Phase 2 “By Association” By: Rai Ahmed

As a writer, Rai Ahmed can create a personal narrative that consists of purpose and has a lot of context that flows well with what she is trying to tell her readers. In her literary narrative “By Association” (2023, CCNY), Rai Ahmed skillfully weaves a compelling story, revealing her journey of embracing her Bangla roots despite facing language barriers. Through a rich tapestry of events, Ahmed communicates the resilience required to navigate unfamiliar environments with broken Bangla, inspiring readers to step out of their comfort zones. Her narrative not only captures the challenges faced during her visit to Bangladesh but also emphasizes the significance of even minimal language skills in connecting with others. Addressing her audience with a friendly and encouraging tone, Ahmed seeks to resonate with those grappling with language-related insecurities.

In her personal literary narrative, “By Association”, 2023, CCNY, Rai Ahmed asserts that she can feel comfortable with being in Bangladesh by addressing that she was exposed to a lot of Bengali culture in NY, had a goal of speaking fluently in Bangla and hoping her Bangla skills were good. By supplying the reader with information about how she felt when she entered the atmosphere of Bangladesh and how her broken Bangla caused a language barrier to the ones she was talking to, Ahmed builds her claims about how even without knowing a lot you can know somewhat. Rai Ahmed wishes to convey to readers the importance of how different places with the same atmosphere or culture would be the same to show how even if you know a little bit of your language you can communicate with others. The author’s audience likely consists of those interested in how to deal with the lack of knowing a language as is evident through her references to having broken Bangla and being in Bangladesh; she addresses readers with a tone that is friendly and encouraging due to their way of expressing her narrative. 

Throughout the  personal literary narrative, “By Association”, 2023, CCNY, 

 Rai Ahmed uses many a rhetorical tool called ethos. Rai describes her surrounding atmosphere like how the shifts in the environment from the US and Bangladesh gave her a sense of anxiety. Due to being in a new setting, she describes the difference in appearances between the locals and hers. It is like Rai is a NYC tourist but in Bangladesh where she feels uncomfortable thinking she is unable to fit in with her relatives and others. But even with her broken Bangla, she is able to perceive through this obstacle and she tries her best to break through her anxiety by talking to others.  Throughout the  personal literary narrative, “By Association”, 2023, CCNY, Rai Ahmed I like how she adds on to her experience after the Bangladesh trip. She describes her friendship with a boy who is fluent in Bengali that just come to the U.S. Furthermore  describing how they would tease each other and she would be teased the most due to her weird way of speaking Bangla. She would also talk about words that her mom would say to her such as  “fall into the water” which represents how the author sees her mother as an important figure in her language and culture. 

Even in a foreign place with a language she barely knows she is able to express herself even when feeling out of place. According to  “By Association”, 2023, CCNY, Rai Ahmed,” Even with my “broken” Bangla, I was able to talk to and communicate with my relatives and they beamed that this light-skinned foreign girl from America was able to speak the language at all. My anxiety melted when people complimented my Bangla, even if it was backhanded, little didn’t know the difference.” This part of her writing shows how in her writing she is able to depict moments and is able to relate to others who experienced similar events she uses the rhetorical strategy called pathos. In which she is able to have the same emotional standing as those reading her writing due to experiencing similar events. Throughout Rai’s personal narrative, she uses a lot of first-person view as a way to send out how she felt during a certain event and how she was able to overcome or deal with it. With this it allows readers to feel as if they were the ones who experienced that event that Rai had gone through causing an emotional connection.

In a recent interview, we learned that Rai Ahmed a student at CCNY is majoring in the ADPR or Advertising and public relations major. Rai chose this path in her career since she says it is the best of both worlds which she says is helpful for her major and her current standing as a student. Her goal after finishing college is to work for a smaller business in product management for either music, fashion, or even humanitarian causes. As a way to pass the time, she watches a variety of shows which include Rick and Morty, Bob’s Burgers, and Big Mouth one of her favorite shows is High Fidelity. Rai likes shows that center around a strong female lead. Rai listens to a variety of music which includes R&B, Afrobeats, rap, hip-hop, and indie. She believes that the writing and communication skills she will gain will assist her in her future occupation which consists of a managerial role. With this goal, she sees writing as a helpful tool in helping her advance toward the path she is taking.

Throughout constantly having an environment surrounded by South/West Asian culture and traditions Rai has gained many different tastes in her music. This consists of Bollywood and Dancehall styles of music which also gave rise to her love for Afrobeats. While having television when she was young she would usually watch Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon Kid which allowed her to have vast amounts of taste in shows she enjoyed shows or movies with adult animation due to watching it all her life as a child. As a growing adult, media is a big part of her life since that is where she gets her style and taste. This reflects on her personality in which she allows well-rounded media to affect her taste which causes her to absorb new ideas or styles into her current lifestyle. This shows her open-mindedness in how she takes media in and through media she harbors specific mood playlists depending on scenarios she takes in from media. 

These different influences on Rai during her childhood have affected her way as a writer. Due to being open-minded, she is able to convey her ideas naturally through writing or speaking. With her experiences in Bangladesh, it could be seen that Rai wants to be independent in how she is able to communicate with others in their broken language. With this, she adds a variety of emotions she feels or writes indirectly causing readers to be influenced by the rhetorical strategy pathos. Thus Rai utilizes various important experiences throughout her writing to create a way to connect with readers who felt the same way as her.

Citations

“By Association”, 2023, CCNY,  Rai Ahmed

Personal Interview,  Rai Ahmed