not only a source of entertainment, but also serve as a way of saying that we are comfortable
with one another. Until recently, the joking has not been as severe. After being more comfortable
and close with one another, we now are much harsher with our joking and not afraid to make one
another mad. It shows how good of friends we have all become that we have reached a level that
we just brush off the jokes and laugh along with whatever is going on. So it seems that the joking
that goes on is actually a symbol of our great friendship rather than what some people may

Commented [JB3]: This is excellenthumor is such a rich

source for examining language.

consider to be being mean. Along with all the joking we have our own sense of communication
that we use that we understand that some people dont when first meeting us.

Commented [JB4]: My roommates have also been

friends with each other for many years, and I often mistake
it for fighting when they insist they are just joking around!
I am learning so much from your paper already.

While watching everyone interact I couldnt help but notice an immense amount of
sarcasm and double meanings being used. We all interpret each other in the same way now that

Commented [JB5]: Can you give an example of this? A

quote here would be so perfect and helpful!

other people dont pick up at first. All the inside jokes and meanings we have assigned to
different people, places, and things are familiar to us, but not to those around us. There can be
complete conversations going on in the room that the four of us will understand and feed off of

Commented [JB6]: Hmmm, maybe you can relate this to

another kind of discourse community, such as your high
school (did you got to high school together?) and give
examples.

while no one else will have any clue as to what is going on. We are all so familiar with each
other and have such good understanding of one another that we actually interact on a different
level when we are together. There is such good understanding that we actually can feed off one
another and act out together. If someone starts to act to mess around with someone in the room,
everyone realizes it right away and will play along and branch off of what others are saying to
further confuse and joke with people.
With this close bonding and interaction, we also see a big clash of our opinions and

Commented [JB7]: I like this idea. What does the

element of confusion do for establishing you as a
community? Does it help reinforce your identity as in and
keep others out? Is that something that you like/want?

beliefs while talking amongst each other. Almost always there is some type of argument going
on in the room. Not some bad, aggressive argument. But, there are always different opinions and
ideas flying around the room and being disputed about. Everyone goes to great lengths to prove
the other wrong. This argument process is a key function of our community. It serves as a way
for us to express ourselves and get to know one another better. It is one of the biggest ways we
communicate and bond is through this argumentative process. It further shows how we have
developed our own type of communication amongst one another. While the arguments are a
large contribution to how we communicate and function, we also have developed a sort of
bargaining and favor system that everyone follows.

Commented [JB8]: This is awesome, Anthony! I love how

you are exploring the different modes of communication.
Now, how about genre? Do you and your friends do this via
text, Facebook, or is it always just oral communication? I
bet if you look closely you can find many different mediums
(media?) that you use to interact with one another!

This bargaining system is something used throughout every day and is how we ensure we
get each other to perform certain tasks and help one another out. Everyone always keeps some
sort of tally in their head of what they have done for one another and what someone has done for
them. This system allows you to put pressure on to another to help you out. If they fail to do so
everyone keeps track and remembers it next time that person asks for a favor they wont receive
it. Its a sort of checks and balances system that has somehow developed amongst the discourse
community. This system of checks and balances is used to keep people in their proper role in the
community.
It became very prevalent that we all have our own designated roles in our discourse
community that aid to the overall function of what goes on. As I observed I noticed that one of
my roommates, M ark, has taken on the role of a more responsible person. He does things like
taking out our trash, helping us with homework, and other things that a responsible adult figure
would do. Ricardo, another one of my roommates, does things such as cleaning, providing food
for us, and also is our tech savvy guy who helps us whenever we are having a struggle. Joey, my
last roommate, provides us with entertainment and fun through his devices such as his T.V. and
his speakers. Everyone is expected to carry out their own role and satisfy the expectations of the
other roommates.
One of the most interesting things about our discourse community is how fast M ark got
assimilated to us and became part of the group. At first when we moved in to together, it seemed
like he didnt quite understand us a lot at times. It sort of made him left out on a lot. But, after
about three weeks, he got right into it and was doing a lot of the same things we were and
developing his own role in the group. Before we knew it he could understand our jokes more and
even could make the same ones as us. He started saying a lot of things with double meaning as

