Confessional Poetry

1. Confess means to admit that they did something shameful, embarrassing, or that they would not like to have attributed to them.
2. Personal issues, where the writer is projecting themselves as the speaker, writing about issues that previously wouldn't be subject matter for poetry often, and are considered somewhat socially taboo.  So sensitive things.
3. It's similar in that it's still poetry and talks about how the author feels and what they think about things, using literary and auditory features.  It's different in that the subject matter it covers is more personally deep, and darker.
4. Confessional is darker, and more admiting things about themselves, rather than focusing possibly on something outside their person.

Othello Marriage Quotes

Quote 1

O thou foul thief, where hast thou stow'd my daughter. (1.2.2)

-    -When Brabantio confronts Othello for eloping with Desdemona (without his permission), he accuses his new son-in-law of being a "foul thief," as if Desdemona is piece of property that has been unlawfully taken away from him. We see this same attitude earlier in the play when Iago awakens Brabantio in the middle of the night proclaiming loudly "Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves! / Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! / Thieves! thieves!" (1.1.7). What's up with that?

History Snack: It turns out that it's pretty common in Shakespeare's plays (and sixteenth-to-seventeenth-century England in general) for daughters to be considered their father's property – unmarried women are often portrayed as something to be stolen, bartered for and/or traded by men. In Taming of the Shrew, for example, when Baptista Minola bargains with his daughter's suitor, he treats Bianca like a possession and even refers to himself as a "merchant" who is undertaking a risky business deal (Taming of the Shrew, 2.1.22).

Quote 2

Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunned
The wealthy curled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, to incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou, to fear, not to delight.
Judge me the world, if 'tis not gross in sense
That thou hast practised on her with foul charms,
Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals
That weaken motion: (1.2.2)

-  -Brabantio insists that Othello must have "enchanted" Desdemona – why else, asks Brabantio, would she run away from all the (white) eligible bachelors in Venice into the "sooty bosom" of the "Moor"? (Pretty obnoxious, wouldn't you say?) Brabantio's objection to his daughter's marriage to a black man gives voice to fears of miscegenation (when interracial couples marry/have sex, etc., resulting in "mixed race" children).

Quote 3

IAGO 
I hate the Moor:
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He has done my office: I know not if't be true;
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety. (1.3.12)

-We discuss this passage in "Jealousy," but it's important to the theme of "Marriage" as well. Here, Iago suggests that his wife, Emilia, has cheated on him with Othello. Now, we know this is completely untrue. What we don't know is whether or not Iago actually believes that Othello has slept with Emilia. As we know, Iago lists multiple (and incompatible) motives for seeking to destroy Othello (elsewhere, he says he hates Othello because he was passed up for a promotion), so it's entirely possible that Iago's the one who makes up the rumor about Othello and Emilia. On the other hand, most men in the play assume that all women are promiscuous and unfaithful in general, so it's not so surprising that Iago would believe Emilia has been untrue.

Quote 4

IAGO
She did deceive her father, marrying you;
[…]
OTHELLO
And so she did. (3.3.18)

-When Iago wants to make Othello suspect Desdemona's been unfaithful, he suggests a woman who disobeys and "deceive[s] her father is likely to screw around on her husband. Othello's response implies that he feels the same way. Instead of seeing Desdemona's decision to elope with Othello (despite her father's disapproval) as a sign of his wife's loyalty to him, Othello sees Desdemona's willingness to elope as a prelude to her infidelity. It seems that Othello's sexist assumptions leave him pretty vulnerable to Iago's plotting.

Why you shouldn't copy things

In a case of somebody hearing something that went along with a case they wanted to make, and repeating it without taking time to look at where it came from, Iranian news site, Fars News Agency, recently published an article talking about how rural white American prefer President Ahmadinejad to President Obama as a serious story.  Which they got from The Onion.

Link

Brabantio-Othello

 Sara, Shayan, Dahlia

In act 1 scene, Brabantio represented himself as a very tough man with high standards and with high social standing "My house is not a grange" (Pg.9-107). Everyone respected him and knew better than to disobey him. However, when he found out that his daughter was lost, he caved in and offered Roderigo whatever he wanted to help him find Desdemona. Shakespeare did so, in order for the readers to see how much Brabantio cared about his daughter and that he was prepared to set his dignity aside just to find her. At the same time Brabantio is in a position where he is in denial as the man he trusted (Othello) betrayed him and married his daughter. At this point, Brabantio was feeling guilty that he had not allowed Iago to marry Roderigo "...O that you had had her! Some one way some another..." (pg.13- 174).

