Prompt Response

I believe that it is as bad as telling an outright lie, specifically in this case, as the events that occurred during the Iraq War had been used as a means of propaganda, which is censoring a number of important events in order to drive the intended message of the media to the public. However, this may not be a problem to the media as they are intentionally distorting the occurred events to gain an intended response from the public. Due to the fact that information is being censored or withheld from the public, it is seen that their understanding of the events during the Iraq War that is being shaped by the media and their representation. People who are not familiar with the Iraq War will rely on media to aid in keeping up with recent events as well as following the events of war. Due to the fact that people who are unfamiliar with the topic are being fed unfamiliar information, they are more likely to believe it, which thus highlights my point that deception is as bad as telling an outright lie.

In addition, in this case, specifically, the distortion of events was done by the media purposely, as mentioned before, in doing so, they are allowed to brainwash the public as the media has an immense impact on what people believe or not. For example, by portraying the scene of victory during the Iraq war, people in America consuming such propaganda are forced to think the war was positive. Moreover, the constant reference by President Bush implying that the war was fought to give the people of Iraq freedom and a democratic government highlights to the American people that the Iraqi War was fought for a good cause, yet the young child voicing words of anger towards the war and by stating that Iraqis don't want a democratic government was not portrayed to the public by the media. Overall, the media realises its immense impact on the public as well as their unbelievable power to distort events and thus use their power to drive their intended message to the public. This is done as many believe the media especially when they are unfamiliar on a topic.

Corioalnus IOC Passage Analysis

Introduction and context:

• Passage taken from Coriolanus
• This particular instance/passage occurs toward the end of the play
• Act V, Scene III
• Important passage due to the fact that Shakespeare highlights Coriolanus' emotional connection with his mother, this is significant as throughout the entire play Coriolanus is portrayed as someone who is rather emotionless.

Overview:

• In the buildup to this passage, we are shown that Coriolanus and Aufidius unite.
• Aufidius’ people the Volscians walk towards Rome with Coriolanus
• There to meet Coriolanus is his mother
• Her main intention is to convince Coriolanus to spare Rome

Structure:

• The passage is structured chronologically
• There are no flashbacks to earlier instances in the play
• The organisation of the passage is fairly important as the audience is able to witness the effect of Coriolanus’ mother on his actions

Main Idea:

• The main idea communicated in this passage is that Coriolanus’ pride is defeated by his mother. His mother’s wishes are his commands and thus highlights that he is mortal and emotional after all. Much of the play Coriolanus is likened to fictional animals such as a dragon, which may highlight immortality as well as power and dominance. However, within this passage the audience witnesses how this power and dominance is subdued. Volumnia is used by Shakespeare as a catalyst to imply that Coriolanus is emotional and not emotionless. 
• Essentially throughout this passage Coriolanus is overpowered by his mother which thus signifies that indeed he isn't the all powerful.

Commentary Structure:

Sequentially- As the passage is structured chronologically, it is easier to move swiftly through the lines explaining the stylistic devices as well as the significance of Shakespeare’s choice of language. 

IOC Outline: Boys and Girls

`IOC Outline:

Boys and girls:

A: Context of passage:

This particular instance of the story occurs immediately after the narrator allows one of the horses to runaway from their barn, this passage occurs towards the end of the story. Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls is a story revolving around the coming of age theme, and highlights through the use of symbols as well as literary devices the impact of gender roles imposed on society. The title of the story is significant in that it highlights the main idea of the story. 

Setting is vital in allowing the reader to understand the strictness of gender norms at that particular time, and thus allows the reader to create an emotional connection with the unnamed protagonist.

B: Overview

The passage occurs towards the end of the story, it captures the commotion associated immediately after Flora had been let free to run away from the barn, it further mentions the killing of Flora by the men.

C: Narrator

The story is being told from the perspective of the narrator, allowing the reader to gain an emotional connection with the protagonist. Tone of the passage indicated that the reader is reflective, as throughout the passage the protagonist questions her actions, this is further exacerbated as the protagonist states “ I supposed Laird would tell. I wondered what would happen to me. I had never disobeyed my father before, and I could not understand why I had done it.”

D: Structure

The pace of the passage is rather fast, yet it keeps up with the rest of the story. The passage is aimed at the protagonist reflecting her actions. Generally follows a chronological order.

