...Reality is how we perceive the world and that reality can be changed to circumstances and through communication. The reality can be altered to fit a certain group of people so that they will only ever see the beauty in the place that they are visiting. In A Small Place they expose this factor in the so called beautiful place of Antigua, but in actuality Antigua is disguised by beauty to hide the poverty and the corrupt government that has morphed these natives into something that they never should have been. The culture altered into some hybrid that would be pleasing to the upper class and to the tourists that would come to visit. The setting of Antigua is almost standing still, things seem the same day to day to the villagers when it is described in A Small Place. But it real reality the government is in control, they speak English instead of their native tongue or its horrible slang described by Kincaid. The schooling is horribly lacking mostly shown by a library that has been damaged and needs to be rebuilt for the last ten years. The sign that is posted on the library refers to the colonial period of Antigua, which is before the time that the English took over with their ways. This is something that is not normally seen to tourists, they see a laid back way of life with simple people. But the people themselves did not choose this style, they did not wish for the education to be denied to them or their cultures to be lost. With the placement of the wealthy English, ways...
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...11 Feb 2015 Changes in the Land Essay In William Cronon’s book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, he discuses the ecological history of New England from the late sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century. He demonstrates how the New Englanders changed the land by illustrating the process of the change in the landscape and the environment. In the Preface Cronon states, “My thesis is simple: the shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes—well known to historians—in the ways these people organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations—less well-known to historians—in the region's plant and animal communities" (Cronon xv). Throughout the book he expands on his thesis and describes the rapid transformation of New England land, their culture, and economically. In the beginning of the book, Cronon describes the changes that occurred in New England between 1600 and 1800. He starts the chapter off by discussing Henry David Thoreau’s book, Walden. Throughout that book, Thoreau states that people have the biggest effect on nature, and that everyone should care for it. On page 4 Cronon states, “a changed landscape meant a loss of wildness and virility that was ultimately spiritual in its import, a sign of declension in both nature and humanity”. The changes in the nature and wilderness that Cronon mentions are much more than just the physical environment, but the change...
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...Africans in America: The Terrible Transformation Response/Reflection The video titled Africans in America: The Terrible Transformation thoroughly reassesses the history of slavery. The documentary tells of how slavery was brought to America, and of the conditions under which these slaves were forced to live. The trade that began in Africa was not initially focused on trading humans, but rather on gold. Gradually, the British took control and started trafficking Africans to their colonies in America. The conditions slaves lived under changed drastically from the original conditions when they first arrived to America compared to years after the slave trade had been functioning. This documentary re-examines the appalling social injustice that existed during this time period and how race was associated to such injustice. The African men and women had no idea what their life in America would be like. When the British colonies were first established, white indentured servants were typically relied on to cultivate crops. This labor force consisting of white people soon changed, and the English definition of who could be enslaved changed from non-Christian to non-white individuals. The Portuguese sailed to West Africa seeking gold. Over time, the British took control of the trade in Africa, and the trade shifted from gold to humans. Africans were needed on the plantations in America. The Europeans built factories on the West African coast to hold captives until they were shipped...
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...Traveling back in time to when I was young, I find that many of my influences come from my closest family members. I was starting pre-school when I first started listening to how people around me were talking. I would listen to my mother and father talk on the phone or to each other and found myself starting to adopt their special language. My sister is six years older than me. Naturally children will look up to their older siblings. I, like many others, would copy exactly what my sister would do. She would say “crap” or “gosh” and sure enough I was running around using the word in complete wrong context. My mother and father were somewhat strict with how my two siblings and I talked. When I was running around yelling words that we weren’t supposed to say, it was almost a routine for me to get in trouble and eventually end up tattling on my sister. My original language came from my family, yet unlike others many slang words were absence from it. I find that many of my most strict proper...
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...Introduction Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this. Motte & Bailey Castles (1066 – 1078) The first castles to be built in England by the Normans were called Motte & Bailey castles. They had: • The Keep – a wooden tower used when under attack and for soldiers to keep lookout. • A Motte - a large mound of earth that the Keep was built on. • A Bailey – a large yard that sat next to the Motte, attached to the Motte by a wooden bridge. • A Palisade – a wooden fence all around the Bailey with a ditch around the outside. • Wooden gateway - the entrance to the castle with a wooden bridge over the ditch. Norman soldiers lived in wooden buildings in the Bailey. Motte & Bailey castles were made of earth and wood, which was easy to find, and they could be built really quickly, in 7-21 days. The height...