Iago Characterization - Matt and Paul

Iago is characterized as a somewhat bitter and selfish man, who hates his boss Othello, and Cassio as he thinks that he deserved the promotion that Othello gave Cassio(8-33).  He's decided to serve himself and his own purposes, rather than do his duty and serve Othello.  He despises , 'Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,/That doting on his own obsequious bondage, .... Whip me such honest knaves.  Others there are/Who, trimmed in forms and visates of duty,/Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves, ... These fellows have some soul,/And such a one do I provess myself.' (45-55)  He's also very cunning and uses others to acomplish his own goals, like Roderigo, 'Tush, never tell me, I take it much unkindly/That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse/As if hte strings were thine shouldst know of this.' (1-3).  Iago sees himself as his own person, serving to fufil his own purposes and wants rather than someone who just does things that others tell him to do, more so if he doesn't like them.
Through the was the speeches Iago gives are formed, being eloquent and articulate rather than goofy or unorganized, along with the malcontent shown throughout them, it's clear that rather than a comedic buffon, he will be a serious villan and threat to the hero of the play.
Iago talks to Roderigo in a cajoling manner, acting as his friend and sympathising with his dislike for Othello, as shown by quotes like, 'Despise me if I do not... (8)'  However, there are also times there it's that he really doesn't think of Roderigo as his equal as he gives him orders, like, 'Call up her father:/Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, (68-69)'.  His not really caring for Roderigo that much compared to his concern for himself is shown further in how he took his leave from the scene they'd created, 'Farewell, for I must leave you./It seems not meet nor wholesome to my place/To be produced, as if I stay I shall,/Against the Moor.(143-6)'

Literature: Critical Study

1) They are both apologies for eating plums that were supposed to be used soon for something other than being eaten. There is a feeling of guilt and a felling of surrender as well, to the delicious flavour of the plums.
2) While one says that their was nothing else to eat except for the plums, the other states that they were too good and very tempting. Also, one is much more formally written, probably because it dates back to much longer. One describes the plums, while the other doesn't tend to really mind their flavour and is just happy about the fact that they're full.
3) Yes, the differences are related to intention. Although both aim to apologise for eating the plums, one is just an apology, while the other is more of an apology that would come with expecting a reproachful reaction to eating the plums. This is because it justifies the stance of the speaker in a detailed manner, asking for the person being apologies to to forgive them for eating the plums.
4) Pragmatic intention is related to the social historical context, which is important in both of the texts and is one of the main differences between them.
5) The language used is completely different, one is much more formal than the other. The poem has a much more tranquil atmosphere, due to its nature while the note has a causual atmosphere, especially with the bit about the facewash, since it diverts the attention of the readers away from the plums.

Plums, Words, and Broken Things

1. Both have the idea of an apology for eating another person's plums, which the speaker knew they were saving for a specific purpose.
2. Text 1 is a note, while Text 2 is a poem which uses a large amount of enjambment.  Text 1 gives the reason that they were eaten, and also asks the speaker's mother for some other items to eat, whicle Text 2 does neither.  Text 2 also states that the peaches were good, while Text 1 doesn't.
3. They possibly could be related to intention.  Text 1 just seems to be someone who leaves notes for their mother normally letting them know they ate the plums, there isn't that much food, and asking for her to buy some items.  Text 2 on the other hand seems like the speaker may've written the poem as something of an apology gift, and seems somewhat remorseful for eating them, but admits they did taste good.  While Text 1 seems to just be transferring information, Text 2 is transferring the information while giving something of how the speaker feels about what happened, and they the reader to feel or understand other than just that some events happened.
4. Both display a pragmatic intention in how they plainly state the facts about the plums in words.  However, by shaping it into a poem, with a sort of delay that builds up tension while the reader reads through the different stanzas, though they really form only two sentences, and the way they seperated the 3rd stanza by itself, seems to indicate some more about what the speaker feels or thinks about what happened.
5. The way it was written was shaped to carry more ideas and feeling than can be expressed directly in most prosaic texts, without using many more words.

