The Power of Language

Language is considered to be one of the most important components of culture since it is through language that human beings are able to communicate with each other.   However, there are many different languages for many different parts of the world.   This makes it hard for people from different parts of any culture with different language to communicate with each other.   Thus, studying or learning another’s language is as much a part of us as reading books is. Learning a new language is an integral part of becoming at home in a new or another country.   Stepping into another country or territory wherein another language is used, you feel as if you are the only person who can understand yourself.   You feel like an alien.   You feel alone. But when you finally learn the language, it makes you feel happy and satisfied, as if you have just received an award or finished the most difficult project you have encountered.   But your contentment doubles when you learn to use it effectively when communicating with other people.   You no longer feel alone.   You feel that, at last, someone understands what you are trying to say. Amy Tan’s article, Mother Tongue, talks about how her mother’s â€Å"broken† English finally led her to realize that the more important thing in learning a language is not speaking or writing it perfectly, with all the difficult words and grammatical correctness.   She realized that the more important thing is to speak or write a language wherein most people can understand it. When she wrote her novel The Joy Luck Club, she intended to use difficult words, phrases and metaphors because she thought this is how she can prove to most people that second-language learners do not just excel in sciences or mathematics wherein there is a common language use.   However, as she went on writing, she began to realize that she should think about the readers and how they would feel or think about her stories.   She envisioned that reader to be her mother. This is the point when she finally understands that she should â€Å"water down† the English she is using to make her mother understand what she was trying to say.   That is, it is more important to capture the essence of what her mother’s language ability cannot reveal — the intent, passion and imagery her mother was trying to get across. Tan summarizes her personal experience and feelings in learning English in her last paragraph in Mother Tongue: Apart from what any critic had to say about my writing, I knew I had succeeded where it counted when my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: â€Å"So easy to read.† (476) Another article that tells a story of how difficult it is to learn a new language is Malcolm X’s Coming to an Awareness of Language.   To Malcolm X, what makes it harder is to learn to communicate it to people effectively.   In this brief autobiography, he mentioned how he would write to hustlers, presidents, and people in the streets to communicate about Allah.   He gives speeches and talks in conferences.   One look from him and you’d think that he went to school and got beyond eighth grade.   But he attributes all his knowledge in the English language to his serving his time in prison. Malcom X tells how hard he tried to learn the English language.   All of his motivation to learn the English language came from his envy to Bimbi.   He tried to emulate him by conversing with him in English and reading books in English.   But then, he cannot understand most of the words and sentences in the books he picked.   He would skip the difficult words so he ended up not understanding what the book really said.   What he did is that he got hold of a dictionary and started to write everything each day from each page. This is how he learned not just new and difficult words but some history and facts as well.   Malcom X’s autobiography tries to tell us that no matter how hard it is to learn a new language (or just to learn something), it makes you feel satisfied and free after you know you have finally understood it. David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day also describes how he painstakingly learned a new language — the French language this time.   He enrolled in Alliance Francaise to study French only to discover that his teacher is, as he called it, a wild animal.   It was only the first day of class and he and his classmates were already grilled in using the French they knew about by telling about themselves in French. All of them were called to introduce themselves but not one of them was saved by the sadistic teacher who made fun of their French.   His fears and discomfort that he felt as a child all came running back to him as if he was being a kindergarten all over again.   But then, no matter how his teacher tried to insult his laziness, he would only be studying more. Learning a new language can be tricky and very difficult especially for first-timers.   There are times when, as Sedaris described, we would prefer to hide behind stores and cash registers and avoid asking trivial questions in another language.   But all this is learning.   Learning is, indeed hard and tricky, but when we finally learned, it is very satisfying.   