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24/02/2026 8:47 am
In the TED Talk Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive by Phuc Tran, Tran explains how the English subjunctive lets us imagine “what could have been” or “what should have been” but also how that type of thinking can trap us in regret and confusion about who we are. Grammar and identity, for instance, are linked, he argues. Both texts explore how language, be it grammar or self-identification, shapes one’s identity. Yami’s negative self-talk and desire to be described as “hardly recognizable” demonstrate linguistic fragmentation through shaping of identity by grammar, and Tran demonstrates how constant should haves prevent change and development in life and instead keep a person in a position of regret. Both characters are unique in that they have to deal with more than one identity (culture, sexuality, religion, language) while trying to define themselves on their own terms.
How does Yami’s self-description compare to Tran’s “subjunctive” way of thinking? How does the character in your book relate to the idea that the language people use, either through grammar or in their own thoughts, can limit and empower, and shape a persons' identity?
For participants:
-Never use a peer’s real name, only use their username
-Respond to the question based on your book, not your personal opinion
-If the question doesn’t directly apply to something that appears in your book, be clear about what you’re seeing instead
-Make sure to include a summary of your book so far
-Include a quote with the proper citation to give context to your answer
-Acknowledge your lead’s reply to your response with a comment that clarifies information, offer a question to them about their book, or simply give a thumbs up
To exceed: Incorporate a quote from a different Ted Talk or a different CommonLit text that has not yet been discussed in your group
02/03/2026 1:02 pm
In my book, The Poet X, By Elizabeth Acevedo, the main character, X, (Short for Xiomara) doesn’t directly address this issue, however, Xiomara does write poetry for herself in a private notebook, hidden from her family. She hides it from her mother, a severely religious Dominican woman. X keeps this to herself, and uses it as an outlet to release her stress, to flesh out ideas, and to express herself freely. She herself doesn’t talk as much as many, in fact, she doesn’t like or trust many, however, she trusts herself, and her notebook. Poetry is where she feels free, comfortable, at peace. Her notebook and writing is so important to her that she used it as an example in an assignment for school, asking about the most impactful day of her life. It reads, “Sometimes I feel like writing is the only way I keep from hurting” (Acevedo 41). This quote shows just how important the ability to use language and writing to express herself, and release the buildup of stress she absorbs in the average day.
02/03/2026 1:02 pm
My Response: in my book Out Of Nowhere by Marina Padian Tom Bouchard is a great student and a great soccer player and has a hot girlfriend but he is a bad diction maker and is not always doing the right things and he deal with lots and lots of racial diversity
Saeed is Somali and doesn't speak English so he has a hard time communicating with English speaking people for example “a riot of conversion followed,absolutely foreign to me. Somali is a no-holds-barred language.”(pg17)
