1

Jessica Christenson

Professor Fiona Ramsby

English 1050

24 February 2017

Othering and Rhetorical Analysis

We were all born into this world not knowing the difference between black and white;

right and wrong. As we grew up society imposed ethical and moral standards between what is

acceptable versus unacceptable. Because of these assumed laws, we began to create ideas of

what is normal or unorthodox, what we like and dislike, and we began to reject what did not fall

into our like or normal category. This instigates the idea of othering, something that is other

than what we agree with or like. I thou art states that the term othering is defined by treating

or viewing a person or group of people as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself.

Though this may have a defined meaning, what one perceives about it may vary from one person

to another. We see every day, whether it be on the sidewalk, school, or work, some form of

discrimination. In collective thought, a group may not think they are alienating the person in

which they are speaking to, yet they are. So, what exactly does alienation mean? Alienating is the

act of causing someone to feel isolated or estranged; therefore, the feeling of alienation is not

stated by the sender, but by the receiver. Though we have come a long way with the matter

concerning discrimination against those of other races, cultures and ethnicities, we are still stuck

in this whirl-wind pattern of never ending behavior and prejudice.

Our history consisted of embarrassing and sinful acts upon those of color and other ethnic

groups. We must understand the origin to gain an appreciation for the present and give hope for

the future. Frederick Douglas lived in a time frame of extreme discrimination, specifically
 2

slavery. Though our time frame now may be much different from what it was back then we still

see what Douglas preached about. We, as Americans, treated those of other color and ethnicities

as if they were not human, but instead property. Douglas states in What to the Slave is the

Fourth of July? that America is a hypocrite for there is not a nation on the earth guilty of

practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of the United States, at this very hour

(Douglass, 467). Today, we may not have the extreme type of slavery/prejudice as we did back

then, but discrimination is still prevalent within the United States due to things that were never

worked through.

We must understand and accept our past so that we may better ourselves for the future.

Obama states in A More Perfect Union, that what would be needed in the future is for

Americans in successive generations to do their part To narrow the gap between the promise

of our ideals and the reality of their time (Obama, 476). It is important that we take this

information as students and learn from it. Brandon Fowler, a student in my English 1050 online

course, states in our week three discussion: it begs the notion to whether racism against black

people is still a predominant problem; or if because the history of this is still relatively fresh, that

it becomes a sensitive matter to prevent repetition. Brandon proves that we are still reliving this

sensitive matter of discrimination in our day and age. This makes us question if we are just trying

to prevent repetition of how faulty and sinful our history used to be? Or are we growing and

learning from the mistakes and hardships we learned in the past?

We all come from different backgrounds, different homes, different environments, but

who says that is a wrong thing? As a United States people, we are a mixed population full of

different ethnicities and backgrounds. One of the biggest problems is believing that someone

who grew up in a home where the main language spoken is not English, is wrong. This can be
 3

tied to our idea of othering. Anzaldua states in How to Tame a Wild Tongue, that "In childhood

we are told that our language is wrong. Repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense

of self. The attacks continue throughout our lives" (524). These attacks often made her, and her

people, feel inferior and almost ashamed of existing. Today, we still see a form of prejudice

against people of color due to their background. We did not get a say in what type of hair color,

skin tone, body size, or background, we would be born into; yet, alienation against these certain

people happen every day across the nation. We as citizens are alienating other citizens and

immigrants for something they cant control.

In January of 2017, we housed a new President of the United States. In his starting

weeks, he created a 90-day immigration ban against citizens of seven Muslim majority countries.

The feelings that many of these citizens and immigrants feel can be related to how the

immigrants of Ellis and Angel Island felt back in the late 1800s. Margaret Mead states in We

are all Third Generation, that these people put themselves out on a limb for the intensity of a

future (Mead, 99). Here they were sacrificing almost everything to step towards freedom but also

accepting the fact that they were stepping closer to the idea of failure (Mead, 99). This proves the

point that we are still stuck in this whirlwind pattern of discrimination with the immigration ban

that our new president has placed over the United States of America.

As we consider the present time of this generation with the housing of our president, we

can also look deeper into places that are victimized of prejudice. Shaun Harper, Professor at the

University of Southern California, states that Universities have always been racist and exclusive

from the start. Latinos and blacks are treated as though they arent valued due to the unequal

opportunity that they are receiving at school. Institutions state that they will inforce educational

diversity throughout their schools yet they are overwhelmingly represented in food service,
 4

grounds keeping, custodial roles and fairly low-paid secretarial roles; and they are tragically

underrepresented among tenured faculty members, deans, provosts and presidents, people who

are in power (Harper, 1).

We all need to drill into our minds that we all originated from the same place, the same

hopes and dreams for something better. Though we may not all have the same beliefs or the same

tone of skin, we can all agree for what is wanted in life. President Obama gave a speech called a

"more perfect union" in the year of 2008. Within this speech he states: This union may never be

perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected (Obama,

482)." This is an important matter for generation after generation to teach their children,

grandchildren and so on. As time goes on we must remember that we cannot let history repeat

itself but learn and grow from our mistakes so that we may be able to work towards perfection.

We as a nation have come very far from what our past may have been yet the idea of prejudice is

still playing a role in our society. This is not how it has to be. May we all come together and

unite ourselves in love so that we may be able to become whole.

