Practice Paper 1

              Text 1 is a newspaper article titled "Squatters Take On Developers" by Benjamin Shors, published on October 15, 2007.  This text type may be identified through the informative nature of the article. In contrast, Text 2 is an advertisement for a summer cruise published in 1922 for "The Great White Fleet". The persuasive techniques evident within this text are indicative of a typical advertisement. While both texts address the main theme of expansion, they have contrasting purposes and utilize stylistic and structural features in an opposing manner.

             Both texts address audiences of a similar socio-economic status whom may be interested in vacationing in the Caribbean. Text 2 is advertising "Reduced rates for summer cruises" which insinuates that the intended audience is not the truly wealthy nor the lower class but instead the upper middle class. Furthermore, the text emphasizes that the cruises "cost you no more than your annual vacation to seashore or mountains".  Likewise, Text 1 is also addressing an upper middle class audience that possesses an excess of money that is necessary in order to allow them to consider purchasing a home in Panama.  However, taking into consideration the historical context of each text it is clear that the audiences would have different views on the expansion of the tourism industry. While the audience of Text 1 would be able to sympathize with the plight of the native Panama residents, the audience of Text 2 is less likely to be considerate of the ramifications of expansion into the Caribbean. This distinction is due to the time period in which each text was produced and the social considerations that have developed since the publishing of Text 2 in 1922.

            Text 1 and Text 2 have completely different purposes in terms of what they aim to achieve. Text 1 aims to evoke sympathy and reveal a corporate social injustice that is occurring in Panama as a consequence of expansion. This can be deduced by examining the use of the testimonial of Nicasio Jimenez that serves as the introduction to the article and is continually addressed throughout. In contrast, Text 2 is attempting to persuade its target audience to go on a summer cruise thereby contributing to the very industry that served as the cause for the plight highlighted in Text 1. This idea of persuasion stems from the advertisement's use of various persuasive devices and techniques.

            These texts are alike in that they both address the main overarching theme of expansion. However, the texts approach the topic from contrasting perspectives. Text 1 addresses the theme of expansion by informing the audience of the negative consequences it has had to the poor natives of Panama. The author is direct in his approach to the matter as he states  that "The size of the new developments threaten to displace hundreds of low-income island residents", thereby placing emphasis on the negative ramifications of the expansion of the tourism industry into Panama. On the other hand, Text 2 views the idea of expansion into the Caribbean as an exciting opportunity that should be utilized, holding little to no concern about the consequences this may have for the natives. The advertisement lists "Jamaica, Cuba, Panama Canal, Central America, Columbian Ports" as an assortment of opportunities that the audience may visit by booking a cruise with The Great White Fleet.

            Despite a similar theme, the content of Text 1 and Text 2 differs greatly. Text 2 discusses details about the cruises such as the length and the price. It goes on to then inform the audience of why they should go on a cruise by first stating the weather in the different ports and then highlighting certain aspects of the ships such as "Extra large staterooms" and "A cuisine noteworthy for its excellence". At the bottom of the advertisement there is an image of men and women on one of the cruise boats. In contrast, Text 1 begins by telling the story of a 61 year old retired banana pruner and the threat that he facing from foreign investors as "Jimenez's family faces eviction from a Naples developer who claims he bought the property from a third party". The article then goes further by addressing the larger conflict that has arisen due to this clash between native resident and foreign developers.

            Both texts follow the common structure and conventions of their particular text type. Text 1 uses a larger heading "Squatters Take On Developers" as is commonly seen in newspaper articles. It also features nine short paragraphs that are generally concise in order to maintain the attention of the reader. Similarly, Text 2 follows the traditional conventions of an advertisement by featuring a combination of images, text, and headings that are used in order to persuade the audience and to advertise a product.

            However, Text 1 and Text 2 utilize different stylistic and structural features in order to achieve their purpose. Text 1 uses a testimonial in order to give the larger conflict of expansion a more personal feel that the reader may relate to. Furthermore, there is strong use of ethos as the author draws on the reader's sense of ethics in order to convince them that this is a morally and ethically unjust situation. The quote "Developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get the land from the people" insinuates that developers may be going outside of the law to deal with this issue thereby creating a sense of ethical wrongness and playing off the reader's personal morals. Moreover, Text 1 uses descriptive imagery in order to evoke sympathy from the reader by creating a bond between the audience and Nicasio Jimenez. This is seen directly in the introduction as the author describes how Jimenez "built two listing shacks with mangrove beams, a roof of scavenged tin, and rough floor planks that allowed Caribbean breezes and tsetse flies to flit through the cracks". In contrast, Text 2 utilizes a combination of images and persuasive techniques in order to achieve its aim. The image is placed at the bottom of the advertisement in order to allow the reader to visualize themselves as the people in the image. Also, the people in the image are well dressed which creates an association between The Great White Fleet and this idea of wealth and social class. Moreover, "Reduced rates for summer cruises" is in a large bold font of all capital letters in order to catch the attention of the reader and create appeal for the product being sold.

