Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hey pal, I didn't catch your name there...
It's Moisey begins with an Mmm sound which is bilibial, you put both lips together which is +V, continued with an CI(C backwards-diphthong)which mkey the oiii sound as in Hoy Mate. Next would be the zzzz alveolar sound, which is formed by the front part of the tongue on the alveolar ridge which is the rough bony eridge behind the upper teeth. Last but not east we have I front vowel sounds like eeee. There you have it!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Language of Human Rights
The language of human rights, language is taken very seriously when it comes to the term "trial". The term "trial" may also mean a trial without defense. In many cases the defense requests that the term “trial” is re-written, unless it is used to describe a trial that contains equality between the defense and the prosecutors. We can look into Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s trial, when the defense is presenting their case all the judge does is pretend as if he is listening. They made him seem as if he was some sort of serial killer putting him into shackles and in a cage, all he was a successful Jewish business man. He was the wealthiest man in Russia and Forbes 16th wealthiest man. The government did not like the fact that Khodorkovsky became the wealthiest man, the president Vladimir Putin played a major role in Khodorkovsky’s unfair trial.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Continuation-Fear & Slavery
When looking into the slave narratives from When I Was a Slave, we can conclude that many slaves felt as if they had no hope. They were forced to believe that they were nobody until there was a white man there to guide them. Tell them what to do, in that sense the slave realized what kind of potential he/she really had. We can look into the memoir of Frank Bell, at the age of 86 he was interviewed by an unidentified individual in Madisonville, Texas. Bell states “you know, the nigger was wild till the white man made what he has out of the nigger” (Yetman 10). What Bell says in this quote is that, a black slave is lost he/she can be lost emotionally, and or mentally, until his capabilities are put to the test by a white man. The slave feels as if he/she is nobody until they have someone white by their side, someone that will guide them, as a young boy who always needs his father at a young age to guide him. Frank Bell can be compared to a lost young boy, who replaces his father with the white master, the white master that he looks up to.
We are quickly forced to look into fear once again as the main reason that Frank Bell feels wild until the white man made what he has out of him. Fear plays a major role in what Bell says, it sounds as if he fears being lost. He fears in not having his “father” around. If Bell chose to escape from his master, fear would have had the best of him, Bell would feel doubt. Doubt in finding food, shelter all of the typical needs in continuing life. Bell would fear that he was not capable of finding work that he would actually get paid for. Bell’s master says “Nigger, you’s supposed to be free but I’ll pay you a dollar a week and if you runs I’ll kill you” (Yetman 10). We clearly see that fear was put into Bell, he feared death. Of course Bell wanted to get paid; he has worked so many years without receiving any sort of compensation. Once again Bell may have stayed due to him feeling “wild” and or lost, without his “father” or the white master.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Are we all really brothers and sisters?
Benjamin Banneker wrote the letter to Thomas Jefferson on the 19th of August 1971. The letter includes various reasons why slavery should no longer continue. Banneker himself a free man, set out to write such a well-organized letter to the former president of the Unites States of America. In the letter he basically calls the president a liar; however he does not say it in such a blunt way. Banneker states that humans came from one Father typically referring to Christians, by the term “father” he refers to G-d. What he attempted to imply is that both slaves and their masters are brothers and sisters and they should not be acting towards each other in such manner as they are. The father has awarded each and every one of them the same sensations, they are all able to see, hear, and smell.
Now the question is why humans would put each other in such horrifying situations, are all humans really brothers? Do all have one father? Banneker refers to Christians as being brothers and sisters. Has he forgotten about the other major religions, which include Judaism and Islam? The actual question is, if all humans felt the "same sensations," then wouldn't the slave-traders have been incapable of practicing slavery? At this point the major slaves were African American; Banneker refers to slaves coming from one “father” allowing all “brothers” to practice Christianity, wouldn’t we say that African Americans come from Africa. We shouldn’t go too far, Equiano was from Africa. I wouldn’t say that the only religion practiced in Africa was Christianity; I believe that Islam was practiced as well.
