Most Meaningful Takeaway

How To Tame A Wild Tongue 

The whole article was great and had a lot of quotes and meanings, but what my group and I found most intriguing was a quote that really hit me. "So, if you really want to hurt me, talk badly about my language". Anzaldua also mentioned   "Ethnic identity is twin to linguistic identity- I am my language". This shows how much Anzaldua takes pride in her language. As mentioned before in class, a person's language and culture is what defines, without culture or a language, you will not belong anywhere and you will not have an identity. This is of the main reasons Anzaldua doesn't want to let her language leave. 

Another way Anzaldua connects language to identity is by using historical details to show how changes in the Chicano language affected the people as a whole. She makes various distinctions between Chicano Spanish and the standard Spanish spoken in Mexico and most other parts of the world. She makes the point that the new language came out of necessity because Chicanos didn’t feel a connection to either American English or Mexican Spanish, and they had no other way to connect themselves and to identify themselves as a people than by creating a new language to bond them together. The new language became an integral part of Chicano identity as it helped the people identify themselves with others of their ethnicity. Later on in the essay, Anzaldua alludes to various Chicano musicians,writers, and even films made her feel more pride not only in the Chicano language, but in herself, showing the strong connection between language and identity. 

Where do we see evidence of linguistic imperialism in the Anglophone world?

What is linguistic imperialism ? The basic meaning of linguistic imperialism is the transfer of a dominant language to other people and in this case the dominant language is the English language. In our rapidly globalising world today, the English language is becoming the most dominant language in the world. There appeared a number of modern purposes, determining the predominant position of the English language and allowing to retain its importance in the world society. My own opinion is that all people must know English to a certain degree to use as a common language throughout the world, but learn their native language as well. The most important factor in the majority of English speaking people, from whom English is their native language. Another important factor is that knowing English gives people great opportunities for studying, business, international career and travelling. English is a language of international community. It is in its way of world society of the epoch of globalisation  The number of people in the world speaking English is more than one billion people, only a quarter of them consider English as their mother language. Today we see that English seriously strengthens its positions as the language of international communication not only is Europe, but in the whole world. As evidence, today the international conferences, symposiums are held mainly in English. Most universities around the world demand applications in correct formal English. One of the main reasons that children abandon their native language (which is one of the main causes for the extinction of languages) is due to the fact of them being too lazy to learn it or due to them being embarrassed to speak it in public. In an Indian boarding school, the students were not aloud to speak their native languages. When a person abandons their native language, they abandon their culture and more importantly their identity. UAE is arab country yet in all the school here, Mathematics ,Sciences and other subjects , are all taught in English. I speak more English at home than Arabic even though my parents are Arab. When people go out in this country the majority speak English not arabic. That is due to the fact that they are being taught to speak English in school. That is why Education is an example to where we see linguistic imperialism in the world today. 

Oxfam International - Food crisis in Sahel.

The text is created by Oxfam International and was published in 2011. It discusses the impending food crises in Sahel. The author begins the article with a brief summary of what the article is actually about. Whilst taking a closer look at the article, there is a sense of advertising for the charity Oxfam rather than informing people about the crisis. The author is yet undeniably informing the audience of the food crisis in Sahel and what is being done to aid this problem, but they are as well trying to make the people donate to this organisation. The text was made for those with a strive to aid for the organisation. The style of the text is not formal, thus implying that the text is for everyone to read making it easier to be read by people of all ages. The text is not intended towards a specific gender. 

In the beginning of the article, harsh images shows the people and the harsh conditions they are living in. This is shared to the people reading the text making them feel bad and in a way persuading them to give money to the organisation.  The text then speaks about the images and the crisis and basically the problem is summarised. The style in which the author writes the text is very persuasive as it talks about the situation in Sahel and what they are doing to fix it. He mixes up a serious text with a persuasive text to make the reader really think about what he is reading. One of the many ways he persuades the audience is by using logos. The author uses many numbers and statistics in the text to help persuade the readers. 

 

Although the author uses a lot of logos in his text, ethos is used as well to change the mood of the text and appeal to the readers emotions. The style in which the author writes in the text is as, I mentioned before ,  very persuasive. It is obvious that the author intends to reach world wide readers for the text is not as formal. The author uses many persuasive techniques in the text which helps the fact that the text isn't only to inform the people but to let them pay money to the organisation. The author adds sentences such as "In Chad 13 out of 22 regions could be affected by this food crisis". This makes the reader really feel sorry for the people and feel bad if they don't donate. 

