Blog Post #28: Parody/Pastiche

Parody of: Santa Barbara shooting: Suspect was ‘soft-spoken, polite, a gentleman’, ex-principal says. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/2014/05/25/santa-barbara-shooting-suspect-was-soft-spoken-polite-a-gentleman-ex-principal-says/

Rationale:

The parody article reiterates the biases presented in the original article “ Santa Barbara shooting: Suspect was ‘soft-spoken, polite, a gentleman’, ex-principal says.” It highlights the white victimization bias as a shooter is presented as a victim through the contents portraying him in a certain manner. The subject of the article focuses on the shooters good qualities and life while avoiding the actual event itself which makes the audience ignore the act focusing on his difficulties in life which evoke a sense of sympathy. Through sarcasm and satirical descriptions, the parody article reveals the irrelevance of the details mentioned and how they had nothing to do with the original crime. This sarcasm unveils the portrayal of a victim role within the original article signifying the unreasonableness of the article’s intent and discussion. It highlights the useless justifications of the shooter’s actions through the normalization of what he went through in comparison to many teenagers which describes the unjust justification for his actions.

Santa Barbara Shooting: Shooter could not possibly have done it because he was 'soft-spoken, polite, a white gentlemen', ex-principal says.

Elliot Rodger allegedly killed six people and injured 14 near the University of California before horribly killing himself, however, he had never shown any form of aggression ever in his entire life.

Deborah Smith was mortified and devastated to hear her previous student's alleged attack as she had known him more than two years and had brief conversations with him which really connected her to the student. Her previous principle role allowed her to really connect with the student even though he barely conversed with her. She understood his behavior and his mind prefect;y from their interactions and attempted to make his life in high school as easy as possible.

She could never even imagine Rodger to ever do something like this as she worked with disturbed students and never saw him as one. However, it was known that Rodger was an extremely tortured soul struggling to fit into life. He would be able to convince people that he was just as normal as everyone else but everyone knew he had Asperger's syndrome and constantly battled with social interactions and envy towards his closest friends. His awkwardness prevented him from engaging with anyone at all which stopped him from living a normal teenage life.

Rodger was a straight A student and never absent for a single day of school. He was constantly tormented at school by the other students as girls chose other guys over him and his friends hung out with other people sometimes. These girls and friends drove him to be more self-conscious and uncomfortable around others. The poor teenager had the absolute worst time in high school as he felt "uncool" and "an outsider" which no one ever has to go through.

He may have created an infamous youtube video called “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution” describing his want for revenge for girls who rejected him and guys who were sexually active as it was just so unfair to him and his life. It described how his social anxiety stopped him from living and no one helped him with it making his life so much worse. He even released a manifesto before brutally killing himself which enlightens everyone on the difficulties in his life and how hard it was for him to find happiness.

Practice IOC- Lady Lazarus (in class)

https://youtu.be/Zf1BtKKDAtA

Practice IOC- Sylvia Plath

https://youtu.be/I5RElEV9ReA

Practice IOC: Munro- Royal Beatings

https://youtu.be/In6iA1rcydg

Practice IOC: Alice Munro- Passion

https://youtu.be/zQ2srX6-A18

Blog Post #27: Wallace's theory about education and Alice Munro.

Foster Wallace's theory about education presented in his commencement speech "This is Water" divulges the truest value of education and what it can develop for people. He reveals how the actual value of an education has nearly nothing to do with knowledge and academics rather the awareness of what is around us. This theory mostly focuses on the idea of emotional intelligence (EQ) and how an education which can make you more conscious would be more valuable as it can increase your empathy and EQ. The New York Times article "For Better Social Skills, Recommend a Little Chekhov" supports this as it frames results from a research study disclosing how literary fiction may be more beneficial and improve your EQ rather than popular fiction. One of the literary authors used in the research was Alice Munro, she and many other literary fiction authors managed to improve human capabilities in identifying emotion and many other things in a number of tests. This implied that some social skills were developed like empathy, improving their EQ. 

Literary fiction is defined as "symbolic or thematic fiction that critics consider to have "literary merit" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fiction ). Munro encompasses this as she writes stories revolving around human experience while embracing underlining symbols and themes throughout. These themes and symbols communicate larger concepts about human behaviour, specifically, human relationships and interactions. Her writing allows for the readers to immerse them into the situation of the character and understand experiences that someone may never encounter. This is due to her writing style as well as the plot and character choices she makes. 