With Banneker referring to Christianity as being the religions that most slaves or “brothers” possess may answer our question as towards why humans, in particular Africans did not feel the same sensations when kidnapping a fellow African. They may not have come from the same “father” they may have not been brothers and sisters! Equiano was captured by a fellow African, and sold to different slave traders as time passed. He has experienced both African and European slave traders. Equiano witnessed how each human treated each other; I am safe to say that they did not treat each other as if they were brother and sister. If all humans were brothers and sisters, why would Equiano compare himself to a hunted deer? Would a brother hunt another brother as if he were an Animal?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Fear and slavery
In the passage the interesting Life of Equiano, there are different sorts of emotions that are expressed. Each action that is taken has an emotion that is connected to it. I believe for the most part fear is expressed by many slaves; fear plays a major role in every single action taken by a slave. It may be during their attempt to escape or at the time of communication with their master. In my view of a slave’s life, they may be beaten if they make a mistake. At times fear may cause a mistake, slaves feel fear once they notice that they are being watched. Slavery may cause humans to fear other humans, watching humans harm someone that may be “one of their own”, slavery cannot even be compared to animals. Would a lion kill another lion in order to have something to eat for his family? I cannot recall reading or watching something in that sense. Should someone who has been subjected to slavery fear a human if they see one in the middle of the street? Most of the actions expressed by Equiano were based upon fear. Every single movement around Equiano put fear into him, fear of being seen, being caught. He feared of the consequences. What would happen once he is seen? Should he lose all of his hope in being reunited with his family?
Fear caused Equiano to lose hope in returning home. Overhearing those in search of him speaking to one another, of what may result in him escaping. Equiano states that he does not fear the animals in the dark, for he may avoid them, rather he fears humans. Some animals may be fooled; however it would be tough to fool a human. “And now I learned from them, that any attempt to return home would be hopeless…When I heard this I was seized with a violent panic, and abandoned myself to despair.” …”if possibly I could escape all other animals, I could not those of the human kind” In the passage Equiano compared himself to a “hunted deer” at that very moment Equiano was in fact the hunted deer, he was the prey. Fear of being the prey, fear of getting caught, as well as fear of resulting as the hunted deer that is caught, may have caused Equiano to fall back and give in. Fear has played a major role, in addition to him being hungry and thirsty for he has not ate the entire day.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The "connection"
When it comes to Law and Human Rights, I quickly see a connection between my English class with Justin Rogers Cooper and my Law and Human rights class with with Ms.B. I have established a connection with these two classes right away. See, in Law and Human Rights we learn about the right that we as humans have as soon as we come to life and laws that may protect those rights or laws that may go against the right that we have in order to protect us from some other sort of harm.Where as in English I would say that we may feel what people experienced when their rights were taken from them. We may look into the first passage we read in English, the character who went by the name of Equiano was a slave, his rights were taken from him..The freedom that he was "born" with was taken from him and his sister. The emotion that Equiano puts into his writing makes us shiver when we read how he attempted to flee from his slave owners.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Language Of The Future
The Language Of The Future
The relationship between oneself and language is indeed a broad subject. On the one hand, I find myself both thinking and speaking Russian when I am with friends and relatives, while my mind automatically switches to English when I am among non-Russian speakers. I handle language, like I handle history, with much deliberation and preciseness. Then again, I moved to the states at a few months old where as, my parents and grandfather were much older therefore, it is all a matter nurture.
When one is a child, one adapts to what ever a parent or parents attempts to teach it. I began to speak English at the age of three. It has been said by some researchers within the field of linguistics that at that age, a child’s mind is like a sponge, able to absorb anything it is taught. And I guess this was true when it came to me. I became the best speaker of English within my own household and within my entire family. But, for some reason, I still have a slight accent. I guess it is because I still constantly speak Russian at home. Basically, I have a clearer mystery of English, than of Russian, especially when it comes to reading and writing and comprehending of it. My skill in Russian on the other hand, is seconded handed at best. In other words, I have recently found myself thinking of changing English words into Russian during one of my daily discussions with my father. I feel that this is an indication of my depending more on English as a language, rather than depending on Russian. Yet, because of the neighborhood I have grown up in, I still speak Russian with my Russian friends. In fact, to be perfectly honest with the reader of this paper, I have grown somewhat accustom to speaking Russian to one set of friends and English to the my other set of friends.