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...Klubertanz Lauren’s English 101 Portfolio ENG101 15 July 2016 Table of Contents Cover Letter p. 3-4 Self- Assessment Essay p. 5-10 College Learning Essay p. 11-17 Analyzing Arguments Essay p. 18-23 Cover Letter This midterm portfolio shows how I have progressed has a college reader and writer. Before this class I had trouble even understanding how to write a thesis and now I think I can definitely write a college level thesis. I have progressed to know how to incorporate my evidence into my concise and focused thesis statement. For example in the self assessment essay my thesis was, “Due to transferring to many schools over my first two years of college, I feel like I have had the opportunity to build up many habits of mind from Framework for Success in Post-Secondary Writing, especially in flexibility, openness and persistence but still can develop in metacognition and creativity in order to become a more successful college writer.” This showed that I could adapt a thesis to the assignment and it was focused and used my sources. At this point in the semester, a strength I have is the ability to connect source evidence with my thesis. I am able to develop my focused thesis around source-based evidence. For example in the college learning essay I was able to use my interview with my friend who was an elementary teacher to help develop my thesis about how teaching has changed due to technology...
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...William Shakespeare William Shakespeare changed the world as we know it by instilling Intrapersonal Intelligence, helping to make the English language what it is today and changing how writing affects the world through his writing. Shakespeare is known as the greatest writers of all time, he established a wide range of vocabulary, and crafted thousands of words, phrases and concepts that are now used in today’s English language. His works have been use to illustrate and explore theories and helped the development of modern-day psychoanalysis. He has influenced cultures around the world to the present day. He accomplished this without a university education. I do believe Shakespeare is categorized as a “revolutionary mind” because of the impact he made on the world. If you were to ask someone if they have heard of William Shakespeare, you will most definitely get the answer YES. If it weren’t for Shakespeare most of the world wouldn’t know how to speak English, and it might not even be spoken today and may have died with Latin. His works are translated into over 50 different languages. Thank to Shakespeare English is the most popular language in the world and developed over 20,000 words which he made up from the German, Latin, and French language Self-Assessment: The bullet point I can check without hesitation is, I see myself as a work in progress. I pick this self-assessment because I have had so many life changes that I need to learn how to make better decisions become more...
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...Language Change Shawntell M. Warr English 380 August 5, 2013 Dr. Jean LeGrand Language Change Over years cultures evolve. One aspect of a culture is how people communicate. Language is a part of how people communicate and words change over time. Language provides another means for people express themselves. The words used people and so are their meanings. As children, people learn to talk and which words to use to get their ideas across. As they mature they learn more complex ways of expressing thought. As language changes over time people have to adapt. Words not only change locally, but also learned some words take on an international meaning. Many words’ meanings has spread internationally and become a part of another culture’s language. As time progresses the meaning of certain words changes. Today the word “dude” is slang for a male. In the 1800s “dude” “referred to a dandy-ish sort of doofus” (Peters, 2010). It mocked a man for the way he dressed or spoke. The term began as a way to make fun of a person, but later took a different form in the west. It referred to “a non-westerner or city dweller who tours of stays in the west of the United States” (Peters, 2010). . In the 20th century, “dude” took on another meaning. The African American community turned the word into slang. It meant cool, or simply “the boys” or “fellas.” As the sixties approached the term became associated with a cool person and embraced by surfers. Many people can see...
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...EXAMPLE FROM THE READING MATERIALS THAT SUPPORTS YOUR POSITION. 1. What does “intercultural” communication mean to you? Intercultural communication to me is the way people of different cultures, races, ethnicities etc., all communicate. It is also how different cultures are understood by others. Intercultural communication shows how people of different countries and cultures act and communicate with each other. Communicating with people of different countries, races, ethnicities, religions, etc. is a big part of working in corporate America. Whether it’s a large company that has stock and constantly communicating overseas or a small company that just has diversity in their company intercultural communication is necessary. An example from the reading materials is when President Obama was elected. When he was elected Kenya made a national holiday out of it. In the United States from all over from the east coast to the west coast some celebrated while others hated the fact we had our first African American president. Hate crimes broke out all over the United States from the east coast to the west coast. Many saw this election as a way to improve international communications. 2. Define “intracultural” communication. How is this definition both similar and different to “intercultural” communication? Intracultural communication is the communication between at least two people from the same culture. The similarity between intercultural communication and intracultural?...
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...click out the final text message I need to send before class starts. I walk into the warm, musty computer lab and sit at my usual spot with the view of the library through the tree limbs. I am always sure to come to English class because I know of my terrible history in this subject area. I have always struggled with English and before this semester had assumed that the college level class would be the death of me. As I read over the syllabus for this class it states that we will learn to understand writing assignments as a series of tasks and develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading the assigned papers. I shuddered at the sheer thought of having to write five papers. Narrative, Evaluation, Profile, Position. These words might as well have been written in another language because I had no idea how to differentiate between them. Despite my fears, I believe this semester’s English 101 course has truly helped me develop my writing skills and advance to a more capable writer. Throughout my life English has always been my most difficult subject. Even back in elementary school I would have 100 percent averages in all of my other classes except English. I do not know what it was that challenged me so much but I had a terrible time. With the start of my high school career coincided the beginning of my paper writing experiences. I would work for hours each day trying my best to write a paper that made sense and would flow smoothly between paragraphs...
