Cover Letter

I want to start this off just like my previous assignment where I talked about my experience so far in the class English composition. My experience sar far has been nothing short of amazing. I met many more people now, talked to them and got to know them better and also let me learn more about the language English itself. 

One of the most meaningful insights I’ve had since the start of this course was learning there is much more English than what Ive seen and known, my entire life my experience with English had only been academic papers and classic books like Shakespeare and poems by people like Leo tolstoy. In this course I have been able to experience much more English than what Ive seen in my entire life and I’ve come to enjoy this new “types” of English I’ve found here letting me put more effort into it by my own volition other than being forced to do it because of an incoming deadline or the disappointed faces of my parents when they see my grades.

  Another thing I’ve come to learn from this assignments are Rhetorical Strategies tough I’ve used them my entire life unconsciously through humor and evidence and emotional connection and many other such writing devices I’ve never thought of them as a single group which helps make by writing better, coming to learn more about these strategies and devices had let me make use of them more efficiently and think more about how and where I can use them and I would like to say that it made writing much more efficient, easier and better for me. Also In order to write this assignment I reviewed other peoples profiles more and this let me write my own profile better and more clearly such that the reader wouldn’t be reading it.

Something else I’ve gained from this assignment is getting to know my friend better. Rokun was the first friend I’ve made after coming to the City College of New York and believe it or not I met him in this class on the first day. After spending this much time in college with him I thought I knew him pretty well, till the start of this assignment when I finally asked him about his experiences and came to know about how many challenges he faced after coming to America and how similar our experiences and backgrounds this assignment let us connect with each other more. 

Flexing My English – The Story of Rokun Khan

Author – Kenny Joseph

Introduction

Rokun Khan is an undergrad student currently studying at the City College of New York. He immigrated to the US in 2016 from Bangladesh.

As someone who immigrated from Bangladesh in 2016 Rokun has faced and overcome many challenges during his time in the USA. In the face of adversity Rokun was able to fight on and persevere getting him to where he is today.

In his Language and Literacy Narrative Rokun was able to share many of the challenges he faced after coming to a new country. His use of personal anecdotes stood out the most in his essay; he was able to share his story through the use of personal anecdotes letting the readers connect with him more through shared experiences they experienced in their childhood.

As somebody who came from a different country Rokun was overwhelmed by this new land and culture. His first encounters with the language English were filled with bewilderment and fear towards the new language. His narrative portrays the confusion that accompanied this new experience.

Rokun and English

Throughout his narrative Rokun used anecdotes to paint a young boy who had just migrated to a new land, excited to explore a new culture but also scared of the very same culture. He said “I never spoke English but knew words here and there; speaking was hard”, when I asked him about his previous experience with the English language. He further elaborated that even though he knew a few words he was not able to use them due the unfamiliarity with the language itself.

Rokun’s problems were not only limited to his linguistic struggles, it went down to the core of his identity. The fear of judgment and anxiety of meeting the societal norm of standard English weighed on him every time he tried to speak english.

“Teachers and friends helped with communicating”. He recalled during our conversation. He talked about how he was only able to have a fun experience in school only due to his teacher and friends, how they helped with conversations and helped him with his daily needs in English when he was in school. Their support was a lifeline to Rokun, a bridge that connected his native language and the unfamiliar world of English. As this conversation between me and Rokun continued, Rokun said a sentence which made me stop talking. He with a mixture of a sigh and laughter said “ My teacher used to hate me bro”, I asked him why do you think so? Which is when he said” I never really put in the effort and I knew she was disappointed in me for not trying to learn English” . He went on to say “ I didn’t really know what to do, everything was new to me which might be why I didn’t want to learn something new as well”. This made me think about my own experiences. How it was similar to his and how much impact my teacher had  on me when I also just moved to the USA.

Rokun’’s journey towards mastering English was not only in his school. Instead it was his daily experiences that helped him the most. ”Movies and Videos were not trying to teach, but they were talking with each other and it was fun”. These informal interactions from youtube and conversations with his friends were the building blocks of his language skills. With each movie he watched and conversation he had he was able to pick up more words which he tried to use in his day to day life for which his friends encouraged him every time he tried. 

Something that motivated him to try his best was the societal bias the USA had to non English speakers. “If you don’t know how to communicate with people you don’t get stuff done”. Said Rokun as he proceeded to explain how people never tried to converse with him as he didnt know english and how he was excluded from groups due to the same problem.

Finally at the end of the interview I asked him what schools can do to help students who like him; came to the USA and don’t know English to which he said “Put that kid in a class, but don’t pressure that kid to be perfect”. In his experience he said it was his English homeworks where he had to write pages in a language he had never seen before. His words convey the sentiments of countless immigrants who are trying hard to adapt to this new land. 

Rhetorical Strategies

Rokun’s literacy narrative is infused with his emotions. His expressions of fear and confusion of this new land and language. The conversations about societal norms allowed his readers to empathize with his struggles, forging a connection with each reader on an emotional level.

While discussing the challenges he faced, Rokun infuses his narrative with humor. The parts where he mentions learning swear words before proper English was one such example. This lightens the mood throughout this serious topic showing his ability to find joy even in the face of linguistic difficulties. At the same time it also lets the reader get more immersed into this topic.

Rokuns Language and Literacy Narrative is woven with personal anecdotes throughout acting as a window to his experiences. These anecdotes such as not being able to have a conversation serve as important pieces of the struggles he faced. It also allows the readers to empathize with Rokun.

The personal stories act as evidence in his narrative marking it more relatable and engaging. Parts where he recounts instances where he had to ask a friend to help due to his inability to communicate during a stomach ache serves as a relatable experience with many of his readers allowing them to feel the frustration and helplessness he faced in those  moments.

In Rokuns story, we find not just the tale of an individual but the reflection of a larger narrative of many other immigrants such as himself and as he continues in his journey he carries the lessons he learnt through his experiences and continues to improve upon these experiences.

Finally there was one last message Rokun told me; “Learning English wasn’t just for living here but it was a flex on all the others who didn’t know English”.