Oppression Of The Catholic Religion - 794 Words

Many people might not have known that oppression is present in regard to religion. There have been many times over the past decades were overt forms of oppression have been present when a dominant religious group takes over a subordinated group. In a reading this week, Christian Privilege is talked about. This type of privilege surprised me because I did not even know it existed. The reading talked about how dominant religious would punish individuals who went against their religion and tried to force others out so they would be on top. It is absurd to me that individuals would go to such great lengths to make sure that people were following their religion and not another. A topic that really enforced this type of oppression is the marginalization of the Catholic religion. I have never noticed that unless you are in a public school, one never has off for holidays unless it is a Catholic holiday. It is preposterous that some students need to be excused from school just to celebrate a ny over their religious holidays. I could not believe that so much of our school system is centered on a Christian denomination. This reading really helped open my eyes to the oppression that many religions have to face (Blumenfeld, 2010). After looking over this article, something that bothered me is that our culture is so focused on the Christian denomination that we never hear about any other religions. I went to Catholic school all my life, so I never went against the societal norms. ThereShow MoreRelatedAugustine And Two Fathers Of The Greek Church1702 Words   |  7 Pagesamazing walls of the church, and by extension follow the ones who have been â€Å"selected by God† to run His Holy Catholic Church (Catholic Canonists). Although in reality, the appointment of Archbishops, Bishops, and Cardinals acts more like a small town political election, with their peers electing them to office, than God speaking directly to anyone. My next offensive argument is that the Catholic Church creates a space of hypocrisy by publicizing one theme of morality but practicing whatever they likeRead MoreThe Influence of the Protestant Reformation984 Words   |  4 PagesMatters concerning religion today were not like they were in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Before Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis starting the Protestant reformation, there was only the religion of Catholicism. The Protestant reformation, brought on by the northern renaissance, gave us diverse religions such as Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anabaptist, and many others. Although the spread of these new religions pleased the people of the country, the ruling authorities and catholic dignitaries wereRead MoreThe French Of Religious Identity Essay1472 Words   |  6 Pagesare so private about their religion? It is because the French are required to keep their religious identity out of the public space. The French call it laà ¯cità © or secularism but it means much more than just the separation of church and state. It guarantees the freedom from religion in the public domain so that no one is oppressed by religion and everyone is seen equally. Muslims, living in France, are being treated unequally by the state while they support the catholic majority. This seems hypocriticalRead MoreReligion For Some Is A Pathway To Heaven. Following Any1134 Words   |  5 Pages Religion for some is a pathway to Heaven. Following any religion is a personal choice of living a life with faith in a divine and supreme power. As any other major religion, Islam promotes peace, love and equality for all mankind . People who follow Islam are Muslims which is defined as â€Å"one who surrenders† in front of God. Islam has given both rights and responsibilities to men and women, but it has also handed extra responsibility to men to look after their families, to provide for them, andRead MoreA Study Of Religion Through The Lens Of Mary Daly And Gayatri Spivak1371 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to the Study of Religion Prof. Ken Derry TA: Robbie Kennedy Masked Patriarchy and Androcentrism: Through the lens of Mary Daly and Gayatri Spivak By: Yara Raid Mahmoud Abuhudra 1001590272 October 18, 2014 Word Count: 1300 Rikza Mazhar: culture Christ The king Roman Catholic Church Yara Abuhudra: gender 3495 Confederation Parkway, Mississauga, ON L5B 3G5 Recently, I have been interested in a multitude of religions and their devoteesRead MoreThe Virgin Of Guadalupe And La Virgen De Guadalupe1201 Words   |  5 PagesIn the final resolution concerning religion, Chicanas declare, â€Å"Revolutionary change of [the] Catholic Church or for it to get out of the way.† On the resolutions listed under sexuality, Chicanas mention how they recognize their suppression under the Catholic Church, how religion and culture control their sex lives, and the â€Å"guilt complexes† pressured onto them when they challenge the institution. Each of these themes are depicted through the cultural and religious symbol of the Virgin of GuadalupeRead MoreLutheranism and Its Impact on Germanic Peasants1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rise of Lutheranism and its Impact on Germanic Peasants The rise of a new religion is often met with both praise and malice from the hierarchy of the civilization it springs from. The rise of Lutheranism affected all of Western Europe, but it’s most prominent impact was on the peasants and serfs with no where to turn in what is today Germany. As the growth of Lutheranism picked up speed at the beginning of the sixteenth century, peasants from all over the Germanic states turned to LutheranismRead MoreAssess the View That Religion Is a Source of Instability and Conflict1094 Words   |  5 PagesAssess the view that religion is a major source of instability and conflict in society today Religion has held an important role in society since the beginning of civilisation and it has such power over people’s minds and shape the way our world developed. Whilst some sociological theories such as functionalist sees religion as performing a positive function in society as it can lead to social solidarity, integrating people into society, other sociological theories such as Marxist and FeministRead MoreReligion in Todays Society994 Words   |  4 PagesReligion has affected the human in many ways; rules, traditions, culture patterns, morality, etc. The most powerful and important role that religion plays is that how it controls the human. I believe that religion has created conflicts between people including whole countries. Religion has the societal effect of dividing people into us and them. This unfortunately has the same characteristics as any other form of discrimination, such a as racialism. Then, it would come very easy to consider usRead MoreWomen s Role As A Patriarchal Institution Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesReligion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices that have been around from society itself has existed. It also plays a pivotal part in sociology especially with regards to social control and socialisation. The role women occupy within religion has changed drastically in the last few decades. There are competing sociological arguments as to whether or not the subordination of women is due to religion as many feminists would suggest. For the purposes of this essay I will evaluate and discuss

