An African Voice Discussion Takeaway

Chinua Achebe's interview, "An African Voice," provides great insight on the impact of his literature as well as the ideas behind his work. When assessing Achebe's replies, we can infer many things about the implications of the literature in this field. One of the most interesting concepts that were discussed in this interview was that of a "universal civilization". During the discussion, we looked at the idea of our worldwide community becoming united despite any differences. First, we looked at the extent of this possibility with the existences of many different languages which each carry its own culture and ideals. However, a universal civilization should not be about a lack of differences, but rather an understanding and acceptance of these differences. It is true that English is the most dominant language nowadays and this allows it to transfer the culture of the countries that speak it. This is always true for some language and culture however unity can be achieved despite the existence of a dominant language. Therefore, we concluded that in order to achieve this idea of a universal civilization, differences should be understood and accepted. As a result, we could agree that this is not an achievable idea in our world. Another concept that we focused on was how African literature allowed us to expand our idea and perception of African life. Through works such as "Things Fall Apart", we are able to understand the lifestyle of the African person through their eyes. This contrasts with the negative portrayal that is created by Western literature. We discussed how African literature is a form of expression which allows the people to define themselves. This is a very interesting concept because it means that the African people were able to use the same tool that oppressed them in order to define themselves and break the stereotypes they are placed within. Further, they allow others who have also experienced colonialism to connect to their work and to express themselves through it. It is interesting how one thing can be experienced through similar ways despite the many differences. And perhaps this relates to the idea of a universal civilization, however in a negative way. In this situation, all the differences are set aside where they are able to agree on the impacts of colonialism. 

Read More

Paper One Practice – Political Speech Analysis

Text Link

The text I will be analyzing is a political speech by Adolf Hitler, which was delivered in January 1940 at the Berlin Sportspalast. We know this text is a speech because it uses second person in order to address the audience. Further, as it is a text spoken by a political leader, Adolf Hitler, we can further ensure that it is a speech.

This speech is directed towards Hitler’s “comrades” as mentioned in the speech repeatedly, however we can infer that this is the German public. This can be done in order to show unity between him as a leader and his public. Words like “our people” are used several times during the speech, which further shows that he is addressing the public. We know that it is directly focused towards the German public because it alludes to them and their wellbeing several times. He does this by talking about things such as the “German future” and referencing “our German people”. The purpose of the speech is to create a sense of unity between the German people and to cause them to support him as a leader. This speech was given in 1940 and therefore during WWII and after Germany had declared war on several countries. Hence, Hitler would be attempting to persuade the German public to support him and stand with him against their enemies. Overall, the speech was delivered in order to further rally support and convince the public that his decisions were the correct ones.

The main focus of the text is the idea of France and Britain hating Germany within the frame of WWII. It begins by highlighting the difficulties that Germany endured after in their victory in 1939. Then it goes on to reach its main part, which is the relationship between Germany and other countries. The author defines this as hatred towards Germany from the other countries. There is particular focus on the idea of Germany attempting to avoid war. This gives further emphasis on the idea of other countries hating Germany. He then goes on to discuss the idea of Germany being on track for their victory in the war. The whole of the text is simply discussing ideas related to WWII and the current state of Germany.

The tone used throughout the speech is a very formal, powerful one. It constantly uses statistics and numbers in order to continue to back up the ideas. There is a lot of reference to political ideas and therefore this would make the tone of the speech even more formal. The vocabulary is formal with sophisticated words however is clear and fully understandable. The speech also carries a lot of words of call to unity and action, with things such as “to ensure the defense of the Reich.” These types of words create a mood empowerment and unity. By using these phrases, the speech appears to draw the public together in one mutual interest. Because this is a speech that is related to war, it can be considered as one that has a sinister mood. However this does not overpower the mood of unity that was initially created. There is also a mood of strength and power in the speech, which is a result of the strong, concise tone and diction. Finally, it has a rather instructional tone where it is asking the public to believe in the speakers’ ideas and to follow them. Since this is a political speech, it is important for the words to have an instructional tone to them.