            In conclusion, both Text 1 and Text 2 address the theme of expansion however, Text 2 is promoting the tourism industry that seems to be the cause for the issues raised by Text 1. The texts have contrasting purposes and content but address a somewhat similar audience. Overall, these two texts exemplify a cause and effect relationship that is seen over a period of many decades as Text 1 highlights the negative consequences of the very industry  being promoted in Text 1. 

Read More

Practice Paper 1 Introduction

       Text 1 is a newspaper article titled "Squatters Take On Developers" by Benjamin Shors, published on October 15, 2007.  This text type may be identified through the informative nature of the article. In contrast, Text 2 is an advertisement for a summer cruise published in 1922 for "The Great White Fleet". The persuasive techniques evident within this text are indicative of a typical advertisement. While both texts address the main theme of expansion, they have contrasting purposes and utilize stylistic and structural features in an opposing manner.

Read More

Propaganda

Read More

Deception is just as bad as telling an outright lie

"A lie that is a half-truth is the darkest of all lies." 

-Alfred Tennyson

While there is certainly a distinction between lying and deception, they both produce the same results and are therefore equally bad. Deception involves the manipulation and distortion of that which is known to be true in order to convey the desired message. However, lying is based completely on false information that is then presented as the absolute truth. Looking at the consequences of both, it can be seen that the results are generally the same. Lying and deception result in the public being deceived and left unaware of the truth of the matter.

In class we watched the documentary Control Room, which investigated the media coverage of the 2003 Iraq war. Within the documentary, there was a distinct juxtaposition between the coverage provided by Arab news channel Al Jazeera and the coverage provided by many of the American news organizations concerning the war. While Al Jazeera mainly presented an unbiased coverage of the events, many American news channels did not. Al Jazeera made it clear that the Iraq War came at a price that was being paid with human lives, either soldiers or civilians. In contrast, both America and the UK tended to omit the idea of casualties and instead focused on portraying themselves as the heroes and saviours of the Iraqi people. In order to convey this message, these organizations deceived their audiences as they did not present the full story or all of the necessary facts. In this way, deception is equally as bad as telling a lie as both methods convey a biased and constructed message to the designated audience.

Read More

Where does the truth lie?

"New Yorkers should not be alarmed about contracting the disease"

Craig Spencer (right)  pictured with his fiancee Morgan Dixon (left)

There's been a development in the case of Dr. Craig Spencer of Columbia University, who has tested positive for the Ebola virus in New York after volunteering as a part of Doctors Without Borders in Guinea. It's been revealed that Spencer visited a few locations around the city including the High Line park, a Greenwich Village restaurant in lower Manhattan, and a Brooklyn bowling alley. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio reassured the public that Spencer's trip around the city should not be a concern.

"There is no reason for New Yorkers to be alarmed," the mayor said at a news conference alongside Gov. Andrew Cuomo and medical officials. "We've been preparing for months for the threat of Ebola with clear and strong protocols that were scrupulously followed in this instance." Ebola is only spread through bodily fluids and not as easy to transmit as one might think. Heat kills it, it doesn't survive being dried out, and it doesn't travel through the air. Also, it doesn't appear to stick to surfaces very well. 

Furthermore, Ebola patients cannot infect others before they themselves show symptoms of the virus. Spencer only reported having symptoms the day after his city excursion and therefore the risk factor for the New York public is almost non-existent. Seeing as Ebola may not be spread through casual contact, New Yorkers may rest assured that they are not at risk of contracting the Ebola virus. The city health commissioner, Mary Travis Bassett, said that there was no danger to anyone in public places or on the transit system. He began feeling tired on Tuesday, but his first actual symptoms - a fever - didn't appear until Thursday between 10 and 11 a.m. ET, she said. 