Humans can learn emotional intelligence from interaction with other people and experiences that they have in their life or other people's lives around them. Due to Munro's content, themes and symbols, she allows people an insight on new experiences and circumstances that they may have never considered or experienced previously. This insight provides the audience with a new found awareness of certain things which can improve their empathy and may prepare them for future situations or help understand current and past ones. She embeds a variety of themes and symbols which force the reader to analyse the moments featured in the story and make inquires which slowly establish an awareness that was absent before. 

This sort of literature is what can expand a person's mind emotionally which will extend socially. For Munro's work to be included in the schooling system provides students with a source of study which will extend and push their language and analyzation skills while making them more aware socially. It incorporates the academic aspect which a lot of schools and systems involve while subjecting young people to content which will make them grow as a person. Fulfilling the "valuable" education in which Wallace discusses due to its multiple uses which can allow a person to grow emotionally. 

Blog Post #26: Summer posts: Australian dialect

Visiting Australia is always an interesting experience which holds a lot in my heart considering that I have lived in the UAE longer than in my place of birth. My trip each year presents an abundance of experiences that i cherish but also make me encounter aspects of my own culture which can surprise me. There are simple things like self-check out, understanding of lay-by shopping or other "norms" of Australia that I simply don't understand due to my upbringing in Abu Dhabi. I continuously get confused with the Australian dialect, this does not include Australian accents. Even though I'm not surrounded by Australians, I'm still very capable of understanding harsh accents because much of my family have intense accents due to their childhood. If I had a more pom or posh family than it may have impaired my understanding. However it is the sayings, vocabulary or slang that I must learn while I'm there to have capable conversations. Going to Australia gives me a release as I can use the words I'm more comfortable with without being questioned but hearing those around me make me question certain words due to my ignorance.

A few things a came to understood from my recent visit:

Sus 
- Someone unemployed, someone considered "dodgy" or simply a bad person for some reason.
- To investigate or check something out.
Examples:
1. " He is such a sus."
2. " I'm going to sus it out"

Sticky Beak 
- Can be used to describe someone as a curious or noisy person.
- To investigate or check something out.
Examples:
1. " Don't be such a sticky beak"
2. "I'm going to go in coles and have a sticky beak."

What does that have to do with the price of rice?
- Used to question someone on the intention of what they are saying or their point, it questions why they are saying something as if to ask "What does that have to does with anything?"
Example: 
*conversation about politics*
Person 1- "I like potatoes"
Person 2- "What does that have to do with the price of rice"

Half your luck
- Can be used to express a want for someone's situation or luck, if someone has something you would like you would say it as if they could give you their luck.
Example: 
Person 1- "I'm going to eat cake when i get home."
Person 2- "Awwwww, half your luck"

Cotton on
- Can be used instead of "caught on" to describe if someone has caught on or began to understand a situation or subject.
Example: 
Person 1- "How did the prank call go?"
Person 2- "It didn't work, he cotton on."

Blog Post #25: Thesis and Essay Outline

Prompt: The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

Thesis Statement: In Things Fall Apart, Achebe's critical colonised Nigerian perspective allows for his personal history to influence the construction of his writing as it moulds representations of religion and culture through the presentations of traditions, subplots and characters which educate Africans on the reality of their history.

Topic Sentence 1: Achebe uses foil characters in both Christianity and the Igbo culture to identify the differences and similarities between culture creating a social equilibrium, removing possible savage perceptions. 

Topic Sentence 2: Side characters in Things Fall Apart give the audience and understanding of traditions and actions within compositional context, establishing how someone's character may influence the perception of religion.

Topic Sentence 3: He has allowed his personal experiences and context to influences parts of the novel in the form of subplots or plot developments in order to create a sense of relatability in the audience.

Blog Post #24: Thesis Statement and Outline

Thesis Statement: In Achebe's novel " Things Fall Apart", an understanding of gender roles allows a comprehension of the Igbo culture which defines how Okonkwo's character identifies and differs with his customs, exaggerating the symbolism of his tragic hero archetype and death.

Topic Sentence #1: Sub-plots and side characters within the novel provide the readers with other perspective which create a further understanding of gender roles of the Igbo culture, unlike Okonkwo ideologies..

Topic Sentence #2: This understanding formed identifies how Okonkwo's hamartia created by the ideals of the culture prevents him from embodying certain aspects like duality of their customs.

