Blog post 4 of 12

1) Zadie Smith begins her speech by stating that English is not her first language.  She then goes on to explain how she learned it while she was in college.  Her motivation, she confesses, is that she thought English was "the voice of lettered people" (179).  Do you agree with this statement? Is a person only truly "lettered" if he or she expresses his or her ideas in the English language? How important is language in defining if one is considered lettered or not?

2) "There is no quicker way to insult an expat Scotsman than to tell him that he has lost his accent" (180). With this phrase, Smith exemplifies the reluctance of some British people to admit they engage in "voice adaptation", calling it even the original scene.  But what is the real importance of maintaining these idiosyncratic elements? How much of a role does tradition in language play in this fast-paced world? Wouldn't adapt language to the general norm make communication easier?

3)  From pages 180 to 182 there is a large analysis of the character of Eliza Doolittle from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.  Smith concludes that, by the end of the play, Eliza is stuck in an awkward position, between not only levels of language, but also social classes.  What was then, according to both Smith and Shaw, the morale of the story?

4) Smith then goes on and mentions Barack Obama and his novel, the "many-voiced" Another Country.  She says that it exemplifies Obama's ability to not speak for his people, but speak them.  Why would she point out this difference? And why is it important that Obama, as a president, has it?

5)  Later on in her speech, Smith mentions Shakespeares plays.  She considers they give the author the ability to "speak simultaneous truths" (190).  Can there really exist simultaneous, non-contradictory truths? And if so, what role does language play when delivering them?

6)  Smith ends her speech by focusing on her previous arguments from more of a political perspective.  How does she think (or expect) Obama's gift to speak in many different voices will translate into politics? Does she believe it will have a positive or a negative impact? And what role can it play on a bigger scale?