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/10/29/new-york-city-doctor-with-ebola-reportedly-lied-about-his-movements-in-city.html

Read More

Moons of Jupiter Practice IOC

Click here to access my IOC

Read More

Boys and Girls Practice IOC

Click here to access my IOC

Read More

This is Water

In his essay This is Water,  David Foster Wallace suggests that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic. He goes on to develop this thesis by describing the dreary routines that many university graduates will soon become familiar with. He brings up a significant idea which is that during this routine of monotony we make the assumption the world is simply revolving around us as individuals. In our day to day lives we often fail to acknowledge the fact that every person we come in contact with is experiencing the world in a much different way than we are and it can be hard to comprehend and take into consideration that they have a life beyond what we see. We only come into contact with a few seconds or minutes of their life and in this minuscule amount of time we make full assumptions about their entire existence. Wallace suggests that this way of viewing the world is simply our default setting and as humans we often fall prey to the easy route it offers us. However, we have the option to deviate from this default setting and instead be truly conscious of our surroundings and therefore be more empathetic.

In his speech Wallace also brings up an interesting example of a women whom we silently throw insults at in a grocery store line but is actually someone who has helped us or may help us in the future. While Wallace notes that this scenario is improbable he also states that it is not entirely impossible, reminding us that we must be able to view the world and our surroundings as a whole instead of simply viewing the world from our narrow one-minded perspective.

Our inquiry question for this unit is "How can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence?". The theory presented by Wallace relates to this question in a variety of ways. Focusing on one aspect of the question, This is Water brings up many ways in which we may become more empathetic in our everyday lives. Literature equips us with the skill of being able to relate and empathize with the experiences of others. However, this skill is wasted unless we are also able to take the extra step following Wallace's advise and turn off our default setting. Empathy is an essential tool in our lives and therefore it's important to develop our ability to empathize with other people who may be experiencing the world completely separate from our own experiences. In conclusion, while literature may help us develop our empathy in the end it comes down to the fact that we must make the conscious decision to be considerate of the lives and experiences of others beyond what we are able to observe.

Read More

Munro Literature Reflection

What is the purpose and benefit of the study of literature?

In my opinion, we study literature because it has implications in our everyday life whether we're aware of it or not. Literature allows us to experience the world from a variety of viewpoints other than our own which can allow us to become more open towards the world around us. Literature can also improve our communication skills and greatly enhance our vocabulary, enabling us to write in a more sophisticated manner.

What is women’s literature and what is the value in studying it?

Women's literature is a sub-category of literature written by female authors that is focused solely on women and their experiences. Women's literature is about giving a voice to a group of people who once faced great oppression and where therefore unable to communicate their stories. This genre tends to expose deeply rooted societal issues involving women through personal stories. It's important to study this genre as it helps us understand the oppression that many women felt and still do feel in today's society.

Although she does not identify as a feminist writer, how has Munro’s work contributed to gender equality?

While Munro may not identify as a feminist writer, her work has contributed to gender equality as it often focuses on female protagonists and the struggles they face in society. In an interview, Munro discusses how she doesn't actually mind doing housework however, she disagrees with the fact that it was expected of her to stay at home and clean the house. This defiance of gender roles and unfair societal expectations often comes up in Munro's writing therefore contributing to the idea that women should not be confined to simple housework.

What do you enjoy most about the content of Munro’s work and what impact has it had on you?

While reading the short stories, I found Munro's plot style to be quite intriguing and effective. I thought it was  interesting how her plots are far from linear as this definitely made the stories more interesting to read. For example, the short story Passion begins with the character visiting a small town and commenting on how its changed. From this point in the story we go back to the beginning in order to discover how it is that this character came to be in this place. Another aspect of her style that I particularly enjoyed was that Munro didn't feel the need to make everything a happy ending. Many authors often feel like they must end a story with a happily ever after however, in Runaway we are left with the foreshadowing that Clarke would end up killing Carla. The way in which Munro embraces the true nature of the world enhances her writing and gives it some sense of realism.

Read More

Summer Blog Post #2

During my stay in Paris this summer we decided to meet up with a friend of my brother who lived in the city. My brother had met her in America during one of her stays in the country as a foreign exchange student. So, after setting up as meeting place and time we set off on the metro to meet Alex.  Once we spotted her we went through quick introductions and then began our stroll along the Champs-Élysées. After doing some window shopping we decided that a Starbucks break was exactly what we needed to power through the rest of the day. Now this is where it gets a bit interesting. My family began placing their drink orders in English of course which was fine as the barista seemed to be quite fluent. When it came time for Alex to place her order she spoke in French to the barista. However, the barista replied and kept speaking to her in English. After repeatedly attempting to speak French to the barista and having him reply in English, Alex finally asked "Do you not speak French?". The barista replied that yes he did speak French and then it dawned on him that Alex was actually a native French speaker, not just some tourist wannabe.