As I mentioned before, images are shown in the beginning of the video which really makes people feel for the people. Even though the article seems more like an ad for the organisation, it does well to inform the people about the problems and about how to aid the people and help educate the readers about the situation in Sahel.  

Persuasive Argument

The Media

How many of you , honestly, before you came to this country though it was going to be a barren wasteland? Or thought that you would (the most stereotypical one but is still used) ride camels to your school or to your homes? Do any of you actually know what is going on in Palestine ? Or do you make the assumption that its just a feud between Jews and Muslims ? Honestly, this is media manipulation. The media are very influential in shaping the peoples perspective of the world. The way they do this is by selecting and emphasising certain aspects of issues and presenting it to the world, and of course , the people blindly believe anything the media says due to the fact that they think that "the news knows it all". In a 1972 article in Public Opinion Quarterly, Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw came up with the term "agenda setting" and demonstrated how media agenda influenced public agenda based on a study of a local election. Every day, we read newspaper to be informed of what is happening. We rely on the news media for all kinds of information. However, there are thousands of things occur daily around the world. It is impossible to cover all the stories so the news media determine which stories are newsworthy enough to be presented. That act of highlighting certain issues is called setting the agenda for the public agenda. From the news media, people acquire information about public affairs and place the importance of a topic based on how much the news media emphasise it. Newspapers place the importance of a certain issue by making it on the front page with large headlines while TV news make that issue the first story to be presented in the newscast and devote longer time talking about it. The public then will believe those stories are very important and should be thought of and discussed with other people. The people that are however most affected by this media manipulation are the uneducated people who depend on the news for knowledge. These people are the ones who are victims of the media. Thinking that all Arabs are Muslims is a big one even though there is a majority of Christians in the Middle East. I mean common Jesus was born in the middd east. People should wake up and not believe anything the media tells them, think for yourselves and you'll find out that a lot of those so called "headlines" or "breaking news" are not worth missing your T.V show for or your football game. Don't be a victim, don't let the media control you. 

Tupac's memoir

Chapter 10

MY MUSIC

My intention with my music

Mohamed Abousen 11

            “Nigga”. That one word that every white person is afraid of. Most black people are afraid of it to, even im afraid of it. The thing is, that word means everything. That word is what separates our music to the white people music. It’s what revolutionized hip-hop. Even though I am afraid of it, I still use it in my raps because its what connects me with my people. I use AAVE because it how I speak with my brothers and sisters and NOT because I’m a gangster like the media and people who are brainwashed by the media pictures me as. I try to connect to my people and that’s the way I do it. I honestly don’t really care about the media, you learn not to. I do my raps for my brothers and sisters in the everyday struggle and not for the media. This is for the media to read. This is to show the world what I really meant with my music. 

I never started off living the street life. I had a stable life with my mama, which I mention in the song “Dear Mama”. I went lived in Baltimore and went to the Baltimore school of Arts where I studied drama and poetry. The thing is my mama didn’t really have a stable job, and a while later I was kicked out from my house and my mama sent me to go live with my family friend. That’s when I got introduced to the thug life. In my song “Dear Mama” I mention “suspended from school and scared to go home, I was a fool with the big boys breaking all the rules”. What I am trying to say here is that I was in with the wrong crowed. That’s how it all starts for everyone they join the wrong crowd. I used to get into a lot of trouble in school hanging out the street boys. “And who’d thing elementary, hey , id see the penitentiary one day, and running from the police that’s write, mama catch me put a whooping to my backside”. Also recited from “Dear Mama” I explain how I used to live in Baltimore went to the school of arts and I thought I had my life quite set, never had I thought that I would go to jail for a year for sexual assault, which to tell you the truth I wasn’t guilty for, there was no proof of the seamen, not proof of the entry no proof of anything. After I started going out to the streets and experiencing the thug life when I moved in with my family friends. My homie and me used to always be running from the cops. Only bad thing about it is that some times we used to get caught, but of course as they say in the hood, you f*** around you f*** around you f*** around you get burnt. My parents were activists in the Black Panther. Huey P. Newton was the founder of the black panthers. He always used to tell us to fight back and not sit down and watch our brothers get discriminated. 5 years ago Huey got shot by a drug dealer which I mention in my song changes “Its time to fight back that’s what Huey said, two shots in the dark now Huey’s dead”. I love Huey for everything he has done for the black community but I believe that we should learn to live with white people not fight against them.

