Paper 1 – Text 1:

Analysis

Judging from the characteristics of the text: direct narration, hindsight wisdom and dialogue, one can deduce that it is none other than an autobiography. Withal, the patent statement at the bottom of the text further corroborates this claim. Through her reflection author, Mary Seacole educates the reader on the inherency and commonplace of death. Nonetheless, Seacole renders the occurrence in a positive light, inviting the reader to neither fear or be ashamed of it’s inevitably but embrace it, robbing it of its victory and “making their death a triumph”. The intended audience of this text would not be those solely interested in this particular aspect of the author’s life. Rather, as this excerpt represents a mere section of her autobiography, they would be drawn in by her life experiences as a whole. 

The account enumerates the author’s experiences in Jamaica in the year 1853, highlighting the various struggles she encountered amidst her eight-month endeavour against the yellow fever endemic in the region. The author graphically reflects on the severity of the cases she dealt with, many of which resulted in death. She continues to reveal, that how we bear death wholly depends on or constitutions. Building of the notion, she draws a stark contrast between the two approaches one may adopt when confronted with enteral rest. The first, the seemingly more honourable of the two is that of a brave man, who despite having ‘smiled at the cruelest amputation’ died ‘trembling like a child.’ The latter, is that of an individual who despite his cowardice life, drew upon his ‘last painful breath’ like a hero, striking at his foe (death) to the last. The importance of this compassion is that it recognises that an individuals passing does not always act as a reflection of their life and that for some, there might in fact be redemption through the grave. In addition the author conveys a personal anecdotal from her life, relating the loss of a man she loved and the lessons she gleaned from his life in regards to the fear of death and the religious feelings tied to it.

The narrative adopts a somewhat morbid and doleful mood and this evident through the expressions Seacole employs to depict her story: “suffering and gloom,” “house fall of sufferers,” “distressing struggle with a grim foe,” and “Valley of the Shadow of Death” to name a few. Howbeit, this can be expected, as the narrative’s very source martial, acts as the epitome of the above statements. Despite this, the author’s tone is ultimately uplifting and through the attitude of her piece, depicts a light at the end of the tunnel. This notion is most apparent in her closing statement, “He repeated this many times, until the Heaven he obeyed sent him in its mercy forgetfulness,” substantiating the certainty that one might in fact experience a fitting and tranquil end. 

As mentioned before the account follows the author’s exploits during her stay in Jamaica. As such its views on the subject of death and the sufferings of the native and expatriate populous are largely objective, based of real life experience and exposure. On the subject of death, the authors adheres to the traditional, ideological viewpoint, “Death is always terrible.” However rather than restricting her efforts to mere criticism, Seacole offers an alternate perspective on how to confront the matter and to face death like a hero, robbing it of its victory while making your own demise a triumph. In terms style and structure, the narrative makes use of direct narration and pronouns, the author retelling the various events that transpired from a first person perspective.In doing so she captivates her audience’s attention as they relive her tale just as she would have experienced it. The primary sentence structure the author makes use of is declarative. Refraining from mere technical jargon and abstraction, Seacole relates her story in an easy to understand manner and in doing so stresses the imperatively and severity of her experiences. In addition, Seacole musters vivid imagery and this is illustrated throughout the narrative through her use of evocative descriptions, “his poor hands tremblingly penning the last few words” and “the tears I could not repress, rolling down my brown cheeks,” transporting the reader into her world. By the same token, her reflective somewhat resigned register further contributes to the visage, highlighting the brevity and transient nature of life on earth, a subject that resonates with all. 

Written Task 1

Rationale Opinion columns, act as an avenue for, ‘advocacy, denunciation, controversy and astonishment;’ offering readers an alternate perspective on affairs. As such they serve as the ideal platform to reflect on a subject as controversial as lingual bigotry. A subject close to my heart, the purpose of my response will be to educate readers on the continued existence of accentual bigotry and the widely held preconceptions concerning it. Doing so, I hope to stimulate community discussion and ultimately a solution to the matter.

As with any opinionated piece, I intend to explicitly state my viewpoint on the matter in an articulate and timely fashion.

An opinion column is reliant on the credibility of its author and source material. As such, the standpoint of my article will be that of an expert whose native tongue is not English. By adopting this guise, I immediately draw a parallel between myself, and those whom the subject would most resonate with.

I have chosen to release my article as an independent source rather than under the banner of an established publisher, as it ultimately allows circulation to a larger audience. Nonetheless to ground my work, my fancied audience shall be that of a well-educated individual concerned with the matter of lingual conventionalism. The column shall make reference to an experiment carried out by the University of Chicago titled, ‘Why don't we believe non-native speakers? The influence of accent on credibility’ and an article released by the Copenhagen Business School titled, ‘The Power of Accents.’ 