Now this is a prime example of how we code switch according to our appraisal of a situation. The barista realized that we most likely did not speak French and therefore he switched to the common language of English in order to communicate with us in a more efficient manner. This ability to code switch is highly important in today's society. We often find ourselves having to alter our speech in accordance with who we're conversing with. However, as seen in this case we can sometimes make mistakes when making assumptions about people. Overall, I found it interesting how the barista was able to make assumptions in order to be more accommodating in this scenario.  

Read More

Summer Blog Post #1

Let's face it, nobody wants to be in Abu Dhabi during the summer. It's a hot mess and anyone who has been there during that hellish time of year can attest to that. So like a proper UAE resident I fled the heat and headed for a climate more suitable for actual human beings. After a couple flights and a short stop in Rome I found myself in The City of Light, also known as Paris. Despite having been to France multiple times I never seemed to make it to Paris. I had a tendency to stay in the mountains or on the sunny beaches, so this was my first glimpse of the city.

As we began our descent I kept my eyes glued to the landscape that was rapidly passing by. After mistaking three distant radio towers as the Eiffel Tower, I began to grow impatient at the seemingly never ending landing. Finally I felt the wheels meet the ground and breathed a quick sigh of relief. I walked away from the baggage carousel with all of my luggage and I said a quick thank you to the god of airports for keeping my bags safe and then hopped in a cab to head to the hotel.


Now one thing they never tell you in movies or books is that sunset in Paris seems to be running a bit behind. I stepped out of my hotel and had to do a quick double take at the sky and then at my phone. My phone told me it was about 9:30 p.m. but the sky was telling me a completely different story. It was deceivingly bright out and could have been mistaken for 7:30 p.m. back home in Abu Dhabi. As I sat in a restaurant eating  dinner and listening to a French man butcher Nirvana karaoke, I realized that I was beginning to fall in love with this strange city.

Read More

How To Write About Americans

When writing about America there's a couple things you need to do to ensure your writing is successful. First, you need to remember that America is large country and therefore its essential that you generalize all your ideas and view all the people as the same. Who cares that there's fifty states I mean they're all pretty much the same anyway right? It's important to ignore the varying cultures as there's no way you could possibly write about the culture of Hawaii and Texas in the same article. Its better if you just treat everything as a general "America".

If you feel like including an image, try and find a picture of the most obese couple you can find. It's a bonus if they're wearing unfashionable clothes and obnoxious white sneakers.

Now you need to highlight one of the main aspects of American culture: obesity. If you hadn't noticed, everyone in America is obese. Everyone.  If someone isn't obese yet they're definitely on their way, gaining a pound with every bite they take from their BigMac. Ah yes, the glorious BigMac. You need to emphasize the way in which Americans treat any McDonald's as a shrine to God. It's good if you describe in depth the way that those golden arches make any Americans eyes instantly light up with desire and cravings which are never satisfied.

The Redneck is the only type of American and any character variation besides this must be ignored because there's no way a country as small as the United States could have variety among the population. Now, if your story takes place anywhere remotely southern then your character must be a redneck. When writing dialogue for the redneck, you can never use the word "Y'all" too much. Of course, your redneck needs something to drive on all those country back roads so they should own at least one pickup truck, if not two. Now The Redneck idolizes one thing above all others: freedom. If your character ever feels that their freedom is being violated then they have the right to respond with an argument that makes absolutely no sense. Who cares about the increasing homicide rate? Your character deserves a gun and nothing will stop them from exercising their Second Amendment. How can you expect your character to hunt or defend his freedom without a gun? The Redneck is almost always uneducated but it's important to remember that this isn't their fault. There's no way they could go to school when they had to spend all their time working on the family farm. However, when working on a farm all day your character tends to use a lot of energy so it's important that they maintain a healthy and balanced diet of beer and more beer as this will provide them the energy they need during the day.

The final thing to remember when writing about Americans is their national pride. In America every day is the 4th of July and if your character isn't flying the American flag how can you be absolutely sure they're even American? They should also sing the national anthem every day as this shows the pride and dedication to their country. If you follow all of these tips then you should end up with a true American.

Read More

Paper Two Practice

Show how and to what effect Achebe makes use of myth, legend or other stories and tales.

In Things Fall Apart,  Achebe includes many Igbo myths and folk tales such as the story of the cunning Tortoise and..... Achebe includes these stories as they illustrate many key values of the Igbo culture and also give warnings about the consequences of not following these ideals. As in many cultures, these folk tales highlight cultural ideals as they are often passed down through storytelling and allow these values and ideals to be ingrained in the minds of younger children who will then eventually pass them down to their children. Achebe incorporates these stories effortlessly into the novel which allows the novel to retain its authenticity while simultaneously giving the reader valuable insight in the Igbo culture.

