I don’t have an English degree per se. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication.
I have an MA in English, Cross-Cultural Language and Diversity certificate (California Teaching Credential), and an MFA in Creative Writing.
I have also been trained in Massage Therapy, Reiki, Kundalini Yoga, and Holotropic/Transformational Breathwork.
My use of othering has nothing to do with Melville - it’s a spiritual reference to the practice of focusing on the differences between cultural groups rather than recognizing the oneness of humanity.
My rhetorical questions pointing out your chimeric identification of yourself were meant to invite you to think about our commonalities rather than our differences.
I’ve not read “Benito Cereno.” While I greatly enjoyed “Bartleby the Scrivener,” I find Melville verbose and overly indulgent. I prefer Hemingway and Poe for short stories.
As far as continuing this discussion on this thread, I will quote Bartleby, “I prefer not to.”
If you insist on spewing vitriol, please do it on my thread, The Pursuit of Mythical Gains
Cheers!