The Gaming Authority s Plan For Start Licensing Dfs...

Malta Gaming Authority makes plans to start Licensing DFS operations Within Europe the interest in daily fantasy sports (DFS) is growing by the day, with this being something that many major gambling brands are looking to take advantage of. Throwing extra weight behind this new brand of sports betting experience, it appears that the reputable Malta Gaming Authority will soon start issuing licenses for DFS based gambling. At this point DFS is the only online gambling format that is authorised by the UIGEA in the United States. With this being the case, players in Europe really are chomping at the bit to get involved with the DFS action, as the MGA looks to make this a reality. In its current form, DFS companies can operate in Europe under other licenses, including the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) license. However, there is currently no dedicated license for such form of gambling, but that is now seemingly about to change. While the official date of a license rollout is not known, what is known is that such certificate is now under development, with such set to give DFS more legitimacy. Putting it simply, this brand new license should help give legs to DFS within Europe, opening up the gambling format further. The reason behind the decision comes down to the fact that DFS play has strong skill and knowledge elements, which does work to differentiate it from other gambling formats. Speaking about the MGA’s decision; Valery Bollier (Oulala.com CEO) was one of the firs toShow MoreRelatedMicrosoft Corporation (Analysis)17842 Words   |  72 Pages23,150 (million USD) 90,000 Technology Communications and Company Overview Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) is one of the leading providers of software and storage products and services. The company is engaged in developing, manufacturing, licensing, and supporting software products worldwide. It conducts business through five reportable business segments, namely, Windows Windows Live segment, Server and Tools segment, Microsoft Business Division segment, Entertainment and Devices segment

Personal Narrative My Friends Steriod Use Essays

Personal Narrative: My Friends Steriod Use The media has done an excellent job of creating the ideal body type, with a bombardment of images of what we should look like. However the odds of the average person being able to fit this model are very slim indeed. Since 1997 I have been a member of a health facility where I have worked and worked trying to mold myself into that ideal type. It seems that the closer I get the farther away I am from my goal One day one of my close friends and work out partners suggested that we go on a cycle of anabolic steroids to improve our performance in the gym and give ourselves the boost that we were looking for. I immediately dismissed his suggestion thinking that it was just a passing thought.†¦show more content†¦Are they comparable to a smoker who feels that they are not at any real risk of getting lung cancer? Anabolic steroids are the synthetic derivatives of the naturally occurring male anabolic hormone testosterone. This hormone triggers the maturing of the male reproductive system in puberty, including the growth of body hair and the deepening of the voice. The hormones anabolic effect helps the body retain dietary protein, which aids in the development of muscles. When asked others that have taken these drugs claim that they feel almost immediately stronger, and are able to lift the weights that they could not before. The drugs are either taken through injections or orally. My friend decided that the use of needles were the safer method as the damage to the liver was more serious when taking them in an oral method. While the results were not immediate to the eye, a change in behavior was starting to show. The average adult male, who lifts weights on a regular basis is able to put on 5 pounds per year of lean muscle mass. My friend had this number doubled within the first month. His next cycle was of a drug known as REVORVIT B. The label was written in Mexican and had a small picture of a pig on the front. The only English writing on the label read â€Å"Not Intended for animals that will be used for Human Consumption.† I remember when showed this I had concern for my friends well being. What would be the