One of the longer stories within the novel is that of the cunning Tortoise. We see this story being told by Ekwefi in chapter twelve of the novel as Okonkwo's wives and children sit in their huts listening to folktales. In this particular folktale, Tortoise convinces the birds to give him feathers so that he may join them for a grand feast in the sky. However, once they arrive Tortoise tricks the birds and ends up eating all the food, leaving only scraps for the birds. Out of anger, the birds take back the feathers they had loaned Tortoise and leave him stranded in the sky. The Parrot then tricks Tortoise and tells the wife of Tortoise to put out all the hard objects instead of the soft objects. Tortoise then jumps and lands on all the hard objects which causes his shell to break into pieces which are then put back together by a medicine man, providing an explanation for why the shells of tortoises are uneven. This story highlights many of the main values of the Igbo culture. This particular folktale is a good example of how the Igbo people value transparency in the community. Tortoise deceives the birds and lies to them however as we see later in the story this greatly backfires on him. This demonstrates to the reader that the Igbo culture holds transparency in high esteem and not living a transparent lifestyle can result in consequences.

Achebe also finds a way to communicate and incorporate these ideals within the novel by including mentions of other stories. Instead of telling the whole story as in the case of the Tortoise story, Achebe inserts one or two sentences describing a story which highlight the main idea of the tale. For example, when Okonkwo breaks the Week of Peace "They called him the little bird Nza who so far forgot himself after a heavy meal that he challenged his chi." This story warns about letting your success go to your head as this could cause you to do unwise things. Besides this one tale, Achebe includes many other stories such as the one of Eneke the bird which says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching. This tale demonstrates the idea which is highly prevalent in the novel and is contrasted by the character of Okonkwo. Eneke represents the idea that one cannot remain stagnant but must learn to adapt and change along with its environment. However, Okonkwo contrasts this idea as he is unable to realize that his actions must change due to the presence of the white men. In this sense Achebe is using a story to give contrast with one of the characters.

In conclusion, Achebe utilizes a variety of folktales and stories in order to highlight some of the main values and ideals of the Igbo culture. These tales also lend the novel a sense of authenticity which therefore enriches the content of the story.

Read More

Obierika Memoir

I should have known that the intentions of the white men were not entirely true...They arrived in Umofia with their silly  religion and like fools we allowed them to stay. We underestimated them and that was the first step leading towards our ultimate demise. How we were unable to see their true agenda is still unknown to me. They were smart and their moves were strategic. By converting people to their faith they were able to effectively tear us in two. We no longer faced them as a unified front and this made opposing them that much harder. It is much easier to fight an enemy unknown to you however, when the enemy begins to be the familiar faces of our brothers there's no point in fighting as we have already lost the most important battle. Perhaps if we had fought back harder in the early stages they might have withdrew from our land and left our people alone. Okonkwo was a fool in the end but he was right in his recognition of  the white men as a true threat to our way of life. Oh how easily they stripped us of our power and bent us into submission through their promises of religion and education for our sons and daughters. What we didn't realize was that this education they were offering was simply to shape and form us into mere cogs in the machine of colonization, giving us jobs which only served them and their causes. Things fell apart in Umofia and we only realized this when it was too late and our fate became inevitable.

Read More

Paper Two Practice

 Discuss the significance of social status in Things Fall Apart, and comment on its contribution to characterization.

The novel Things Fall Apart offers an exclusive insight into the world and lives of the Igbo people which highlights the values and significant aspects of their culture. One of the main aspects which is emphasized in the story is social status and the role it has within their society. Throughout the story there is a constant reminder of social status and we see how this becomes relevant when looking at how this aspect of the culture plays a large role in shaping the character of Okonkwo. Social status is usually representative of the amount of titles a man has taken in his lifetime. A man must be very successful in order to take many titles and therefore these individuals are highly respected in the community. Contrasting with this, a man who has taken very few or no titles is considered very lazy and unsuccessful. Another name for a man who has taken no titles in his lifetime is agbala which is a word meaning "woman". In the Igbo society, the amount of titles a man possesses influences how the other members of the clan treat him and the amount of influence he holds in matters involving the clan such as whether to go to war or not.

