Power in Language and Culture Essay Example for Free

Power in Language and Culture Essay Power is considered to be the anthem of success-whoever holds power holds ascendancy over the society. However, whomever has ascendency over that society has to have means of communicating to the inferior. The way rulers communicate to their inferiors is a key part of society, and dictates the syntax of the language. Therefore power reflects on the flexibility and structure of the language. In Mrs. Bradys class lectures describing The History of the English language she states that before Viking invasions the Pagan Anglo-Saxon language consisted mainly of religious, domestic and mundane words such as fork, mile, table, alter, mass and chool. In 1066 A. D Norman Vikings overtook the society and added new words such as scream, take and skull these words allowed for aggression in the culture. Along with the aggressive word change the Vikings also degraded Anglo-Saxon words creating synonyms that now have a more powerful meaning for example the Anglo- Saxon word wish and the Norman word want. Customarily the Vikings were very hostile and aggressive people and their contributions to the English language reflect their virulent ways. The Vikings were able to harness their power to create a lasting nfluence on the language and culture of the inferior societies they overtook. Modern English is currently the connecting language used world-wide to communicate. It is described as dominate for many reasons in The Mother Tongue. A specific example given by Bill Bryson is a ited factor in setting English apart from other languages is flexibility. In the United States, Americans give respect where it is needed; there is no hierarchy where respect or a certain dialect is required to talk to another person. The fact that American culture is not based around power allows the language to have versatility. The government is people-based; the power granted to Americans through the constitution allows for variety and freedom of speech. For example female rights activists are able to speak o ut against misogynist beliefs. Though the power structure in America is composed of mostly men, women are unaffected by it, and are still able to speak out against the gender that makes up the majority of the government. American feminism is a prime example of how the power structure can have no effect on the language due to its basis on freedom and equality. In Outliers, chapter seven The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes, Malcom Gladwell describes the errible crash of Korean Airlines Flight 801 in 1997 caused by lack of communication through pilots. Unlike our American government Korea has different expectations for their language. It demands that members of higher rank be addressed properly. Not allowing for casual non-specific terms such as you. Koreans are obliged to be deferential toward their elders and superiors in a way that would be unnecessary in the U. S. Koreans must show respect for the people that hold power therefore speaking monotone causing serious situations to sound less urgent then they actually are. Another example of powers influence on language and culture is the example of Chris Langan vs. Robert Oppenheimer: Here we have two very brilliant young students, each of whom runs into a problem that imperils his college career. Langans mother has missed a deadline for his financial aid. Oppenheimer has tried to poison his tutor. To continue on, they are required to lead their cases to authority. sent to a psychiatrists. Oppenheimer and Langan might both be geniuses, but in other ways, they could not be more different (98). Oppenheimer grew up amongst a surplus of power, and so it affected the way that he spoke. He knew how to speak so hat he could get the most effect out of his words, and thus the power worked as an advantage to him and the way he uses language. Langan, in contrast, grew up extremely impoverished. He only had one set of clothes, his mother knew nothing about the way the world worked outside of their small town in Montana, and his step- father was an alcoholic and abuser. There was no positive form of power surrounding him, and thus his language skills were insufficient when he tried to convince his superiors to renew his scholarship. In social class structures there is power that either works to the advantage or disadvantage of the language. In George Orwells dystopian fiction novel 1984 the totalitarian government formats a society in which all members of the party are brain washed. In the appendix of the book Orwell discusses the importance the language, Newspeak, plays on the society. Euphony outweighed every consideration other than exactitude of meaning, (pg308) The language created by Ingsoc, called Newspeak, was used against the population in order to keep power. Newspeak was made up of doublethink words such as blackwhite and goodthink this made it impossible for the society to bond and connect with one another due to lack of cadence and meaning. Using language as a tool to control the culture rid society of their independence to think freely, ultimately turning them into mindless slaves of the government. A real-world example of a totalitarian societies control over language is Hitlers Nazi Germany. The Nazi regime aspired to inflict the same control over the people as Ingsoc did. In Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler states: The chief function of propaganda is to convince the masses, who slowness of understanding needs to be given time in order that they may absorb information; and only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on heir mind .. the slogan must of course be illustrated in many ways and from several angles, but in the end one must always return to the assertion of the same formula. The one will be rewarded by the surprising and almost incredible results that such a personal policy secures. Culturally, the Nazi regime was anti-modern. Censorship and propaganda ensured that Germans could only see what the Nazi hierarchy wanted people to see, hear what they wanted them to hear and read only what the Nazis deemed acceptable. Ultimately giving the Nazis full control over the mindset of their people. Forcing them to perceive that what they were doing was correct and thus socially acceptable. Moreover, whoever holds ascendancy over a culture has the ability to modify and manipulate the language however they want. Language can be used as a tool to gain power, or the people in power can use it as a tool to keep power. It can also be an effect rather than a cause; the way that power is exercised can have an indirect effect on the language. Whether direct or indirect, power has a lasting and critical impact on the language of any culture where a power structure is present.