'You Fit Into Me' Answers

1) It acts as an introduction to the poem and sets an atmosphere which is both intriguing and yet tranquil
2) None!
3) There is one concept that is being discussed throughout the poem and it's putting a hook into an eye. The same words are used repeatedly. However, two completely different meanings are drawn into consideration, once being the graceful hooking of a hook-eye and the other being the gruesome thought of a fish hook digging into an open eye.
4) Yes, the hook into an eye is a very joyful connotation, especially to females, since it symbolises fancy attire, nevertheless, the thought of a fish hook into an eye is very disturbing.
5) Images of dresses, skirts and fancy clothing is created however then the image of making a hole in an open human eye with a fish hook is introduced which covers up the joyous atmosphere that was set in the first place
6) Since not many words are used and they are repeated, there is an AB CB rhyming pattern, however no rhythm patterns are prominent, perhaps because the poem is only four lines long and consequently there is no space for a rhythm pattern to be incorporated
7) The tone of this poem undergoes a twist half way through, since the connotations of the hooks and eyes described change
8) It is being told from the point of view of a lover, with an unknown gender
9) The  biggest irony is what the author actually means by 'hook into an eye'
10) That although a hook into an eye is being described, there is word play in the sense that when one reads further on into the poem, they realise that it isn't just the serene clasping of a hook into an eye, instead, talking about love, somebody fits into the poet, like a hook fits into an open eye, which is very painful and disturbing, raising questions about this love relationship.
11) The choice of diction is actually what allows the irony to occur, since it clarifies what the author means by a hook into an eye, twisting the atmosphere of the poem immediately into something that love is not usually described by.

1) The relation between the title of the poem and the rest of the poem is that the first sentence IS the title of the poem and the title is kind vague but when the poem is read it explains the title.

2) The first sentence of the poem basically describes how the person fits into the poets eyes and how much love there is between the person and the poet but then the line that says "like a hook into an eye, a fish hook, an open eye." When the last three lines are visualized it shows pain and a sense of getting hurt because logically speaking a fish hook going into an open eye would be extremely painful therefore the poet is trying to describe her feelings through the usage of metaphor.

3-4) It can clearly be seen that the author is trying to express her feelings towards someone else and it has to deal with some kind of a love story. Firstly the poet starts the poem with "you fit into me" which is a positive thing and creates a happy image and then "like a hook into an eye" which expresses how tight or close the two people being together are  however in the next two line the poet says "A fish hook an open eye." which shows pain and negativity showing something happened that the relationship got ruined. It can be seen that the author uses the same type of words to express different stages of their relationship with the other person and how it went from being happy and positive to sad & getting hurt and negativity.

5) There are various images and figurative speeches seen  in the poem for example in the first two sentences the author shows and image of how tight and great their relationship were and she uses positive metaphors to explain this relation but then in the last two sentences she uses imagery to explain how the relationship ended and how much pain they were in.

6) She starts by being positive and explaining how perfect her past was but then how they got tricked in a relationship like a fish would be tricked to go eat the food that's on the hook but then they get trapped and die because they were tricked and she uses this metaphor to explain how they were tricked as well into being in a relationship with their partner and at the end they got hurt.

7) It starts off being romantic and explaining how lovely and dovly they are together but then the author shows a dark side of them.

8) The poem is being told from the authors point of view because she uses "you" in the beginning but then she uses the last two sentences to express her feelings.