Okonkwo's ambition to be respected and recognized by his clansmen is driven by his fear of not wanting to end up as a failure like his father who claimed no titles within his lifetime. He is strongly aware his social status and that of those around him and this affects his actions. One example of his awareness of status is during a meeting when a man begins to speak but is quickly silenced by Okonkwo who makes it very clear that since the man has no titles, he does not have a say in the conversation. As stated before Okonkwo is driven by his ambition and it is very clear that he takes great pride in his status among the clan members. This obsession with his social status and power ultimately contributed to his demise. After Okonkwo's gun explodes and he's forced into exile for seven years his main focus is still on his social status. As punishment for his crimes, the clan must burn down Okonkwo's property and kill his livestock in order to appease the earth goddess. This sets Okonkwo back many years and prevents him from gaining the highest title in the clan as he will have to rebuild his entire life and gain back the respect of the clan. During the seven years he's continually making plans for his return in order to once regain his place among the clan. When he finally does make his return he's disappointed to discover that it does not quite have the impact he hoped. He rejoins the clan but does not hold the same status and respect that he once had. In order to regain the status he lost he tries to show his dominance and masculinity however this only leads to the clan losing even more respect for him as they no longer agree with his overly-aggressive attitude and way of life. At the end of the book Okonkwo kills the messenger but soon realizes that his clansmen no longer agree with him and do not view his actions as wise and this lowering of social status and respect brings him to the realization of his downfall. In conclusion, Okonkwo's obsession with social status along with his fear of ending up like his title-less father drives him to be overly-ambitious and aggressive and plays a key role in shaping his character and actions.

Read More

Okonkwo Character Analysis

As the main character of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo has a key role in developing not only the plot but also the themes of the story. The themes of change vs. tradition and fate vs. free will are mainly based around Okonkwo and the audience sees them play out over the course of the story. In the beginning of the story, all of Okonkwo's success is attributed to his will. He takes credit for all of his good fortune and says that it is a result of his own hard work and cannot simply be attributed to good luck. However, as things begin to fall apart around Okonkwo he no longer takes responsibility for what is happening to him. It was originally stated that "Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed." however we later see a reversal of this when Achebe says "Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation.".

As mentioned previously, the novel is strongly centered around the theme of change vs. tradition. Okonkwo is a true symbol of tradition that refuses to bend to change despite the immense pressure he is put under. Okonkwo refuses to adapt to his changing environment and is strongly against any form of change to his current lifestyle.While this idea of conserving traditional practices is good, Okonkwo fails to realize that change is inevitable and this eventually leads to his downfall within the novel. 

Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart in order to give the world a more accurate portrayal of Africa that they had not yet seen. However, he made the choice to not present the Igbo culture as a utopia and rightly so. While he wanted to portray the culture in a better light than it had been previously, he also wanted to show that the Igbo culture has its flaws as well. If he presented Okonkwo as an unbelievable man with absolutely no flaws then that would make the rest of his story less believable as well. By establishing Okonkwo as a tragic hero he makes the statement that while the Igbo culture is no utopia, it still has its values and should be respected.

In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's purpose is to drive the plot and themes that are present within the novel. He shows how tradition is often reluctant to accept change and that in the end tradition often loses. Overall, Okonkwo is a representation of any native who was resistant to the oppressive colonization in Africa.  

Read More

Most Meaningful Takeaway: Chinua Achebe Interview

The other day, we had an in-class discussion on an interview with Chinua Achebe. I think the part of the discussion that I found most interesting was when we talked about the representation of Africa in the media. Achebe was inspired to write Things Fall Apart after reading all the western authors' portrayal of Africa and the many African cultures. Achebe believes that these authors portrayed Africa this way in order to justify the slave trade as some people were beginning to question the practice. However, we discussed that this negative portrayal of Africa might not have been completely on purpose. Instead we brought up the idea that these authors simply lacked an understanding of the African cultures and people and therefore could not see the true complexity. This may have lead to them simplifying things that they could not fully understand and in turn lead to their highly simplistic and negative portrayal of Africa. I found this part of the discussion interesting because in the interview Achebe was strongly opinionated on the matter that this portrayal of Africa was simply aimed to justify the slave trade so it was intriguing to explore a different way of seeing things that was not included in the interview.

Read More

Practice Paper One: Political Speech

The text I am analyzing is Barack Obama's key note address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention which can be found here:

               This text can be identified as a political speech as it contains many typical features of a speech such as persuasion, rhetorical devices, and an extensive use of ethos, pathos, and logos. These distinct features along with fact that it's directly addressing an audience means that this text can indeed by identified as a political speech.

               Without clear context, the target audience of this text can be found by looking at clues within the text to give us an idea of who this speech is aimed at. The line " And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, I say to you tonight: We have more work to do" gives us many hints as to the audience. The author is directly addressing Americans but goes on to identify different political parties which leads us to the assumption that this is most likely directed to voters in America. Also, in the line " let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention" we see that the author is addressing a political convention of some sort. Taking into consideration the audience, the purpose of this speech is mainly to persuade the audience to vote for a certain presidential candidate. This can clearly be seen towards the end of the speech when the author says "I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.".  This shows that the author is trying to persuade the audience to vote for John Kerry and John Edwards by convincing them that these candidates are the better than other candidates.