 5

Works Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical

Reading and Writing. (n.d.) Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012.

521-529. Print. 7 February 2017.

Douglass, Frederick. "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Reading Culture: Contexts for

Critical Reading and Writing. (n.d.) Diana George and John Trimbur. New York:

Longman, 2012. 460-475. Print. 7 February 2017.

Mead, Margaret. "We are all Third Generation." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading

and Writing. (n.d.) Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012. 94-103.

Print. 7 February 2017.

Obama, Barack. "A More Perfect Union." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and

Writing. (n.d.) Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2012. 476-484.

Print. 7 February 2017.

Stevenson, Sandra and Shaun Harper. " Fighting Racial Bias on Campus." New York Times. 2

February 2017. Interview. 3 February 2017.

Tinnen, Pamela. The Other. I though Art. n.d. Article. 23 February 2017.
 6

REVISION PLAN

Step 1- describe the revision made, why you made it, and what effect you
wanted to create by making it
Step 2- Copy and paste the original into you revision sheet, (as below)
Step 3- Write your revision.

1. Giving credit to my source in which I received the definition of othering from.

Original: The term othering is defined by treating or viewing a person or group of

people as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself.

Revised: I thou art states that the term othering is defined by treating or viewing a

person or group of people as intrinsically different from and alien to oneself.

Tinnen, Pamela. The Other. I though Art. n.d. Article. 23 February

2017.http://www.ithouart.com/works-in-dialouge

2. Including ethos when discussing a peer's work. To revise this I will explain how Fowler

contributes to my thesis and explain who he is.

Original: "Brandon Fowler in our week three discussion said that it begs the notion to

whether racism against black people is still a predominant problem; or if because the history of

this is still relatively fresh, that it becomes a sensitive matter to prevent repetition. So, are we

just trying to prevent repetition of how bad our history used to be? Or are we growing and

learning from the mistakes and hardships we learned in the past?"

Revised: Brandon Fowler, a student in my English 1050 online course, states in our week

three discussion: it begs the notion to whether racism against black people is still a predominant

problem; or if because the history of this is still relatively fresh, that it becomes a sensitive matter

to prevent repetition. Brandon proves that we are still reliving this sensitive matter of
 7

discrimination in our day and age. This begs the notion to ask: Are we just trying to prevent

repetition of how bad our history used to be? Or are we growing and learning from the mistakes

and hardships we learned in the past?

3. Introducing quotes: Making sure that I introduce all quotes and let the reader know why they

are important.

Original: "We all need to drill into our minds that we all originated from the same place,

the same hopes and dreams for something better. Though we may not all have the same beliefs or

the same tone of skin, we can all agree for what is wanted in life. This union may never be

perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected (Obama,

482)."

Revised: President Obama gave a speech called a "more perfect union" in the year of

2008; within this speech he states: This union may never be perfect, but generation after

generation has shown that it can always be perfected (Obama, 482)." This is an important

matter for generation after generation to teach their children, grandchildren and so on. As time

goes on we must remember that we cannot let history repeat itself but learn and grow from our

mistakes so that we may be able to work towards perfection.

4. Focusing on one idea per paragraph: Make sure I only have one controlling idea and state how

the paragraph supports my thesis. To correct this I will create a whole new paragraph in which I

will only discuss my peers and Obamas words.

Original: Obama states in A More Perfect Union, that what would be needed in the

future is for Americans in successive generations to do their part To narrow the gap between

the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time (Obama, 476). Brandon Fowler in our
 8

week three discussion said that it begs the notion to whether racism against black people is still

a predominant problem; or if because the history of this is still relatively fresh, that it becomes a

sensitive matter to prevent repetition. So, are we just trying to prevent repetition of how bad our

history used to be? Or are we growing and learning from the mistakes and hardships we learned

in the past?

Revised: We must understand and accept our past so that we may better ourselves for the

future. Obama states in A More Perfect Union, that what would be needed in the future is for

Americans in successive generations to do their part To narrow the gap between the promise

of our ideals and the reality of their time (Obama, 476). It is important that we take this

information as students and learn from it. Brandon Fowler, a student in my English 1050 online

course, states in our week three discussion: it begs the notion to whether racism against black

people is still a predominant problem; or if because the history of this is still relatively fresh, that

it becomes a sensitive matter to prevent repetition. Brandon proves that we are still reliving this

sensitive matter of discrimination in our day and age. This begs the notion to ask: Are we just

trying to prevent repetition of how bad our history used to be? Or are we growing and learning

from the mistakes and hardships we learned in the past?

5. Grammatical and phrase changes: Clean up my essay so it runs nice and smoothly and is not

halted by grammatical issues. (Little grammatical corrections are included in my final essay but

only one example is included here.

Original: In ones mind they may not think they are alienating the person in which they
are speaking to, yet they are.
 9

Revised: In collective thought, a group may not think they are alienating the person in

which they are speaking to, yet they are.

6. Introduce my paragraph with an opening sentence that addresses what I will be discussing.

Original: Frederick Douglas lived in a time frame of extreme discrimination, specifically

slavery.

Revised: Our history consisted of embarrassing and sinful acts upon those of color and

other ethnic groups. We must understand the origin to gain an appreciation for the present and

give hope for the future.