Jesus Martinez
Living in a world where the smallest misuse of words can lead to someone feeling offended; the use of certain words should be kept to a simple meaning. In the pieces the biggest arguments that were used was the fact that people disliked the use of certain words leading few of the writers to feel offended. By simplifying the meanings or limiting words to have a specific meaning, the English language would be more easily accepted by people from different aspects of the language.
Sometimes confusion begins when the use of a common word is given a new definition. While one writer, Ray Magliozzi (the host of the award-winning show Car Talk) dislikes the use of the word “tall” replacing “small” at Starbucks. Magliozzi describes Starbucks as “the Tall/Short Mafia” and is upset with the way they describe the cup sizes for the drinks. Magliozzi says, “Now as good as their coffee is, they have unnecessarily complicated my life and probably everyone else’s life, too.” This sentence is used to describe how the description of the cup sizes complicate the lives of people who wou...
He thinks that the difficult words in language are actually the simple words, such as true or good. These words can have many different meanings and every use of them can be different. Postman suggests teaching students the full range of meanings in these simple words, so they can discover the true meaning behind each word.
Richard Louv attempts to question the modern consumer culture of the United States by juxtaposing the complexity of purchasing a modern “Mercedes SUV” with the simplicity of staring out the window of a car. Louv uses a multitude of images to remind his audience ¬¬ who are likely the same age as he is ¬¬ of their childhood experiences. Louv also uses personal anecdotes to promote the drastic differences between simple wholesome actions and the modern consumer culture. His use of rhetorical questions also helps the reader in his/her attempt to understand that, “people no longer consider the physical world worth watching.” Louv’s use of technically specific words like, “municipalities” helps him to qualify his statements. The use of rhetorical
In his article, he tries to show readers his ideas and concepts with examples. For instance, he chooses example of Nazism when he claims racial differences regard as a cultural perspective from a biological perspective which was disliked causes of Holocaust by Nazism. (Malik 86) He also picks French to explain all people who have common language do not have a common recognition against the world. (Malik 86) These examples are related to his arguments when he claims ineffectiveness of dying language so examples he gives in the article can make his ideas simply because the readers are likely to imagine how the author tries to say ineffectiveness of dying language. Also, these examples are reliable for readers because he uses factual references and examples which is one of the techniques in article “Thinking and Reading Critically”. His idea is strengthened by using this technique. For example, in “Let Them Die”, he says “Today, biological notions of racial difference have fallen into disfavor, largely as a result of the experience of Nazism and the Holocaust”.(Malik 86) Nazism and the Holocausts are very famous institution and event in world history as everyone knows. People are likely to think about how much the author wants to discourage preservation of dying language. These examples show how you can convince people well because factual example can be a reliable evidence, and support claims to make easy to understand for
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
The tone of a piece of literature is directly dependent upon the word choice with which it is written. Word choice factors into the development of an important idea in the text and how that idea is developed throughout the text. The type of word choice used impacts the way with which both the tone and important ideas are developed in writing. The tone of a piece of literature changes with the word choice of the writer of the piece. If the word choice of the writer conveys a certain feeling or emotion, whether it is happy or sad, the tone will be directly impacted by this and changed accordingly.
In conclusion, the reason I am for the novel, Huckleberry Finn, to be exposed to high school students is so that the conversation on the abrupt word “nigger” can be discussed. It exposes the reader to an author who is unafraid of showing the reality of the language people spoke. This book makes those who read it look deeper into the meaning of the words used hundreds of years ago.
Literature has many different point of views, from which a reader can develop certain conclusions, theories, or ideas. At times those same pieces of work that inspire many can also bring a negative light onto others, resulting in the work being offensive. Many factors are taken into consideration when analyzing a work that causes a stir amongst readers, such factors as the author 's background, life experiences, encounters with different people, and also the time period it was written in. In the case of Mark Twain 's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its literary content causes much conflict amongst readers and has sparked an ongoing debate. Many argue that the work promotes racism through the casual use of the word "nigger" which is derogation
4. The pressure Lederer’s students feel when they have to write polysyllables using small words comes from the students not knowing how to use small words. Lederer’s students felt as if they had no clue what they were going to write about. But in the end result the students feel as if they have accomplished something great. It relates to the central purpose of the essay because many people are like Lederer’s ninth grade students (Lederer. 162). We do not know how to write with short words. The way we speak is the way we write.
George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know better,” (598). Ugly language has been gaining ground in our population by a positive feedback mechanism.
This strategy reveals which side of the conflict the translator is on. So, when he or she chooses a certain expression for one element instead of another, he or she leads the reader’s reaction towards the narrative to the direction planned. Such behavior calls for the use of ‘euphemisms’. Euphemism is mostly used in the political and commercial domains. It is a technique used to make inappropriate expressions more appealing to the reader. Examples of euphemism include the use of ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’, ‘differently-abled’ instead of ‘disabled’, or ‘negative patient outcome’ instead of ‘dead patient’. Another alternative to euphemism is ‘counter meaning’. It is the use of opposite meanings of an element, usually implied in politics by riots or objectors to that
Bordo’s thesis can be shown in many common examples of modern media and advertising. For example in the animated television show The Simpsons, creator and writer Matt Groening uses satire as a means of addressing these stereotypes of gender and race through exaggeration of certain distinguishable traits and personalities of characters. Yet simultaneously, the stereotypes that are reinforced by some members of the show are then unexpectedly broken by others to show the viewer how much the media can alter one’s own opinion.
...he discrimination and violence that is in the world. Language is not always verbal; it can also be picked up by actions.
Long, long ago, in a small town in ancient Greece Athena the goddess of knowledge blessed/cursed a couple’s baby boy whom’s name was Caesar. She made it where everything Caesar would say would come out on a sheet of papyrus.
In Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson argues the importance of preserving language. Other dialects had a produced their own dictionaries, such as the French and Italians. Various writers of the eighteenth century were alarmed at the fact that there was no standard for the English language, since there was no standard it could easily become extinct. Johnson explored many points, such as how and why languages change as well as how many words are formed.
Throughout life, certain phrases and situations seem to reoccur with the same uniformity as if it were occurring for the very first time. Whether it is a coach’s motivating speech that you can recite after hearing it year after year or the principal’s first day of school disciplinary commands that you can regurgitate like your favorite theme song; so many situations in life have become cliché, uniform, and most of all mundane, but that is what I believe Orozco perfectly captures in his short story “Orientation”. Specifically, Orozco captures this mundane concept by the lack of dialogue and the repeated use of common-sense statements such as, “This is a microwavable oven. You are allowed to heat food in the microwave oven” (52). Additionally, the repeated use of the pronouns this, that, these, and those highlights uniformity because by constantly referring to objects as this or that, I believe Orozco is identifying an underlying action we as humans commit; how often do we view decisions and aspects of life as this and that