Topic Sentence #3: The internal conflict Okonkwo has concerning his cultures deals exaggerates the symbolism of his death, the death of a product of the Igbo people.  

Blog Post #23: Thesis Statement

Prompt: With reference to Things Fall Apart, show how sub-plots or secondary characters contribute to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole. 

Thesis Statement: In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses secondary characters such as Unoka, Ikemefuna and Nowye to expand on the culture of the Igbo people with various developments of the plot, this allows readers to acquire an understanding of the impact of the British colonisation of the compositional context. 

Blog Post #22: Tragic Hero

In many ways, Things Fall Apart is considered a tragedy. Why would Achebe, taking into account the cultural context, choose to characterize Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype? 

I think the choice of characterizing Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype has many many reasons relating to the compositional context, the plot development and the intention of the novel. Depicting the main character as a tragic hero forces the reader to pay closer attention to events and characters while getting invested in the plot and its developments. He characterizes him as a tragic hero to express how this mighty man was self-destructive with his hamartia destroying him. This hamartia is internally based, however, it is heavily driven by external cultural factors and changes which expose the reader to the ideology of the Igbo people.   

The tragic hero archetype not only allows for the audience to analyze the plot unconsciously, in this case, the hamartia of the tragic hero forces the audience the analyze the cultural context as well as the cultural norms of the Igbo people. Okonkwo's hamartia was sparked by his father due to his laziness and lack of success, this made Okonkwo motivated to avoid being like him. This simple concept educates the readers on the goals of the Igbo society as they are extremely collaborative and success driven. It is reinforced by the entire village looking down on his father rather than just Okonkwo. The ideology of this society is what spark his hamartia and his hubris behavior which is what causes his peripeteia. Even the turn of events with his peripeteia of Ikemefuna reveal aspects of the society with him being advised not to take part in the execution. From an audience's standpoint, we know that Igbo people are success and title driven but with this simple request, they extend on how they are collaborative and compassionate people. This development of the plot also develops the understanding of the culture which aids the dramatic transition of the missionaries arrival. 

This understanding of the cultural composition is furthered through the tragic hero archetype as the deaths fulfills plots associated with the archetype. However, the death also delves into the death of the Igbo culture as I believe his death is symbolic of the death of their traditions when the missionaries came. He killed himself because he could not comprehend why his peers weren't fighting hard enough for their village expressing his will to maintain the culture while showing how he was different from the customs of his culture. His lack of collaboration was unlike their mindset but that's because he embodied the hubris of his culture and traditions symbolically killing of them like the missionaries did. 

Blog Post #21: The Royal Colonial Institute Speech

Good evening, I'm here the discuss, on behalf of the Igbo culture of Nigeria, the supposed toast of "Prosperity to the Royal Colonial Institute", there is no doubt that this colonialism will help the world and humanity with countless valuable lives sacrificing themselves for the cause. However, I want to prevent these lives from being in vein, I want to prevent the necessity of these lives as there is no point wasting humanity with each human being as important as the next. The importance of every human is why we honour the colonial developments as we have obligations as the British Empire to spread our advanced civilisation, but with great power comes great responsibility. We should fear to become "wicked men" with this power.

We colonise countries like Nigeria to bring a prosperity to the people providing them with security, peace and civilisation. Except we admire the valuable lives that have been sacrificed in the process, to strive for peace, security and civilisation lives have been taken away which seems ironic. Why did these people have to die for unquestionable advancement? This should be making us question our methods, but instead, we question the actions of the Igbo people. A form of humanity which has different almost barbaric traditions but are more similar and welcoming than perceived. Due to their transparent culture, they are willing to cooperate and compromise no matter the differences, in fact there culture revolves around cooperation. So why did valuable men have to die?

We are so patriotic of our great British Empire that we want to share it with the world so humanity has a chance. Imagine if there "barbaric" culture or form of civilisation were to attempt to colonise us, we would not take it! There would be countless bloodshed for their disrespect as they tried to take away our culture. Now, what happened when we colonised them? They gave us land, traded with us, communicated and explained their religion, traditions and culture to us. Then, why did valuable men have to die? Perhaps it is because we sewed the seeds too hard and forcefully, yams cannot grow from an overworked crop. They opened their country and culture to us while we came with civilisation and ripped their heart out. You do not invite someone to your house to disrespect your environment, you invite them to learn about themselves and that is what they attempted to do through their cooperation and compromises. Their compromising nature reveals how they are open to change due to their duality mindset so why did the men have to die?