Practical Criticism 'You fit into me' Questions

1. It's the first line of the poem, and an extremly vauge summary of the poem.  It also introduces the main imagry used throughout the poem.
2. No.
3. There's the idea of how different hooks and eyes can be tied together for either a good fit, or in a fit that causes extreme discomfort.
4. The first stanza makes it look like a small hook and eye that fit together well, while the second is an image of pain and contradicts what one expected to follow based on the positive tone of the begining.
5. Simile, image of a hook-and-eye closure that fits together perfectly, and an image of pain and something that doesn't fit together well are all used here.  They have a complimenting and contrasting relationship in the image they create, forming a whole picture that's somewhat disjointed.
6. It has a rhythmic essence, but not as the typical uniform meter.  Each line has it's own meter that transitions into the next line, but doesn't really connect.
7. Confused, but resigned.  The speaker seems to be saying that while there are good times, there are also horribly awful times, but that's how it is and they aren't really protesting or trying to change it as much as they are just stating that to themselves or the other party.
8. Somebody speaking to another person, an object, or reflecting in their head about a relatioship they have with something.
9. Paradox of the first and second hook and eye examples.  There also seems to be some tension between them saying they fit but don't fit.  There's also the paradox of using the words to mean two different things.  There's also how the things being described fit together, but the lines of the poem don't really fit.
10. The hook and eye being two different things, and the differing meanings.
11. There's no specific rhyme, syllabic pattern, or rhythm in the poem.  There's also the contrasting images created by the similar words.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This is my last blog post of Grade 11. It was a great year and I enjoyed the class very much. I wish everyone a great holiday and encourage all of you to keep reading! Make sure you remember how to hold a pen straight when you get back, might be useful for Grade 12 :P

Reviving the Seemingly Dead Blog, Random Posts About Vaugly Relevant Topics. Featuring, Did English Once Have Gendered Nouns

I was checking something on Dictionary.com in the past week when I ran into a post on their blog that relates to a topic that I thought was pretty interesting.  Essentially, it's talking about why English, unlike other languages, doesn't have gendered nouns.
Link

Suemya and Byanne's Censorship article Questions

1) Give a brief summary of your article, the type of censorship that it's addressing, and the different positions presented.

The article “Mein Kampf to be re-released with notes countering Hilter’s arguments” is simply what the title refers to. Mein Kampf (My struggles) is a recount of Hilter’s Memoirs when he was in jail and the Bavarian state finance ministry owns right over publications, which are soon to expire. The article explains this and also includes the fact that the book will be republished with added annotations, as the German authorities believe that it will be sending the wrong message to the international community. Also the authors/historians working on the project as the article states wish to, “which will include commentaries on the text that will seek to dissect and rubbish Hilter’s argument.”

The type of censorship that this article is censoring is falls under the category of political as Hilter is a very world known political figure. The article mainly suggests that the censoring of Hilter’s memoirs is going to be a step forward to censor the past and change the mindset of the future.

2) What is your opinion on the censorship issue raised in the article?  Explain your position.

The censorship issue was how Hitler’s views should be presented. The book was banned in Germany ever since 1945 because of the extreme view Hitler was revealing. This article wants to censor what Hilter meant by “Watering it down” and making the reader confused because they are looking at two different extreme points of view. We believe that censoring can be seen both beneficial and damaging depending on what is being censored. But both extreme sides of censoring and not can lead to a catastrophe and therefore there always needs to be a middle platform where the harmful things towards the majority of the community are censored and the others that don’t affect society aren’t.

3) As we saw in the debate, policies on censorship range widely in different countries.  Several fundamental questions about censorship came up such as:

    Is free speech a human right?

Yes, it is a god given right but the speaker must suffer the consequences if he/she/it affects a certain factor of society which takes it in a negative matter. This is because in addition to having the rights to speak you also have the rights to defend your views and take matters to court if necessary and that’s is the extent to which it is harming you in anyway, so yes it is considered a right.   

    Who has the right to determine what information is available to the public and how are those determinations made?

In our modern day societies the government seems to be the one controlling all the information going in and out if it decides to censor. This is not always the case, as extreme forms of censorship are not known in a lot of countries, so what determines the decisions usually are the majority people themselves. For example if something is harmful towards a religion or culture the people will all agree that this is something they do not want to see again and therefore should be censored. If these decisions were ever to be carried out then the government would provide the role of control and set out the boundaries censoring everything that needs to be censored.  

    What is the role of the media and to what extent is it obligated to provide information to the public?

Media is the working mind behind censorship with the ability to change/control people’s mind and opinions. In some countries there is no need for it to be censored as it is controlled by the government itself, but in other cases it doesn’t have attachments with the government therefore in order for the government system to remain in power whilst satisfying the people it enforces boundaries which the media agencies can still send information to the public without overstepping these boundaries laid out before them.   

What fundamental issues do you see raised by your article about free speech and censorship?

