The study of linguistics and literature is commonly joined under the head of “English,” a simplification and development of the 19th century term philology, or, “the love of words.” While literature is the very essence of recorded history, and the nature of language itself even older, the formal critical study of such is necessarily newer. The field of study is referred to as “English” because that is our language, from the American custom of combining the study of literature and grammar; also, much of the world’s written literature was written in our language. The Western tradition of recording one’s thoughts—fiction and nonfiction—has led to an examination of those thoughts critically; the comparison of the English language to other languages, and the development of it and others leads directly to the study of language as a whole. And, of course, one of the main ways to find how a language has developed in the past is to study the evidence: the literature of the time, so both fields come into harmony quite easily. The study of English is not a popular major, but it is a necessary one; the complex “intellectual, aesthetic, psychological, political, social, historical, moral, and religious” ideas and the variety of subjects studied may confuse and deter many, but it is important, as these ideas shape us as humans, and these values hold true regardless of background or circumstance (“English” 1). And most usable, perhaps, to the broad spectrum of students is the emphasis on writing in the study of English.
The ideas above are common to mankind, and, as they exist, need to be studied and better understood, and English “introduces students to new modes of thinking and constructive disruptions of commonpl...
... middle of paper ...
...or those pursuing law-related jobs, for example, and the principles of good writing set forth benefit almost any liberal arts-minded person. The ability to sound professional in a report is key in any “white collar” job. Factor in the major’s requirement of classes in a foreign language, and the English major presents itself as attractive on a résumé. In all, the English major is valuable in many ways, to many people, and is in fact essential in Western culture, in maintaining our written cultural history and heritage, and interpreting them for all.
Sources Cited
“English.” Student Central. 2001. 22 Jan 2003
“English The Pre-Professional Major.” 22 Jan 2003
“Undergraduate Studies.” 22 Jan 2003
Downs, Doug. "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. By Elizabeth A. Wardle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 520-33, 581-594. Print.
Language is the foundation of all communication, tone, appeal, and rhetoric devices are the building materials used to build upon it. The marvelous structures built with said materials are often referred to as literature and consumed as media, but they are much more than that. These astonishing and breathtaking structures built from these quintessential building blocks are a medium for change, and have been since the dawn of humanity. Just as literature is composed of tone appeal and rhetorical devices, and these in turn stem from the author, occasion, purpose, audience and subject.
Hip hop culture has been around since the 1970s. Multiple sources all come down to the South Bronx in New York City, as the origin of hip hop culture. The culture began to take its shape within the African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino communities. The father of the start of this culture was a Jamaican-born DJ named Clive Campbell but also known as DJ Kool Herc. He brought forth a new sound system and the Jamaican style of “toasting.” Toasting was when Jamaicans would talk or rap over the music they played. This whole new style soon brought what is now known as DJs, B-Boys, MC’s, and graffiti artists (Kaminski).
It was then that Graff shifted the focus of his essay to himself. It would have been easy to continue to speak about the injustice the educational system had created against those who...
Hip hop has multiple branches of style and is a culture of these. This essay will examine Hip Hop from the point of view of the following three popular music scholars, Johnson, Jeffries and Smitherman. It will delve deeper into their understanding of what hip hop is and its relation to the different people that identify with its message and contents. It will also identify the history of Hip hop and its transition into popular music. In particular this essay will focus on what hip hop represents in the black community and how it can be used as a social movement against inequalities faced by them. This will then open up the discussion for the how this has influenced society, and the impact it has had in terms of race issues which hip hop itself often represents through music.
English in its entirety can be simply described as author, biologist and physician, Lewis Thomas had once said, “We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature; we play the music; we change our minds; we reach an understanding. Society evolves this way, not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other” (Thomas 120). The impact literature can bring onto others is simply amazing and is a gift that should be shared with everyone. This spring semester has quickly broadened my perspective. Being that this is my freshman year in college I prodded around ideas of what majors I had interests in. I toyed around with political science, but I found that I spent more time on arguing with what the political figures stood for than actually studying. I was almost certain I wanted to be an interior designer but I became overly fixated on how to properly draw three dimensional boxes to further myself any farther. Truth be told, I am the type of person who rather create something encrusted with detail than something cut in dry like politics or basic shapes. I have always have had a love for literature and especially poetry. At age eight I became a published poet in a children’s book. Even at a young age I knew with words I can create something to quench my need to express how I feel about a certain topic or issue. Therefore I have recently declared myself as a literature major. Through the structured English 1B's course and power of words from authors; Boisseau, Bishop, Glaspell and Ibsen I have gained valuable life lessons .