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...Orwell and Thiong’o received the British colonial education. As humans, others' opinions mean a great deal to us, and in "Shooting an Elephant", and “Decolonising the Mind,” they both have one thing in common: English. "Shooting an Elephant" is the story of a British policeman in Moulmein, a city in Burma, that is torn between shooting or not shooting an elephant that has gone ramped. Many people may misinterpret George Orwell's tone in the essay "Shooting an Elephant." People often construe that the story is about Orwell's decision to either shoot the elephant, or to just peacefully observe it until the mahout came to tame the animal. The story is actually about the struggles Orwell faces because of his position "in between" the Burmese and the imperialistic system. Orwell portrays a distinctive amount of irony in this piece of writing because after he reviewed the situation and started this essay, he spotted a lot of irony in the actions between himself, the people of Burma, and the British Empire. Thiong’o gives a powerful image of how British government tries to control the culture of Kenya. In “Decolonising the Mind”, Thiong’o illustrates his childhood: “All the paper were written in English. Nobody could pass the exam who failed the English language paper no matter how brilliantly he had done in the other subjects”(167). This shows that “the language” comes first above all. In their culture, nothing is more important than the language. Why? Thiong’o explains, “For colonialism...
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...(A) 1.On the Genealogy of Morality is a philosophical treatise by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, first published in 1887, and is also a follow-up to Beyond Good and Evil. , a book previously written by Nietzsche. 2. This book is composed of a preface and three additional sections which discuss the ways in which our views of morality have changed. He goes through history and gives a timeline of how morality has changed up until the time of when the book was written. One major point of Nietzsche is that there is a difference between a thing and its meaning. He argues that things don’t have an inherent meaning, and that the meaning of those things have changed over time. In the books he connects this concept with or view of morality, and in particular to good and evil. Thus he arrives at a conclusion that there isn’t any objective and inherent truth to morality. He concludes the one can only have a true understanding of things only when we realize that the meaning of certain things has changed overtime. In this book he explains this in further detail with his “will to power” perspective. (3) Outline- Prologue 1) Good and Evil, Good and Bad A) Faulty Explanations of Morality B) Meaning of Good C) Change in language - Change in power D) Jews as Priestly class - Revaluation of values E) Lambs and Birds of Prey F) Slave Morality - Justice -Christian Hatred2 Guilt, Bad Conscience, and Related Matters A) Promises -human predictability B) Guilt C) Suffering ...
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...Jonathan Lopez Professor Lucia English 111 November, 2014 Social Media Society has changed. The digital age has transformed the way humans are supposed to socialize. It’s no longer about human interactions. It’s an enslaved society that has succumbed to the power of technology. Technology-and its consumption of life-has become Big brother. Society has changed. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of entertainment lead to an uncontrollable urge to use one’s cellular device. Identity control. Information control. Emotion control. A world where everything is monitored and kept under control. Society has changed. The age of technology has become the age of control, and for he who controls technology, controls humanity. How far can technology go? What makes it so addictive? It all comes down to the functions of the brain. As the human brain develops over time-from birth to adulthood- the sudden change is relative to the way humans respond to stimuli. The human brain, in particular, is one of the most complex of all biological systems. In the early stages of brain development, at birth most specifically, the brain is composed of glial cells and 100 billion neurons (Nguyen). Glial cells provide structural and metabolic support for the brain. Neurons are excitable cells which chemically transmit electrical signals through connections called synapses (Nguyen). Essentially, it is the way we respond to different situations and execute actions. While...
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...a system with larger and larger scale trends, which allows us to examine the conditions necessary for change. The process of change occurs gradually, and the rate of this change does conform to a pattern. For instance, if you get an influx of foreign words, few people use them, and they spread slowly until people have become familiar with them. When they have, the word usage stabilizes. Another factor affecting language change is hyper-correction. This occurs when a sentence is corrected so frequently that the deviant form becomes the norm in spoken English. For example, the sentence Jill and me went to the fair is often corrected to Jill and I went to the fair. The result of this is that the phrase and me has become disdainful and unacceptable. The ultimate effect of this is an exaggerated use of the term and I. For example, Mother gave the book to John and I is a deviant form which has become the norm in spoken English. Research has also discovered many other reasons why language changes. William Labov conducted a study in America investigating the use of the letter r. He used three sets of shop assistants from high-class, middle-class, and lower-class stores and found that all three sets consciously used the more prestigious pronunciation of r. This was a conscious speech act, because in a more relaxed context the same people dropped this particular usage. Labov called this 'change from above', as the speakers were motivated to move up the social scale. Labov also...
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...or worse, most of our kids now spend more time in the digitally constructed sandbox of video games than they do with the worms, stones, sticks and dirt that reigned during my imaginative childhood” (3 Tips for Disconnecting Kids From Over-Stimulation, Video Games, and Digital Media). This quote is a good example of how things have changed because of digital technology coming into society. It shows how kids are stuck to their computers and TV’s because all they want to do is play video games. This relates to the theme course questions, In what ways are various digital media technologies making Americans more or less social? In what ways does the utilization of different digital technologies help to sustain communities or bring...
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