The Ethnic Edge: Culture in Writing

Most students have experienced it: sitting in English class, listening to read-aloud essays, when one catches everyone’s attention—a story about a student’s ethnicity, a narrative with numerous cultural allusions. While these stories never cease to impress listeners, does it not seem unfair that students are allowed to use their cultural roots to achieve a better grade?Exeter is, to use the cliché, a melting pot. Everyone on campus is aware of it. Some students, though, are considered very “plain” or “normal” in their ancestry, whatever “normal” is; these people tell stories of unique cultural experiences. This gives students with more diverse backgrounds the advantage in writing more compelling pieces. How can a simple piece about someone’s dog compare with a narrative about an ancient tree dating back centuries and another person’s trip with their family to have a ritual there? Yes, these pieces are both emotional, yet one is seen as more unique and emotional. How many students can write about the exact same experience? Yet a story about a dog is common, something an English teacher sees often. It is not fair that just because a student was born in a stereotypical household they don’t get excellent grades just because of their experiences are different from that of a student from a culturally diverse background.Yes, people can argue that the quality of writing is always what it comes down to in the end. Well, although this is partially true, even writing can be lesser than good memories when it comes to a paper. I’ve sat through classes where students write about ancient Asian calligraphy, and the writing is decent, but it’s no comparison to another student’s piece on simply going to the park. Yet, the first student gets an earsplitting round of applause, while the latter is left with the soft snapping of fingers.And how are these teachers even able to grade these personal narratives? Is there not a sense of guilt that they are marking down someone’s cultural heritage? Or perhaps even confusion on what the paper itself is about? Teachers may not all be completely culturally aware, and a piece about an abstract ritual is only going to bring confusion on how to grade the narrative if the teacher doesn’t even understand it.This idea of using a cultural heritage to earn a better grade is similar to using one-of-a-kind memories for the same effect. Not everyone can write about being kidnapped, or getting lost in the middle of Mexico and hitchhiking for four days. Yes, these examples are a little extreme, but the fact remains that some people only write about boring experiences. No one can help it if they have been raised in a stereotypical upper-middle-class suburban family with two dogs and an SUV. However, academic merit can’t be solely based on a writer’s experiences, but rather on how well they can write about the experience itself. A writer who came to speak earlier this year talked about how even a walk downtown can lead to an incredible narrative. But how is a teacher supposed to respond if an especially personal narrative is awful? Saying, “this is horrible writing” to a student’s narrative about a loved one’s death is considered rude. So how do we fix these issues?We cannot strip everyone of his or her right to have individuality. But it is the student’s job to be aware of what they are writing. Is this piece fair? Am I taking advantage of my experiences? The only memories that shouldn’t be written on paper to be turned in are the ones that we all know are extremely touching--whether written well or not. Sometimes, the best pieces come from moments we don’t find special at the time.