Writing Exercise on an Event from the MLK Symposium

Go to an event at the University scheduled as part of the 13th Annual University of Michigan Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium. Be sure that the event you choose has as its main form of expression spoken (or, less likely, written) language, rather than, say, painting or dance.

At the top of the page, list the name of the event; its date, time, and location; and the approximate number of people in attendance. Then write a brief (three or four sentence) summary of the event.

After you've handled these basics, turn to the topic of the exercise.

In our discussions of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, we've talked about the power of language. Who has access? Why is that significant? What can language do? How do speakers convey assumptions about their audience's attitudes and beliefs in their language? In other words, how does a writer "create" an identity for his or her audience within the text? And how does a writer "create" his or her own identity in a text?

Think about these questions with respect to the event you attended. At this event, who got to speak? Was that significant? Why? To what end was language used? to inform? educate? entertain? call or move people to action? Was the discourse of the event (the verbal and/or written expression) tailored to the audience? Did the speaker(s) make assumptions about the audience's beliefs, values, or knowledge? How do you know? What did you think about the speaker(s) at the end of the event, based on what she/he/they said and the way(s) that she/he/they spoke?

Once you've done some thinking, write a page or two about the power of language at this event. The assignment is intentionally vague; use the questions above as a guide, but please do not answer all of the questions-- if you did, your response to the exercise would either be too general or too long.

This exercise should be typed and of no more than two pages in length. It is due at the beginning of class on January 19.

As usual, feel free to email me if you have any questions.