Eulogy for Friend :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Friend Richie, Richie, Richie†¦ I met Rich at freshman orientation at Lynchburg College in August, 1975. My freshman orientation packet said that I was to meet with my group at my assigned table in the dining hall. After getting my dinner, I found the right table and sat down across from another freshman. There was no one else at the table. I think it was fate. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, a conversation started. We talked about our hometowns. He told me that his family lived in Manassas, but that most of his life was spent in Naples, Italy. As you all know, he was very proud of his Italian heritage. He was very proud of his life, family, and friendships in Italy. After awhile in this conversation, I asked him if knew anything about school sports. â€Å"I would like to run cross country,† I said. Well with that question, there was much to talk about. It did not take too long to realize that while I enjoyed running, for him, it was his passion. Rich became my closest friend through college. Through that friendship I made other life-changing friendships that carry on today. He told me his happiest time in college was his senior year. That is when he met his wife Nonie. I remember their first date when Sandi Parker introduced them. Many times he would head over to Randolph-Macon Women’s College to see Nonie, or she would be headed to our campus to see him. Rich and I were roommates that year. Several years after college and living in North Carolina, I realized that I had no friends and a job I did not like. I was thinking of moving back home to the D.C. area. Rich and I talked often on the phone. At that point, he said, â€Å"Look, why don’t you try it out here.† I told him I had no money and no job prospects. He said, â€Å"Brad, you can stay here, sleep on the sofa. I will get us some paint jobs to help get you started.† So, Rich and Nonie graciously opened up their home. While I slept on the sofa, Andrew shared the â€Å"mamote† [remote]. A month later, I got a place to live and a full-time job. I do not know of many friends that would open their home up like that, but then that’s Rich. Eulogy for Friend :: Eulogies Eulogy Eulogy for Friend Richie, Richie, Richie†¦ I met Rich at freshman orientation at Lynchburg College in August, 1975. My freshman orientation packet said that I was to meet with my group at my assigned table in the dining hall. After getting my dinner, I found the right table and sat down across from another freshman. There was no one else at the table. I think it was fate. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, a conversation started. We talked about our hometowns. He told me that his family lived in Manassas, but that most of his life was spent in Naples, Italy. As you all know, he was very proud of his Italian heritage. He was very proud of his life, family, and friendships in Italy. After awhile in this conversation, I asked him if knew anything about school sports. â€Å"I would like to run cross country,† I said. Well with that question, there was much to talk about. It did not take too long to realize that while I enjoyed running, for him, it was his passion. Rich became my closest friend through college. Through that friendship I made other life-changing friendships that carry on today. He told me his happiest time in college was his senior year. That is when he met his wife Nonie. I remember their first date when Sandi Parker introduced them. Many times he would head over to Randolph-Macon Women’s College to see Nonie, or she would be headed to our campus to see him. Rich and I were roommates that year. Several years after college and living in North Carolina, I realized that I had no friends and a job I did not like. I was thinking of moving back home to the D.C. area. Rich and I talked often on the phone. At that point, he said, â€Å"Look, why don’t you try it out here.† I told him I had no money and no job prospects. He said, â€Å"Brad, you can stay here, sleep on the sofa. I will get us some paint jobs to help get you started.† So, Rich and Nonie graciously opened up their home. While I slept on the sofa, Andrew shared the â€Å"mamote† [remote]. A month later, I got a place to live and a full-time job. I do not know of many friends that would open their home up like that, but then that’s Rich.

