The British Writer's Voice in Middleton's The Lie of the Land
As I read Hayden Middleton's The Lie of the Land, I became increasingly aware that I was not only hearing the writer's voice coming through, but that it was a distinctly British writer's voice. There were words and phrases that marked the text as being decidedly not American. Yet, as I became accustomed to the writer's voice, I became less and less conscious of the dialect and simply involved with the story. In reading the story a second time, this time paying special attention to these variances, I was surprised at how many differences there actually were. What follows is a list of the words and phrases I found, on which page of The Lie of the Land I first found them (or, in some cases, where I finally decided that they were a result of a British writer's voice rather than just the writer's voice), and what I believed would be an acceptable "American" choice. Where indicated, these "American translations" were confirmed in the book Understanding British English: Bridging the Gap Between the English Language and Its American Counterpart, by Margaret E. Moore (quoted definitions are as found in this resource). In cases where I wasn't sure of the meaning and no "translation" was provided in Moore's book, I consulted Webster's Dictionary. Sometimes I had to guess (these are marked with question marks on either side of the "translation"). A few times I couldn't even give a fair guess: these I left as question marks. At times I also found it difficult to determine whether the choices were due to the author being British, or whether they were simply choices that may have been made regardless of the author's nationality. At those times I was guided by instinct.
PAGE British Word/Phrase American Word/Phrase Confirmed?
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Our history books continue to present our country's story in conventional patriotic terms. America being settled by courageous, white colonists who tamed a wilderness and the savages in it. With very few exceptions our society depicts these people who actually first discovered America and without whose help the colonists would not have survived, as immoral, despicable savages who needed to be removed by killing and shipping out of the country into slavery. In her book, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity, Jill Lepore tells us there was another side to the story of King Philip’s War. She goes beyond the actual effects of the war to discuss how language, literacy, and privilege have had lasting effects on the legacy that followed it.
The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.
Many stories people read are written for the express purpose of entertainment and sometimes even to persuade, but few are written to teach a moral. The story “A Fable with Slips of White Paper Spilling From The Pockets” written by Kevin Brockmeier does just that. Although relatively short, the story is filled with words of wisdom and life lessons that are meant to instill a sense of selflessness. The story is about a man who finds God’s overcoat from which he finds prayers from the people he encounters. Kevin Brockmeier makes exceptional use of magic realism and symbolism to teach a moral lesson.
Tanner, Laura E. "Uncovering the Magical Disguise of Language: The Narrative Presence in Richard Wright's Native Son." Appiah 132-146.
In addition, Steinbeck also has a perfectly tuned ear for the rhythms of American speech and idiom. He renders the simple beauty of American dialects so well that his writings serve as a declaration of their value.
Given the descriptions of the mental illnesses in our textbook, lectures and various media outlets about the illnesses shown in the HBO movie “Back from Madness – The Struggle for Sanity” I was still surprised how illnesses really affect people (HBO, 1990). When reading textbooks, various media outlets and research papers it is extremely difficult to understand completely the severity of a mental illness. These sources are just descriptions of the illness it doesn’t give a personal account of what the patient is going threw. Taking in account the real affects of having a mental illness on the patient, their family and friends. I was surprised when viewing the documentary that a person with Bipolar I disorder (manic depression) acted the way Todd did. I am aware that Bipolar I disorder is known as someone who has a manic occurrence that results in a period of bizarre elevated mood and behavior that interrupts life. The person will most likely experience episodes of depression. The behavior that I saw from Todd in the movie was completely different than I imagined people who have Bipol...
The essay “Notes of a Native Son” takes place at a very volatile time in history. The story was written during a time of hate and discrimination toward African Americans in the United States. James Baldwin, the author of this work is African American himself. His writing, along with his thoughts and ideas were greatly influenced by the events happening at the time. At the beginning of the essay, Baldwin makes a point to mention that it was the summer of 1943 and that race riots were occurring in Detroit. The story itself takes place in Harlem, a predominantly black area experiencing much of the hatred and inequalities that many African-Americans were facing throughout the country. This marks the beginning of a long narrative section that Baldwin introduces his readers to before going into any analysis at all.
...but under operation of the government. Socialism does not promote competition because everything is government owned, therefore there is no room for production of better products and services, and no room for innovation and increasing wealth.
American writers have expressed their political and social views through their writing by attempting to establish a voice separate from Britain’s. Their fear of individual and national failure and their thirst for power consumes them and is evident in their writing. Washington Irving and Herman Melville involve the occupation of lawyers and Justices to bring in a patriotic element to influence residents of the young country as a way to share their concerns and inspire ambition. Their usage of metaphors and metonymy subtly convey a message of hope to white residents while, deflating the optimism of the soon to be freed slaves. This essay will prove that a critical reading of Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” and Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” utilizes representations and depictions of the gothic, the portrayal of black characters and their isolation, and blackness suggests the preoccupations of the American writer.
While socialism seeks for social equality and education, capitalism is more effective for building strong nations. The elements which constitute its success are private ownership, personal incentive and individual reward, and a competitive spirit among people.
Kelly, John. ENGLISH 2308E: American Literature Notes. London, ON: University of Western. Fall 2014. Lecture Notes.
Screen film radiography is still used more commonly than digital radiography. “Although there is a declining of popularity of screen film radiography mainly because there is limited potential for reducing dose to the patient. Also, unlike digital radiography, images cannot be changed in contrast once they have been processed. In screen film radiography, film is expensive, uses hazardous materials for processing, is very strenuous and long term storage is difficult. Lastly, screen film radiography is not compatible with the picture archiving and communication systems also known as PACS” (Bansal, 2006).
Chapter 1 examines in detail the origin and inventory of the differences between British and American English. Although these two varieties at the first glance seem almost identical, they do have some dissimilarities. The origin of these disagreements dates back to the Elizabethan area. The American English is a combination of the influences of many languages for instance, Indian, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and naturally British English. Therefore, nowadays the United States of America is often referred to as melting pot, salad bowl, mosaic or patchwork. These terms also relate to the number of nations, cultures, religions, orientations which are gathered together in this country. Whereas, British English also borrowed from other languages,
Several European immigrants are reported to have arrived in America during the 19th century and early 20th century. Notably, the first wave of these European immigrants is believed to have begun in the late 1820s largely sustained by the unrest in Britain. This wave of migration went on for almost a decade highly attracted by the dreams of creating a model utopian American society. This is in turn closely associated to some extent with the development of the American English. European immigrants immensely contributed to the development of American life and more specifically American English. Today, American English has become an omnipresent phenomenon in every aspect of the American society. British English, the main source of American English