Feeling Home The Bluest Eye - 1010 Words

This thesis falls in four chapters with an introduction and a conclusion. The first chapter, feeling home: the kitchen as a self- empowering space in The Bluest Eye, explores the kitchen as a mimic of homeland for black Americans. It investigates the role of food as a way to keep the culture alive. Rafa Zafar argues thatâ€Å" remembering, writing about, and passing on recipes keep African American cultural traditions and personal stories alive†(Bower, 6). During the 1950s, after the losses that African Americans experienced in their migration from the South to the North, they lost their connection to their heritage and culture. They look for something to resort to as a cultural signifier. In the beginning they resort to storytelling,†¦show more content†¦This chapter investigates the ways in which food acts as a dual agent as a tool of communication and a source of empowerment for women. It examines the potential for female empowerment and agency through culinary pr actices. Additionally, it addresses the question of how women of the novel use food as a path to power as well as a medium for expressing their feelings. It studies the significance of food and cooking and their direct impact on women s lives. The chapter highlights also how Esquivel uses food to show how the protagonist along with the other women of the novel silently communicate and convey messages through food Chapter three, cooking up roots: Jade Snow Wong s attempt at self definition, focuses on the outcome of the discussion of the first two chapters, the hyphenated identity that formed in the kitchen of immigrants. It investigates the role of food in shaping immigrants new identities. Jade Snow Wong explains in Fifth Chinese Daughter, that her father, as a former immigrant, believes that seeking out and collecting food stories, recipes, promoting cooking at their home and establishing strong ties with their community allow children and community members alike to engage with their history and culture and preserve it for future generations. This chapter attempts to discuss the Chinese American literary discourse for the Chinese American identityShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Tony Morrison s The Bluest Eye 1263 Words   |  6 Pages Pecola’s Eyes and Vision Tony Morrison is a famous, exciting, American writer, describes as a major figure of the entire African American nation within the American community. â€Å"The Bluest Eye† published in 1970, is one of the most impressive novels of the author describing the Great American Depression. The contexts and the structure of the story looks as if it was written for children. This realistic story describes the manner of life and reality of the African American, suffering form the pressureRead MoreAnalysis Of Tony Morrison s The Bluest Eye 1314 Words   |  6 PagesvvPecola’s Eyes and Vision Tony Morrison is a famous, exciting, American writer, describes as a major figure of the entire African American nation within the American community. â€Å"The Bluest Eye† published in 1970, is one of the most impressive novels of the author describing the Great American Depression. The contexts and the structure of the story looks as if it was written for children. This realistic story describes the manner of life and reality of the African American, suffering form the pressureRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison Essay1456 Words   |  6 Pageslove, and support comes to mind. Meanwhile, society tends to forget that initially home is a house: a constructed place of living that has all the materialistic essentials to survive in it; but is not a home because it has no feeling of love, safety or serenity within it. These two words, â€Å"home† and â€Å"house† seem so similar, but are very different in their meanings. In The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, houses and homes are depicted very neatly and compared with one another, as the residents of thoseRead MoreToni Morrisons Sula - The Judgment of Sula703 Words   |  3 Pagesher book The Bluest Eye. In 1973 she published her second novel Sula, and she has been writing ever since. Sara Blackburn reviewed Sula for the New York Times when it first made its way onto the scene, and while she did offer a nice plot summary, her review seemed to carry a message addressed to Morrison rather than to the reader. nbsp; Blackburn begins her article by discussing Morrisons first book, The Bluest Eye, claiming that because of the womens movement The Bluest Eye attracted moreRead More Morrisons Bluest Eye Essay: Misdirected Anger Depicted1174 Words   |  5 PagesMisdirected Anger Depicted in The Bluest Eye In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison shows that anger is healthy and that it is not something to be feared; those who are not able to get angry are the ones who suffer the most.   She criticizes Cholly, Polly, Claudia, Soaphead Church, the Mobile Girls, and Pecola because these blacks in her story wrongly place their anger on themselves, their own race, their family, or even God, instead of being angry at those they should have been angry at: whites.Read MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison1598 Words   |  7 Pages in The Bluest Eye, racism has been approached in a very exceptional way. The characters in Morrison’s novel are subjected to adopt a set of values that are separated by the complexion of their skin. The black community in the novel has accepted white standards of beauty, judging Maureen’s light frail skin to be beautiful and that of Pecola’s dark skin to be ugly. These standards arise to Pecola’s desire to have â€Å"the bluest eyes.†. During the 1940’s, Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye examinesRead MoreThe Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison Essay1465 Words   |  6 Pageslove, and support comes to mind. Meanwhile, society tends to forget that initially home is a house: a constructed place of living that has all the materialistic essentials to survive in it; but is not a home because it has no feeling of love, safety or serenity within it. These two words, â€Å"home† and â€Å"house† seem so similar, but are very different in their meanings. In The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, houses and homes are depicted very neatly and compared with one another, as the residents of thoseRead MorePerception Of Oneself Through The Eyes Of The White Culture1695 Words   |  7 PagesOneself through the Eyes of the White Culture: A Feminist Perspective Alongside its umbrageous depiction of African American female identity and its shrewd criticism of the internalized racism cultivated by American cultural definitions of beauty, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison has been inspiring a propagation of literature written by African American women about their experience as women of color. Inspired by a conversation Morrison had with one of her students who wished for blue eyes, the novel portraysRead MoreThe Uses of God and the Church in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison639 Words   |  3 PagesThe Uses of God and the Church in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Morrison places a responsibility for the social dilemma; tragic condition of blacks in a racist America so prominent in the 1940s, on an indefinite God and/or the church. This omniscient being, the creator of all things, both noble and corrupt, and his messengers seem to have in a sense sanctioned the ill fated in order to validate the hatred and scorn of the righteous. In her introduction of the Breedlove family, MorrisonRead MoreThe Bluest Eyes By Toni Morriss1592 Words   |  7 Pages Draft When I was 5 years old I wanted nothing then to be white. I wanted the blonde hair and blue eyes, I wanted nothing to be pretty like the girls on tv. I wanted to look like the girls in the movie that always got the boy at the end they were usually white. I was always angry because my skin was darker then most of my family that my skin was closer to white. My sister who I thought was blessed with her light skin called herself white. I didn t understand it at first and just thought