E: Main Idea

The main idea of this passage is to essentially allow the reader to draw parallels between both the protagonist and Flora. Furthermore, the purpose of this passage could be to portray the gender roles imposed on women at that particular time, and that the protagonist has grown up to accept this and realise that is how it will be. Highlights the coming of age experience, essentially that is the main aim of the story. 

F: Commentary Structure

Commentary will be presented sequentially. 

G: Body sequential:

• Immediate opening is fast-paced, this is to imply the reflective nature of the protagonist. Further used to imply the worry experienced by the protagonist. 
• Flora’s actions can be a symbol used to represent the protagonist. Once she escapes from the barn, she is free. Similarly, the protagonist wants to escape from being held by gender norms.
• The passage highlights the coming of age theme.
• Flora’s killing is symbolic of the fact that the protagonist’s freedom will be short lived. Gender roles will always be apart of her life. 

IOC Practice!

Practice IOC



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_f0znqZh6R-YmRrOXRlbFdHM3c/view?usp=sharing

Alice Munro and David Foster Wallace

TASK: Considering the above, in what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion. Through his essay This is Water, David Foster Wallace aims to imply the importance of being “well adjusted”, he explains that the freedom humans experience through education allows us to be adjusted, conscious and sympathetic. Furthermore, Wallace highlights the utmost importance of learning how to think, essentially freeing yourself from being “slave to your head” by controlling what you think and especially thinking positive and happy thoughts. Wallace further implies the importance of education in developing emotional intelligence and empathy amongst ourselves, he continues to suggest the significance of literary fiction in aiding how we think as well as building our emotional intelligence. The quote from his speech which really resonated with me was "There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute centre of”, this made me think really hard about a memory where I was no in the centre of the entire experience. Moreover, this highlights his point that as individuals we are too self-centred, we only worry about our interest and not that of others. Furthermore, Wallace highlighted this point through the use of an example later on, where he explained the emotions one feels stuck in traffic, the feeling of annoyance and irritability. However, on that same road are people who are driving an SUV as they have been in an accident before and the size of the SUV makes them feel safe, whilst there are others stuck in the same traffic jam, as their child has been admitted into hospital. Wallace aims to imply that through literary fiction, we interact whilst reading with so many different protagonists, that we are then enabled to put ourself in a similar situation. Moreover, Wallace’s speech on our self-centredness and the importance of literary fiction draws parallels to Alice Munro’s writing. Through her stories she aims at portraying to the reader, the difficulties and struggles various protagonists face in overcoming stereotypes associated with them. it is no coincidence that Alice Munro writes her stories in such a manner, she uses her setting as well as other factors to help the reader identify with the protagonist and thus is allowed to communicate with the protagonist on an emotional level. The manner in which each protagonist struggles allows each of us to immerse ourselves in their situations which thus causes us to develop our emotional intelligence and empathy.

Achebe's Upbringing

Throughout the novel “Things Fall Apart” our understanding of the context is grounded on the personal upbringing and history of author China Achebe’s demonstration of certain events, values and characters in accordance to his life experiences. This acts as a means to develop a significant catalyst in driving the reader to understand the cultural context in which the novel is written. Topic Sentence: Achebe’s Christian upbringing enabled him to bolster his style of writing including his native Igbo culture, his upbringing vastly affected his understanding of cultures and religions and in turn affected his writing style. Topic Sentence: Achebe’s appreciation of both his religion and culture allowed him to divulge into the consequences of colonialism and thus the reader was able to gain a deeper understanding of the Igbo culture’s values and beliefs in his novel. Topic Sentence: Due to Achebe’s upbringing being predominantly in English, he persevered to achieve cultural catharsis within and through the use of the English language, as well as his writing style in his novel.

Things Fall Apart gender blog post

Thesis: Throughout the novel, Achebe sets distinct boundaries between the protagonist (Okonkwo) and other characters based on their gender. This is illustrated as Okonkwo’s perspective of different genders shapes his unstable and unpredictable narrative. Topic Sentence: Okonkwo’s perspective of gender is further highlighted during the “week of peace”, in which he sinfully beats his wife; this implies the symbolic association of wife abuse likened to hyper masculinity. This develops Okonkwo’s understanding of women as powerless to both him and society. Topic Sentence: Ezinma being Okonkwo’s favourite child inherits masculine traits, similar to her father, this demonstrates Okonkwo’s appreciation of this lapse in gender adversities hoping she had been a boy. Moreover, this implies Okonkwo’s perception of males to be superior to women. Topic Sentence: Nwoye, Okonkwo’s oldest son is a stark contrast to Ezinma’s character, symbolising traits similar to Okonkwo’s father, Nwoye is demonstrated as weak and lazy, these are traits Okonkwo despises, however, Nwoye strives to please his father and mature as a masculine character. This demonstrates Okonkwo’s evaluation of the Igbo values as to what a man should be like.