Commented [JB9]: This whole section of your paper is so

fascinating. I love the specific examples that you give and
the way you provide evidence for what you say. Does
anyone ever talk about these things? Listen closely, do they
thank each other, or is it silent/understood? (Just a
reminder to relate it back to language sometimes)

well as joking around about almost everything he said, he didnt even notice he was doing it. He
had become a part of it so rapidly and unknowingly. To get him further into our group, whenever
some kind of inside joke came up about anything he was unaware of, someone would be sure to
tell him what it meant so he would understand it with us. This assimilation to our group is what

Commented [JB10]: Thats so nicebut did it take away

from the humor?!

led me to pick him for the interview. He once had a more outside view on our discourse
community so it is most interesting to hear his thoughts on what happens in the room since he is
still new to it. I started off by asking him what he first thought of when he would hang out with
us and what he thought when he was getting to know us. He told me that at first he thought we
were so ridiculous. He said he didnt understand what was going on for the most part and that he

Commented [JB11]: Great job of bringing the reader

smoothly into your interview! I like how you frame this part
of your essay.

would sometimes take things we said in the wrong way. So then I asked him what he thought
about the group now. He talked about how his perspective on everything said and done in the
room is completely different. Since he understands all of us and our sense of humors he knows
what a joke is and whats not anymore. He also is much more aware and informed on what we
are talking about and feels he can contribute to the things we say. When asked what is the most
important thing to know coming into our discourse community he immediately said knowing that
almost everything said is either sarcastic or is someone joking. This was strange to him at first
and he would often get confused when he first moved in he said. But, after he got to know us
better he realized the atmosphere in the room and started to be a part of what we had
unknowingly created.
None of these things were apparent to me at the start of this paper. Only after observing
and taking detailed notes was I able to see the patterns that come up in my discourse community.
Its interesting to see that when taking a step back you can finally pick up on common themes

Commented [JB12]: This is beautifully written!

and patterns that you live with every day. M y observations and interview allowed me to gain a
perspective I havent had before.

Dear Anthony,
I so enjoyed your paper and learning about the little discourse community that you and your roommates
have formed. And I hope youre sincere when you say that you learned something! What I would really
like to read about in your paper are some examples. What do people say that has a double meaning?
Can you give examples of sentences that would leave someone out of the conversation? I am sort of
imagining a scenario where one of you is scrolling down your newsfeed and says, That Bethany girl is
engaged, but seethis is quite a girly example and I am having a hard time imagining how this
functions for boys (not to gender stereotype!! But I am wondering if this is what you would talk about,
for example). I think you have made some very insightful observations and I especially like when you
discuss the different modes of conversation, like argument or bargain. You have really explored the
language from many different sides. As I wrote above, it might be useful then to think about
where/how you use these, whether they are written (do you ever leave notes?) or are there any
symbols/artifacts of communication in the community?
You have a great style in your writing, Anthony. You are excellent at masking your role as writer and
making it easy for the reader to follow and understand your piece, making your writing seem like it
comes very naturally (even though I know that isnt always the case! Thats how good you are). Dont
feel that you have to follow a kind of I was lost but now Im found formula with this essayI hope it
left you with some questions as well as some answers, so consider the introduction and the conclusion.
Can you link them in some way? Can you show the messiness/complexity of language thats present in
every discourse community? I know that is a tall order, and it requires some intensity of thought. But
you are very thoughtful and I know youre capable of it, as I see evidence of it everywhere in this and
your other papers.
Let me know if you have any questions about this. Im super excited for your portfolio! Thanks for
letting me read.
Jamie

Commented [JB13]: Im glad you learned a little

something, but dont feel that you need to wrap this up so
neatly. You can express some remaining questions too or
discuss any further research you would consider or how you
would observe differently if you were going to do it again
These are just some more useful ways to think about a
conclusion.