Writing Homework Help
PCC Black English Is a Language by James Baldwin Argumentative Essay
Craft a 250-word critical response to Baldwin’s “If Black English Isn’t a Language, then Tell Me, What Is?”
Then answer the following three questions:
- Baldwin, on the other hand, argues that “people evolve a language,” thus inferring an agency, even an intentionality, on the part of the people involved in language’s evolution. Do you agree with Baldwin? How does Baldwin’s emphasis on the intentionality of language evolution, as a sort of teleological argument, connect to your planned discussion of authenticity in African literature?
- Baldwin posits that “a language comes into existence by means of brutal necessity, and the rules of the language are dictated by what the language must convey.” What does he mean? Can you think of an example?
- Are there parts of Baldwin’s essay that you don’t understand? What is the source of this lack of understanding? Does the challenge of understanding Baldwin prove his thesis? Explain.