Brittany Renaldo Blog #4 extra credit

The language that John uses throughout is all jargon. If I were to put myself in Carols shoes, I would be equally or more confused than she was. When Carol goes to see her professor in order to try to understand his difficult way of teaching, she is constantly being spoken over. John uses his voice and tone to over power Carol. I believe that John's voice is his power, he uses it to show "who's boss." Someone like Carol would be oppressed by the language elite because it's easier to learn or understand material when the language is clear. If a teacher, like John, constantly uses jargon their is no way for the student to possibly learn the material, unless they look up every single word that the professor uses. In the article "P.C. Power Play: Language and Representation in David Mamet's Oleanna," Roger Bechtel  explains that everything Carol is saying is true because John shoves his own book at his students instead of using something easier for the whole class. His book consists of the same jargon that he uses in his lectures, therefore making it harder for students. To me the conversation is not honest, it is heated and irritating for the audience. In the beginning of the play the two characters slide into their prospective roles, John as a professor and Carol as a struggling student.  It's not till the end of the play that Carol stands up for her self, she tells him basically to shut up and listen. John is basically pushing Carol into a corner, as he makes her feel stupid and like its her fault that she can't pick up his material. "... And everybody's talking about "this" all the time. And "concepts," and "precepts" and, and, and, and, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? And I read your book And they said, "Fine, go in that class." Because you talked about responsibility to the young. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS AND I'M FAILING ..." Carol is explaining to him that she is trying to understand, she doesn't want to give up she just wants a little bit of help.