Since the article is focusing on political censorship free speech is not really discussing the right of free speech as it is more or less trying to control the thoughts of people over something that has already been said decades ago.  

4) Why do you think censorship is such a controversial issue? 

The reason why nowadays censorship is such an issue is because the world has never seen such large banks of information stored in these forms. These storages contain so much information that not all of it do good and some of it may do a lot of damage over good. Also the increasing of this knowledge may impact the way humans think and can control them in a way. Oppositely, many people believe that is a divine right to be able to view everything, and not have anything become censored off as it can impact ones knowledge. These two extreme sides make censorship such a controversial issue especially because no one can decide where the middle ground is on this huge spectrum.  

Censoring twitter in Thailand -Rawda & Fatma :)


1) The article "Thailand backs Twitter censorship policy" talks about how the Thai prime minister vowed to protect the monarchy over the internet. As twitter earlier this year had announced that they would permit country-specific censorship of content that could violate local laws. This caused a debate worldwide over the freedom of speech. The Thai prime minister stated that the Thai government would soon be contacting Twitter to "discuss ways in which they can collaborate". The Thai government made an agreement that a tweet from Thailand could be blocked at the request of an individual, a company, or the government. And when a tweet is blocked, it will be invisible to other users in Thailand however users in other countries can still see it. 



2) our opinion on this issue is that Thai people should have the right to express their thoughts on twitter just like other people from other countries. However Thai people should keep in mind that they have limits and should not tweet or publicize something against their government or country on twitter. 


3) Yes, free speech is a human right because people should have the right to express their thoughts freely. The government and the people of the country should be the group that determines what information is promoted. And to prevent any minor problem in allowing the public to determine then the majorities' determination is what should be taken into consideration by the government. The role of the media is to send out a certain message or information to the public, depending on the nation, the certain agency might be granted the whole freedom to provide any information to the people, as some of them have limits. It is obvious and logical to pass information the way it was taken yet this is not what is happening in the media today. 


4) As mentioned in the article, in China, the state-run Global Times also endorsed in an article, "it is impossible to have boundless freedom, even on the internet and even in countries that make freedom their main selling point," it stated. Therefore, we can see that different countries have different goals and priorities. Some governments think that a person's freedom is the most important thing and that this right shouldn't be taken away from the people. However, other countries think that the protection of their government and leader is the most important thing and this leads them into taking actions such as censoring what the citizens of the country say. 

1) Give a brief summary of your article, the type of censorship that it's addressing, and the different positions presented.
An over view of the article states that Iran is banning the Simpsons because they do not want their culture to be affected by the western society. In addition their goal is to not influence the younger generation with the western society. For example the article mentions the babie doll that is banned in iran simply because the children are not allowed to play with such figures that have their body exposed with tight cloths, but instead would let their children play with baggy cloths. 
2) What is your opinion on the censorship issue raised in the article?  Explain your position.
We think this is an example of one of Iran's religious based regulations that is known throughout the world as it was seen that the simpsons for them is considered an innapropriate show to be shown on TV, therefore we think that people should respect Iran's regulations because the residences have been following these regulations for a long period of time. 


3) As we saw in the debate, policies on censorship range widely in different countries.  Several fundamental questions about censorship came up such as:
    Is free speech a human right?
Definefetly free speech is a human right all around the world but this "human right" varies from country to country. Some countries such as America, UK, and Sweden have much more freedom of speech where as other countries such as Iran and DPR Korea still do have freedom of speech but to less extends when compared to other western countries. 
    Who has the right to determine what information is available to the public and how are those
    determinations made?
In most countries information gets montiored by the government and at that stage the information that is inappropriate gets censored and the information that does not harm the country and its people get to be displayed. 
    What is the role of the media and to what extent is it obligated to provide information to the public?
Now days media is the voice of the people, and people try to be heard through media. Although media is a really strong weapon, many governments censor the most things that may harm them or their reputation so that the people wouldn't go wild and start a riot. 

What fundamental issues do you see raised by your article about free speech and censorship?
As read in the article the only reason why Iran banned the Simpsons was because the government did not want their people to be influenced by the western culture and society. To Iran, being influenced by other countries was always a big issue and it still is hence they are banning the simpsons shows and toys from Iran.
4) Why do you think censorship is such a controversial issue?  
Censorship is a controversial issue due to the fact that goverments of all countries always try to hide what is happening behind the scene because they know that if the residence of the country found out about it, they would be very bad. Also in some countries such as Iran they try to avoide any influences by the western society because they do not want to become like them, although to many of us that may seem very weird. 

