Jayde Perdomo Perdomo 1

Professor Vazquez

ENC 1101

10/27/2019

Got Discourses?

In most scenarios a person’s behavior is dictated by a situation. Different environments

and expectations cause different aspects of one’s personality to show. This is a result of what is

being asked of the individual and what exactly the person desires or is comfortable showing. As

James Paul Gee explained, “A Discourse is a sort of ‘identity kit’ which comes complete with

the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a

particular role that others will recognize” (279). People exist in a multitude of Discourses and

each dictate certain criteria of behavior. A Discourse is an environment where a person is gaining

new knowledge about something. Each Discourse can teach entirely unique information and vary

from one to another. There are two types of Discourses: primary and secondary. Primary

Discourses involve how a person was raised and the culture surrounding it. My primary

Discourse involved my mom, books, and television. Secondary Discourses are those that shape

who a person becomes later in life, when primary Discourses aren’t constantly present. My

secondary Discourse would be my job at an afterschool program and college.

My primary Discourse involved my mom, books, and television. My mom taught me how

to behave in public, and such values as honesty and integrity. She taught me the fundamentals of

becoming functional and more independent in life. My primary Discourse centered more on the

teaching of socially acceptable behavior and personal growth and was less academic based. I was

also influenced by books and developed an imagination and sense of humor through the stories

that I read. The characters had different personalities and perspectives, which allowed me to
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Professor Vazquez

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compare to my own limited set of beliefs at the time. Television, particularly cartoons and The

Disney Chanel, was a vital part of my primary Discourse. It allowed me to bond with my friends

as we discussed and analyzed the different shows we watched. We learned how to debate and

listen to one another’s opinions and generally how to have a normal conversation. Many of the

shows, such as The Suite life of Zach and Cody, had characters in my age group; watching how

they interacted taught me how to interact with my friends, especially because of their likable

character traits.

My secondary Discourse continues to teach me knowledge that I had not previously

learned firsthand in my primary Discourse. My primary Discourse laid the foundation of

personal characteristics that made me receptive and successful in my secondary Discourse. I was

already taught respect and open-mindedness for new information, which created a natural

transition into my secondary Discourse. This Discourse includes my job as a childcare provider,

as well as my role as a college student. My primary Discourse taught work-ethic and the

importance of time management; I applied these with my secondary Discourse. The basic skills

have since manifested into the real world where people depend on me, and my employment is

contingent on me being productive and dependable. Being an employee, I have learned to adapt

to changes in routine. I went from being taken care of in my primary Discourse, to taking care of

others in my secondary Discourse. I work with elementary aged kids and have had the

opportunity to learn unique information as the result of overseeing the well-being of children. I

went from my primary Discourse of people taking care of me to being expected to watch over

children with the upmost care. With this Discourse I learned how to be dependable; I’ve learned
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Professor Vazquez

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10/27/2019

to be on time and to pay close attention. I have also learned how to wipe down tables, sweep, and

mop a large area since I had never had to do that before either. I’ve learned to multi-task. I have

also had to adjust to talking to parents and being professional, though I still sometimes feel like a

young teenager who has no business taking to these adults. It’s not extremely difficult

considering I’m only working four hours at an after-school care program and am not being asked

to do anything absurd, but it is still a new environment that needs skills that I had not entirely

learned in my primary Discourse.

Being a childcare provider has also given me insight because I see the parallel between

how the children act towards me and how I have acted towards my teachers in high school and

how I interact with my professors in college. When the children at my work demand things or

forget to say please or thank you, it irritates me. For example, when I pass snack out at my job

and a child says, “give me a juice” or “I don’t like that snack, give me another,” it makes me not

want to do what they are asking. Even though the children might not have meant their demand to

sound rude, I sometimes interpret it as such. Perhaps their primary Discourse has yet to teach

them manners. Working at an after-school care program has taught me how I should interact

with my teachers/professors. Even though I always tried to be respectful, there were behaviors

that I didn’t know my teachers could interpret as rude.

Also, this Discourse requires me to be an example to children. I must teach them values

that I don’t necessarily follow all the time. It’s a Christian afterschool program so the owners

preach about God, how a person should behave, and what’s wrong with the world. Almost daily
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Professor Vazquez

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10/27/2019

at work, I hear the owner’s talk to the children about things they deem as bad that I currently

participate in when I’m not at work. They believe that rap music with cursing is bad, but I went

to the Rolling Loud concert in Miami that featured rap artists and had great time. When I’m at

work, I act like a Christian childcare provider. I tell the children that music with cursing should

not be listened to and that they should also not curse. I will also put the kids in time out if they

make jokes that are inappropriate even if I find them funny. This is because that is what is

expected of me in this Discourse, and the children are young and impressionable and must first

learn the fundamentals of acceptable behavior through their primary Discourses.

