October 26, 2012

Sharon Daniel and Heteroglossia

Daniel emphasizes heteroglossia throughout her critique much like last the Pine Point case did. Each case focused on the importance and effect of having multiple narrators or "languages" can have on a piece. Daniel states in the author's statement, "The secret of the abuses perpetrated by the Criminal Justice System and Prison Industrial Complex can be heard in many stories told by many narrators, but only when they are allowed to speak." I think she is directly referring to the heteroglossia needed to attain the certain effect she is aiming at here in the work. I think she draws heavily on the claims of Bakhtin that the meaningfulness of discourse can be found in the conflicts between the different types of language. I think Daniel included the personalized voices of the inmates to show the significance in their unity together and how I believe that their uniqueness and vast differences among each others' voice, race, and even reasons for incarceration only add significance to the fact that they can all find unity in a common cause or goal.

 I think the piece as a whole can also be seen as heteroglossia in a way because of Daniel's role in writing the piece and experiencing the prison from both sides of the fence. she often speaks of contrast throughout the case highlighting the examples of the fields available to visitors and inmates and the three labeled sections of the piece. however, I found the biggest contrast in her speaking for the prisoners on the inside only from the outside . Her perspective from both inside and outside the prison only adds to the use and importance of heteroglossia throughout "Public Secrets". 

1 comment:

MeganW said...

Although I do agree with you that they find unity in a common goal I believe that the idea of heteroglossia in this project is biased or one sided. We see the viewpoint that Daniels is laying out for us to critique the women's prison but we don't see the other side of the story. while she does talk about their conditions on the in side of the fence and how the outside is made up to look so homey and inviting what she tries to make us forget is that these women did horrible horrible things to be here and why should we feel sorry for them because they are being punished for breaking the law?

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