I got a lot of love for my brothers don’t get me wrong, but the last thing we should do is fix our problems through stealing and taking drugs. That’s what ticks me off is that if  couple of black people steal then all black people steal and do drugs, if a couple of white people steal “its okay they were hungry”. “Changes” was my timely meditation on racism, drugs, class, and politics. Y’all know about the Iran-Contra affair when the police planted drugs on some black homeless lady?? I mention this in the song saying “First ship ‘em dope watch them deal to brothers, Give em guns step back watch em kill each other” The police don’t care if black people kill other black people, its like I said in the song “One less hungry mouth on the welfare”. I wrote changes to show the people what is actually happening in the world. Made this to wake them up, but I guess no body gives a crap ey. One of my other really famous song which is all about my brothers in the hood is “My Block”. I use so many significant lyrics that refer to my brothers in the everyday struggle. (Read full lyrics on this website http://rap.genius.com/2pac-my-block-lyrics) “Tear drops and closed caskets, the three strikes law is drastic, and certain death for us ghetto bastards” What I meant in these couple of lyrics is that many youngsters are dying in the ghetto and mothers are always crying. No mother should be alive to see their kid die. I believe that this three strikes law bull shit is just another way to put us black people and minorities in jail. They basically want all us fatherless black boys of the streets. The thing is its not only cops versus black people but its black on black crime aswell. I mentioned in the song that I fear for my life being black.

All these songs and meaningful lyrics that I wrote for my brothers in the ghetto but you forget all that and look at me in disgust because I smoke weed and got thug life tattooed on my stomach. Shame on all y’all people.

***************

Rational: I chose to make a memoir so that people could see how Tupac influence the hip-hop and black culture from his point of view. My intended audience are Tupac fans and people who criticize Tupac for being a bad role model and accusing him for being a gangster and a thug. My purpose is to teach readers about Tupac’s influence of the black community and hip hop culture from his point of view.  Tupac grew up living in the hard ships of racism, drugs and gang wars. He was even born in jail since his mother was in jail when she gave birth to him. His music reflects on the life he lives and the life of the other African Americans living with the same hard ships. African Americans living in the 90’s lived through the era of when Hip-Hop was at its peek, but so were drug dealing, racism, gang wars/ murder and killing. The text refers to my understanding of culture and Tupac’s influence of the black culture.    

TUPAC MEMOIR

MY MUSIC

Mohamed Abousen 11

            My name is Tupac Shakur. Most of y’all know me as that the gangsta that was shot 5 times and robbed in New York. Or that black man that swears in his music, or even that rapper that talks about money, weed, and women. Well, I just wanted to let you know that…. that’s not me. If there is one thing you have to learn in life and I mention it a lot in my music. It’s that you should never judge anyone before you get to know them or his or her story. You see ladies and gentlemen, only god can judge me, not some man behind a camera. What pisses me off the most is the fact that you think my music is full of hatred and aggression. Aggression maybe, but that is only because I’m sick and tired and angry as hell at you ignorant people. I’m sick of the critics, the lying magazines, and the so-called charities that for some reason you think are going to help our community. Most of all, I am so ticked off at the government. The government is supposed to be helping us, but on the contrary, they are discriminating against us, like we don’t got enough discrimination already. Taxis don’t stop for black people, black people cant really get s real job if you from the hood, if you’re a black man at the grocery you automatically are going to steal something. Black man smoke weed, 2 years , white man smokes weed, probation. Come on man don’t you get bored?? Its getting a bit old don’t you think?? Is been around a hundred years since the civil war and you still don’t get it ?? The thing is, even if I talk about it in my raps for some reason they call me a gangster?? I’m tired , I’m just tired.