My other Discourse that influences me and teaches me knowledge is college. Talking to

my professors has been an adjustment because it is different and less personal than talking to my

teachers in high school. In college, I have learned to be very concise with my wording when

talking to professors because they are teaching classes with hundreds of students; their time is

limited and should be respected. My academic knowledge is also increasing because I am

exposed to subjects that I have never learned about before, such as economics and physics.

How I act in college differs greatly from how I act at my job Discourse. In college I am

not in charge, whereas at my job, I’m in charge of children. Also, my behavior further differs

between in my classes with my professors and hanging out with my college friends. In my

classes I am respectful to the professors and try to pay attention to what is being taught. With my

college friends I’m more relaxed and able to joke around. Also, I talk about more personal topics

with my friends versus in my classes.

Professor Vazquez

ENC 1101

10/27/2019

Gee also discusses dominant and non-dominant Discourses. Dominant and non-dominant

Discourses are secondary Discourses. With the mastery of dominant Discourses, it brings the

potential acquisition of social goods such as money or status (Gee 281). My job and college

classes are considered a dominant Discourse. My job is paying me for my time there and college

is preparing me for a future job that will potentially give me a substantial salary. At my job I’m

expected to dress appropriately by wearing my work uniform and act professional at all

times. Nondominant Discourses do not bring wealth or a higher status, instead Gee says, a Non- Commented [JP1]: Elaborating on Identity kit

dominant Discourse “the mastery of which brings solidarity with a particular social network,”

(Gee 281). An example of a non-dominant Discourse I have would be with my college friends.

Becoming better friends with people from UCF isn’t giving me money but it’s allowing me to

become closer with my friends and create memories which allows me to develop as a person.

The requirements for my Discourse consisting of my college friends is more laid back. Within

this discourse I am more open-minded to my friends’ views and I don’t censor my language

or the topics I discuss. I’m also allowed to wear whatever clothing or jewelry I want and

express myself. Commented [JP2]: Elaborating on identity kit

My primary and secondary Discourses continue to shape me into the person that I am

today. While they all teach me different things, they are all important to my growth as an

individual. As I get older and have more opportunities, the amount of dominant and nondominant

Discourses I have will increase. My dominant Discourses will allow me to gain more money

while my non-dominant Discourses bring me stability in social networks. My examples relate to

Professor Vazquez

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nondominant and dominant Discourses because they teach me new information about a specific

area.

Works cited

Gee, James Paul. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction.” Writing about Writing: A
College Reader. 3rd ed., edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2017, pp. 274-97.
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Professor Vazquez

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10/27/2019

My process for completing this assignment was fairly simple. I read Gee’s text

and then I thought about Discourses in my life that contrasted each other. As we further

discussed Discourses in class my idea was strengthened, and I was able to write plenty about the

topic. I also decided to write the rough draft with an open mind and not critique my writing while

I was writing it. I decided to only revise my essay when it was completely finished.

I had to learn specific vocabulary to be able to write this essay. I had to learn what

Discourses were and what they consisted of. I also had to learn the difference between a

dominant and non-dominant Discourse because it is not what it sounds like it would be. I didn’t

struggle much to understand the terms, but I had to read Gee’s text more than once to completely

understand them.

I tailored my writing to the audience by writing about Discourses in my life that

seemed interesting. I didn’t expect my audience to any knowledge of Discourses or the types, so

I made sure to define the terms to the audience. I talked to the audience like I would a normal

person and didn’t speak extremely professional.

I definitely changed my writing based on the feedback that I received. My peer

suggested I make the conclusion longer, add dominant and non-dominant discourses, and she

also corrected my formatting. Professor Vasquez suggested I elaborate on my identity kits and

fix my citation. I believe these changes made my essay better. The most important global change
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Professor Vazquez

ENC 1101

10/27/2019

that I made was adding dominant and non-dominant Discourses and elaborating on my identity

kits.

This assignment was not that difficult because we discussed Gee and Discourses

thoroughly in class. What was a little difficult was learning all of Gee’s vocabulary but

discussing it in class helped.

By completing this assignment, I learned about Discourses which I didn’t know

existed before the start of this project. I am proud of my essay but if I had more time, I would

talk about the interferences that are involved with Discourses. Next project I will manage my

time better.