Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Professor Warnock
COMM 1010
December 3, 2013
Misinterpretation
A good friend and I went out to eat a cheap pizza after work together, and as we were
chatting she relaxed her pose, put down her slice and said I think Ill call it quits here. I told
myself Id stop eating until I feel nauseated. Upon hearing this, I became quite perplexed. From
what I had interpreted, she was expressing that she would cease to eat, only continuing when she
felt sick. This was very confusing to me as I could not fathom why anyone would do this to
themselves.
After a minute or so more than necessary thinking up possible reasons, I realized that
what she probably meant was that she would stop eating as she promised herself that she would
stop eating excessively to the point that she felt queasy. I brought up my confusion in the
conversation (something I should have done earlier) and she clarified that she did indeed mean
the latter, and mentioned that she had actually told her sister the same thing, who also expressed
the same initial confusion. (Which brings up a funny question: if she had been made known
before of the somewhat puzzling structure of that specific sentence, why did she use it again?
Just an afterthought.) Afterwards, we had a good sort of chuckle about the situation, and we
talked about the ways that sentence could be remade to be more clear, mused in the peculiarities
of language, and then moved on shortly after.
interactions that I share with my parents. Because the way I express my thoughts in Vietnamese
is simple, I cant help but think that the perception they hold of me is simple. Although I love my
parents very much and I have no doubts that they feel very deeply about me, the inability to
properly verbal verbalize with them has stifled has proved incredibly frustrating and shameful.
There is so much I want to describe, portray, reveal (things I could easily do in English) that I
simply cannot because I do not possess the mastery of Vietnamese I need to do so. Because of
that language barrier they are essentially missing an entire side of me, as I miss a side of them,
and it has never stopped being disappointing.
attentive and understanding. The words he used were always of someone who sympathized,
rather than empathized. It all felt very safe. The verbalization that took place provided a
catharsis, a release for me that I couldnt have gotten anywhere else. Little did I know though,
my sister had overheard most if not all of the conversation.
The next day though, my cousin and sister sent Kevin home stating we needed some
quality family time, and they suggested the idea of visiting the nearby nudist beach. I havent
done many exciting things in my life, so I was completely okay with the idea with going just for
a cool experience, if anything. While we did in fact go the idea of taking a fun, cool trip was
actually a guise for my sister to confront me about what she had overheard Kevin and I talking
about the day before. When she opened with the question Are you gay? I was immediately
became paralyzed with fear. She already knew the answer though. She recognized how mortified
I was though, and like Kevin tried her best to create a safe space for me and did all the talking
while I sat back and listened.
The most significant thing that she told me during her entire spiel was I am your sister,
and no matter what I will always love you because you are my brother. We both cried. It was
awkward, the tears were messy and a bit gross, and everything was just really surreal. (We were
still at the nudist beach) There was something very important from that conversation though. The
results werent immediate, as the entire day remained at about awkward. However, when we
all came home from that trip, I came home and began opening up to my closest friends what had
happened. The conversation that I had with Kevin along with my sister was the beginning a
defining lesson in the power of words and speech. I realized just how wrong I was in thinking I
did not need to talk about it at all because in reflecting on what happened, a grand sense of
validation filled within me and I truly felt like everything was okay.
vocalizing the words we hear, structuring them together to form sentences purposefully to
describe thoughts as they occur.
Although we are constantly communicating nonverbally as well, from what Ive
observed, are nonverbal message not just derivatives of verbal communication? We more often
than not describe a nonverbal message with words like says and tells, words associated with
speech. The scowl of a womans face tells me she is angry. A mans old, ragged clothes and
jeans as he walks into the interview room says that hes careless.
We learn to communicate verbally before anything else. In keeping silent, you are
squandering something we all possess: a voice. Every opinion, feeling, thought you, I, or anyone
else has can be expressed if one learns how to speak up effectively.
I think we seldom wonder whether a person truly understands us and it is truly a shame,
for being understood is truly an underrated pleasure. Whether it be something simple as
obtaining what you want, forming a close friendship, planning for an ambitious business venture,
or gaining lifelong relationships, having a true understanding of one another opens up an infinite
amount of possibilities. I support this with knowledge gained not only through simple research
but by deeply observing personal experiences. I write in advocacy for verbal communication my
topic because I have come to profoundly believe specific verbal communication is to create an
opportunity for someone to get closer to truly understand you, as well as for you to understand
them.