Bodybuilding Free Essays

This article is with Hugh Jackson on how he has transformed so much form the first X-Men movie to the recent one X-Men Wolverine 2. He was intended to become a MAMA fighter but he chose to become an actor. In the first X-Men he was in shape but not a muscular. We will write a custom essay sample on Bodybuilding or any similar topic only for you Order Now When Hugh Jackson knew he was going to be in more of the X-Men series he thought to himself that a Wolverine should be a beast and strong. So that’s what he intended to do he started to work out a lot. Jackson started to eat a lot healthier and watched what he ate so he can be in the best shape for the next movie. He tells you how he works out on some days he would go for repetition on the weight from 8-10 reps and others he would go heavy 1-5 reps. He also told the author how he has so less body fat, he did this phase called cutting. Analysis I do agree on how Hugh Jackson work out because I do the exact same thing. The first thing is that he would bulk up which means put on some weight before the season begins. After you are done bulking you go into a cutting phase which means that you will lose a lot of that fat and turn it into a muscular fit look. Hugh Jackson and I have a lot of things In common such as eating working out and Just watching our figure. He would work really hard to get that great body that everyone wants and even more Impressive he Is at the age of 44 and he Is still pushing up as much weights as the teenagers. That’s really Impressive for his age. How to cite Bodybuilding, Papers

