That's How I Roll

     In the essay entitled That's How I Roll written by Ginney Donaldson (December 3, 2009), Donaldson explores the origen of the phrase "that's how I roll" and that many of us use cliche phrases without ever knowing how or when the phrases came about.  Donaldson searches sites such as Google and the Urban Dictionary Online to discover not only when this phrase first began, but also it's meaning.  I believe Donaldson was not only satisfying her own curiosity by her investigations, but also causing an awareness in each of us, young or old, of how often we say silly phrases without ever knowing how they came about. 
     I liked the way Donaldson showed persistence in her quest for finding the meaning of the phrase"that's how I roll" and didn't give up her search for her answer until she was satisfied with her results.  I experienced something similar to this situation, but, the other way around.  A few years ago, while reading Oedipus At Colonus which was written by Sophocles,  I came upon a familiar sounding question in which Theseus asked Creon in a conversation, "Dost thou take my drift?"  I was amazed that this phrase was used so long ago even though it has evolved over time to,"do you catch my drift".
   I believe Donaldson writes this article in a way to relate to other students because she begins her essay by stating that she was in class.  She also references the Urban Dictionary which is a current resource which relates to a younger and hipper crowd.   She says that slang is "shorter words or phrases [used] to be more understandable", which shows that she sees an importance to using slang.  This puts her on the same level as the students who are reading her essay.