Thought we have had several interesting readings in the few weeks of class that have elapsed thus far, I would have to say that “The Kitchen Crisis” has befuddled me the most. The entirety of the reading seems irrelevant and inconsequential, at least to what we are studying (perhaps my problem is that I didn’t “rap it aloud”). I could easily see this essay finding its place in a class about culture and the fundamental shift in the American household (more specifically the kitchen), but in the context of our class it seems like a lost child wandering around in the grocery store of linguistic studies. Further muddying the water, I find, is that the author seems to drift between the reality of a grassroots shift in the way people eat and an imagined sustenance which he or she refers to as an “instant lunch pill”.
The author does, however, make some references to slavery and the way food has evolved, as well as the importance of eating well, that would have been interesting if not intertwined with what otherwise seemed to be an acid trip. The only linguistic value I can derive from this mass of words would be the occasional slang. On the other hand, perhaps we are supposed to infer the race or background of the writer (or rapper) based on the manner in which he or she speaks. If that were the case, I think the obvious assumption would be that the author is of African American background. I think the clearest indicator is the bluntness with which he or she refers to slavery.
All in all, I would think it safe to assume that we will discuss the significance of these pages tomorrow in class, but as of right now I am decidedly perplexed. On the bright side, I learned that a Terrapin is a salt water turtle (I'm sure my friends will be impressed the next time we watch a Maryland game).
4 comments:
When I first read "The Kitchen Crisis" I was very confused to why were were assigned this reading as well. The story seemed unrelated to the subject of our English class.. Inquiry into Language. After looking beyond the story, I see the importance. The language that this author uses has a direct impact to the message she wishes to convey. In this case, the inconsistency in her grammer is beneficial. Grosvenor cleverly tricks her audience to make us think that she is uneducated because of her writing style. I believe she purposely does this to demonstrate the power of language.
I think you're last line about knowing what a turrpine is pretty much what I got out of the read that night as well. The whole story kinda made me confused and I was wondering about what food had to do with language until the next class. Even though "The Kitchen Crisis" was a crazy story about "food pills" I completely see why MR. Barnette had us read it. Because Grosvenor uses language in a different way then any other writers that we have read this semester and this piece actually made the reader think about what she is trying to tell us.
You can’t be Padang without the Wang, a funny play on history. But you would have to know a lot about the Malaysian people. Anyway, I agree is the article about food or slavery, or slavery food. Or maybe food as slaves? I got very confused when reading it; it wasn’t very clear in that regard. But from what you have said it is only natural that you think of something familiar with when you hear a specific word. I am sure that people of origin or different “thought to be” discriminated groups’ think of things that discriminate against others. I know I sure do! Hypocrite!
I know exactly what you mean about the Kitchen Crisis article. When I first read it I thought what did this have to do with anything that we have talked about in class? After I read it a second time, though, and thought about it I came up with a conclusion. Like the kitchen issue people are getting away from the normal english language. When we text and IM each other we take normal words and make them smaller, just like the kitchen. So maybe if you look at it like that then it kinda does go with the topic we have been focusing on in class.
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