Baptist Confessional Paper Free Essays

When comparing one item to the other there will always be differences and similarities this is the essitanial aspect of comparing. For purposes of this paper, the two Anabaptist confessions, which will be looked at, are as follows. The New Hampshire Baptist Confession and the Free- Will Baptist Confession. We will write a custom essay sample on Baptist Confessional Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Basis of the New Hampshire Confession rests on the Calvinistic view of theology verses the Free-Will Baptist whose foundation is rooted in the Armenian aspects of theology. The very core of the differences between these two confessions lies in the positions of Armenian and Calvin theology, which will be the focus of this paper. An added difference, which warrants a little time is the stance the Free Will, took from the New Hampshire on the view of Ordinances of the church. Wrapping up will focus on how doctrinal differences between the two will affect the movements in their spheres of influence. Doctrine on God The focus of theology starts with a look at God, who He is and how He responds to those He has created. The view of God a person chooses will direct the flow of the flow of the person’s theology. This being said the discussion would start with God. The New Hampshire Baptist (NHB) believed that God knew all things and therefore new exactly what would happen even before it happened because He determined it that way. The NHB looked at God as having complete and utter sovereignty over all creation. It is under this notion the NHB believed that God knew those who would chose to become His elect from the sinful nature of humanity. The NHB looked at this as an outpouring of God to all that would choose to live for Him. The NHB looked at this as God’s â€Å"eternal purpose. One of the areas this confession does not mention is why God chooses one over another. God election is solely based upon His goodness and holiness, that He would be glorified according to His nature. God places His glory above all things in so much He commands there will be no other God before Him. On the other hand, the Free-Will Baptist (FWB) believes God does not preordain people to be called to Him. FWB believes God only ordains the ends, not the middle, or the means. The FWB believes God gives humankind a sort of power. This power would be considered free will. Free will or the power to choose and therefore determine what things may come by the hand of man. The FWB believe God governs by† moral law and motives† men were thought of as having the ability to bring about the ends He desired. FWB could not understand how a man could be responsible for his action if he does not have the freedom to create possibilities of his own choosing. FWB attempts to break down the concept of the NHB and the idea of God having foreknowledge of all things verses His foreordination of all things. The FWB believes that all things are with God from the beginning to the end. The FWB believe God’s knowledge of the events does not cause them to happen, the FWB also believe that not all the things God knows will happen. FWB knows that God is omniscience but they deny His foreordination of all things such as the HHB does. The FWB have an understanding to which makes God in some very dependent of the creature or creation. They also have an issue with God’s foreknowledge and His foreordination and could not break apart the bond between them. Although both needed to define God’s omnipotence. God knows what will happen and what will cause thing to happen, therefore while He knows some of the happenings, He also knows what will be needed should we need a way out. FWB focuses on God’s willingness to act on certain things or react and allow history to unfold as it would. The Nature of Man The NHC confession of Faith believes the fall of man from a state of joy and communion with God is due to the free will of man. Due to this fall, humanity is separated from God and therefore doomed to an eternal death without excuse because of its own choice. This idea follows along with Calvinism’s doctrine of Total Depravity. Although the NHC falls along the lines of Calvinism there are quite a few aspects of the doctrine they did not follow such as man’s spiritual deadness, black minds dark hearts, and shackles to sin, as well as man’s incapability to change. On the other hand, the FWB builds their faith upon the presupposition that God gives every man free will. FWB believe that although this free will caused men to fall that by the same free will men can choose to change their present state by Christ. The FWB anthropology is closely linked within their outlook on Christology, with its focus on Atonement of Jesus. Atonement The NHB hold strongly to the foundation of â€Å"full atonement. † The NHB believe that atone was a two part concept which involved a universal and a limited area. The universal part took the stance that Christ atonement was sufficient for the salvation all humankind. The limited area was efficient for only the elect of God. NHB held that Christ knew whom He was giving His life for, and these few were by far and large secure in their salvation. The FWB held a special place in the confession of faith when speaking of salvation. The idea can be summed up in the following words â€Å"The call of the Gospel is co-extensive with the atonement to all me, birth by word and the striving of the Spirit, so that salvation is rendered equally possible to all; and if any fail of eternal life, the fault is wholly his own†. The FWB held to the belief men would be changed to a point where they would be able to choose for themselves salvation. When Christ gave His life this supplied the salvation to those that would believe, but the atonement would not be applied to this salvation. The only way the application of Christ’s atonement would be placed on a man once he believed in Christ as Lord and savior then through the Spirit the atonement would apply to this person. The Influence of the Holy Spirit NHB hold fast to the belief that God’s grace begins the regeneration process through the workings of the Holy Spirit within the person. The gift is given freely to those who choose a relationship with God. God decrees in order for many people to hear the word of God and thus hear of salvation to all that would accept this call by the Holy Spirit. The NHB also adhere to the fact that those who will continue to reject the promoting of the Spirit upon their hearts would not be forced to live for God. One of the doctrines of the HNB would follow that God does not care to follow people in this way. FWB have an outlook such that to say God loves those of His elect different than those outside His elect would strike up an argument. The FWB believe God’s atonement is equal for all people and therefore His calling upon the hearts of man are equal. God would place people in places where they are faced with the decision to call upon Him for atonement but the actual turning away from self and acceptance of atonement is men alone. God cannot choose the right decision or the wrong decision in the doctrine of the FWB. Perseverance of the Saints The NHB like any other denomination will follow its doctrines to their logical conclusions. Believing is â€Å"wrought in our souls† because of the regenerating Spirit of God’s work within His elect is â€Å"wholly of grace† then the preservation of those elect in a state of salvation is entirely based on the power of God. If God wants, you saved then you will be saved. On the other hand, the FWB hold fast to their doctrine to which if the act of believing comes from a man’s few will then his choice to remain in the salvation state is also from his free will. A blurb from their doctrine defines it clearly† future obedience and final salvation are neither determined nor certain, since through infirmity and manifold temptation they are in danger of falling. † The Sacraments The NHB state in their confession there are only two ordinances they hold to. The first being the Baptism and the second being the Lord’s Supper. However, the FWB also holds the Lord’s Supper and the Baptism of its members but adds a third, which is washing the feet of the Saints. Conclusion In conclusion of the findings between these two different groups is very clear. The doctrines to which govern these groups are first and for most deep-rooted, and secondly quite different. It would be interesting at the very least to see a debate between these groups. It is quite clear the Free Will Baptist doctrine focus is centered on the man. The man makes up his own mind, the man continues to follow his own decision or not. This idea of man focused is can be seen not only in Christianity but also in new age and many other religions worldwide. While on the other hand the focus of the New Hampshire Baptist is solely, focus on God. Their entire doctrine is focused on a position of humility, peace, love, and joy from the man towards his creator. Though both have their many differences, the bottom line is both were different from the norm of their time and were hunted because they sought many differences from the power of the state-church at that time. How to cite Baptist Confessional Paper, Papers