Interaction in the social world: Family Essay

This author is an arts teacher who is equally preoccupied in her home as she is the mother of a two-year-old daughter who constantly keeps her on her heels. Apart from her happy and close-knit family, which is the backbone of her life, her social world that is related to her work also holds a special place in her mind and heart. Just as she draws immense satisfaction in being a central figure of her family, she gets pleasure in teaching to students who give her an opportunity to learn new things everyday. She looks forward to get immersed in this social world everyday. Due to this interest in her job, which is highly evident in her performance, she enjoys great respect and love from both her students and colleagues. This author’ s interaction in this social world is very satisfying to her and with experience of how to deal with people with different age groups and in different settings she feels very confident of dealing with people even outside this social world. She finds that children give her very valuable lessons in their own ways. Just by observing their interaction patterns she learns a lot about human relationships and interactions. She gets a glimpse of how people feel when some one fights with them, someone is nice with them, if some one betrays them or ignores them by just observing how children behave with each other. She feels that though she is observing children she is getting a great insight about how to deal with adults as both share same emotions, the only difference is that adults try to hide their real feelings especially those of sadness, disgust or contempt while children make it easily evident. She thinks that all of us have a child within us but age and maturity has bestowed on us the capacity to put on a social face even when we are hurt by somebody’s comments or feel neglected by the extra attention that someone else in the group is getting. So she feels that she teaches arts to children while children teach her the art of living. She also feels privileged that she is able to fill children with confidence especially those who are not good at arts and as a result suffer from inferiority complex due to this. If children are boosted with confidence in their primitive years, only then can they gather the guts to become confident adults in future. So instead of reprimanding them as mentioned by Madon and others in Myers, â€Å"High expectations do seem to boost low achievers, for whom a teachers’s positive attitude may be a hope-giving breath of fresh air. † (2007, p. 111) Similarly when teachers surround her in the teacher’s lounge she gets an opportunity to learn a lot about social interactions. Since the teachers belong to different age groups and genders and possess different personality characteristics, just trying to maintain a healthy relationship with them gives her important lessons in social psychology. She tries to apply the insight she has gained through her theoretical knowledge in the practical setting of the social world of her work group, which is a bundle of varied personalities. She feels that with constant practice of dealing with this group she has become a socially intelligent person with whom everyone wants to spend time, as there is give and take of positive vibes in the process. At the end of any social interaction one wants to feel acceptable and respected as a human being and the author thinks that with practice and improvisations in one’s verbal as well as non-verbal communication she is getting better day by day. This is evident by the quality of camaraderie she shares with everyone and the way people greet her and like her presence around them. All this contributes to her self-confidence immensely. One incident that has hugely helped her in improving her self-efficacy is as follows: Six months back a new boy got admitted to her school. He was very restless and lacked good manners. The day when his parents came to admit him to the school they made it clear to the authorities that they were unable to handle him at home as he constantly indulged in some or the other form of misbehavior even after frequent spanking. When the authorities pointed towards the fact that too much of spanking was not good for children’s emotional growth, they said that the boy’s antics made them crazy and it was the only option left for them and soon they would understand it too. That boy was sent to this author’s class. The first few days were really terrible with him. He lacked any sense of respect for the teacher and constantly disturbed the coherence and smooth functioning of the class. But this author took this pupil as a challenge to prove how someone lacking basic social skills can be improved by empathy, love and patience. Instead of telling him again and again that he should behave nicely in class or he should learn good manners from his classmates, the author started treating him just like others even when he did something wrong. The fact that whatever he did, did not affect the author much gradually brought changes in his personality. He started improving. The next step that the author took was that she made him the class prefect, so instead of getting reprimanded because of his unruly behavior he started promoting good behavior in class. Hence instead of consciously making him aware of his shortcomings, the author unconsciously instilled a sense of discipline in the child. According to Pennington, et. l â€Å"Research has shown that if a person is aware that attempts are being made to condition certain aspects of behavior, conscious awareness of this can prevent conditioning taking place. (2003, p. 149. ) The author applied this very concept and the positive result was evident in a short span of time. The way the author handled this situation was highly commended by the staff of the school and she gained an important place not only in the school but also in the heart of that troublesome student and his parents. This incident helped in increasing the author’s self-efficacy to a great extent.

About Alzheimer’s Disease Essay - 989 Words

In the United States there are approximately 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Every sixty-nine seconds a person is diagnosed. This is an ongoing issue, and unless something is done, sixteen million people will be affected by 2050 (Latest). Alzheimer’s is a systemic disease, meaning that it affects more than one part of the body. There are three major systems that are affected by Alzheimer’s. The first involves the Central Nervous System. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, allowing the nervous system to make the spinal cord and brain function. The Central Nervous System is affected because specific brain proteins begin to malfunction and brain cells die. The loss of brain cells is the reason for memory loss and†¦show more content†¦The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every year and recent studies have found that women are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s then men (Medicine). Symptoms of Alzheimer ’s are hardly ever the same for any one patient. Although the side effects of Alzheimer’s can result in the similar symptoms, such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, difficulty focusing, and taking care of ones self can be an outcome for most patients. Many will have a different personality, loss of sight, sense of smell, as well as no longer being able to taste (Medicine). The diagnosis for Alzheimer’s is far from simple. Alzheimer’s begins when a patient reaches the final step of Dementia. There are many disorders that can impact the cause of Alzheimer’s. Neurological disorders include strokes, blood clots, and brain tumors that can be related to dementia. Psychiatric disorders also affect the way Alzheimer’s develops. Elderly people with forms of depression may show even earlier signs of Alzheimer’s such as impaired thinking. Lastly, Trauma can be a factor in Alzheimer patients. Head injuries can cause blood clots in and around the brain (Medicine). The FDA recently has allowed two treatments to be used for Alzheimer patients. One of the treatments is a Partial Glutamate Antagonist, which is an important transmitter to the brain. It is said that Glutamate helps patients more than sugar pills do, however; it is said that too muchShow MoreRelatedEssay about Alzheimer’s Disease1526 Words   |  7 Pagescases as people grow older, they develop a mental disorder known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking, and overall behavior, and progressively becomes a bigger problem. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is a very common disease in people over the age of 65. This terminal disease puts tremendous stress on the victim and the victim’s family. 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