Tragic Hero- Okonkwo

Throughout the novel, Things fall apart, Achebe evolves Okonkwo as a power hungry, self sufficient character which both personifies and opposes the Igbo culture. Okonkwo’s character is unique, we find that his tragic flaw is developing and gaining the qualities of his father, he does all in his might to abstain from turning into his lazy father, Unoka. Achebe skilfully manipulates Okonkwo’s character to be portrayed as one who suffers from Hubris, this pride and arrogance developed Okonkwo’s downfall, his main purpose was to remain in power and never to be perceived as weak, Okonkwo is presented further as a character void of emotions, as he believes showing emotion is a symbol of weakness. His killing of Ikemefuna, and beating his wife during the Week of peace have severe ramifications and lead to the murder of the boy at the funeral, which in turn leads to him being exiled, this is the peripeteia of the novel, which transforms his fortunes. Essentially, Achebe establishes Okonkwo as a tragic hero in order to evoke various emotions from the audience, the protagonist becomes an antagonist. Achebe utilises Okonkwo as a tragic hero in order to develop a downfall, which in turn progresses into tragedy, this enables the audience to connect with the character on an emotional level. Moreover, Achebe highlights to the reader that various actions have serious repercussions and in this case Okonkwo’s actions led to an internal conflict within the character. A character portrayed as being powerful, was now defeated into being powerless. Okonkwo’s actions defeated him physically and mentally, his actions led to his sorrowful and sinful death.

Igbo Culture

Igbo background assignment: Throughout my trip to Igboland I had opened my eyes to a wonderful culture, a culture with values and morals, and with respectable people. The Igbo people are a major ethnic group in Africa, it is reported that there are 15 million of them living inside Nigeria, whilst there are a million living outside. Igbo is a culture with a rich heritage, and their beliefs are grounded in certain myths. The Igbo believe in a supreme God whom they call Chukwu, they believe that to him belongs all power and might, thus I was able to realise the religion has a vital importance in their everyday lives. Many people from various other nations or cultures, not particularly in Africa, disregard many cultures for the simple reason of thinking their culture is greater than another. What I found in igboland was rather astonishing, their culture has a lot of substance, many of us find certain cultures to be primitive due to their ritual beliefs. Moreover, the history of the Igbo culture is very unique, before the twentieth century, it was considered wrong to refer to the Igbo as a single people, each of their groups were so distinct from another, that if an Igbo person were to travel twenty or thirty miles into another village and tried to converse with the inhabitants of the village, it would have been difficult for them to be understood. Furthermore, archaeology suggests something distinctive to Igbo culture, unlike various other African cultures it has been discovered that the Igbo people have inhabited the same geographical location for over two thousand years. I urge people who are not educated on the unique Igbo culture to visit Igboland and witness such a momentous and distinct culture. An evident characteristic of the Igbo society was the lack of a centralised political structure, this is substantially different to certain nations and cultures or areas in the west, which are governed by rules and regulations set by the governments. Many of us feel that a centralised power or government is the best way to rule a country or nation, however, the Igbo people lived a comfortable life governed by their elders as they lived in towns ruled by the ones considered to be senior in that village. The lives led by the Igbo people was somewhat different to how we’re used to living life, the relationships of people were grounded on blood ties, each person traced their ancestry to three fundamental groups, namely; uno or house, umuma or lineage and the third was obodo or town. The first group (uno) consisted of family such as one’s wife and children, the second comprised of a number of closely related houses, while the third group was town of which one belonged to. It is important to realise and know that the head-man of each town, village and lineage was elected the position by virtue of his age, this highlights the importance given to the elderly people an Igbo society, this further demonstrates the stark contrast between the values or beliefs of the Igbo society as opposed to the West. We realise that the Igbo society is a caring one, and everyone in the village is united and are willing to live together in harmony under the leadership of a head-man. In our various nations, we strive for democracy and the Igbo people achieved democracy without a central government. This was achieved as the Igbo adhered to the concept of direct participation in governmental affairs, the whole idea of democracy stemmed from the idea of cross-cutting ties. There were five most important cross-cutting institutions, these institutions were; the council of chiefs, women’s association, council of elders, secret societies and age-groups, without them the whole Igbo society would malfunction and disintegrate. Therefore, we find that the Igbo had designated institutions to deal with certain issues, although being governed by elders of the village, they did fantastically well to achieve democracy whereby each person was treated equally. This further implied, that the people of the Igbo community were able to live with one another in perfect harmony. Moreover, the Igbo culture is unique, especially to people who aren't from an African nation, those who are from the Western nations. Many people from West consider African societies to be primitive, yet, their culture is far from primitive, it is a culture that is sharply different to any other. They have the utmost respect for elders and treat them as rulers and saviours. Their beliefs and political structures implies their close bond between every single person belonging to a community and group. Even though, they aren't governed by a government, they seem to be living lives under democratic rule, and each case or problem is taken care of a by a particular institute.