Figures of Speech free essay sample

Figures of Speech [ Examples ] 1. Metaphor ? But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill. (William Sharp, The Lonely Hunter) ? Love is an alchemist that can transmute poison into foodand a spaniel that prefers even punishment from one hand to caresses from another. (Charles Colton, Lacon) 2. Simile ? Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong. (slogan of Pan-American Coffee Bureau) ? She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat. (James Joyce, The Boarding House) 3. Personification ? Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. (proverb quoted by Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos) ? The operation is over. On the table, the knife lies spent, on its side, the bloody meal smear-dried upon its flanks. The knife rests. (Richard Selzer, The Knife) 4. Apostrophe ? Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own. (Lorenz Hart, Blue Moon) ? Hello darkness, my old friend Ive come to talk with you again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Paul Simon, The Sounds of Silence) 5. We will write a custom essay sample on Figures of Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Metonymy ? The suits on Wall Street walked off with most of our savings. ? â€Å"I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didnt do me any good. All they did was made me think of Silver Wig, and I never saw her again. (Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep) 6. Hyperbole ? I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far. (Mark Twain, Old Times on the Mississippi) ? Im really busy, I am doing like ten million things at the same time. 7. Litotes ? The graves a fine a private place, But none, I think, do there embrace. (Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress) ? for lifes not a paragraph And death I think is no parenthesis (e. e. cummings, since feeling is first) 8. Irony ? My cat enjoys the thrill of a good, long nap. ? The homeless survived in their cardboard palace. 9. Antithesis ? Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing. (Goethe) ? We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. (Martin Luther King, Jr. , speech at St. Louis, 1964) 10. Paradox ? War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. (George Orwell, 1984) ? If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness. (Alexander Smith) 11. Oxymoron ? The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. (W. C. Fields) ? We have to believe in free will. We have no choice. (Isaac Bashevis Singer)