While within the boundaries of school, I tend to only speak English, to everybody, even if they are my Russian friends. Forest Hills’ High, has this certain affect on my language skills, that tend to force me to speak English. For whatever reason, I find myself determined to only speak English within this particular situation, and this of course has at times affected my friendships, because my friends have remarked that once I enter school, I become snobby. But I always tell them , that we are the future of America, therefore, English is now and forever our spoken language. They basically fail to understand the reasoning behind this, and still feel that one day they will all return to Russia. I am more of a realistic.
Basically, learning English via my parents and other interested people was more of a game to me. Every time I learned a new word in English and how to use it, I was usually rewarded. Of course reinforcing the learning process in this fashion, moved matters along somewhat swiftly. I began then to read and write. By the age of five, I was able to read somewhat better than my older brother. Then the game became serious, especially when I was thrown into the main stream of American childhood.
Language is a gift, at least I tend to look at it in this fashion. I have a way of communicating within the English language which makes people realize that I am here and I am the type of person who is not about to take anything from anybody, but it also informs people that I am both willing to answer and give help to any one who needs it. My strength is within my language which is English, and I am proud of it!
Knowing how to communicate in English has given me a place within American society and so far I am enjoying to its’ limits. And of course, I have come to the realization that there is no limit to what one could achieve by both learning and understanding English. As a language, English has never been a mystery to me, nor is it a difficulty!
The relationship between oneself and language is indeed a broad subject. On the one hand, I find myself both thinking and speaking Russian when I am with friends and relatives, while my mind automatically switches to English when I am among non-Russian speakers. I handle language, like I handle history, with much deliberation and preciseness. Then again, I moved to the states at a few months old where as, my parents and grandfather were much older therefore, it is all a matter nurture.
When one is a child, one adapts to what ever a parent or parents attempts to teach it. I began to speak English at the age of three. It has been said by some researchers within the field of linguistics that at that age, a child’s mind is like a sponge, able to absorb anything it is taught. And I guess this was true when it came to me. I became the best speaker of English within my own household and within my entire family. But, for some reason, I still have a slight accent. I guess it is because I still constantly speak Russian at home. Basically, I have a clearer mystery of English, than of Russian, especially when it comes to reading and writing and comprehending of it. My skill in Russian on the other hand, is seconded handed at best. In other words, I have recently found myself thinking of changing English words into Russian during one of my daily discussions with my father. I feel that this is an indication of my depending more on English as a language, rather than depending on Russian. Yet, because of the neighborhood I have grown up in, I still speak Russian with my Russian friends. In fact, to be perfectly honest with the reader of this paper, I have grown somewhat accustom to speaking Russian to one set of friends and English to the my other set of friends.
While within the boundaries of school, I tend to only speak English, to everybody, even if they are my Russian friends. Forest Hills’ High, has this certain affect on my language skills, that tend to force me to speak English. For whatever reason, I find myself determined to only speak English within this particular situation, and this of course has at times affected my friendships, because my friends have remarked that once I enter school, I become snobby. But I always tell them , that we are the future of America, therefore, English is now and forever our spoken language. They basically fail to understand the reasoning behind this, and still feel that one day they will all return to Russia. I am more of a realistic.
Basically, learning English via my parents and other interested people was more of a game to me. Every time I learned a new word in English and how to use it, I was usually rewarded. Of course reinforcing the learning process in this fashion, moved matters along somewhat swiftly. I began then to read and write. By the age of five, I was able to read somewhat better than my older brother. Then the game became serious, especially when I was thrown into the main stream of American childhood.
Language is a gift, at least I tend to look at it in this fashion. I have a way of communicating within the English language which makes people realize that I am here and I am the type of person who is not about to take anything from anybody, but it also informs people that I am both willing to answer and give help to any one who needs it. My strength is within my language which is English, and I am proud of it!
Knowing how to communicate in English has given me a place within American society and so far I am enjoying to its’ limits. And of course, I have come to the realization that there is no limit to what one could achieve by both learning and understanding English. As a language, English has never been a mystery to me, nor is it a difficulty!
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