Paper 1 commentary: Barack Obama's second inaugural speech

Barack Obama’s inauguration speech as he was elected president had major significance in terms of the history and culture of the American people as a whole. It was a means of “binding this nation together” irrespective of the “colours of the skin” of the American people. The statements mentioned has rhetorical significance in the speech, in these instances, a polysyndeton is utilised. Thereafter, President Obama goes on to state “what makes us American…” here the audience is allowed to understand the use of amplification to further enhance the quality of the message conveyed by the president. Immediately, in the first paragraph of the speech, the audience is enabled to grasp the overarching implication of the president. “we affirm the promise of our democracy” demonstrates the values of America as a nation, which is to allow freedom to all its citizens. Transitioning into the second paragraph, the audience is greeted by a sententia, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…and the pursuit of happiness.” here, president Obama quotes the declaration of independence, this further might be the use of ethos by the president as he further is tries to communicate to the audience that he is credible. Furthermore, the implication of the declaration of independence demonstrates to the audience the will of president Obama to guarantee “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to America’s citizens. Additionally, the association with the declaration of independence resonates with another famous political speech, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”, which further enhances the value of president Obama in the eyes of the audience. As the speech progresses, the audience realises the main purpose, the purpose to demonstrate to American citizens that they are in safe hands, and with the will of the people as well as the foundation by which the country is laid upon allows, president Obama to once again appear as credible, making him the right person for such a historic role. The antithesis “the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few”, shows that once again, president Obama refers to a historical period in order to develop his message to the people of America. From the immediate few paragraphs of the speech, the audience is clearly highlighted, it is American citizens. President Obama aims at portraying the lifestyle of freedom that American people will be able to live, he does this by referring to historical times and once more referring to the values of America as a country. Moving further on into the speech, President Obama begins the sixth, seventh and eighth paragraphs with the statements “together, we determined that a, together, we discovered that a and together, we resolved that a…” the anaphora utilised here highlights the will of the president to work “together” in harmony with the people to create a “great nation” that “protects its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune”. Transitioning once again to further on in the speech, one is able to highlight the use of anaphora once again, as president Obama states; “so we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools”, once again this appeals to the American people as the president tries to further prove his credibility and earn the trust of the people. The main aim of the speech is to highlight the credibility of president Obama as a man who is willing to fight so that America can further progress, the speech also aims at demonstrating the aims of the president and his plans as to how to develop the country, in these instances Obama utilises anaphora to good effect, allowing the audience to resonate with his message as it has an impact on their lives and most importantly their country, this further allows them to portray their patriotism and further the patriotism shown by president Obama, as he wishes to make great strides towards even more success of the country. Throughout the speech, anaphora is utilised frequently, and in each instance of it being mentioned, it signifies the unity of the country, as well as how nothing can be achieved without togetherness, thus placing the intended audience which are the citizens of America. The repetition of “our journey is not complete until…” once again portrays president Obama’s will to work together with the citizens of America toward the progress of America as a country. President Obama implies that he is unable to do it without the support and togetherness of each person. In conclusion, Barack Obama’s inauguration speech is filled with rhetorical devices, each of which highlight the inability of him to undertake such a historic role without the support and togetherness of each and every person. His speech aims at proving his credibility to the audience, as well as highlighting the strides America can make if each citizen contributes to the development of the country.

