Summary Of Snoot By Langston Hugh Wallace Analysis

Throughout Wallace’s essay, he creates an “intellectual persona.” This persona personally identifies as a SNOOT and analyzes Standard Written English. Thus distinguishing himself from the “everyday person.” This character is clearly modeled after the “cookie cutter” image that school systems wish to create after students receive their education. Within the first paragraph Wallace begins to analyze Standard Written English. This vantage point automatically begins to develop the “intellectual persona.” This persona goes on to identify his personality through the word “SNOOT” (390). This message is relayed with a great deal of irony, as the persona is fixated on being a “grammar nerd” and Standard Written English. Which is almost mocking his self-proclaimed intellect, due to his use of the slang term SNOOT. For example, Wallace writes:
Grammar Nazis, Usage Nerds, Syntax Snobs, the Grammar Battalion, the Language Police. The term I was raised with is SNOOT. The word might be slightly self-mocking , but those other term
However, Wallace’s determination to come across as someone that is intellectual really just begins to sound pretentious. Thus, further proving my point of intellect being determined individually (as there is a thin line between intellect and being pretentious). While Wallace may see this essay as a way of proving how “smart” he is while contradicting his very argument with slang, he forgets that the reader may find him annoying and flamboyant of his education. As a result, he is establishing a sense of ethical appeal amongst readers. That very ethical appeal being the establishment of his education and intellect. Therefore, nobody will further question the credibility of the persona. As a result, he creates an in-depth look into the mind of the persona being created in the essay. This approach to the persona also shows up once again (400). Wallace