Benjamin Whorf once stated, “Language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one’s perception of reality” (Kilgour). This statement could not be more exact. Language is one of the main factors determining how we feel, how we see the world, and how we learn. Without language there would be no education. It is the most effective form of communication in a society and it is responsible for informing, teaching, and persuading. The action of creating thoughts, memories, opinions, and feelings is entirely based on the use of language. George Orwell, the author of the story “Animal Farm”, focuses on the use of language in relationship to education and political control. Readers are brought through the beginning stages and collapse of a revolution. George Orwell emphasizes the use of language in education and in the process of a revolution. Language plays a large role in the beginning stages of the revolution, but plays a large role in the fall as well. This essay will examine the general importance of language in education and revolution, the relationship between language and learning how to think, and also the relationship between language and learning what to think, both of which create the growth and fall of revolution as George Orwell shows in this story.
Language is a vital tool in education. Whether the goal is to inform or persuade, language is the key factor in order to do so. In regards to a revolution, it begins with education. The subjects creating the revolution must be educated and informed in the realities of their surroundings. The subjects must be able to create opinions and create a view of their current world. With this common displease in their current world, common unimpressed opinions and passion for change, a r...
... middle of paper ...
...the education be for the good of teaching and learning how to think, analyze, participate and question, or if the education is for the worse of manipulation, control and power, language is the key tool. Without language, there would be no learning, growing or educating. Language shapes our thoughts, our cultures, our histories and who we are as individuals. Without language, there would be no ties holding societies together and as George Orwell has shown in the story “Animal Farm”, without language society will fall apart.
References
Ibhawaegbele, F.O., and G.I. Omo-ojugo. "Language of Politics in George Orwell's Animal Farm." (2007): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar 2011.
Kilgour, D. "The Importance of Language." David Kilgour. N.p., 3/10/2011. Web. 23 Mar 2011. .
Orwell, G. Animal Farm. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2008. Print.
Language is a tool used by all of humanity, with the ability to express the emotions and thoughts of people worldwide. “Animal Farm” by George Orwell focuses on three pigs that go by the names of; Napoleon, Squealer and Snowball. These three take command of the farm they reside on after overthrowing their human master freeing them and the other animals on the farm. After the expulsion of Snowball later on in the story, Napoleon declares himself leader of the farm. In order to secure a life of luxury for Napoleon and his fellow pigs, Napoleon (with Squealer as his spokesman) uses language that distorts the truth, language that intimidates, and language that appeals to the emotions of others to manipulate the gullible animals of Animal Farm.
Throughout the span of the past few weeks I have traversed the globe, visiting several countries and regions, only to realize that although new methods develop, language as a way of expressing ones self has remained the most effective. Despite this fact, language still has its pitfalls. Neil Postman, in his essay “Defending Against the Indefensible,'; outlines seven concepts that can be used to aid a student in better understanding the language as a means of communication. He describes how modern teaching methods leave a student vulnerable to the “prejudices of their elders';, further stating that a good teacher must always be skeptical. He urges teachers of all subjects to break free from traditional teachings as well as “linguistical tyranny';
The prehistoric times stand evidence to the power of language as a tool for communication and growth. Language has proven to be an effective medium and factor surrounding the evolution of man. Language has played a big role in the development of individuals and societies. What is spoken and/or written, help in the initiation of imagination, expression of feelings, and conveyance of thoughts and ideas.
Williams, Rhodri. Orwell’s Political Messages in Animal Farm, Homage to Catalonia and Nineteen Eighty-Four. 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 .
One of the most essential ways in which feelings are expressed by humans is through language. Without language people are merely robotic figures that can not express their thoughts because language is in fact thought. When this speech is taken away through complete governmental power, a portion of human nature is also taken away. In 1984, due to totalitarianism, language has begun to transform into a poor representation of humanity and natural human expression. Orwell states, “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” In the novel, a new language, Newspeak, has emerged. Newspeak has drastically limited the vocabulary of the English language
George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter, Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed.