An Opinion Column

A Social Experiment...

Having spent a majority of my life beyond the confines and security of my native home, I have had the fortune of experiencing little lingual prejudice and bigotry. However not all share the favor of my charmed life, and this a major concern.

With all that man has accomplished over the last century, the human rights movement, fall of the Berlin wall and the dawn of the information age, one might expect stereotypes and preconceptions to be all but non-existent, remnants of a bygone era. Sadly this is not the case, and the subject of stereotypes faced by non-native English speakers acts as a prevalent theme in our modern society. And the hackneyed idea I would like to touch upon in particular would be accents…

For the sake of perspicuity, ‘accent’ is defined as the “distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language, esp. one associated with a particular nation, locality, or social class.” Accents manifestly act as the verbal presentation of one’s roots and background; but they also reflect where a person has been. Countless individuals espouse new accents after having lived abroad or moved to a different area of their country.

In her article, ‘The Power of Accents,’ author Sofie Roslind airs an interesting query. Building of the latter assumption, Roslind puts forth the postulation that accents not only act as a reflection of our heritage and experiences but also a precursor of where we want to be and the people we wish to become. Dr. McGettigan, a researcher at the department of Psychology at the University of London, further corroborates this claim by stating, “The voice is a powerful channel for the expression of our identity – it conveys information such as gender, age and place of birth, but crucially, it also expresses who we want to be.”

From my own experiences, I have come to the illation, that most people posses fixed preconceptions in regards to what differing accents might indicate. Inhabiting a society where appearance is key, people live in a constant fray to best adapt themselves in order to be adjudged in the most positive manner. One may then draw similarities between how people choose to speak and the way they might choose to take on or throw away other things in life. This precedent raises the debate whether the usage of accents and their disposal is as commonplace as one might treat habitual trends such as fashion. If so, one could argue that if there exists such a standard to judge a person’s clothes as unsuitable or unfashionable in a given context, there then exists, subconsciously, such a guideline to class one’s accent as being inferior or more suitable in a similar scenario. Despite the harshness of this supposition, one must come to terms with the stark reality we live in, even with the countless advances we have made in the fields of equity and equality.

In 2010, two students from the University of Chicago conducted a social experiment centered on the influence of accent on credibility. Below, is an extract from their report that I found of particular interest:

“Most people do not know how many hours a night an ant typically sleeps, but if someone tells them that ants don't sleep, they may believe it, even if that person is not a zoologist. But people also doubt and routinely evaluate new information (Ferguson & Zayas, 2009). Such judgments of credibility could depend on how reasonable the information sounds, how credible the source appears how the person says it (e.g., Miller & Hewgill, 1964)…”

Their assessment continued to reveal the reasoning behind their postulation.

Firstly, accents, acts as a signal, and secondly, for lack of a better term they can ‘distort’ speech, making it harder to understand. The report went on to state the reasoning behind the first statement, however the second reason, the far more critical of the two, was purely objective possessing no hard evidence.

Native speakers of any language, not limited English alone, are typically very responsive to accented speech of foreign descents, and are in turn quick to draw conclusions based of those signals, casting the speaker as an outsider and foreigner. If left unchecked these signals produce preconceptions about the outsider that might not be necessarily true, but act as an advocate of prejudice, ultimately impacting the credibility of the speaker. Hence when a foreigner speaks, not only does their accent play a part in impacting their credibility but also the prejudice tied to it.   

This evaluation and the respective insights brought forth from the prior articles provide an interesting perspective regarding the credo behind the stereotypes targeting non-native English speakers, especially those pertaining to accent.  Though these findings are among a myriad of others that agree with this conclusion, nothing is ever set in stone. Recognizing the problem and educating others about its existence is the first step towards change.

Txting

Over the past decade, rapid technological and communicative advancements have resulted in massive ramifications pertaining to the English Language. These changes have influenced both the composition and directives that have long defined the language.  No other aspect, of this once esoteric craze has played a more prominent role than texting.

 Both linguists, John McWhoter and David Crystal raise cogent arguments, appertaining to the subject of texting as both a positive product and authority of language.

While both men arrive at the same illation in regards to the matter, Crystal dwells far deeper into the workings and practical aspects of this modern dialect, McWhoter instead opts for a more macroscopic approach to the subject.

At outset both Crystal and McWhoter establish texting as a separate entity, possessing ‘its own language…etiquette and…humor.’ Crystal goes on to state, that texting, was never originally purposed to act as a ‘means of communication.’ However as our current reality would suggest, this is not the case. The once mere act of bashing buttons having evolved into a new medium where one may covey their thoughts, in a precise, coherent manner.

