One of the goals of this course is to approach writing as a ``creative, disciplined form of critical inquiry.

(See page 2 of the syllabus.) In what ways does Pratt's essay exemplify (or fail to exemplify) this conception of writing? In what ways is her essay ``creative" or ``disciplined"? Does it partake in ``critical inquiry"? If so, how? if not, what would it need to do to meet your sense of what ``critical inquiry" entails? In this essay, Mary Louise Pratt shows us, in often unconventional ways, how one can view culture and cultural interaction in a multitude of ways through use of literature. She achieves her goal creatively by using three main examples, two of which include her personal experiences she has had with her son, the other being the re-discovery of an ancient manuscript entitled The First New Chronicle and Good Government. While some may consider the events regarding her son irrelevant to her point, she clearly explains how these situations and events in her sons life depict the idea she is trying to get across to the reader. She uses these examples to describe to us her concept of contact zones, or social spaces where cultures meet, clash , and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power, This is not conventional and therefore forces us to think outside the box, which I consider to be extremely creative and inventive of her. While creative, one could also describe her argument as structured and disciplined. She deeply and philosophically delves into each of her three examples, exploring many of their possible meanings and applications to her main idea of crosscultural interactions and their implications. She supports many of her arguments with facts, and therefore shows her expertise in the subject. She goes as far as to say that she, herself, has proposed a new term to be used when considering the subject of crosscultural interactions, Guaman Pomas New Chronicle is an instance of what I have proposed to call an autoethnographic text, She not only deciphers pieces of Pomas text and its implications for the audience, however, she also interprets multiple pictures for the audience that were included in his letter, giving the audience a multi-faceted and diverse way of looking at the subject. She is able to depict her idea of contact zones using broad-spectrum examples, exemplifying her knowledge and understanding of the subject. In this way, her essay is concise, specific, detailed, and ultimately disciplined. All of these pieces come together to create the perfect image of what critical inquiry really is. An inquiry being an investigation or search for knowledge and truth surrounding a question. Criticial being of or involving skillful judgment as to the truth and merit of something. She describes her concept, accepts that it contradicts present ideas within the community, therefore acknowledging the 360 degree picture regarding the topic. The idea of the contact zone is intended in part to contrast with ideas of community that underlie much of the thinking about language, communication, and culture, She neatly brings together knowledge and expertise from various fields including sociology, linguistics, and anthropology into one essay and does so with grace and discipline.