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The discussion about TwERK made me think about how I use languages in my piece. Diggs uses a lot of different languages, many of which are not from her own cultural background. I thought it was cool that she incorporated so many languages, though it was often difficult for me to understand. For example, in the poem “I know not how the truth…” my brain didn’t know how to pronounce the Cherokee words and had trouble tracking which word was which, but I still enjoyed the poem. However, the class discussion made me think about appropriation, which I hadn’t really considered when I was first reading the book. When is it okay, or even appreciative, to borrow from other languages and cultures, and when is it cheap and exploitative? I don’t really have a definitive answer here, but it’s definitely something for writers to consider, under the broader umbrella of what our responsibilities are in our writing choices. 

When I was thinking about which other languages I could incorporate into my own piece, I only really considered languages from my own cultural background. This was both because those languages feel more meaningful to me and because I’d feel silly and maybe appropriative trying to use languages I have no connection to. Even using Hebrew feels a little complicated for me, though. Since I’m only half Jewish, I’ve always felt like somewhat of an impostor when I try to embrace Jewish culture. I also don’t know Hebrew that well, and it’s been a year or so since I’ve been in a Hebrew class, so I worry that my use of it will feel elementary and forced. Basically, I’m worried about looking like an outsider who’s appropriating Hebrew, even though it is a language passed down to me from my dad. I think this is why there isn’t that much Hebrew in the draft I submitted for workshop. I think it could be interesting to try to push past this discomfort and incorporate more Hebrew into the final draft, though, since the language is meaningful to me. 

I’m also criticizing the language, to some extent, though it’s more about how society uses language. I feel a little weird doing that, but I hope it comes across that I’m not really hating on Hebrew; I’m hating on patriarchy. Like I’ve said before, I can’t not write about gender. Diggs makes her political writing funny, mocking anti-abortion activists with a poem about how sperm is sacred. I’ve tried to make my writing about gender issues and man issues funny in the past, and I love self-deprecating humor. In this piece, though, I feel like I’m pretty earnest, especially at the end. The ending is more optimistic than my endings usually are, and maybe it’s corny, but I often end on bitterness and self-hatred and I don’t want to do that this time.