Blog Post #7: Letter to the Editor

14/10/2016

Letter to the Editor:

To: Laura Clark, Daily Mail

From: Karma Thomas

I usually enjoy reading many of the Daily Mail articles as it is routine in my day, but I was appalled when reading "Twtr? It's majorly bad! Leading headteacher condemns 'text speak' for eroding schoolchildren's language skills" by you, Laura Clark. Throughout this article, you astonishingly neglect other factors and simply blame everything on text speak. I usually come to Daily Mail to get informed about issues from many perspectives but your close minded article leaves no room for people to actually assess the situation.

First of all, you make it seem as if teenagers are the only ones that use text speak if you look at statistics from David Crystal, you would understand that 80% of people who text are adults. So not even half of the people texting are teenagers and even then only 10% of the text is actually abbreviated, starting to see the picture? How is it fair to blame all text speak on teenagers when they aren't even the ones using it the most.

"If youngsters are not reading in the same way, and if they are spending a lot of time using social media, I wonder how much new vocabulary they are exposed to." Your sources clearly have no idea what they are talking about which reflects on this article. Developing English skills is based on constant practice or reading and writing, you can practice by reading right? To even state that being on social media means that they are not practising is grossly ignorant as if you are on social media you are reading CONSTANTLY. You even have more of a chance of learning new vocab because you are exposed to a variety of articles and people who may know different words. It infuriates me to read this line because it is so blatantly obvious that you are reading, you are reading my letter right now, aren't you? This letter is currently being shared through email which is a form of social media.

"GCSE and A-level examiners have also warned that text message slang is appearing in students' answers, revealing how youngsters are becoming careless in their use of it." Probably the only line in your whole article I agree with but you are using it for the wrong point. Text speak is not ruining teenagers standard English, they know how to write properly because if they didn't then it would know how to abbreviate. Students simply aren't being taught by teachers, parents or society when it is appropriate and that is what your article fails to mention.

Please for your next article just remember to try and include more sides to an argument. 

Blog Post #6: Fictional Interview with Lady Gaga

11/10/2016

For this blog post, I have chosen to do option two which is to write an interview of an interaction between an artist and a magazine. This interview is supposed to get the artist to talk about their intended audience, their community or their intent in music. I chose to do Lady Gaga music many see her as a music icon of this era who has a strong and large following.

Interview:

Rolling Stone’s interviewer, Jessica Skeel, joins Lady Gaga on the balcony of her house for a personal interview and insight on the musical motivation and brilliance that leaded to “Perfect Illusion” and her new album “Joanne”, 2016.

Jessica: Wow, I’m so honoured today to be in the presence and house of Lady Gaga. Once again, thank you for inviting us here so what do you prefer “Lady”, “Lady Gaga” or just “Gaga”?

Lady Gaga: *Chuckles* I don’t think there will be a day where I turn down the Rolling Stones, “Gaga” is great, sometimes “Lady Gaga” is just too long.

Jessica: So, how are you feeling? How has the release of “Perfect Illusion” gone?

Gaga: It has been so amazing, I just can’t wait for the whole album to come out and enjoy it as much as I have making it.

Jessica: You have obviously been making albums for a good amount of time now, do you still get nervous before the release of one, do you ever get scared of how it will be taken by the public?

Gaga: I never really worry how the public will take it as a whole or how much money it will make. This album and all of my albums bring me such joy and mean so much to me that even if one person connects to it then I have done my job.

Jessica: Behind you and your career there is an incredible and supporting fanbase that I believe are called your “Little Monsters”. Your fan base has such a variety with race, gender, sexuality, and age that it stands to question that when you make music do you have a target audience or specific people you are trying to reach?

Gaga: My music isn’t about dividing or the specifics of people, it is there to be listened by who does not matter what matters is how it makes them feel or if they relate to it. All my songs come from a place in my heart, experiences, feelings or specific messages I want to convey and this personal connection allows people of whatever type to find solace in it. I’m not saying everyone needs to hear it but I’m saying if you do like it then great but if you don’t that's fine.

Jessica: You say “experiences” and “messages”, what do these mean to you or what do they mean to your music?

Gaga: I always have loved singing and always will however for most of my childhood up until adulthood I was so focused in what other people wanted from me. Bullying made this fixation even worse which lead me to produce and sing music that meant nothing to me, it destroyed me mentally and physically as I went through depression and drugs. However there was a point in my life where I realised what I had been doing due to my Father’s input and I signed myself to a new label.

Jessica: A new label? Why?

Gaga: After this period of depression, I came to the realization that I wanted to make music the way I wanted and not care about those around me or what they think. My pain made me realise how prejudice and discriminatory this world is, there are so many people of every single age, race sexuality, or gender who are hiding from what they really are.

Jessica: Is your music a form or connection or outlet for those who feel constriction or pressure?