Al Jazeera Articles

I was recently on the Al Jazeera website in which I found these two interesting articles that have to do with two of the countries we chose for our MUN debate. The first one is about the solider who leaked documents onto the wikileaks site and the other is about the James Murdoch trial and how media and politics effect each other greatly.
1) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/04/2012424171319480942.html
2) http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2012/04/201242455722955950.html

Censorship Article Answers - Oswin & Zaza

1)     Give a brief summary of your article, the type of censorship that it's addressing, and the different positions presented.

The article is basically about Twitter starting to censor tweets on a case to case basis. By bringing censorship in, more countries should feel comfortable allowing its citizens to use Twitter on a daily basis. Instead of erasing a tweet completely, the tweet will be censored with a notice, depending on the country. This type of censorship is internet based. On one hand Twitter has done this, aiming to expand into more countries, and thus more hits/money. On the other hand, some claim that this weakens Twitter’s commitment to free speech. 

2)     What is your opinion on the censorship issue raised in the article?  Explain your position.

Both of us believe that what Twitter has decided is fair as it caters to everyone’s’ need. However, if the censorship is pushed any further, then it becomes more restrictive and thus going against the original purpose of Twitter.

3)     As we saw in the debate, policies on censorship range widely in different countries.  Several fundamental questions about censorship came up such as:

a.     Is free speech a human right? Yes.

b.     Who has the right to determine what information is available to the public and how are those determinations made?

A collaboration between the government and the public should determine what is available.  Like with ethics, it is the agreement in the majority that determines what should or shouldn’t be published.

c.     What is the role of the media and to what extent is it obligated to provide information to the public?

The role of the media is to be a informative service agency. The truth is hard. It is ideally designed to present any information to the population without manipulating the information in any shape or form. However, the reality is that due to corporate sponsors or political hosts, the media is manipulated and it’s purpose is contaminated.

d.     What fundamental issues do you see raised by your article about free speech and censorship?

                                               i.     The right to talk about whatever and where ever.

                                             ii.     The existence of laws in different countries which disallow certain views in the way they’re expressed

                                            iii.     The willingness to compromise free speech for more business

4)     Why do you think censorship is such a controversial issue?  

Because the line between free speech and expression, and totalitarian restriction of the same is extremely faded and ambiguous.  Perspective on free speech differs from person to person, and country to country. Thus, conflicts arises.

Sara&Sheikha's Answers Thing :)

1)   In summary, one of the US soldiers sent the images of other US soldiers posing with dead afghan insurgents to news agencies.  The photos were very controversial, even media analysts didn’t agree on whether it was the right thing to publish the images.  The type of censorship it addresses is the act to censor violent and graphically natural pictures that reflect a bad image of the US soldiers to their people. The different positions presented are that, on one hand, media agencies found that it was necessary - as the united states are big on freedom of speech – that the public are aware of the unethical acts of the US soldier and the occurring war. Of normality, the US defense department- the pentagon, found that it would “cause needless casualties” and would ruin the reputation of the US soldiers.

2)   As disturbing as the photographs may be, it is of the public’s right that they are aware of the reckless behavior of these soldiers, to understand what is happening exactly behind the scenes and therefore the people can choose their stand on the issue. The USA have the capability to vote for whether or not their citizens would like their soldiers to carry on this war. If they are aware of what is going on, they could put a stop to the war.

3)   Yes, free speech is a human right because every person is responsible for what they say and do. In the regards to the United States, the pentagon filter what and determine what information is available to the public. How these determinations are made? It all depends on the image of what is being presented gives to the USA. Since the USA is very big on freedom of speech, media agencies did not take into consideration what the pentagon had to say therefore went on and published the photographs.

4)   Censorship is such a controversial issue because sometimes it is good to censor something that may protect the people from the negative influence, but in the other hand, sometimes censoring does limit a person from knowing what they should and have the right to know which makes this issue even more controversial. 

