English Discussion
Discussion Prompt:
Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s “The Kitchen Crisis: A Rap,” has unique formal elements to it (i.e., her use of language, her tone of voice, the inclusion of recipes, the title’s link to music, etc.). How does Smart-Grosvenor’s writing style impact the purpose of her essay (and thus the issues at stake in her writing)?
Instructions:
Please respond to the above discussion prompt in approximately 12-15 sentences.
Please follow the rubric and read all the material.
Additional information :
Your one and only reading for Week 8 is Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s “The Kitchen Crisis: A Rap.” This short essay was included in a collection of essays, Amistad 1: Writings on Black History and Culture, published in 1970
Smart-Grosvenor was born and raised in the South Carolina low country, in the village of Fairfax, Allendale County, South Carolina. In addition to a 3-decade long career as a commentator with NPR, Smart-Grosvenor is most known for her book Vibration Cooking, or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl. Published in 1970, the book is characterized as a narrative cookbook that includes both stories and recipes and combines fact, fiction, folktale, poetry, drama, and culinary anthropology. Her book disrupts the classic cookbook genre all the while reclaiming the contributions of African American women in both the literary and culinary world. Smart-Grosvenor’s essay, “The Kitchen Crisis: A Rap,” will give us a glimpse into not only her writing style, but also the important food issues at stake in her writing.