Linguistics Second Language Learning and Teaching

Question: Discuss about theLinguisticsfor Second Language Learning and Teaching. Answer: Part 1 Language is a complex system of sounds and humans generally gain the ability to learn and acquire language at an age of four to six years. However, the learning capability may vary from person to person. Research shows that humans have the capability to learn more at specific periods of their life. At certain stages, the brain learns to gain certain propensities from the environment in which he lives (VanPatten Williams, 2014). For instance, he learns the language of humans and slowly learns how to use it. Humans learn to use and implement language till puberty. In fact, in some cases it has been seen that children learn foreign language more quickly and efficiently than adults (Benson Voller, 2014). Humans learn a language through speech sounds, signs, and symbols. Saussure talks about acquisition of human language. Meaning is attributed to a word. The meaning itself is not contained within it. Sign comprises the linguistic form and the meaning. Both the signifier and the signified are contained within a word (Rock, 2016). When one teaches a child any language, he/she makes him her acquainted with the objects and the meaning contained within it. For instance, a child learns the word cat when he is shown a cat and told that this is a cat. He first sees the expressions that are created on the face of the speaker when the word is pronounced (Ortega, 2009). His understanding of the word cat may differ from the understanding of the speaker. He may take the word cat to be sat. It is pronunciation that is the only physical part of a language and demands programming through neuromuscular activities (Joseph, 2013). A child observes the motor skills in the tongue, lips, throat- precisely the lower face. It is to be noted that all these organs of the body are involved in the production of sound and speech. An individual thus, first learns by seeing, watching, and observing. However, the exact sound produced by the speaker is not always replicated by the listener. The listener may perceive the speech sound completely in a different way. Once a child learns to perceive speech sound, he slowly and gradually learns to associate the meanings attributed to words (Harris, Taylor, 1997) In case of second or foreign language, a person is likely to develop foreign sounding accents when he/ she has learned the first or native language completely. He then learns the second or foreign language in the later period of his life. Compared to adults, children learn languages very quickly and easily. An adult must struggle and toil to learn a new language. However, a child picks up any language out of thin air. For him, it is a part of a play. Children initially communicate using vocalizations and gestures (McGilvray, 2013). It is only through vocalizations and gestures that they make their intents known to others. Children then learn words and their usage. New functions slowly take over the old functions. They learn words and associate the meanings attributed to them. They learn to express their feelings through words which they earlier did through preverbal means. Though the language that humans learn differs from one place to another, the way in which children learn to use a language is universal. Children, with time, acquire the meanings, forms, and uses of utterances and words. In this regard, there are two methods in which the language skill of an individual is developed. There are two approaches for development of syntax. The first is the empiricist approach in which children learn the syntactic rules. The second is the nativist approach in which the principles of syntax are innate. In this approach, the principles are transmitted through genome (Mitchell et al., 2013). The nativist theory was proposed by Naom Comsky. According to him, children are able to learn and acquire a language since they have the innate ability of language acquisition. It is a unique accomplishment of humans. Children have language acquisition device or the LAD (Chomsky, 2014). The LAD is the area of the human brain wherein all the rules of a language are set. The syntactical rules of all languages are stored in the brain of a child. Hence children are able to construct novel words and sentences using their vocabulary. Chomsky claims that it is this innate quality because of which children are able to learn a new language (Moro et al., 2015). Whatever children hear, the external linguistic input is not sufficient to explain their ability to know and learn a language. Naom Chomsky argues that the external input from the environment has limitations and is full of errors. It is thus impossible for a child to learn a language solely from the external environment until and unless he has the innate quality of acquisition. It is because of the language acquisition device that children are able to learn a language wholly and completely despite errors and incomplete information from the external environment (Cohen, 2014). On the other hand, the empiricist theory contrasts Chomskys nativist theory. The empiricist theory suggests that since there is enough information in the external environment and children are able to receive that information properly, they do not need any innate language acquisition device (De, 2014). The existence of an innate device is purely based on assumption. Since external sources are available, there is no need to assume that there exists an innate device and it is only because of this innate device that children are able to learn and acquire a language. Empiricists believe that the brain processes in a human are sufficient for the acquisition of a language. It is of utmost importance that a child is actively engaged with the environment while learning a language (Culler, 1976). The adult or teachers must communicate with the child appropriately that is, he must carry out child directed speech or the CDS. It is through the child directed speech that the children are given the information required to learn a language. According to the statistical language acquisition, children acquire and learn language through perception of patterns (Givn Ranch, 2013). According to the interactionist perspective, children learn language through interaction and communication. Learning a language means creating meaningful ways of communication. It is only through interaction that children are able to learn a language. Language, is, in fact, a mode of communication. It is in the first six years of a human life that a child learns a language. In the first three to twelve months, a baby is merely able to laugh and make cooing sounds. He communicates through symbols and gestures. Children start producing babbling sounds by the age of twelve months (Hoff, 2013). This is followed by jargon phase whereby children start producing unintelligible strings forming a conversation like tone. The babbling sound thus sounds meaningful. In the next twelve to eighteen months, children start uttering words that are rich in meaning. More words are added to the vocabulary and children gain understanding of words and their surrounding environment (de Saussure, 1983). In t he next eighteen months to two years, children start putting the words in their vocabulary together to form meaningful phrases and sentences. In the next three to five years, the child becomes a preschooler and is able to construct longer and more