young and dyslexic you've got it going on by benjamin zephaniah

text type

This particular passage is an autobiographical article, published in the Guardian newspaper online in 2015, about how Zephaniah’s childhood was affected by dyslexia and how it helped shape his identity

themes and emotions

confidence

satire

sarcasm

challenging stereotyping

dyslexia

preconceptions

beginning

presents frustration about hi mistreatment during his childhood. When he lists is as no compassion no humanity. clear sombre tone that highlights how life was for him with dyslexia.The article is written from a first-person perspective. Zephaniah reflects on the challenges he faced as a child with ignorance and stereotyping, but also how he learned to turn dyslexia to his advantage. He then reflects on his challenging time in — and out of — schools and his eye-opening stint in a borstal. He also reflects on the stark fact that dyslexic people are overrepresented in both prisons more hopefully, in the architectural population

middle

informative tone that gives factual information about dyslexiaand explores how he found out he has it. he also switches toa more humourous tone when he writes ‘do i need an operation. .He also reflects on the stark fact that how dyslexic people are overrepresented in both prisons, but also, more hopefully, in the architect population. He considers what set him apart to be opportunities that he noticed ortook, as well as a refusalto buy into the labels given to him. He remembers dictating his first book of poems to his girlfriend who wrote them down for him. Zephaniah didn’tlearn to read or write properly until he was in his early 20s, when he also found outthat he was dyslexic.

end

empowrs other/ the reader with dyslexia and he refuses to let people make him fell bad when he says “bloody non dyslexic who do they think they are.

language

• Benjamin Zephaniah uses many different language features to share his story. The language used in this anthology is simple to appeal to the dyslexic audience too.

• We understand that the text is going to be anecdotal when Zephaniah says “As a child, I suffered,”. The language used is also emotive- it appeals to the reader’s feelings and evokes sympathy.

• “No compassion, no understanding and no humanity”- the triad used here are all negative connotations. He indicates that the education system was very constricting and limiting and was not empathetic towards students in any way.

• He uses the metaphor “the past is a different kind of country” which iterates that the way of thinking was foreign and people weren’t aware of the learning disorder. The quote has an element of hope as it illustrates that the present is much more developed in terms of understanding learning disabilities.

• “Shut up, stupid boy”- aggressive insults reinforcing the view that the system didn’t support Zephaniah or students similar to him.

• “Local savages”- racism and bigotry. It shows that teachers were ignorant.

•  “So long as you could read how much the banknote was worth, you knew enough or you could ask a mate”- evokes sympathy as he would give up due to the hardships that dyslexia had put him through.

•  “I got thrown out of a lot of schools…” the line is an example of ethos as his honesty gives him credibility. His honesty appeals to the reader.

•  “I didn’t stab anybody...I stole his car and drove it into his front garden”- he juxtaposes himself when he tries to justify that stealing a car isn’t as bad as stabbing someone, however, they are both still crimes.

•  “A high percentage of the prison population is dyslexic, and a high percentage of the architect population.”- the statistics used here show contrast and how differently your life can lead if you're dyslexic. He also stresses the importance of making the right choices.

•  “Should”- the modal verb suggests that everything was leaning towards him ending up in prison.

•  “A black man brought up on the wrong side of town…” uses extensive listing here to relay all the things about him and his life that goes against him and should have held him back. Knowing these things helps the reader gain respect for Zephaniah.

•  “But opportunities opened for me and they missed theirs, didn’t notice them or didn’t take them.”- Zephaniah tries to maintain a positive, encouraging tone.

•  “Took off”- the colloquial language used helps engage the reader.

•  “Do I need an operation?” use of humour to reveal his naivety and his lack of knowledge on dyslexia. It also helps create a light-hearted tone.

•  “Still now”- the temporal marker highlights that he’s still struggling.

• “Brunel University”, “professor”- the language choice used here is very professional and shows that people with dyslexia can achieve anything in academia.

• “Passion, creativity, individuality”- triad

• “In my life now”- the temporal marker juxtaposes the first sentence at the beginning of the anthology.

•  “If someone can’t understand dyslexia, it’s their problem.”- defiant tone

•  “How can I become white?”- his use of humour highlights how ridiculous stereotyping is.

•  “If your dyslexic and you feel there’s something holding you back, just remember: It’s not you. In many ways being dyslexic is a natural way to be.” the quote has an encouraging and advisory tone. The punctuation (colon) used encourages the reader to give more attention to the message that follows. The word “you” is repeated several times to reassure people with dyslexia that they are not at fault. (direct address).

•  “Unnatural is the way we read and write”- light-hearted.

•  “so” - interjection.

•  “Don't be heavy on yourself.”- reassuring tone.

•  “Dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence: you may have a genius on your hands.”- the colon used shows how important the second clause.

•  “Creativity muscle”- neologism (made-up word). This is so that the reader isn’t displeased by jargon.

•  “Us dyslexic people, we’ve got it going on- we are the architects. We are the designers.”- collective pronouns are used. The quote references the title. The quote is repeated so it emphasises the purpose of the anthology.

• “I didn’t have that as a child.”- this reminds the reader of the anecdotes and how much has changed over a short amount of time for him.

•  “Bloody non-dyslexics... who do they think they are?”- the quote has a light-hearted, optimistic tone to it. It is to build rapport with those who are dyslexic and to create a sense of unity

structure

• “We are the architects, we are the designers”.-the parallel sentence structure here focuses on the roles of architects and designers which are skilled, respected roles. He is emphasising that being dyslexic could be a great advantage. He uses the collective pronoun “we” to ensure the reader that they are not alone if they have dyslexia.

•  “I never thought I was stupid. I didn’t have that struggle.” and “I just had self-belief”- these short sentences create a confident and defiant tone which suggests to the reader that you need confidence to be successful.