As children, we learn to read and write the typical English language taught to us by our elementary school teachers. Although we are fully capable of speaking and writing it, we are not fully aware of the ways the english language has been used to trick and deceive us. Language is misused in many different ways, and it is rarely identified by the average citizen. According to some known authors, like William Lutz, Donna Woolfolk, William Zinsser and others, language is being used to manipulate the minds of the average citizen. Average citizens should become fully aware of the language used around them. Many times, the language used is full of honest lies, that are being blindly believed. Commercials on television are constantly advertising their products, doing everything they can to convince their audience. Writers are constantly writing things to make things sound better than they really are. These writers tend to be the ones who end up working with advertising companies or political parties to increase their chances of being bought out. Big words seem to be doing the job when it comes to convincing people. Those who are fully aware of the ways language can be manipulated are constantly misusing it to their advantage, they find ways to deceive the average citizen. Being aware of the language used around us is a very important aspect of becoming a well informed citizen; if one is not fully aware of the tricks language can pull, they will quickly and foolishly be betrayed on a daily basis.
As a young girl, watching television was my favorite pastime, I remember watching toy commercials and begging my parents to buy them for me. The kids on television seemed so convincing and their parents made it seem as if it were well worth ...
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... College Writers. 10th Edition. Karen S. Henry. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 442-452. Print.
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Through the manipulation of language, deception and control are facilitated. A clear demonstration is uttered by Syme to Smith: “Do you know that Newspeak is the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year?...Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?” (Orwell 46). The attenuating language represents an additional barrier preventing contradictory thoughts from even existing. With a limited and insufficient language, the complexity of thought is considerably reduced along with a person's aptitude to formulate or express ideas thus preventing threats to the all-powerful government. As a result of the shrinking language, the future will be affected in such a way that “By 2050- earlier, probably- all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed” (Orwell 47). The changing of the language would have serious repercussions in any future, real or fictitious. Without knowledge of a different world, people will know no better than to blindly and obediently follow their strict, totalitarian government, never becoming aware of the power it holds over them. The...
Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.
William E. Cain, Alice McDermott, Lance Newman, and Hilary E. Wyss. New York: New York, 2013. 48-53. Print.
Aldous Huxley once wrote, “Thanks to words, we have been able to rise above the brutes; and thanks to words, we have often sunk to the level of the demons” (299). The latter seems to be the situation in which we find ourselves today—with language being manipulated in the realms of media and politics, to the ultimate advantage of those doing the manipulating. In 1984, Orwell warns his readers of this very problem using his concepts of Newspeak and doublethink. In Winston’s world, Newspeak is the language that is used in Oceania, and is the only language in the world that is shrinking. By getting
Language always conveys a message. Language can convey a message that is full of manipulation. In Robin Lakoff’s essay, “Everybody’s a Politician”, she discusses how manipulation is used in day to day conversations, even if one is not intentionally trying to manipulate. Language can be used to dominate others. In the essay, “the Language of Oppression” by Haig A. Bosmajian, he explains the power of using names to define others. Language can change the way a person thinks. In the same essay, “the Language of Oppression” by Haig A. Bosmajian, he also discusses the way someone thinks can be changed by language. Lastly, language has the power to degrade an individual. In another essay, by Robin Lakoff, “You Are What You Say”, she explains how
It may be hard to admit, but television has become an intricate part of our everyday lives. People children often find themselves sitting in front of the television screen for a longer period of time than before and this has evolved immensely over the past few years. In this article, “The Trouble with Television,” by the author Marie Winn, mentions that addiction of television is negative effects on children and families. It keeps the families from doing other things and it’s a hidden competitor for all other activities. Television takes place of play and on top of that kids who watch a lot of television grow uncivilized. Also, the author mentioned that televisions are less resourceful for children and have negative effects on children’s school achievement and on physical fitness. Although there are so many other types of addictions but the author Marie Winn’s points of argument of watching television is a serious addiction that our children and families have negative effects.