When looking at literary devices, there are many instances, which allow the author to further strengthen his points. Logos is used in the speech where Hitler refers to statistics in regards to the armies they are against in this war. More importantly, there is a great use of Pathos throughout the speech where he attempts to project unity between the German people. In instances such as “made us strong, internally strong” there is a reference to the strength that was created within the German population. This focus on Pathos is further enforced in phrases such as “the German people wanted only to live in friendship and peace with them”. Additionally, there is use of rhetoric devices within the speech. A metaphor is included where Hitler refers to the declaration of war as that the “Western powers decided to drop the mask behind which they are hiding.” This metaphor allows us the reader or listener to fully comprehend the extent of the action and to focus fully on the idea. There is also a juxtaposition of concepts in regards to the “Bible-studying Mr. Chamberlain” and the “atheist Stalin”. This was done in order to contrast the two sides strongly in reference to war and war aims. By using these contrasts closely together, Hitler is able to fortify his points about either by giving the listener something to parallel each to. Near the end of the speech, there is an occurrence of the device of anaphora with phrases such as “Germany will live… Germany will emerge victorious.”

In summation, the political speech is a text type that is often full of different literary devices and follows a certain structure and tone in order to fulfill its message. This speech by Adolf Hitler does the same in order to accomplish its aforementioned aim. The targeted audience is clearly the German people and it attempts to project unity and call for support. This is done through instances of Pathos, Logos and rhetoric devices such as metaphors and anaphora. By using all these devices, the author is able to ensure that the text is a successful, powerful one that undertakes the set aims of the political speech.  

Read More

The Tempest Practice IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1RzIF3v6xYHZGxJcnotMTN2QlU/view?usp=sharing
Act 5, Scene 1. Lines 62-96

Read More

The Language of Power

In her article, The Language of Power, bell hooks reflects on the idea of standard English dominating language in the United States. She looks at the way African-Americans lost their unique languages and were forced to speak English. She goes on to talk about a very interesting idea where African-Americans went around creating a unique form of the language that was forced on them. This gave them a sense of identity and allowed to show resistance. Instead of completely disregarding their unique languages, they were able to include them into English. This empowered them as a group where it set them off as unique. Despite that they all had different languages, they were able to create a unique twist on the English language that set them apart. This is an interesting form of resisting oppression and speaking up. It shows that they did not lose their identity and give in to the oppressor's way of speaking. It empowered them as a group and allowed them to create a stronger sense of community. Her quote "This is the oppressors language, yet i need it to talk to you" communicates a very strong message. It shows that they were forced to speak English even though it wasn't their language. This is because they had come from different areas with different languages and then separated. Therefore they had to use English in order to communicate with a common language. This is what empowered them to create their own form of English, to avoid complete surrender to the oppressor's language however still communicate. This is a great form of empowerment which was very interesting to me and one of the most important take aways from the text.

Read More

Linguistic Imperialism through Popular Culture

Linguistic imperialism is defined as the "transfer of a dominant language to other people.” This can be done in a number of ways and there are many modern threats to the preservation of language. This allows English to become the dominant language rather than the many other languages previously spoken. One of the ways that this is done is through popular culture. Popular culture defines the mainstream ideas that are created through movies, media and other forms of expression. Pop culture is used in order to define which language is the one to use in order to stay relevant, modern and accepted. This has a great impact on people, especially the youth where they find the need to be a part of this culture. It communicates that in order for one to stay relevant and be wanted, they should speak English regularly. This means that the youth will prominently speak English in attempt to become a part of this culture and to conform to it. As a consequence, the younger generation will speak their mother tongue less and it will become weakened. For example, younger mothers increasingly prefer to teach their children English. They believe that this allows them to excel in their learning and overshadows their learning of their mother tongue. Further, it causes them to think of their mother tongue as inferior and one that does not allow them to progress. This can all be a result of pop culture’s definition of English as the dominant language. Using popular culture to define the language of power is one of the most useful modern threats. It appears as though people are willingly using English as there are no economic or political barriers. However, it is the way that reaches the everyday person, making it more powerful and widespread. 