meaningful sentences. He/ she can now put words and sentences together in a variety of ways. Finally, once the child turns six, he/ she begins to understand the working of language. They learn how to use them and are able to find out meanings out of their framed sentences (Hyams, 2012). A child thus first learns to produce sounds by listening and watching others in the environment. It is only after acquisition of speech sounds that a child develops the ability to learn a language. Speech is completely a physical activity controlled by the brain and needs the organs of the lower face such as lips and the vocal cords. Language involves both written and spoken language (Schtze, 2016). Part 2 Teaching English as a second language to the non-native speakers, can in itself be a highly challenging task. The main challenge while teaching English to a non-native English speaker, lies in the fact that a child takes a long time in acquiring the phonemes and speech sounds of the new language. I have a personal experience of teaching English to a 5 year old child, who had been learning English for the first time in the English class. In this part, I intend to discuss as well as critically analyze the language acquisition process of the particular child, as observed by me. The child had been raised by a Chinese couple, and as a result the child had been accustomed to the Chinese language since his childhood. As it is a well-known fact, that any child mostly acquires a new language between 18 months to 4 years, this particular child failed to receive sufficient exposure to English language, during the very early phase of his life. Consequently, the biggest challenge has been to create an organic need for the child to employ the words of the minority language (here English). However, language learning process does not start off very fast. During the very first few weeks, (approximately a period of 2 weeks), the child was acquainted with his native language only, and consequently refused to communicate via the newly learnt English language. This period can be referred to as the silent period, when the child had been more of an observer, trying to observe, and willing to imitate the facial expression, gestures or speech sounds of the teacher. The way I was enunciating common words, such as Book, Ball, or Play, was being observed by the child, who however refused to communicate with me in the foreign language. Once, the silent period has passed, from the third week onwards, the child started enunciating indistinct words, though the sound utterances were not always right. In this stage, although the child have been acquiring new words of English language, he had been hearing n the last couple of weeks, he was unable to form a symbolic association (lantolf et al., 2015). Each word, as even Saussure, had pointed out in his structuralism theory signifies a specific concept that becomes a symbol for the learner, in the language acquisition process. Thus, the picture teaching technique becomes a very fruitful way of teaching new language. The child already had clear acquaintance with the idea of common objects or things, such as play, food, or boy, and hence I used pictures, for each object, to signify the object as well as the concept, it was denoting (Mitchell et al., 2013). The child started forming pictorial association between the objects seen, and the English words signifying the same that helped him remember the words. However, it should be noted that the utterances or the speech sounds of the child were far different from that of the native English students. The English phonemes do not exist in the Chinese language, and more importantly the stress and the intonation patterns of the English language are completely different from those of the Chinese language. The child was unable to distinguish between the pronunciation of ship, and sheep, or full and fool, and he was pronouncing both the words in each set alike. Besides, often when the child was being shown the picture of sheep, he confused it with ship, and wrote the same. Each word in itself stands for, and signifies a specific concept, and in case of a new language learning process, I observed the child got confused between the two similarly spelt and almost similarly pronounced words. I realized that the phoneme video and audio lessons became imperative to solve the problem. During the next stage, although this kind of confusion was not occurring frequently, I observed that the child struggled to comprehend the underlying structure of the language. While he was well-aware of the commonly used inputs of language, the child was unable to understand the rules of word segmentation. The question is how to frame a grammatically correct sentence, or how to absorb the statistical regularities of apparently meaningless acoustic events. I observed that the child had rather shown a fast progress in detecting the probabilities with which one syllable predicts the other. Again, I also observed that the child encountered a huge challenge in assessing the distribution of language elements, and consequently he was not able to understand the significance of grammatical endings ( -s, -ed) or even the function words (to, of ), while constructing a sentence in English. While trying to say, My mom brought me the bag, the students said I brought my mom a bag (Cook, 2013). Thu s, the parsing process, which forms an important part of the language comprehension process, was not developed in the child. However, gradually when I introduced classroom reading sessions and made story-telling sessions a mandate, I was able to solve this problem. Gradually, by engaging in the story-telling and hearing process, the child was finally able to assemble a string of elements among the different inputs of English language. In case I wish to evaluate the teaching method, I would like to appreciate the video and audio method that was being adopted for improving the phoneme and the speech sound of the child. Besides, the video lessons can help in grabbing the attention of a child in a more effective way, and can eliminate his unwillingness or fear of learning a new language. These lessons can easily appeal to the sense of the child, enthuse him to actively participate in the learning process, and can also improve his vocabulary as well (Rost Candlin, 2014). The story-telling sessions, also was a good thing as it helped in fascinating the child, thereby making him a more active and fast learner. However, I feel that I should have also used familiar Chinese images, themes or mythological stories, while explaining concepts or narrating stories in English. Instead of telling him story of Cinderella, I could have used stories of Yeh-Shen, so that the child can easily recognize the inner meaning. Besides, I co uld also have recommended the use of mobile apps to the child, that could help in the effective, faster language learning process. A child developing and acquiring a new language, requires huge effort and time as well as guidance from the teacher and the family. It is not merely about the words, or the grammatical rules, but it is all about learning the new concept and a new framework as a whole. In order to learn a language in an integrated way, the teacher requires focusing on the development of more advanced vocabulary and phrases. The child must not be taught a new language, but must be encouraged and inspired to experiment new words and phrases. 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