When visiting just about any school across America, students who attend come from all over the globe. This raises the question across America about bilingual education. This can create many challenges in and out of the classroom. The classroom should be a safe place for all students regardless of what native language they speak. In the essay Lost in translation written by Eva Hoffman, describes a foreign student who tries hard to fit in. Instead, Eva begins to feel angry, hurt and confused because people laugh at her. In Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education by Elizabeth R. Howard, Julie Sugarman, Donna Christian Center for Applied Linguistics Kathryn J. Lindholm-Leary San José State University David Rogers Dual Language Education of New Mexico. Guiding principles gives great ideas to educators to stop kids from making other students feel the way that Eva felt. After reading several articles about bilingual education, it is evident that all children in school should learn English but never lose their native language. When all the students speak one language, students will be less likely to make fun of each other. A good educator should learn enough foreign languages to aid them in effective communication in their classroom although; if an educator does not speak a foreign language, they should recruit within the classroom students to be peer mentors. However, a teacher should be willing to listen and encourage the students. Above all a good educator should be a good role model to their students by respecting their heritage and their language.
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” George Orwell: Critical Essays. London: Harvill Secker: 2009. 270-286. Print.
Throughout Animal Farm, George Orwell stresses the importance of thinking for oneself and always questioning the authority, especially in the face of the myriads of propaganda tactics that are constantly used. In this modern day and age, propaganda techniques continue to flourish amongst the governments of the world, ensuring that one must always be on their guard against tactics such as revisionist history, black-white fallacy, and scapegoating. Only those who do not fear to question can ever be truly free to think their own thoughts.
The Use of Language in Animal Farm Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory in which animals are personified to represent the struggles and conflicts of the Russian Revolution. The main point emphasizes in the novel is that language is a powerful tool, which can be used to manipulate and control people in order to bring about change, whether big or small. In the story the pigs govern everything that happens, whether it is something as miner as eating a meal, or something as major and important as fighting a strategic battle. Napoleon, the foreman, or leader of the pigs is the most powerful of them all. Napoleon and his “side kick”, Squealer, abused the powers of language to manipulate the animals of the farm into thinking that the farm was a beautiful society flourishing with life and freedom, when in fact, it was quite the opposite.
If a seven year old read Animal Farm he/she would have thought that it is a sad story about a farm in England. If an older person reads it however, he/she realizes that this story has much more meaning to it. The story is filled with themes that help us understand the world around us. In this essay I am going to talk about four themes that Orwell discussed in this story. They are power, totemism, coercion, and violence. Power leads to absolute power, the job of totemism is to keep the people loyal, and after that doesn't work coercion comes in effect by using violence.
Primary schools that introduce language learning at an earlier phase may do so for a number of purposes, but it is because of the benefits of learning a language at a younger age that this paper has chosen Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as its target scheme of work. For the purpose of this assignment the focus language will be French (but the strategies to be discussed will apply to any MFL). The ideas within the scheme of work will be critically discussed as part of university experience, school practice and relevant research.
Language is a part of our everyday lives, and we can describe the meaning of language in many ways. As suggested in Gee and Hayes (2011, p.6 ) people can view language as something in our minds or something existing in our world in the form of speech, audio recordings, and writings or we can view language as a way of communicating with a group of people. Language can be used to express our emotions, make sense of our mental and abstract thoughts and assists us in communicating with others around us. Language is of vital importance for children to enable them to succeed in school and everyday life. Everyone uses both oral and written language. Language developed as a common ability amongst human beings with the change
In the animal farm all the animals got together to start a rebel to build up a perfect society. Finally it comes to a totalitarian night mare in which every human rebellion finally achieved. Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is not a story which presents an imaginary story where animals talk and act as humans. But it is a story which reflects the human society where the rebellions and wars which took place, taking place and in future too will take place starts with the dream of a perfect Utopia and ends in a totalitarianism nightmare.
... In the end, George Orwell’s dark brooding fairy tale Animal Farm proves to be a symbolic and understanding book. In its pages we can see the contrast between a supposedly communistic state where everyone is equal and the same, and how in the end it only leads to a total dictatorial establishment of totalitarianism, where everything is controlled by an elite group. Though Animal Farm was established with the idea of every animal being equal, in the end, the voice of the scheming pigs was the only one heard. Secondly, the book powerfully symbolizes key figures that have appeared in history.