Hip Hop’s according to James McBride article “Hip Hop Planet” is a singular and different form of music that brings with it a message that only those who pay close attention to it understand it. Many who dislike this form of music would state that it is one “without melody, sensibility, instruments, verse, or harmony and doesn’t even seem to be music” (McBride, pg. 1). Though Hip Hop has proven why it deserves to be called music. In going into depth on its values and origins one understands why it is so popular among young people and why it has kept on evolving among the years instead of dying. Many of Hip Hop values that make it unique and different from other forms of music would be that it makes “visible the inner culture of Americas greatest social problem, its legacy of slavery, has taken the dream deferred to a global scale” (McBride, pg. 8). Hip Hop also “is a music that defies definition, yet defines our collective societies in immeasurable ways” (McBride, pg. 2). The
Breastfeeding is a highly debated topic amongst mothers across the world. Every mother has the choice to breastfeed or bottle fed their infant. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion and choice, it is scientifically proven that breast milk is more beneficial for the infant’s health and development and the mother. Breast milk contains extremely beneficial vitamins and nutrients and also has the ability to change according to the infant’s growth and development. Formula companies try to mock breast milk to the best they can, although it cannot be completely composed the same. “Breastfeeding offers immunological and allergy protection to the infant, is economical and convenient as it is always fresh and the right temperature, and provides a great opportunity for the mother and infant to bond” (p. 1052, Potter & Perry, 2011). Research has proven that breast milk is the most
Rear Admiral Galson, S. K. (July 2008). Mothers and Children Benefit from Breastfeeding. American Dietic Association Vol 108 Issue 7 , p 1106.
The United States is stuck in a conflict between keeping the tradition of multiculturalism and diversity, and assimilating into one singular culture. Caught in the middle of this struggle is language. Currently the United States does not have an official language, even though many governmental organizations try to pass legislation making English the official American language. The Cambridge Dictionary states that the definition of an official language is, ¨the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country 's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc” (¨Official Language¨ 1). This means that if the United States government establishes English as the official language, all government funded events
Sharma, B., 2008. “World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and English Pedagogy”, Journal of NELTA 13 (2), pp. 121-130. Available from
This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who long assumed that literature was described through its identity as “imaginative writing” because it broadens the definition to fit texts that are situated in reality as well (Eagleton, 2). Literature’s use of language makes readers aware of its presence as an artistic text through the formal elements that “transforms and intensifies ordinary language” (Eagleton, 2). This means that the definition of literature is determined through the aesthetic linguistic qualities as they differ from regular discourse, classifying both through the form of the other. Through formal literary devices such a “sound, imagery,” and “rhythm”, texts are removed from their counterpart of regular speech and made strange (Eagleton, 3). This abnormal use of language allows for literature to move away from the efficiency of regular speech in the sense that ideas within texts require a perceptual effort of comprehension to occur (Shklovsky, 4). By contrast, normal speech patterns are more efficient due to the fact that they are “habitual” and do not require the users to think deeply about what is being said (Shklovsky, 5). In other words, these artistic works force the reader to work to understand the ideas that are embedded within the pieces reinforcing their status as literature through
The amount of money it takes to be a country without an official language is astronomical. The latest research show, “English and Spanish are just two of nearly 400 languages spoken here” (Ross 1). For many years now the Untied States has been one of the most diverse places in the world. With so many languages spoken here businesses and other obligations have to use translators to negotiate with one another. This is why many people agree that, “The U.S. Congress and individual states should adopt legislation making English the official language of government, so that government business should be conducted in English, with common-sense exceptions for services related to health and safety” (Mujica 47). This would make a better work environment
A large part of an English teacher’s job deals with helping students find their own voices amidst the many teachings of their parents and peers. A student’s voice can be their values, their interests, and their perspectives of the world in which they live. Their voice can be their critical questioning of the many situations they face, whether in a text, the school cafeteria, or a park after school. It is the job of an English teacher to aid in finding this voice through their writing. It is by putting words and thoughts down on paper that a student can sometimes feel comfortable enough to take risks and find their true voices. Although traditional grammar instruction has long been thought to improve this skill, this is no longer the case. Instead, by providing a classroom environment in which students are immersed in classic literature from many genres including poetry, short stories, and novels, students will learn how to harness grammar for their own purposes of finding their voice in their writing.
Over the years English inarguably has reached a status of a global language and commonly is characterized as a lingua franca. It has become the language that is spoken by millions of people all over the world; as the mother tongue, as the language used for international communication and as the language learned in the millions of schools.