Ojomo Minott
English: 101-LS4
Professor: Edwin Garcia
March 29, 2014
To Speak Or Not To Speak? N²: Naylor's Notion
In the essay A Question of Language by Gloria Naylor, she states “Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power” (221). This quote speaks of the fact that words in whatever form: written or spoken are just that- WORDS! Words themselves are simply a combination of letters from our known alphabet that merely combine to form a worldwide, recognized form of communication. They themselves hold no power. No weight. The same as a loaded weapon with no finger behind it eager to pull the trigger in sheer ecstasy of the thrill of the moment; either for themselves or on the behest of their “masters”. Sure, it's there but a gun idly sitting there by itself cannot cause harm to anyone. A weapon only becomes an instrument of war and death once it is picked up and equipped to a suitable vessel just like a symbiote. Guns don’t kill people. People use guns to kill people! As with guns, words themselves as well, more rather by themselves cannot do ANYTHING! It is but the very notions, the conceived ideas and tautologies by many various individuals that gives them meaning and power meant to be used to satisfy their own, personal agendas; some for good intents and purposes- others bad. Once word [of an idea] is spread vocally or written by the power of biased parties involved, “majority/minority vote” then comes into play. The audience which is listening then begins to “dissect” itself amongst itself into two groups: the majority and the minority. In her essay, Naylor speaks of her belief that it is the consensus (the majority) that “assigns meaning” and gives words “power” (221). I, for one, fully a...
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...s would occur, fights would break out and many times throughout history as we’ve seen unfortunately, we would go to war over words- both written and spoken resulting in the tragic deaths of many. Words are just words. They cannot physically hurt someone. Yes, at times they can be used as weapons by one individual or group to hurt another individual or group as we have seen so many times throughout history. Hopefully, as we- the human race move forward into the future, we can all truly learn that words are only mere spectators to the audiences that listens to them and nothing more at any given point in time through history. Words are just words. With no [biased] voice behind them, they cannot “speak”. Learn this absolute [truth] and the world will be [just] fine.
Works Cited
Naylor, Gloria. “A Question Of Language.” The New York Times Magazine 1986
The Language of Art by Ann Pelo describes the inquiry-based studio practices in early childhood settings. When I started to read chapter six I traced a lot of words ,as going through the few pages I came across this word called “children’s pursuits” at the very beginning of the first question of how do we grow a culture of inquiry (Pelo,2007,p.109) . I choose this word because it is challenging for me during my first practicum placement, illustrates the heart of this chapter and guides me as an Educator to facilitate my learning for future preparation. It literally impacts our learning and pedagogical styles when we recreate art activities for children.
In “Defending Against the Indefensible,” author and professor Neil Postman proposes that language has been abused in modern society by people manipulating it and brainwashing the others. Hence, he suggests seven elements for critical intelligence that can help with identifying and avoiding the manipulative use of language: definition, questions, simple words, metaphor, reification, style and tone, and media.
In the essay “From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime” by Robin Tolmach Lakoff, Lakoff discusses the fact that words are a tool as well when it comes to wars. She talks about the differences between our natural want and ability to kill things, and the mental training soldiers receive to make it easier for them. Lakoff talks about the practice of dehumanizing the “enemy” through nicknames that make us feel superior then our foes, and the repercussions of using this type of language. In the essay by George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, Orwell talks about the decay of the English language, especially in political writings. He discusses the fact that when it comes to writing, political being the main focus, it’s
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After reading “People First Language” by Kathie Snow, the first thing that came to my mind was the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I have never agreed with this saying because words can inflict pain just like sticks and stones. Words really do matter.
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What if language was just taken away from you? Would you be able to express yourself still, or better yet, fight for something you believe in? A way
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
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What would happen if there was no freedom of speech? People would not be able to say what was on their mind. The government would have too much power and everyone would be the same. Basically we would be who the government wanted us to be. There would be riots an...