Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

by Sedra Davis, Class of 2014.

In my English 101 class last semester, I was assigned the task of choosing a topic or subject that had been explored in our class texts, and create a dialogue between me and two of the authors. The purpose of the assignment was to help us understand that writing is like a conversation, and conversation leads to the creation of knowledge and ideas. The idea of creating a dialogue was very difficult, for me at least. But after routines of reading, rereading and constant analysis, I found myself becoming a pro.

The process of writing a successful dialogue between Malcolm X, Richard Rodriguez (who wrote The Hunger of Memory) and I is like baking a decadent cream cheese red velvet cake that we all know can be difficult but very rewarding at the end. Reading the instructions is essentially like reading the prompt of the assignment. Step by step, I take note of the requirements for the construction of a well-written paper-in this case, the finger licking red velvet cake. Just a collection of ingredients or sources is needed to begin. I began by reading the labels and measuring the necessary amounts of ingredients indicated; not too much to prevent consumption, but enough to keep my guests, I mean my reader, engaged. It’s the acquisition and mixing of knowledge (sugar, spice and everything nice) from multiple prospective that allows me to develop thoughts and opinions of others. After the mixtures have been baked in two different pans (the two different prospective), it’s time to put the pieces together. The top layer is Rodriguez’s argument and the bottom layer is Malcolm X’s thoughts; they are joined together with my cream-filled ideas. To ascertain the presentation of my masterpiece, the icing on top is my imagination, revisions and additions of minor details like citations and fixing grammatical errors. It is important that a writer knows and can write for their audience so that the argument can be understood clearly. For this dialogue I had guests with a sweet tooth: my professor and my colleagues, all of whom like captivating literature. Instead of giving a background on Malcolm and Rodriguez, something diabetics would like, I went straight to the major points for a short and sweet delivery. For the cherry on top, I always visit the tutor, my paper is never too good for revisions I can always use a little more sugar or more sprinkles here and there.

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