Bartholomae and Harris state, “we write not as isolated individuals but as members of communities whose beliefs, concerns, and practices both instigate and constrain, at least in part of the things we say.” When first looking at this statement it probably won’t make sense to someone who hasn’t read the entire article about the Idea of Community and study of writing. The way one interprets this statement will not be exactly the same as the way someone else will interpret it either. Why is this though? Well honestly you could ask yourself so many different “why” questions when it comes to a matter of writing. Why do I write like this? Why do I write in this language? Why is the way I write different from others? Well the list could go on and on.
When looking at who you are and why you do what you do there are thousands of factors that play a role into that answer. Everything you have ever experienced has shaped you into the person you are today. Even the littlest things that you think mean absolutely nothing have influenced you in some way even if it was only the slightest thing. The way language and way you speak, the way you write, even the way you start and carry a conversation is all a product of the communities you are involved in. You are not involved in just one community, you are involved in hundreds. A community can come from so many things such as; a class you’re in, the sports you play, the job you have, even the car you drive can put you into a specific community.
This leading up to the idea of discourse communities. Discourse communities are the communities that I just referred too. Every community like this comes with its own groups, opinions, and even its own kind of literacy. The way you view things and act will change depending on the community you are in at that specific moment. These communities and experiences in them influence who you will become in the future and who you “evolve” into day by day. The influences that take place in your life won’t always be for the better just like they won’t always be for the worse. All these influences that come into your life will make you into who you will be for the rest of your life and as the continue to come they will change you into who you will become.
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