Page 16 - Language and Literacy Project Stories Revised

that this conversation was probably not going to go in the
direction that I had hoped.

“Anyway, I heard that African doesn’t sound anything
like English. Like, don’t you guys make those weird
noises? Like clicking and bird calls instead of an actual
alphabet?”

After saying this, Ryan dissolved into mockful
imitation of what he thought “African” should sound like.
Through laughter, he turned to his friend and, together,
they began clicking and whistling, incorporating their
most accurate impersonation of an African accent
wherever possible.

At this, all I could do was grimace painfully. I let out
an uncomfortable chuckle, unsure as to how else I could
deal with the situation without giving my two classmates
the satisfaction of knowing that I was genuinely bothered
by their joke.

No longer was I even frustrated; frustration was
becoming a tiring emotion to sustain and feed. Instead, I
let my hesitant pride again make way for pain, and I
turned around to face the front of the classroom.

15