Read More

Text 2 Analysis - Reviewed

This text is an article written by an Oxfam employee for their website, it discusses the food crisis in Sahel. It begins with an introductory paragraph that highlights what the articles will discuss, a common characteristic of articles. Throughout the article, the ideas are continually backed up by facts and figures, which aim for credibility. The overall purpose is not to inform of the crisis but to highlight how this particular organization is helping it. Through this, they are able to promote Oxfam and allow it appear reliable. However this self-promotion is not negative as it is highlighting how they are helping people and saving lives, a positive thing.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the crisis and the measures that Oxfam is taking. It begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and backs this up with numbers. Then it gets to its main purpose where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issues. It aims to inform the viewer with facts and not to persuade them to be a part of this action. With this purpose in mind, the audience is basically anyone. It may be especially directed to those who have interest in helping this particular cause however everyone can benefit from it. Therefore the article is written in an easily understandable manner which allows anyone to value from it. By discussing an issue that is affecting a large group of people, it can be targeted to anyone who cares about human life, presumably everyone. However, this article may be especially targeted towards people in the region who have interest in lives around them. This does not include the people they are actually helping because they would not have access to the website that the article is published on.

The article begins by summing up the source of the issue as well as discussing the figures and lengths of this food crisis. It talks about the development of the situation and what may happen in the future. Then it goes on to mention what Oxfam is doing to help the situation in the countries that are impacted. It gives numbers of the amount of people they are helping and in which particular way.

The tone is a serious, professional and informative one that discusses a saddening issue in a skilled way. They appeal to emotion however it is not over the top and it is very moderate. They are able to present facts and figures however remain humane in their way of writing. The vocabulary is clear and easy to read however maintains the level of professionalism needed for such a large organization. There is constant use of statistics which is very useful to put the issue into perspective. The title is very simple and the major impact is left for a large quote as a subtitle. This quote highlights the idea of helping and appeals to pathos where is encourages humanitarian aid. The mood is rather neutral and does not slip into somewhat demanding sympathy but rather allows the reader to focus on the message. This is because the message is not to persuade the reader to help but simply to inform them, which may lead to their interest in helping. Therefore the tone can be considered an encouraging one without being a persuading one because it is subtle.

The structure plays a large part of this article because it is a website article and the visuals are prominent. There is a picture used to visualise the discussed topic which can be more impactful than if it was just plain text. There are several fonts that are used depending on the placement of the text. The article is also cut up into several sections where it discusses the different aspects of the issue. It does not use personal pronouns in order to maintain the level of professionalism needed. It can be considered an ideological standpoint as it based on morals and helping those in need. The article does not use figurative language, but instead uses professional, journalism appropriate wording.

Read More

Text 2 Analysis

This text is an article written by an Oxfam employee for their website, it discusses the food crisis in Sahel. It begins with an introductory paragraph that highlights what the articles will discuss, a common characteristic of articles. Throughout the article, the ideas are continually backed up by facts and figures, which aim for credibility. The overall purpose is not to inform of the crisis but to highlight how this particular organization is helping it. Through this, they are able to promote Oxfam and allow it appear reliable. However this self-promotion is not negative as it is highlighting how they are helping people and saving lives, a positive thing.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the crisis and the measures that Oxfam is taking. It begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and backs this up with numbers. Then it gets to its main purpose where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issues. With this purpose in mind, the audience is basically anyone. It may be especially directed to those who have interest in helping this particular cause however everyone can benefit from it. Therefore the article is written in an easily understandable manner which allows anyone to value from it. By discussing an issue that is affecting a large group of people, it can be targeted to anyone who cares about human life, presumably everyone.

The article begins by summing up the source of the issue as well as discussing the figures and lengths of this food crisis. It talks about the development of the situation and what may happen in the future. Then it goes on to mention what Oxfam is doing to help the situation in the countries that are impacted. It gives numbers of the amount of people they are helping and in which particular way.

The tone is a serious, professional and informative one that discusses a saddening issue in a skilled way. They appeal to emotion however it is not over the top and it is very moderate. They are able to present facts and figures however remain humane in their way of writing. The vocabulary is clear and easy to read however maintains the level of professionalism needed for such a large organization. There is constant use of statistics which is very useful to put the issue into perspective. The title is very simple and the major impact is left for a large quote as a subtitle. This quote highlights the idea of helping and appeals to pathos where is encourages humanitarian aid. The mood is rather neutral and does not slip into somewhat demanding sympathy but rather allows the reader to focus on the message.

The structure plays a large part of this article because it is a website article and the visuals are prominent. There is a picture used to visualise the discussed topic which can be more impactful than if it was just plain text. There are several fonts that are used depending on the placement of the text. The article is also cut up into several sections where it discusses the different aspects of the issue. 

Read More