As we fulfil this mission that has been sprung upon us to advance humanities civilisations, humans need to remember to retain their humanity and not become the "wicked men". We are great Britain not barbarians and these people strive for equalism so if we were more open in our methods they will change natural. Then, would men have to die? 

Blog Post #20: Achebe Interview

From our in class discussion on the Achebe interview, I believe one of the most important takeaways was the writer's intentions. The interview goes into great detail about his mindsets and opinions of certain subjects which express the context of composition learned about. The context of the composition is heavily influenced the book and his realisations and hatred held for the single story drove him to shed light on African tribes and the Igbo people.

"The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. The reason for this had to do with the need to justify the slave trade and slavery. The cruelties of this trade gradually began to trouble many people in Europe. Some people began to question it. But it was a profitable business, and so those who were engaged in it began to defend it -- a lobby of people supporting it, justifying it, and excusing it. It was difficult to excuse and justify, and so the steps that were taken to justify it were rather extreme. You had people saying, for instance, that these people weren't really human, they're not like us. Or, that the slave trade was in fact a good thing for them, because the alternative to it was more brutal by far." 

With these meaningful takeaways in mind, I think that Achebe explaining why European literature exposed them in a vulgar light is possibly the most enlightening part. His reasoning of their work is eye opening as he assesses this behaviour and exposes the inhuman intention of brutish depictions of the African people. At that time they had to justify slavery and did not want it to die out as it provided economic benefit. With more people questioning the labour they separated the races and divided people, this division was through the barbaric descriptions which created the illusion that trade would improve their life. This illusion relinquished guilt left in Europeans who were a part of slave labour, as the one story spread civilisation did not question it as it was the only depiction provided. It put Africans below western society giving them a sense of power and justification, these actions preyed on the different nature of their race exhibiting them as oddities in which need help or are barbaric. In many ways, this literature could have exaggerated racism at that time, furthering stereotypes and beginning the trend of single or one sided stories. The mention of this in the interview further establishes Achebe's intention as his story was a chance to expose the injustices of single stories while providing another light to his people coming from a more "culturally authentic" perspective. 

Blog POst #19: Paper 1

The given text is an extract from “The Ballot or The Bullet” speech by Malcom X in 1964 who was a civil rights activist. It can be considered a political and civil rights speech due to the content and themes presented through common conventions of the text type. X implements a variety of persuasive techniques like rhetoric devices and figurative language as well as manipulating the structure of the speech as a call to action to his fellow African Americans within the U.S.  

His continuous direct language combined with the specific subject establishes a target audience of African Americans within the United States. The extract focuses on black nationalism which institutes the main racial subject of the speech identifying the targeted race. Direct language follows with continuous features of “you” accompanied by “they”, immediately directing his speech while simultaneously dividing the races. This division of races creates an inclusive environment for his intended audience, extending his original intent and purpose.

From the beginning of the speech X makes his motives clear of wanting equality within politics and the society of the United States but, more specifically, he desires his race to fight for this equality. Slogans and context specific language is used in the hopes to ignite a self-responsibility within his ow race. “Black nationalism is a self-help philosophy,” instantly he presents the audience with a political and racial statement which will lead them to political success. This “black nationalism” is aided by “self-help” evoking a sense of responsibility in the audience that is extended by ruling it as a “philosophy” as it is seen as a way of life. Furthermore, emphasis on his purpose of a call to action takes place within the second and third paragraphs as he is seen using logos to provide historical evidence to help his audience envision the power they hold. A power in which is extended by the slogan of “the ballot or the bullet” which gives his community a choice in these racial concerns.  

Malcom X builds his plea throughout the speech utilizing a variety of themes. Many themes present within his speech are colonialism, black nationalism, self-responsibility, societal equality as well as political equality.  Black nationalism is used in the first paragraph as a form of hope that has the ability to empower his ethnicity of any religion, it inspires his audience providing them with the power that has been taken away. He follows this opportunity of a reinstatement of power with the repetitive imagery of sitting which implementing the reoccurring idea of self-help giving them (his audience) the responsibility of expressing black nationalism. This theme of nationalism and equality develops the previously mentioned purpose of the speech and is heightened by the political themes spoken about in the following paragraphs. He uses logos of other colonized countries and their journeys to empowerment to support his point of black nationalism. However, his continuation of political context when discussing second class citizenship combines logos and pathos reiterating the social and political divides within the United States.

