Originally when I read Gee’s article about Discourse I understood the points he was making. I didn’t always agree with his reasoning, but I understood the things that he felt and believed about discourse and understood why he felt that way, even though I felt differently in some cases. After reading Delpit’s article I really understood Gee a little better and actually agreed a little more with Delpit then I did with Gee. Though I agreed with Delpit, there were things that I didn’t agree with. Delpit says “Gee’s notion that people who have not been born into dominant discourses will find it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to acquire such a discourse.” And “individual who is born into one discourse with one set of values may experience major conflicts when attempting to acquire another discourse with another set of value.” I Don’t exactly agree with these statements. There are people who have been born into a certain discourse who have been able to adopt a different discourse then the one they were born into. And not every person who has been able to do this has had the terrible experience that Delpit talks of. I guess it’s more of a generalization, but I think that she should have focused on both sides of the cross over from one discourse to another.

I was born in a small town in North Eastern Illinois known for being a working class type of place. I was born to young parents much like many of my classmates. I was born into a discourse that wasn’t for me. I saw my classmates not thinking of school as important, dropping out of school, getting jobs, having children young, joining gangs, getting into all types of trouble. I knew that wasn’t for me. So I made a conscious effort to not fall into that discourse that was basically set up for me. Yea, once in a while I was questioned for being different then everyone else and going about things a different way but I was never hassled or given a hard time because I wanted to be different then my peers. Now, when I go back to my hometown to visit friends and family and I run into old friends and classmates they all seem to have the same thing going on in their lives, not much of anything. Still living in that same discourse that I saw as not for me. I actually ran into a girl I was best friends with in elementary school. She was so surprised at what I was doing with my life, working and going to school. She actually told me that I was lucky to have gotten out of my hometown and doing something productive with my life. Maybe my transition into a different discourse wasn’t typical, but I don’t think it is as tough as Delpit makes it out to be.