In learning a new language, it is very satisfying in the sense that when we finally learned and mastered another language, we know that more people can understand us.   We feel gratified that we have earned the rewards of the hardships we have experienced.   And most of all, we feel a sense of belongingness. Works Cited Malcom X. â€Å"Coming to an Awareness of Language.† Sedaris, David. â€Å"Me Talk Pretty One Day.† 2000. Tan, Amy. â€Å"Mother Tongue.† The Power of Language Language is considered to be one of the most important components of culture since it is through language that human beings are able to communicate with each other.   However, there are many different languages for many different parts of the world.   This makes it hard for people from different parts of any culture with different language to communicate with each other.   Thus, studying or learning another’s language is as much a part of us as reading books is. Learning a new language is an integral part of becoming at home in a new or another country.   Stepping into another country or territory wherein another language is used, you feel as if you are the only person who can understand yourself.   You feel like an alien.   You feel alone. But when you finally learn the language, it makes you feel happy and satisfied, as if you have just received an award or finished the most difficult project you have encountered.   But your contentment doubles when you learn to use it effectively when communicating with other people.   You no longer feel alone.   You feel that, at last, someone understands what you are trying to say. Amy Tan’s article, Mother Tongue, talks about how her mother’s â€Å"broken† English finally led her to realize that the more important thing in learning a language is not speaking or writing it perfectly, with all the difficult words and grammatical correctness.   She realized that the more important thing is to speak or write a language wherein most people can understand it. When she wrote her novel The Joy Luck Club, she intended to use difficult words, phrases and metaphors because she thought this is how she can prove to most people that second-language learners do not just excel in sciences or mathematics wherein there is a common language use.   However, as she went on writing, she began to realize that she should think about the readers and how they would feel or think about her stories.   She envisioned that reader to be her mother. This is the point when she finally understands that she should â€Å"water down† the English she is using to make her mother understand what she was trying to say.   That is, it is more important to capture the essence of what her mother’s language ability cannot reveal — the intent, passion and imagery her mother was trying to get across. Tan summarizes her personal experience and feelings in learning English in her last paragraph in Mother Tongue: Apart from what any critic had to say about my writing, I knew I had succeeded where it counted when my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: â€Å"So easy to read.† (476) Another article that tells a story of how difficult it is to learn a new language is Malcolm X’s Coming to an Awareness of Language.   To Malcolm X, what makes it harder is to learn to communicate it to people effectively.   In this brief autobiography, he mentioned how he would write to hustlers, presidents, and people in the streets to communicate about Allah.   He gives speeches and talks in conferences.   One look from him and you’d think that he went to school and got beyond eighth grade.   But he attributes all his knowledge in the English language to his serving his time in prison. Malcom X tells how hard he tried to learn the English language.   All of his motivation to learn the English language came from his envy to Bimbi.   He tried to emulate him by conversing with him in English and reading books in English.   But then, he cannot understand most of the words and sentences in the books he picked.   He would skip the difficult words so he ended up not understanding what the book really said.   What he did is that he got hold of a dictionary and started to write everything each day from each page. This is how he learned not just new and difficult words but some history and facts as well.   Malcom X’s autobiography tries to tell us that no matter how hard it is to learn a new language (or just to learn something), it makes you feel satisfied and free after you know you have finally understood it. David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day also describes how he painstakingly learned a new language — the French language this time.   He enrolled in Alliance Francaise to study French only to discover that his teacher is, as he called it, a wild animal.   It was only the first day of class and he and his classmates were already grilled in using the French they knew about by telling about themselves in French. All of them were called to introduce themselves but not one of them was saved by the sadistic teacher who made fun of their French.   His fears and discomfort that he felt as a child all came running back to him as if he was being a kindergarten all over again.   But then, no matter how his teacher tried to insult his laziness, he would only be studying more. Learning a new language can be tricky and very difficult especially for first-timers.   There are times when, as Sedaris described, we would prefer to hide behind stores and cash registers and avoid asking trivial questions in another language.   But all this is learning.   Learning is, indeed hard and tricky, but when we finally learned, it is very satisfying.   In learning a new language, it is very satisfying in the sense that when we finally learned and mastered another language, we know that more people can understand us.   We feel gratified that we have earned the rewards of the hardships we have experienced.   And most of all, we feel a sense of belongingness. Works Cited Malcom X. â€Å"Coming to an Awareness of Language.† Sedaris, David. â€Å"Me Talk Pretty One Day.† 2000. Tan, Amy. â€Å"Mother Tongue.†