Overall, his tone in the speech is quite blunt and objective which leads to a commanding encouragement of his people that is exaggerated by an expression of urgency. Intense direct language allows for him to speak with his race openly placing the blame on their lack of action embedding a sense of guilt. This evoked guilt is manipulated in his commanding and encouraging lines, “Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your thought pattern, you change your attitude. Once you change your attitude, it changes your behavior pattern and then you go on into some action.”  A responsibility is set in while inspiration in his speech aspires his race to act and start “standing”. His urgency extends in the last paragraph as he reissues the slogan of “the ballot or the bullet” throughout. This slogan encourages the audience to take a political stand in this issue as if they continue sitting then they will have no power. These commands continue with the honest discussion of the march revealing how they have been made fools with the repetitive and slandering “you” igniting a sense of deception caused by “he” embodying the white men. Tone choices engages with the target audience forming a bandwagon appeal causing the audience to want to join him with his goals which is heightened by the pathos elements and personal language. His tone implements a serious mood reflected by the themes and content which allows an inspirational atmosphere to spread across the audience.

X employs a variety of persuasive techniques, rhetoric devices and direct language in order to communicate to the audience and impose his call to action. He constantly includes logos in his speech to use evidence to support his main ideas such as the discussion on the colonization of Asia and Africa. These logos devices are then followed by emotional appeals associated with power as a form of pathos to encourage his race to rise. The combination of pathos and logos at the end of the second paragraph exaggerates the power his race has, “… it’ll take black nationalism today to re-move colonialism from the blacks and the minds of 22 million Afro-Americans here in this country.” Statistics are used to visualize their numerical power within the population if they were to accept this black philosophy in their life. His use of African American vernacular aids this argument as he does not shy away from the black philosophy himself displaying the power “you” could have if you changed your philosophy and stood up. Their potential power is further discussed using a metaphor, “…that makes the black community more explosive than all of the atomic bombs the Russians can ever invent.” This figurative language states that if they harness their anger and right than they would be more powerful than any man-made bomb which ignites the audiences purpose in this issue feeding off the previously evoked responsibility.

The execution of the structure of his speech is perhaps what develops his purpose the most.  Manipulation of the structure creatures an identifiable pattern of repetition which allows a buildup of the main ideas and points to heighten the call to action evoking the sense of responsibility in the audience making them want to act. This specific structure consists of him repeating a certain point to lead into a main idea or argument in which dramatizes the overall concept of black nationalism. This use of repetition is prevalent within all the paragraphs but especially noticeable in the first and second. In the first paragraph the consistent use of “change” leads to the empowerment of his audience with their ability to make a change. It is followed by further repetition of “sit” accompanied with imagery which is followed by the encouraging idea of “standing” to fight back. X incorporates the reoccurring phrases “he made” and “you” to spark a fury in his audience furthering their motivation to implement the black nationalism philosophy in their life and follows this repetition, again, with slogan of “the ballot or the bullet.” Which forces the audience to evaluate their course of action in relation to this issue.

Malcom X chose specific literary devices and conventions associated with speeches in order to demand action from audition which consisted mainly of members of his own race. He used black nationalism alongside other political and racial themes in order to evoke a sense of responsibility in his race. This self-responsibility was manipulated using his tone, rhetoric devices and structural patterns to motivate his listeners to take a stance within these racial issues in the United States politically.  He empowered them urging them to take a political stance so that they too could control the governing of their country like their white counterparts. 

Bog Post #18: Practice IOC

This was a mess, let's hope I don't fail the actual IOC.

https://youtu.be/Og0DXsVKFXA 

Blog Post #17: Coriolanus- Power Theme

There are various forms of power present such as physical, emotional, social, relational and political. Political power is one of the main themes as it is a political play, however, it is not the focal, all these powers develop the main theme of power which extends to a hierarchy of power.

