"From Outside, In

The meaning behind Mellix's title is that the language she spoke was different from the standard English people in her community would speak and even some relatives from the north. At  first she would try and hide the black English she and her family spoke, to sound more proper to others. But over the years from school she developed the more standard way of English and speaks it openly but feels like shes betraying her "blackness".

She would use black English around her family and some friends. but would use standard English when talking to white people around her community. Even when her family from the north came to visit she would have to try and think about what to say before talking. She felt as if her sense of doubleness was something menacing and a built in enemy.

For Mellix to speaking standard English to a white person was very important because she wanted to come across as someone who knows their language and can use it properly.  Blacks who spoke standard English sought it to be difficult because they felt embarrassed and judged if they talked in their black English especially in public, so they would always turn to using standard English.

The strategies Mellix's parents used to teach her standard English were when writing letters to relatives to use standard English and keep the sentences short and brief. I see the that power of language is based off the language you know and where your using it. If a person is using standard English, whether it be in writing or talking they are seen as more educated and powerful compared to others using another language where its considered a minority.

The transformation Mellix experienced in her college composition class was becoming a better user of standard English. At first her professor would tell her to use better words but by the end she was using a wider range of vocabulary and her sentences were full of detail and in correct grammar. She felt as if she were betraying her blackness, to balance she had to imagine herself apart of the culture and the language. While she saw it as a challenge she discovered the new possibilities with the use of a powerful language.