Public participation Essay

The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium have seen the rapid growth of two undeniably related phenomena. They are the rise of international democracy and the explosion in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). â€Å"E-democracy† is the concept widely used and even sometimes misused. Crick (2002:93) defines democracy as the, â€Å"polity or political rule [that] strives to balance individual freedom, individual rights, and the common good. † In this paper I’m going to examine the impact of ICTs on the concept of democracy as presented by Crick. Conditions of modern democracy are the role of individuals, official doctrines, typical social structure, nature of the elite, typical institutions of government, type of economy, theories of property, attitudes to law, diffusion of information, and attitudes to politics. No doubt that ICTs have potential to expand democratic participation. Still the question whether ICTs facilitate and enhance democracy is surrounded by much controversy. Areas such as e-voting and e-consultation attract great attention of political scientists from over the globe. ICTs provide an excellent opportunity for governments to become more transparent, efficient and accountable. ICTs mean that people are provided greater services and opportunities online, and as a result become more informed, articulate and active in public affairs. Thus, ICTs have a significant potential to widen civic engagement. Much hype surrounds the newly created term â€Å"global civil society†. Norris (2001:6) poses an inevitable and burning question, â€Å"Will the Internet have the capacity to revitalize public participation in conventional politics, such as levels of party membership, electoral turnout, or activism in civic and voluntary organizations? † ICTs may create the possibility of reaching out to publicize political parties, solicit feedback, new ideas, and new members, energize party activists and build leadership cadres. Thus, ICTs may help to promote political pluralism and activism. Individualism becomes a core value in the ICT-driven society, and the role of an individual is the condition of modern democracy. Also we should keep in mind that e-commerce empowers previously economically disadvantaged strata, and type of economy is one of the conditions of modern democracy. Norris (2001:97) stresses the following fact, â€Å"The Internet may broaden involvement in public life by eroding some of the barriers to political participation and civic engagement, especially for many groups currently marginalized from mainstream politics. † So ICTs provide a perfect opportunity to increase youth participation, enhance women on the political arena, and include marginalized and disadvantaged groups. As Crick (2002:98) argues, â€Å"Participation is critical, for moral education and for the implementation of democratic government. † Still, Leslie David Simon (2002:36) argues that, â€Å"Participation fortifies democracies, but it is also a favourite tool of many totalitarian states. † But Norris (2001:101) states that, â€Å"the new opportunities for civic engagement and political participation on the Internet will serve primarily to benefit those elites with the resources and motivation to take advantage of [them]. † The nature of the elite is the essential condition of modern democracy, and today we can speak of â€Å"information elite† as well as of â€Å"information society. † Transparency of the government, both federal and local, is another possible consequence of democracy. Crick (2002:103) states that, â€Å"Democracies work better (can only work) in an atmosphere of trust. † Norris (2001:107) states that, â€Å"new technologies allow greater transparency in the policy-making process, wider public participation in decision making, and new opportunities for interaction and mobilization in election campaigns, but, critics argue, whether these potentialities are realized. † Attention to the protection of human rights through the use of new communication technologies is an area of growing interest. On the other hand, the implementation of more â€Å"technological democracy† will exacerbate the existing digital divide present within and between developed and developing countries. The explosive growth of the Internet is exacerbating existing inequalities between the information rich and poor. Also, as Norris argues, a so-called democratic divide is developing between the citizens who do and do not use ICT’s to engage, mobilize and participate in public life. Instead of