Coriolanus strives for this political power as he has obtained military success. Shakespeare makes it clear that he has the physical capability of this position, however, the constant foreshadowing and animal imagery alludes to his tragic flaw being his downfall which is his pride, more thematically, his lack of emotional power. This contradicts hero stories as the protagonist usually remains the pinnacle of power within the journey but throughout the play, he hints that the side characters may have more power. The tribunes take advantage of the people's doubt turning them against the protagonist, Menenius  can persuade the public with his wise ways using his social power. This constant questioning of Coriolanus’ power leads to the epiphany that Volumnia holds the greatest power. She manages to use her relational power over Coriolanus controlling him for much of the play and even when he does rebel she removes emotion to maintain her hierarchy position by sacrificing her son. Volumnia is one of the most powerful figures which contrasts with Shakespeare’s historical context, this is amplified by the plebeians power in the banishment of Coriolanus. He gives those who would be considered unimportant a discrete vital role within the play providing them with a less obvious but plot developing power. This could allude to Shakespeare’s opinion on the role of power.

Blog Post #16: Coriolanus Act 1

What is Shakespeare'slarger purpose in his characterization of Coriolanus in Act I?

Coriolanus has been characterised in a very specific way in the first Act which is vital the development of the main concepts within the play. Shakespeare uses Coriolanus to introduce concepts while establishing certain ideas which will then further be built and uses these discrete ideas to foreshadow to many of the future concepts.

In Act I. Scene I the citizens immediately introduce the hierarchy which is present in that time with their rebellion and many of their chants. This hierarchy divide begins political play that Coriolanus is as it is not exactly a tragedy, this established conflict within the city provides hints about what this rebellion could lead to. Foreshadowing is further implemented by the discussion of Coriolanus's character with citizens saying " Very well, and could be content to give him good report for 't, but that he pays himself with being proud.... he did it to please his mother and to be partly proud." At this point, the audience is sure that the protagonist is Coriolanus but they are introduced to him in a manner which creates a prior opinion of him before he is introduced. The plebians mention his pride a lot which announces another theme in the play but their taunting nature when discussing his pride is what foreshadows to his future downfall caused by his tragic flaw. They also mention his relationship towards his mother which implies that he has the tendencies to be a "mother's boy" which is later developed by her influence in his life.

This scene holds Menenius's body parable which is constantly referenced throughout the play with even Coriolanus using elements of it when he enters. "That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, Make yourself scabs?" Here, Coriolanus reinforces what the citizens have been portraying him with his disrespectful entrance while using the body parable he implies that they are a scab which would be the unwanted sore of the body. The audience now understands what the citizens were talking about and begin to hate Coriolanus as well, however, this is contradicted by the rest of Act I and Menenius's character. Menenius is a foil character as he is the complete opposite of Coriolanus with his calm tone, reason and wise manner. They may be contrasted with each other but both hold a great respect and admiration for one another.

The messenger of this scene is what establishes the first real conflict of this movie which actually leads to the other conflict and sets the story in motion quite early in the play. This future conflict is further foreshadowed by the tribunes which express their hate for Coriolanus in a mocking manner which could stir up trouble.

Skip ahead to Act I. Scene III, where Volumnia and Virgilia are speaking about Coriolanus and the audience begins to hear a contrast in character. They both speak of him so highly in his military role which counteracts the plebians conversation as they discuss his importance to the empire and how successful he is so the audience begins to understand what kind of man he is. This is built by the further alluded godlike figure in which is presented in the rest of the scenes. "Hear me profess sincerely: had I dozen sons, each in my love alike and none less dear than thine and my good Martius, I had rather had eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeits out of action" Volumnia's speech express her involvement in her son's affairs and his political triumphs, implying what influence she may have in the future and how she commands him.

For the rest of the scenes in the play, Coriolanus is characterised further by the battle and political triumphs. From his battle with Aufidius and his interactions with his soldiers, it is obvious that in the military and on the field he is a noble man who even pays his enemy respect and honour. His powerful and dominant energy aspires courage within his troops making them want to fight alongside him. It expresses to the audience exactly how successful he is in his place in the army which is needed in future parts of the play when he is on Aufidious's side so that the audience feels the fear of the Romans during their invasion. Towards the end of the play, they allude to the next main conflict as Coriolanus wants to strive for consul, however, we are already aware of how the citizens dislike him and how the trubnes dislike him which foreshadows to the future problems he will face.

Blog Post #15: bell hooks

After reading bell hooks writings on the English language as an oppressor and her opinions surrounding the topic, we were given the task to look at a text through the lens of one of hook's quotes. I chose a quote which describes how non-standard English may be used as a form of resistance. 

