Once upon a time...

...a student, similar to Gloria Anzaldua, believed that books "saved [his] sanity," (Lunsford 45) and writing allowed him the opportunity to "put sentences together to form beautiful patterns for the purpose of making [his] ideas clear." (Swearingen 37)

As I read Lunsford's interview with Gloria Anzaldua, I was pleasantly surprised that Anzaldua and I share similar writing experiences - while I saw Swearingen's piece to be the outcome of my earlier experiences in the English field. Early on in my relationship with English, I too, believed that "there is no separation between life and writing," (Lunsford 45) because everything that I wrote seemed to take a toll on every aspect of my mind, body and soul. Sometimes it became "too hard on my body" (Lunsford 55) because I would "get all psyched up, and then I do the writing. I work four, five, six hours; and then I have to come off that. It is like a withdrawal. I have to leave that anger, leave that sadness, leave that compassion, whateverit is that I am feeling; I have to come off of that heightened , aware state." (Lunsford 55) I put such an exorbitant amount of energy into my writing because even after the assumed agony of writing, I gain my sanity. But, if at any time while I was writing I couldn't "find a voice, style, a point of view, then nothing [could] get written." (Lunsford 57)

I write because of the potential I see in it, and I study English with such fervor, because I appreciate the "layer upon layer of double meanings and allusions; parallelisms that link past and present, levels of meaning, and layers of meaning that are far more intricate than allegory, symbolism, parable, analogy, and similar double structures" (Swearingen 33) that language allows, which has also been seen in the study of Chinese rhetorical traditions. I feel an understanding of the above is crucial, because, "in order to make it in this society you have to be able to know the discipline, if it's teaching, if it's composition, if it's carpentry. Whatever field it is, you have to know your way around. You have to know how to wire the house before you can start being an innovative electrician." (Lunsford 60)

Even as I attempted to become a rhetorical carpenter, I agree with Swearingen that even as we attempt to learn it all, and understand everything - 'meanings get lost in translation.' Rhetorical situations are constantly changing and looking for a definitive. It seems that a never ending 'understanding' of language and it's rhetorical knowledge is essential in the understanding of contact zones. I feel confident in making the claim that language is defined differently by most people, which is why as a writer, now, I continue to push my body to its limits as I continue to adapt, and try to understand, different discourse and contact zones.

A goal I set long ago, during my earlies memories of writing was "to have a larger audience" (Lunsford 60), and studying contact zone rhetoric(s) will allow that to happen.