I never started off living the street life. I had a stable life with my mama, which I mention in the song “Dear Mama”. I went lived in Baltimore and went to the Baltimore school of Arts where I studied drama and poetry. The thing is my mama didn’t really have a stable job, and a while later I was kicked out from my house and my mama sent me to go live with my family friend. That’s when I got introduced to the thug life. In my song “Dear Mama” I mention “suspended from school and scared to go home, I was a fool with the big boys breaking all the rules”. What I am trying to say here is that I was in with the wrong crowed. That’s how it all starts for everyone they join the wrong crowd. I used to get into a lot of trouble in school hanging out the street boys. “And who’d thing elementary, hey , id see the penitentiary one day, and running from the police that’s write, mama catch me put a whooping to my backside”. Also recited from “Dear Mama” I explain how I used to live in Baltimore went to the school of arts and I thought I had my life quite set, never had I thought that I would go to jail for a year for sexual assault, which to tell you the truth I wasn’t guilty for, there was no proof of the seamen, not proof of the entry no proof of anything. After I started going out to the streets and experiencing the thug life when I moved in with my family friends. My homie and me used to always be running from the cops. Only bad thing about it is that some times we used to get caught, but of course as they say in the hood, you f*** around you f*** around you f*** around you get burnt. My parents were activists in the Black Panther. Huey P. Newton was the founder of the black panthers. He always used to tell us to fight back and not sit down and watch our brothers get discriminated. 5 years ago Huey got shot by a drug dealer which I mention in my song changes “Its time to fight back that’s what Huey said, two shots in the dark now Huey’s dead”. I love Huey for everything he has done for the black community but I believe that we should learn to live with white people not fight against them.

I got a lot of love for my brothers don’t get me wrong, but the last thing we should do is fix our problems through stealing and taking drugs. That’s what ticks me off is that if  couple of black people steal then all black people steal and do drugs, if a couple of white people steal “its okay they were hungry”. “Changes” was my timely meditation on racism, drugs, class, and politics. Y’all know about the Iran-Contra affair when the police planted drugs on some black homeless lady?? I mention this in the song saying “First ship ‘em dope watch them deal to brothers, Give em guns step back watch em kill each other” The police don’t care if black people kill other black people, its like I said in the song “One less hungry mouth on the welfare”. I wrote changes to show the people what is actually happening in the world. Made this to wake them up, but I guess no body gives a crap ey. One of my other really famous song which is all about my brothers in the hood is “My Block”. I use so many significant lyrics that refer to my brothers in the everyday struggle. (Read full lyrics on this website http://rap.genius.com/2pac-my-block-lyrics) “Tear drops and closed caskets, the three strikes law is drastic, and certain death for us ghetto bastards” What I meant in these couple of lyrics is that many youngsters are dying in the ghetto and mothers are always crying. No mother should be alive to see their kid die. I believe that this three strikes law bull shit is just another way to put us black people and minorities in jail. They basically want all us fatherless black boys of the streets. The thing is its not only cops versus black people but its black on black crime aswell. I mentioned in the song that I fear for my life being black.

All these songs and meaningful lyrics that I wrote for my brothers in the ghetto but you forget all that and look at me in disgust because I smoke weed and got thug life tattooed on my stomach. Shame on all y’all people.

***************

Rational: I chose to make a memoir so that people could see how Tupac influence the hip-hop and black culture from his point of view. My intended audience are Tupac fans and and people who criticize Tupac for being a bad role model and accusing him for being a gangster and a thug. My purpose is to teach readers about Tupac’s influence of the black community and hip hop culture from his point of view.  Tupac grew up living in the hard ships of racism, drugs and gang wars. He was even born in jail since his mother was in jail when she gave birth to him. His music reflects on the life he lives and the life of the other African Americans living with the same hard ships. African Americans living in the 90’s lived through the era of when Hip-Hop was at its peek, but so were drug dealing, racism, gang wars/ murder and killing. The text refers to my understanding of culture and Tupac’s influence of the black culture.    

Article Response

Why a Bindi is Not and Example of C.A 

   6 October 2014

 Dear Editor,
I just read your article about why when a white person or white girl wears a Bindi, it is not an example of cultural appropriation. I agree that cultural appropriation is when adopting a specific part of one culture to another cultural group. I disagree though that you think eating sushi or wearing denim jeans or drinking tea is a culture appropriation , because a white girl wearing a bindi at Coachella is different than an arab male wearing denim jeans which is American , or an african american eating sushi for dinner. The reason for that is because a bindi is more of a religious hindu meaning. Its has more of a religious meaning to hindus than wearing denim jeans is to Americans or listening to Brahm's lullaby to Germans.

I actually agree that the big deal with cultural appropriation is when the new adoption is void of the significance that it was supposed to have and that it strips the religious, historical and cultural context of something and makes it mass-marketable. That's pretty offensive. The thing is believe that if and Indian allows another white person to wear the Bindi then its alright and shouldn't be frowned upon. 

For exmaple in this country, the henna tattoo has a cultural significance in the U.A.E. Yet if you go on a desert safari, anyone can get a henna tattoo from a local tattoo artist. The only way a local could get a little bit offensive is if a man gets a henna tattoo.