Gaga: Yes, I would say partly it is however it’s more than that. I want to give people a sense of freedom, my music presents a freedom in individuality that our world lacks today. I will continue to sing about drugs, sexuality, race….individuality, love, pain..and any other form of one’s self that is more commonly suppressed because we are meant to be celebrated. Celebrated in our purest raw forms which isn’t always the most respected or conservative when it comes to some topics.

Jessica: Many say that you provide such unusual music, performances and lyrics that there is no original integrity in the work, you are simply wanting to make hits and do what it takes to get fame. What do you think of this?

Gaga: They are the people I reject from my lives, the ones who don’t understand me. We should all be able to be open-minded enough to interact with one another and accept or try to understand the ones around us. Music is an artform, art can have a message or cannot however mine certainly does. Everything I sing and put on stage means something as I have put it in my piece of work to evoke a reaction or sensation in the audience. If i put a redcoat on myself on stage, it could be a form of communism, anger, passion...either way it means somethings to me, the song and the audience.

Jessica: It’s incredible how much passion and motivation you have for this. You have been making music for quite some time and we are able to see a serious change in your music. Does your music change with your messages?

Gaga: I wouldn’t say I change my music with my intent because my intent really never changes. My music and I will continue to promote freedom, self-expressionism and personal celebration until the day I die. The changing of my music usually just is influenced by my own growth as a person. To go through my albums from the earlier one ,“The Fame Monster”, until you get to the one which is about to release ,”Joanne”, you are able to listen to my growth, Which I think is the best quality of them, my fans have the ability to listen to my life in a sense. You are able to notice how my music, lyrics, presentation or mood changes however my mindset generally doesn’t. I continuously sing about the inner struggles or complications we have as individuals with ourselves.

Jessica: It truly sounds like through these years you have stayed true to your original influences and inspirations. Thank you for allowing us to get an insight into the leader of monsters.

Gaga: It was a pleasure just remember the new album comes out October, 21st, 2016.

Jessica: Everyone needs to get their hands on it because I can already tell it’s going to be magical.

*End of Interview*

Some Sources:

http://radio.com/2013/11/12/frequently-asked-questions-faq-lady-gaga-and-artpop/
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/tv-film/1177860/lady-gaga-talks-musical-inspiration-being-bullied-in-upcoming-mtv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

Blog Post #5: Practical Consolidation of Language and Identity

01/10/2016

In this blog post, I have chosen one out of three options to write about which is to write a practical text. This choice is about "A new student is moving to Raha from a homogenous monolingual community. This student has never been abroad or lived in a multilingual setting. You have been chosen to write her a formal letter to explain the important relationship between language, culture, and identity." I chose to write about this certain topic because before I came here I was in a homogenous monolingual community so this letter is almost a letter to myself before my exposure to Abu Dhabi. 

Practical:

Villa 3, 15th Street,

Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi

1st October 2016

Jane Doe,

3rd Steven Street, GoldCoast,

Queensland, Australia 

Dear Jane Doe, 

Good afternoon, Jane Doe, my name is Karma Thomas and I'm a representative of grade 11 who would like to welcome you to the school and the country. They have provided me with some information about you and how you have not travelled or moved anywhere outside Australia. So, let me begin by saying a lot is about to change and you are about to experience a lot that is completely unknown to you. However, in saying this I would like to assure you that there is no reason to be scared or worried because this exposure and transition will allow to you to grow in ways you would have never imagined. The most noticeable atmosphere change will be the variety of languages and cultures you encounter.

Compared to Australia, this is the biggest difference as in Australia most people speak the same language and share the same culture. These similar factors give everyone the basic identity of being Australian and allows you to easily understand everyone and communicate. However, you must gain the skill of recognising that in an international country everyone speaks a different language and does not share the same culture. This diversity allows everyone to have a separate identity to the person next to them. You must always remember to stay open-minded as each identity comes with their own unique traits that you must be respectful of. A person's language usually is based off their culture or nationality which shapes them as an individual. However, you will learn of those who are bilinguals and speak multiple languages due to certain personal circumstances. These circumstances could be their diverse family, them moving a lot or even them just wanting to learn more languages. It may seem like another skill to know more languages but this knowledge also shapes their identity. Many of  them will even slowly to change your identity as you learn more and more about the people around you. This will change you because your own identity won't just relate to your own culture but those you are exposed to. 

It is important that you remember that everyone is different to you and that everyone is different from Australia because this will allow you to develop and adjust faster. Everyone's culture and language forms their identity as their customs or traditions will be very different to yours or similar. Either way, you must be respectful of these similarities or differences and be intent on learning one's way of life. The relationship of cultures and language determines their identity, think of it as an equation, someone's culture plus someone's language forms the individual you interact with. For someone could share the same culture as many but their language could be different due to family or certain interactions. It's the culture and the language that make the person because values like culture and language can be distorted by certain situational factors and don't always rely on each other. I hope this educates you on what to expect from our school and Abu Dhabi, hopefully, you could find an appreciation for this international environment like I have. 

Sincerely Karma,