In conclusion, the power of advertising today what's become very effective through TV, and unfortunately children are mainly victims of these previous techniques. As Ellen Goodman explains in “Family Counterculture”, the parents have to fight the cultural imposition that affect the integrity of children. They slowly raise consumerist children that won't have the same perks of those who weren't raised with today’s ads. For these reasons, it is important to notice this ads that slow the kids’ critical thinking should be fought, even though it is the challenge of 21st century
Vitelli, R., Ph.D. (2013, July 22). Television, Commercials, and Your Child. Retrieved December 27, 2013, from Psychology Today website: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201307/television-commercials-and-your-child
I know it can be hard but try to remember when we were kids how much we all loved to wake up early on Saturday morning, sneak to the T.V., and watch our favorite cartoons. We loved to do this not only so that we could see our favorite characters go through troublesome dilemmas each episode, but also that we could see what was new on the market and try to convince our parents to spare a few dollars and buy it. This tactic has been used from years upon years and will likely continue occurring for the simple reason that it works. Businessmen in the marketing know that kids will see the latest and greatest thing and insist to their parent that they must have it. And with a little persistence and maybe a temper tantrum or two, they usually get it. Sometime commercials will appeal to not only the child, but also to parents because they can see the new toys that they are able to buy for their kids. Because there is always a constant demand for new toys, there will always be a entrepreneur trying to make money by creating a product, and market it in the way of commercialization. It is a never ending cycle which will always occur as long as there is T.V. because it is how they make their money.
In addition to television, today’s children are inundated with a wide variety of technological choices such as video games, Internet games, and other interactive activities. Despite these advanced technologies, television continues to play a large role in today’s society and while it began as an element to unite the family, it appears to be dividing the family apart now (Winn 437). While television provides us with hours of entertainment, stirs emotions deep inside, and is a tool for gathering information, most experts agree ...
Today’s culture views the media as a necessity. One class of media entertainment is television. Television is often exchanged for play among children. Marie Winn wrote “The End of Play” commenting on how children have replaced “fantasy and make-believe games” for television. (Winn 76) A research study in USA Today showed results of a survey indicating “14% of parents said TV is always on.”(Par 4) Their findings point out “TV decreased play’s intensity to given toy”. (Par 3...
Language is a very powerful tool. It is a means of basic communication, and has been around for centuries. Just like any other tool, language can be powerful in a positive or negative way, and can either work to one's advantage or can result in negative effects. Certain words can touch a certain chord inside someone, so they can be easily influenced by the language. A good example of this is George Orwell's Animal Farm, a fable in which a multitude of gullible animals are exploited by a group of power mongering pigs. Words can appeal to a persons basic needs and desires and conjure up hope or even fear in his or her mind. These emotions can be manipulated by others to their own advantage, and clever use of language can be used to cheat, deceive, spread rumors. In Animal Farm, Orwell shows how the pig's use of influential language manipulates and enslaves the animals.
Children become regular consumers of media around two and three giving them one and an half hours per day of television (Interactive Media and Its Contribution to the Construction and Destruction of Values and Character 7). This increases as time goes by. Now, on average, children use between 38 to 45 hours of media weekly because of family bonding, a leisure activity for the parents, or just because kids are bored (Daly, Perez 1). Because of the amount of technology used, kids continuously get new ideas.
Without a doubt, television is the central and principal form of communication in many people’s lives. This form is most often exposed to a child who instantly becomes accustomed to its presence. Children are televisions largest audience, as Morris shows, “Children aged two to five look at the TV tube on an average of 28.4 hours a week; those between the ages of six and eleven average 23.6 hours a week”. Television has played an important role in many children’s lives and its viewing has been a favorite activity for many of them. The effects of television on children have been disputed. Some people have said that viewing time has a negative impact on children. Other people, however, feel that the early educational television productions for children help tehm learn.
“There are twelve billion dollars spent annually on ads directed at children” (Dittmann, 2004). These advertisements target young, impressionable minds, capture the attention of the child and imprint an ideal or message. While watching advertisements, a child develops a like or dislike for an activity or product. The strength of the desire is proportional to exposure. Desire creates action and action creates sales. I observed this principle with a sibling, my younger brother Eron. When a General Electric commercial came on television he, would turn and be mystified by the music and dancing of the actors. Around the age of eight, he expressed a very strong opinion that General Electric products are superior to other products. At this stage in his development, he did not have the cognitive ability to think abstractly to weigh all of the aspects associated with what makes a product of quality.