Sara&Sheikha's Answers to censorship

1)   In summary, one of the US soldiers sent the images of other US soldiers posing with dead afghan insurgents to news agencies.  The photos were very controversial, even media analysts didn’t agree on whether it was the right thing to publish the images.  The type of censorship it addresses is the act to censor violent and graphically natural pictures that reflect a bad image of the US soldiers to their people. The different positions presented are that, on one hand, media agencies found that it was necessary - as the united states are big on freedom of speech – that the public are aware of the unethical acts of the US soldier and the occurring war. Of normality, the US defense department- the pentagon, found that it would “cause needless casualties” and would ruin the reputation of the US soldiers.

2)   As disturbing as the photographs may be, it is of the public’s right that they are aware of the reckless behavior of these soldiers, to understand what is happening exactly behind the scenes and therefore the people can choose their stand on the issue. The USA have the capability to vote for whether or not their citizens would like their soldiers to carry on this war. If they are aware of what is going on, they could put a stop to the war.

3)   Yes, free speech is a human right because every person is responsible for what they say and do. In the regards to the United States, the pentagon filter what and determine what information is available to the public. How these determinations are made? It all depends on the image of what is being presented gives to the USA. Since the USA is very big on freedom of speech, media agencies did not take into consideration what the pentagon had to say therefore went on and published the photographs.

4)   Censorship is such a controversial issue because sometimes it is good to censor something that may protect the people from the negative influence, but in the other hand, sometimes censoring does limit a person from knowing what they should and have the right to know which makes this issue even more controversial. 

Mjölnir's Copy/Poppy Queries - By Matt the Magnificent and Paul the Irrepressible

1. The article talks about could have negative effects on society, and WikiLeaks can really be prosecuted legally.  It also mentions past attempts to prosecute news sources that rather than procuring illegal things reprinted them when they were given to them as a source, accusing them of colluding with the theif and activly trying to procure the items.  At the end, the speaker takes a very critical position when descriping President Obama.
2. The main issue we have is disagreeing over whether it's legal/fair for WikiLeaks to be prosocuted for publishing the stolen material, as other groups haven't been prosecuted in such manner in the past.  We're arguing over whether WikiLeaks is just publishing whatever's given to it, regardless of whether it's stolen, and that they're just trying to find a roundabout way to censor the press or if WikiLeaks essentially promotes stealing information from governments and should be prevented from doing this, as to not promote violating theft laws.
3. Free speech has really been defined so many times by different people in different ways, so it doesn't really mean anything anymore, and it really isn't a 'human right', since one can't really define what a 'human right' is, since standards of 'rights' and what's permissible or not are always changing.  Nobody really has the 'right' do define what's allowed to reach the public and what isn't, but more of a matter of who has power at that time, and what do they want to do with it.  Media again, is just another display of somebody having power, and deciding what they feel their job is and what they want to say.  Essentially, the media can't be obligated to do anything by the public, and it just does what the rich person who owns it tells them to do.  The article raises the question with censorship of whether probable cause is a reason to censor something.
4. It isn't clear cut or definable, and it prevents people from getting information which may alter their decisions.  Also, it questions how far governments can reach and control their citizens, and effect the paradox of people hating their government controlling them but not wanting to be left doing things 'all by themselves'.

Barack Obama Slow Jams the News

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vAFQIciWsF4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I've seen this video posted all over Facebook and I think it relates to some of the things we've been talking about in the course.   It's a great example of politicians using media and social networking in innovative ways in order to target specific audiences and inspire political action.  Take a look at the issue being addressed, the target audience, and the way the message is constructed and distributed.  Comment on these issues for extra blog points.

Barackness monster! Bwa ha ha : )

Must Anything Ever Really be Said

A while ago when I was on some random tangent, I ran into an article on CNN.com, about Nobel Literature Laureate, Guenter Grass, being banned from Israel in response to a poem he wrote, Was gesagt werden muss or What Must be Said.  The poem essentially calls for Germany to stop being on a major guilt trip for the Holocaust since it was so long ago, and giving Israel a free pass for anything it wants to do, which he indicates will soon mean attacking Iran with nuclear weapons.  He wrote this poem right after Germany sold Israel a 6th Dolphin class submarine, which are alleged to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.  Along with more evidence that dolphins are evil.