               The author begins by telling the history of his family and how he came to be in the position of authority that he resides in now. They go on to talk about America and it is clear that they hold it in very high esteem however they then point out the struggles that some Americans are facing at the time. The author then introduces the political candidate that he is trying to convince the audience to vote for and he goes on to discuss John Kerry's values and beliefs as a presidential candidate. At the end of the speech the author urges the audience to vote for John Kerry in the presidential elections. The main idea of this speech is that the people of America should vote for John Kerry because he is a patriotic man who knows what is best for his country and will also do whatever he can to help the people of America. The author has "no doubt that...the people will rise up...and John Kerry will be sworn in as President." and believes that "this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.".

               The tone of this speech is informative, instructional, and hopeful. The author uses many stories and instances to inform the audience of the reasons why they should vote for John Kerry and also the problems facing America. The tone is slightly instructional when he tells the audience that they should go and vote for Kerry and Edwards. However, his tone is also hopeful as he expresses his hope that the people of America will answer this call to action. The author creates a mood of unification in the speech. He removes any barriers such a race or political party in order to unify the audience and address them together as one people. This is clearly seen when the author states that "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America.". In these two sentences he creates a potent mood of unification among the audience and the people of America.

               Seeing as this text is a political speech, the author utilizes many rhetorical devices in order to make the speech effective. Pathos is used to help the author connect with the audience. To achieve this the author tells stories of people he has met such as "the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay 4500 dollars a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on". This statement and others like it appeal to the emotions of the audience. The author also uses ethos when he discusses the core American beliefs, values, and ideals and attempts to establish John Kerry as the embodiment of these beliefs. There are also many examples of anaphora within the text such as the repetition of "John Kerry believes in". This repetition is used to emphasize the beliefs of the candidate and  point out the main ideas. The author's use of symploce in order to connect and identify with the audience is seen when he says " if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do". Metaphor is used to effectively sum up the author's hope for America when he says  "out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come". This extensive use of rhetorical devices helps create emphasis on certain key ideas within the speech and also works to further persuade the audience of what the author is saying.

               In conclusion, this text is a speech due to its heavy use of rhetorical devices and the fact that it's trying to persuade the audience to do or believe something. This target audience of this speech is clearly American voters and it calls them to take action and vote for a certain political candidate. The author's utilization of rhetorical devices along with the persuasive nature of the text creates a strong a well-focused speech.

Read More

The Tempest Practice Individual Oral Commentary

Find the audio here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIU1hmKa_pc

Act 5 Scene 1 (Lines 1-32)

Enter PROSPERO in his magic robes, and ARIEL.

      PROSPERO 

  1   Now does my project gather to a head:

  2   My charms crack not; my spirits obey; and time

  3   Goes upright with his carriage. How's the day?

      ARIEL 

  4   On the sixth hour; at which time, my lord,

  5   You said our work should cease.

      PROSPERO 

  5                                                     I did say so,

  6   When first I raised the tempest. Say, my spirit,

  7   How fares the king and's followers?

      ARIEL 

  7                                                             Confined together

  8   In the same fashion as you gave in charge,

  9   Just as you left them; all prisoners, sir,

 10   In the line-grove which weather-fends your cell;

 11   They cannot budge till your release. The king,

 12   His brother and yours, abide all three distracted

 13   And the remainder mourning over them,

 14   Brimful of sorrow and dismay; but chiefly

 15   Him that you term'd, sir, 'The good old lord Gonzalo;'

 16   His tears run down his beard, like winter's drops

 17   From eaves of reeds. Your charm so strongly works 'em

 18   That if you now beheld them, your affections

 19   Would become tender.

      PROSPERO 

 19                                       Dost thou think so, spirit?

      ARIEL 

 20   Mine would, sir, were I human.

      PROSPERO 

 20                                               And mine shall.

 21   Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling

 22   Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,

 23   One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,

 24   Passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art?

 25   Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,

 26   Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury

 27   Do I take part: the rarer action is

 28   In virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent,

 29   The sole drift of my purpose doth extend

 30   Not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel:

 31   My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore,

 32   And they shall be themselves.

      ARIEL 

 32                                                   I'll fetch them, sir.

           Exit. 