Coriolanus characterisation in the first act

Throughout the first act of the Shakespearean political play Coriolanus, Martius is depicted as quite a tough character by Shakespeare. A character who prides himself on being a loyal servant to his City and would fight through thick and thin to gain an honourable rank, Shakespeare further portrays Martius as a patriotic, arrogant and valiant man. This play is far different from various other Shakespearean plays as Coriolanus’ genre is a stark contrast from the rest. Shakespeare utilises the political play genre to develop a character like Martius and further develop the conflict and climax of the play. In the opening scenes of the play, we notice the characterisation of Coriolanus as both hero and villain amongst the people in his city, this is due to his hatred toward the lower class. It is easily understood by the audience that Coriolanus has little or no liking toward the Plebeians as he belittles them saying, "What's the matter you dissentious rogues, that, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, make yourselves scabs?” Furthermore, the two roles Coriolanus is given in the play contrasts each other, in the capitol building, he can be understood to be a cruel, harsh man who disregards the lower sects, yet on the battlefield his heroism and appetite to serve his City and people, he is seen as a man who is willing and ready to be elected consul as he will serve his people well. Moreover, Coriolanus’ character is further demonstrated as a loyal one who is willing to keep his word and grant what is promised, this is further highlighted when Coriolanus says “I’ll fight with none but thee; for I do hate thee worse than a promise-breaker”. Coriolanus’ appetite and desire to keep fighting and gain an honourable rank is fuelled by an external source to an extent, his mother, Volumnia acts as a catalyst to further develop Coriolanus as a valiant hero, this is made apparent when his mother states she "had rather had eleven sons die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out of action". Throughout the first act, Shakespeare utilises the genre as well as the setting to develop conflict. He creates a complex two-faced character, who is perceived as hero by some and villain by others. His characterisation of Coriolanus shapes his character for the rest of the play, in the first act his defeat of the Volsces allowed him to controversially be candidate for consul, which sparks further conflict.

Endangered languages with Abdulkarim Kamal.

https://clyp.it/ifirigne

Preservation of indigenous languages!

What did medieval linguist Antonio de Nebrija mean when he told Queen Isabella that: “language is the perfect instrument of empire?” How has language contributed to colonial power? Focus on a specific example. 

Throughout history, we find language to be a powerful tool, a tool that makes or breaks a nation, a tool that binds a culture together and builds resistance. Language is a means of not only communication, but a means of power and pride. The statement, “language is the perfect instrument of empire” immediately enables one to realise the sheer power of language, a bold statement such as the one above definitely has significance in terms of how powerful a language is perceived to be. In my personal opinion, the statement relates to a language perceived to be more dominant than another due to the fact that more people speak that particular language. Language enables nations to be more dominant, as they possess a tool that is significant to their culture and thus enables them to expand their culture on various fronts, a typical example would be Russia (russification), russification, is when children were taught at a very young age to neglect and not speak their native tongue, thus teaching them to conform to different customs and behaviour. However, I don't think an entire culture can be wiped out due to their language becoming extinct, the customs and beliefs of that particular culture may still continue, but the significance of some of the customs might be lost. We find that sometimes translation of idioms from one language to another does not make sense and thus the significance and message of that particular statement is lost. Moreover, the quote above may also suggest that language is the perfect tool required to resurge an empire, the perfect tool needed to bring an empire together and perhaps the perfect tool to cause mass destruction.

The only speaker of his tongue

For many, language is not just a means of communication,for others language has the ability to bind a nation. It is unique to a nation or an entire area. However, some languages are often on the brink of extinction and this is due to the fact that no one really speaks them. language can be a powerful tool which empires an individual or a group.

“When I think of my tongue being no longer alive in the mouths of men a chill goes over me deeper than my own death, since it is the gathered death of all my kind”. This quote really stood out to me, the author emphasises the importance of a mother tongue among tribes, saying “it is the gathered death of all my kind”, the author suggests that with language comes an entire set of beliefs customs and most importantly a unique culture, one that utilises their mother tongues as more than a means of communication, but rather an empowering tool. Moreover, I do understand the author’s bold statement, some idioms in a language when translated directly to another loses meaning and loses significance, it simply does not make sense. Furthermore, this quote highlights the emotional attachment between the author and his language, as if his language is a physical part of him, the author suggests that the chills of death aren't as deep as the chills of losing his language, this shows the meaning and significance of language to man, something that unites people and enables them to communicate. Furthermore, we understand the pain that losing his language brings to the author, an emotional pain something much deeper than physical pain. Thus, language has the ability to form an emotional attachment with someone, an attachment that one cannot describe and attachment that if lost, brings about pain and distress.