"For in the incorrect usage of words, in the incorrect placement of words, was a spirit of rebellion that claimed language as a site of resistance. Using English in a way that ruptured standard usage and meaning, so that white folks could often not understand black speech, made English into more than the oppressor’s language."

We have looked at a lot of forms of texts that express how black vernacular or incorrect usage of words has been sued as a form of resistance, usually associated with the divide or race. However, an interesting argument or form of language resistance to look at would be the white rapper Eminem as he is white but relates to the black culture more due to his up brining.  His two songs "The way I am" and "Sing for the moment" both demonstrate resistance through the lyrics while using some black vernacular. 

Both songs question why he is criticised so much for his lyrics, vocabulary or actions. He challenges the audience and their judgements with continuous counter arguments while questioning their intent and racial stereotypes. 

The Way I Am:

"And I am whatever you say I am

If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?

In the paper, the news, every day I am

Radio won't even play my jam

‘Cause I am whatever you say I am

If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?

In the paper, the news, every day I am

I don't know, it's just the way I am"

"And I just do not got the patience

To deal with these cocky Caucasians

Who think I'm some wigger who just tries to be black

‘Cause I talk with an accent and grab on my balls

So they always keep asking the same f**** questions

What school did I go to, what hood I grew up in

The why, the who, what, when, the where and the how"

Sing For The Moment: 

"His thoughts are whacked, he's mad so he's talkin' back

Talkin' black, brainwashed from rock and rap

He sags his pants, do-rags and a stocking cap"

"That's why these prosecutors wanna convict me, strictly just to get me off of these streets quickly

But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously, so I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me"

These quotes from both of the songs express the power language in song form has and the public turmoil it may cause. "The way I am" challenges how he is criticised for his AAVE use and how this leads the public to question him and whether he is appropriating the culture. While "sing for the moment" is discussing how his music has the supposed power to cause indecent acts due to its risky or inappropriate nature associated with rap music. 

In both songs vocabulary or grammar associated with AAVE is continuously used which elevates the main themes of the music. In "the way I am" Eminem uses the word "wigger" which is usually associated with a white person trying to emulate the black culture in some way or form. In the quotations I previously chose there are over 5 examples of AAVE.  

"‘Cause" - Informal contraction of 'because'

"I just do not got the patience"-Inappropriate use of negatives in refernce to verbs.

 "talkin'" "listenin'" "signin'" -informal colloquiallism of 'ing'

"wanna" - lack of copula 

These forms of AAVE allow the artist's message or content of his music resonate with the listeners as he does not conform to their ideas, rebelling against the standard English which is commonly associated with his race. This challenges the stereotypes and categorizations surrounding AAVE while questioning how much power language, more specifically music, has among the public. The themes presented are quite contradicting as he uses black vernacular to break down the stereotypes and impact the audience while defending his case that music is powerful but not as powerful as the public makes it seem.

Blog Post #14: Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEP_4db1jk0 

Blog Post #13: Speaking in Tongues

15/01/2017

What did medieval linguist Antonio de Nebrija mean when he told Queen Isabella that: “language is the perfect instrument of empire?” How has language contributed to colonial power? Focus on a specific example.

In my opinion, the linguist Nebrija was discussing how language is the key an empire and was depicting its importance within colonisation. He was giving her advice on how to build powerful territories, in his mind the strongest weapon was their language. Which can be considered quite true if you observe the success of UK's colonisation, at a point, their empire spread across 24% of the earth's surface. A powerful role which was reinforced by their dominating culture and language.

When proceeding to new countries they put in the effort to learn a little of the original language in order to communicate but to gain full control they insisted their own ideas, culture and dialect. This method suppresses the communities language and culture allowing for a slow silencing of the people. Silencing the people through language is subtle but spreads the dominating culture preventing future revolutions and rebellions. It is a cunning form of repression as it gives the natives knowledge of foreign concepts while imprinting the supreme culture. Even after this domination, the culture is left emphasising the empire's power. They have the ability to do this through the teaching which has a severe negative influence on the population. People are promised knowledge through schools, however, these western schools slowly teach the children more about western themes and language brainwashing their sacred mindsets. It is a false idea that leads to the loss of tradition and, more importantly, communication. Which marginalises the original or native populace giving the supreme colonial total control. This control may lead to new rules or regulations being out in place which may in force the teaching of language further which increases the silencing in the community.

Language is an easy way to spread one's culture making it easy to learn about others, however, it has the ability to take away culture through subliminal brainwashing or "white washing".