Of course, it led to a lot of people throwing fits since well, he's German, and was kind of (fine not kind of) a member of Waffen-SS as a teenager in WWII, which he'd previously left out of his memoirs and speaking about his past, until essentially being forced to.  Thus, people have said that it's hypocritical for him to tell Germany to face their past when he refuses to face his.  At the same time, many people, inside and outside of Germany are starting to share his view that Germany should no longer handicap itself because of mistakes people's grandparents made.

Here are a couple link to a translations of the poem.  One has it in only English, and the other site has a plethora of languages, including Arabic.

The English Language,

It has nothing to do with what we are taking BUT its about LANGUAGE, and it pretty funny. :)

The English Language

Have you ever wondered why foreigners have trouble with the English Language?

Let's face it
English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly
Boxing rings are square
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.
If the plural of tooth is teeth
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth
If the teacher taught,
Why didn't the preacher praught.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables
What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play
Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways and
Drive on parkways

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as
It burns down
And in which you fill in a form
By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why
When the stars are out they are visible
But when the lights are out they are invisible
And why it is that when I wind up my watch
It starts
But when I wind up this observation,
It ends.

1) Identify or choose a concept which we understand through metaphor

Life is a journey

2) List all the phrases/expressions this metaphor

She travelled a long way in her life

On the road to success

She went (she died)

She came to this/she arrived at this (got to this stage in life)

The baby arrived at this time on this day

I have no direction in life

One must move on

3) Explain the way this particular metaphor structures our perceptions

A journey is one that does not necessarily have an end, or perhaps in better wording, does not have an end in the eyes of the person travelling, when they begin travelling. Life in many ways is similar to that, one does not know when their life will end and neither do they know what their life will bring. This metaphor is therefore valid and helps people all over the world bring the meaning of life closer to others around them, since everyone can relate to what a journey is.

4) Imagine a different way of conceptualizing this topic- or identify the similarities and differences in another language. How would that change our perception?

Life is a global privilege that people all over the world value, or should value, greatly. It is one thing to understand what life is, but another to live it. For that reason, many cultures and languages around the world have adopted this metaphor in their own ways. For example, Arabic also uses the same metaphor and similar connotations for different parts of life.

English Questions – Page 101

In what ways do the articles above celebrate language diversity?

In both of the articles, language diversity is something that is both praised and supported. Although set in different parts of the world, both authors aim to portray the benefits of language diversity through the presentation and analysis of real life examples.

2) Are the articles critical of language diversity? Language blending? Language change?

No, they are not. I personally thought they did very well in portraying the positives of language diversity, but appeared to be biased, since they did not give their audiences both sides of the story at hand. They both proposed new innovations that language diversity can be incorporated in, not mentioning any limitations of the diversity of language.

3) What are the possible reasons for people who ‘code switch’ to feel self-conscious about using language combinations in public?

The most common reason is that they thing that if they do not do that ‘code-switch’, they will essentially be made fun of by the people who surround them, making them feel embarrassed. Furthermore, feeling like the odd one out within a group is not a favoured feeling, it is best for one to feel that they are like the rest of their friends, so that they enjoy their time with them without feeling left out.

4) Why would linguists be interested in studying language change?

It was mentioned in the articles that language change could have significantly affect both culture and the way that language is perceived and consequently taught. Language change is therefore extremely interesting, not only because of its effects, but also in the way that it changes.

5) What are the possible reasons for wanting to slow or stop the change of language use in a particular country?

Possible reasons include wanting to stick to the true identity of a country in the sense that language change could potentially hinder the value that the true identity of a country has. In addition, it is important to recognise that different generations have been affected by language change both at different levels and different times, leading to the changes varying from one generation to another.

6) How should public education, in a given country, handle the instruction of the dominant native language? How should educators approach language variations?

Personally, I think that when a language is taught, it should be taught in its classic form, therefore without any changes to it depending on language change. An example of this is the Arabic language, when it is taught, it is taught in its classical form, where all dialects are put to a side, obliging students to be able to communicate, write and read fluently in that particular form of Arabic. The reason why language should not be taught in their changed forms is because a language is special because of its own characteristics, when these characteristics intertwine with others and are tweaked, the language loses the identity and value it once had.