Read More

Most Meaningful Takeaway

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

"So if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language"

     This quote from How to Tame a Wild Tongue offers valuable insight into how the author views her language. The author goes on to elaborate on just how close her language and identity are linked. She says that she can not take pride in herself when she can not also take pride in her language and this is due to the fact that in her life when she is surrounded by so many linguistic influences, her language really is a key part of her identity and who she is. Previously the author felt ashamed of her language and its seemingly illegitimate nature however she comes to realize firstly that if she cant accept her language then she cant accept herself but also she realizes that she needs to accept herself before others will accept her and her language. I found this concept quite interesting as it discusses a sense of self-empowerment through language. By accepting her language the author in turn empowers herself which shows the link between language and power on a more personal and smaller scale than what we have previously looked at.

Woman Warrior

What I found most interesting in this excerpt was the stark contrast that the author presents when she describes the two different schools that the children attend. In the English school the Chinese girls were always silent except for when they had to speak. However, after English school is finished the scene drastically changes as they switch to the Chinese school. The girls who were silent in the American school became quite vocal when placed in familiar surroundings. The sense of order belonging to the American school gives way to the slightly chaotic world of the Chinese school. This contrast serves to show the power can shift based on the context. In the American school, the Chinese girls are the outsiders who are often excluded due to their quite nature. However, when it comes time for Chinese school these girls are no longer outsiders but instead are placed in an environment in which they feel a sense of belonging. This is an example of the link between language, power, and context.

Read More

Linguistic Imperialism

Where do we see evidence of linguistic imperialism in the Anglophone world?

Linguistic imperialism is the transfer of a dominant language to other people. This transfer can occur any many different ways and poses a threat to many endangered languages and in turn cultures around the world. One example of linguistic imperialism in the Anglophone world is in the case of pop culture. Pop culture is nearly universal and is also predominantly communicated in English. English is rapidly becoming the dominant language and pop culture plays are large role in this. From songs to movies and television shows English is constantly being spread across the globe. This mainstream media is an important tool in defining what is the norm. This has a particularly large impact on today's youth as they are very susceptible to outside influences. Many kids are trying to conform to these mainstream norms , in this case, speaking English being the norm. As pop culture defines what is considered cool or popular this sends the message that in order to keep up with the times and stay modern and hip you need to know English. It is particularly dangerous that pop culture mostly targets youth as this leaves languages vulnerable. If the youth stop speaking the language then it is only a short amount of time before the language goes extinct. Pop culture gives English a certain sense of power through the way it is depicted and this is why it remains one of the more dominant and universal languages.

Read More

Text 2 Analysis

This text titled "Food Crisis in Sahel" is an article published on the Oxfam website in December 2011 which discusses the impending food crises in Sahel. The author utilized a very popular technique among articles which is to begin the article with a brief summary of what the article will actually be about. While this piece is meant to be informative for its audience there is also no denying the underlying advertising nature of this article. The author is trying to inform the audience of the food crisis in Sahel and what is being done to help but at the same time they are also trying to persuade the audience to donate to the Oxfam organization. This text is intended for those who are interested in this crisis and would like to aid Oxfam in their efforts therefore the audience is most likely adults or perhaps even teenagers. No gender is specifically targeted in the article therefore the audience is quite broad. The language used in the article is not too formal and therefore is easy for anyone to understand.

The first thing you see when looking at this article is the picture at the top which shows an African man riding a donkey and leading goats in what appears to be a very dry and barren environment. This helps give the audience an image to associate with the crisis and the people Oxfam is helping. The article then starts by summarizing the topic and source of the problem. It explains what the situation is in Sahel and what Oxfam is doing to help and utilizes many numbers and statistics to bolster the arguments and facts presented.

The tone of this article is very serious as the author is discussing a serious issue concerning peoples' lives. However in some places in the article the tone shifts from serious to hopeful for example, "We hope to reach one million people across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger with humanitarian aid". The author uses a lot of facts and figures however they balance this out by also appealing to emotion. As mentioned before the language used in the article is formal yet not overly academic which allows Oxfam to remain professional but still reach a broad audience. The overall tone is serious with an underlying sense of encouragement and persuasion as the author is not only trying to inform but also to persuade the audience.

The structure used by the author is very typical for articles. The articles begins with an image and then text is placed underneath. This text is then divided into three sections by subheadings which are marked by bold text. The image gives the audience a face to visualize when discussing this matter. This image is also an appeal to the emotions of the audience and this image along with the text creates a persuasive effect. A quote in large green font is featured at the beginning of the article which addresses Oxfam's point of view on the topic being discussed. There is no use of personal pronouns as the article is meant to be professional. Oxfam's stance on the topic is considered ideological as it is based on general morals and the idea of helping others who are in need. 

Read More