promoting democracy, ICTs could be manipulated by political parties as tools of propaganda. With no Internet censorship it is becoming a widespread political phenomenon. Crick (2002:21) defines anarchy as â€Å"a central danger of democracy†, and cyber-pessimist perceive Internet as a totally anarchical environment. Leslie David Simon (2002:Front Matter) reminds the reader that, â€Å"Today we know that there is another side to the story. Those who hate democratic values and human rights have also learned to use the Internet. In the United States and abroad, neo-Nazis and other hate groups maintain Web-sites†¦ † Also e-democracy should be seen as enhancing, not replacing traditional forms of government-citizen interaction. Norris (2001:104) reminds us that ICTs should be used, â€Å"to promote and strengthen the core representative institutions connecting citizens and the state. In this regard, opportunities for public participation and civic engagement generated via new technology are important. † Analysing all the abovementioned, I came to the conclusion that the views expressed by cyber-optimist are more realistic. Personally I believe that ICTs are able and will promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, and attitude to law is one of the important conditions of modern democracy. ICT’s bring more opportunity and freedom, and these two factors will gradually cause wider adoption and improvement of democratic governance. Certainly, I admit the existence of numerous dangers related to the spread of ICTs, but I believe that the growing political consciousness will prevent further misuse of this powerful tool. Open and transparent government as well as availability and circulation of information can guarantee democracy and participation, and diffusion of information is one of the crucial conditions of modern democracy. Making a final conclusion I would life to state once more that the rational use of the whole potential of ICTs can facilitate democracies worldwide. Sources: 1. Leslie David Simon, Javier Corrales, Donald R. Wolfensberger, Democracy and the Internet: Allies or Adversaries?, Woodrow Wilson Centre Press, 2002 2. Pippa Norris, Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide, Cambridge University Press, 2001 3. Bernard Crick, Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2002

Losing a Loved One Essay

Losing a loved one is like having the rug swept from under you. We make plans for the day, and do not think twice about how those plans can be taken away in the blink of an eye. I never thought much about it myself, until I was faced with the shock, and undeniable truth of my uncle’s death. I do not think anyone really thinks about tragedy until they are actually faced with shocking news. It is amazing how we take life for granted. The tragedy never goes away. You just learn how to cope with it and keep moving on. My mom had been going to school in Virginia and staying at my Aunt Ana’s house. She had been away for two weeks and wanted to come home for the weekend. My mom had suggested that I go back with her and visit colleges, shop, go to movies and just spend time together. I had been feeling pretty sorry for myself since she had been gone. I was working a great deal as a front desk clerk at the casino. I was really excited to have a week with my mom to myself. The wh ole ride over we were talking about what I wanted to do that week. Making plans and having â€Å"me time† seemed very important at the time. I woke up Tuesday morning excited for the day I was going to spend with my mom. I was sitting at the kitchen table drinking fresh coffee listening to my mom and Aunt Ana joke around about how paranoid my mom was about doing well in her classes, my aunt was telling her that maybe now that I was there, she would relax a little bit and have some fun. Our plan was to go to one of mom’s classes with her, and then on a tour of CNU and then we were going to go to dinner and a movie. We were interrupted by a phone call from my Aunt Nilsa. My mom was still joking and in a silly mood when she started talking to my aunt. Suddenly the conversation turned from joking to dead silence and my mom started crying. She tearfully asked, â€Å"Why what happened? Was he alone?† I was thinking my cousin went riding and fell off her four-wheeler or that something had happened to my grandfather. She kept on saying â€Å"OH MY GOD, NO†. Aunt Ana asked â€Å"What happened? What is going o n?† And then Mom told us; Fran, my uncle was shot and he did not survive. I felt as if I was paralyzed, I felt that if I moved it would be real. I just had this blank look on my face. I had no reaction at first and I wanted to deny it, all of it. I kept saying to myself, no it is a lie, they made a mistake. To my complete horror I was wrong. My mom kept saying â€Å"I have got to go see Fran. I need to see with my brother† My mom ran down stairs to get ready to go, I followed her and just stood there, still paralyzed. She hugged me and said that she loved me. I had never seen my mom so panicked. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and I could still hear her sobbing through the door. I was all by myself, now. I was standing in the middle of the family room as the words â€Å"He is dead† pierced my heart like daggers of ice. I was screaming OH, GOD NO, and started to cry uncontrollably. The realization that I would never see my uncle again struck me. After I got myself under control I went and packed my things to leave with my mother. As soon as we were done we were on the next flight to New Jersey. I come from a big family with many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. As I was standing there all alone I thought back to the time when I got to spend a week with Fran. Almost a year ago to the date, most of the family was together for my other uncle’s wedding. All the cousins sat at the same table and we had such a good time together. He was a busy person, he had so many things that he wanted to accomplish, but because over a little minor argument he was killed. So my chances to know my uncle better were gone. My Mom and aunt had to call everyone and tell them the tragic news. They could hardly speak without breaking down. My Mom called Fran’s fiancà ©e and got more of the traumatic details and then filled us in, although none of us wanted to know how he had got killed. We were all trying to figure out what to do for the funeral. We realized that the funeral would have to be held in New Jersey where my uncle had lived for the past eight years. The best and worst part of the day was when they got the pictures of him throughout his life to make a collage. One minute we were laughing at the food on his face when he was a baby and the next we were crying about how good looking he was. That evening all my family from Puerto Rico Flew in and we had a small get together. A few days later when we were getting ready for the memorial service I managed to keep my cool until I realized why I was seeing these familiar faces. Once the service started I managed to keep my emotions in tack until I saw my grandmother break down. I could not even look up at her because I thought about how I would feel in the same situation. Your life can change drastically at any moment. Do not take life or the people that you love for granted, you are only here once. Losing my uncle a couple months ago taught me that living every day intentionally and purposefully is what I intend to strive for.

The Experiences of Nursing Students with Dyslexia Essay

The Experiences of Nursing Students with Dyslexia - Essay Example The work under study discussed the plight of nursing students that live with dyslexia. As one of the preliminary signs of believability of the report (Ryan, Coughlan & Cronin, 2007), it is well laid out, avoiding any unnecessary jargon, applying the use of good grammar and hence very believable to the reader. The title of the work is fully reflective of the content of the report, it displays an element of conciseness, clarity, and accuracy, given the content of the paper. The author of this report is credible, which is another requirement for believability (Gomm, 2004). Caroline Ridley is an expert in her field, given that she is a Senior Lecturer on adult nursing at the School of Health, Psychology and Social Care, at the Manchester Metropolitan University. The abstract of the paper accurately outlines the key components of the report, bringing out the aim of the study, the methodology used, the findings of the study and finally the conclusion of the study. Such are the components o f a good abstract (Ellis, 2013). Ridley’s (2011) work on pre-registration nursing students is backed by a clearly outlined rationale for undertaking the research. The author points out that dyslexia is a prevalent disability among the student population, which has warranted studies on the subject. She points out that there is limited research on healthcare practitioners that are suffering from dyslexia, despite the high rate of prevalence of these. The literature review conducted by the author is quite comprehensive. She applies a unique blend of old and recent literature on the topic, that is, by reviewing Shuler (1990) and Shallenberger (1993), and then going ahead to review a wide variety of more recently completed works such as that by Goode (2007) and Hartley et al. (2008). The literature review is satisfactory towards the philosophical underpinnings of the study (Ryan, Coughlan & Cronin, 2007), that is, it adequately presents some of the issues faced by nursing students with dyslexia. For example, according to Morris and Turnbull (2006), these students are subjected to attitudinal boundaries by others around them. Dale and Taylor (2001) point out effects such as frustration and low self-esteem among these dyslexic students. The literature review is able to amply fulfill its objectives of bringing out some of the issues that dyslexic medical practitioners have to contend with. Ridley (2011) gives the aim of her study as ‘to explore the experiences of pre-registration nursing students with dyslexia at one university.’ This aim is clearly stated, bringing important factors such as the student population under study and the factor under study (Kumar, 2010). The aim is consistent with the research question, which is to highlight the experiences of nursing students that have dyslexia. Ethically, the research is on par with the standards set for research (Polit & Beck, 2011). These standards require that participants are made fully aware of the nature of the study (Polit & Beck, 2011).