It is important to understand that texting shares far more in common with speech, than writing, despite the brute mechanics they might share. McWhoter goes as far to describe it as ‘fingered speech.’ In that sense, texting acts as the means of expression one might adopt to directly notate their speech, devoid of the formalities and red tape attributed to formal penmanship and writing.    

Furthermore, McWhoter expounds on the fact that texting pays little heed to capital letters and punctuation, on the basis that people do not pay attention to such things when they talk and therefore why should they when they text.

Both linguists eventually make their way to discuss the conventions regarding texting and the actuality that it is not bereft of a defined structure rather characterized by it’s own loose rendition.

In regards to the conventions the language has spawned, both authors recognize two in particular, ‘LOL and ‘slash,’ both of which have developed into pragmatic particles over time. ‘LOL was originally intended to express a sense of amusement or draw attention to a joke or amusing statement, however it has steadily changed to represent a far subtler expression acting as a marker of empathy and accommodation. Like wise slash, once represented a separation between elements of a text or alternatives. Though it’s modern interpretation hasn’t strayed far from its roots, it has now grown to be a new information market, denoting a change in scene.

Silver, progresses to elaborate on the various language notes and contraptions evident in text speak, as well as the distinct graphology and prominent usage of rebus abbreviation, which McWhoter only touches upon.

Finally both men confront the criticism and bad press that shroud texting and its subsequent text speak. McWhoter raises the argument, that people have forever been condemning and stressing about the language of their time, evidence of such dating as far back as 63 A.D. Despite the planets remain to spin and the world continues to remain.

In closing Silver states that the future of text speak remains uncertain, it’s existence and continued longevity reliant on continuation of a particular technology where space is at premium and abbreviation serves a purpose. McWhoter concludes that texting acts a new form of writing young people have devolved alongside their ordinary writing skills and concurs with Silver in the regard that it acts as the ‘latest manifestation of the human ability,’ in particular of today’s youth and their ability to be ‘linguistically creative,’ morphing language and adapting it to suit the various demands of increasingly diverse world. In this manner texting exhibits in it’s one little manner the continual evolution of language. 

Spot on...

The following is a fictitious letter to the editor and response to an article posted on the Huffington Post titled "Why a Bindi Is NOT an Example of Cultural Appropriation"and i would highly recommend you to check it out for yourself...

Dear Editor

Let me be the first to recognize and commend you, on your enlightening, ultimately candid take, on the subject of cultural appropriation.

An Indian by nativity and ethnicity, I wholly concur with the viewpoint and stance of the article, with regard to the evolution and modern-day application of the bindi.

I believe, it is extremely important to recognize the dissimilarity between cultural appropriation, the  ‘the adoption of a specific part of one culture by another cultural group,’ and acculturation or assimilation in that "appropriation" or "misappropriation" as stated before refers to the’ inclusion and absorption of cultural elements from minorities or immigrants into the predominant culture.’

As stated in your article, when the process of adoption and mainstream conversion is bereft of all cultural, religious and historical significance, the act is then merit of offense. No individual or group possess’ the right to strip an aspect of one’s culture of it’s true context and significance in order to attain conventional status and peddle it on wholesale.

Notwithstanding, I do agree that the bindi is a unique case in within itself. For the longest time I myself have not known the true history and significance of this cultural symbol, other than it’s current modern day status as a fashion accessory. This raises an interesting sentiment and the realization that a majority of Indians themselves, don’t know the significance of the bindi, as mentioned in the article. Furthermore the statistics concerning the Hindu women who were unable to accurately elucidate the history, religious or spiritual significance of the bindi coupled the author’s personal confession brought further emphasis and elicit to the claim.

However, I do recognize and appreciate the inclusion of the counter argument brought forth in the article that other, such as Indian statesman Rajan Zed might posses. In that the bindi acts an auspicious religious and spiritual symbol and should not to be thrown around loosely for seductive effects or as a fashion accessory, to state your article. However the validity of this statement solely relies on the basis that us Indians ourselves have maintained this level of consecration and holiness in regards to the bindi. Nevertheless this is not the case and it is therefore on those grounds that we cannot expect others to do so.

  

Furthermore I agree with the standpoint that culture does in fact evolve. Indians have forever appreciated the beauty of a bindi, indoctrinating it into the world of fashion decades ago. As a people we now share the privilege of spreading and passing on this rich legacy as the bindi makes it's way to the countless foreheads across the globe. I delight in the continued evolution of this cultural symbol and the actuality that it been able to surpass the confines of religion and class.

To echo the author’s closing statement, I am glad others find this aspect of my culture beautiful and would adopt it as their own, for I do too.

Warmest regards,

Rohan Toor