Ashley Levesque

English 110 I

Gee’s first theorem emphasizes how discourses are not like languages. Gee describes this as having the ability to speak english but not being fluent. Gee states, “Discourses (and therefore literacies) are not like languages in one very important regard. Someone can speak English, but not fluently. However, someone cannot engage in a Discourse in a less than fully fluent manner. You are either in it or you’re not”(Pg. 9). This is important because like Gee said you cannot be half fluent in a discourse because you either have or you don’t. However, Gee’s second theorem states, “ Primary Discourses, no matter whose they are, can never really be liberating literacies” (Pg. 10). Gee is saying that for a literacy to be liberating it must have a discourse to critique and meta-elements such as; languages, values, attitudes and words. This is because a primary discourse is our own personal beliefs and views which cannot be critiqued by others if it cannot be verbalized and therefore assessed.

 

Mushfake as stated by Gee is, “making do with something less when the real things is not available” (13). Gee then proceeds to explain how making “mushfaking, resistance students full of meta-knowledge is a good combination. In order to make sense of this we must understand how resistance and meta knowledge are connected to it. This means that students should learn to perhaps resist the ways they are taught to learn in classes and acquire more of a hands on ability to pick up on discourses since they can only be learned through doing. For this concept to occur a student must have partial understanding in order to pair it with their meta-knowledge (languages, values, attitudes and words) to make do and or “mushfake”.

 

Cuddy’s ideas relate and assist Gee’s thoughts of discourses in the way that you must adapt it in order to become it. As stated by Cuddy “Fake it till you become it. Do it enough until you actually become it and internalize” (19:03). This relates to Gee because as he states, “Discourse are not mastered by overt instruction (even less so than languages, and hard anyone ever fluently acquired a second language sitting in a classroom), but by enculturation (“apprenticeship”) into social practices through scaffolded a supported interaction with people who have already mastered” (Pg. 7). This relates to cuddy in the sense that both cannot be taught but must be embodied.

 

Text relates to Cuddy because cuddy states that you must fake it till you make it which is essentially using what you have and making do with it.

This helps to understand that before you can understand the minor details and correctness you must first understand the whole concept.

This helps understand that you can use knowledge from your first discourse in order to gain knowledge of your second discourse.

I am challenging this because you can use what you already know in order to then gain knowledge. Also known as “mushfake”.