The End of an Adventure

           I just finished Reading the book Song of Solomon, a truly peculiar and interesting novel that touched various controversial topics and allowed us to see Morrison’s insight on them through the characters in the book. I found it surprising to see that there was really no approach to the ending of the book. What I mean is that most books start leading their story towards an ending in a smooth and progressive manner. Song of Solomon, on the contrary, ends very abruptly with Milkman leaping towards Guitar. This can be observed when the narrator states, “Without wiping away the tears, taking a deep breath, or even bending his knees-he leaped. As fleet and bright as a lodestar he wheeled toward Guitar and it did not matter which one of them would give up his ghost in the killing arms of his brother” (p. 337). It is not very clear which one of them got killed or if both were killed, or even if none were killed. This ambiguity at the end of the novel allows the reader to imagine the rest of the story and ponder about its ending.

            In addition, I found it very interesting to observe the way in which Morrison is able to relate the ending of the book to the beginning. She connects Milkman’s final leap towards Guitar with Mr. Smith’s suicidal attempt in the beginning of the novel. This concludes the whole story by making the reader remember the beginning of the book and how the whole story started. I believe this is very important because it makes the reader reflect upon the whole story, not just the ending. Morrison’s objective in writing this novel is to use Milkman’s life as a symbol for the life of many other African-Americans who have had to struggle and face numerous challenges. Throughout the protagonist’s life, Morrison is able to cover many situations and critic certain aspects of society that she believes have shaped not only culture, but many individuals.

 

Prejudice in Race

 

          One of the most important concepts that has marked the history of race has been the prejudice that people have with people of different races. In the past, African Americans were treated as inferior and were all considered to be the same. Whites did not see any difference between two African American individuals. This is criticized in the video “Race: The Power of an Illusion” when it shows, with evidence, that there is more difference among people of the same race than there is among people of different races. This completely disproves the argument that all African Americans are identical. In addition, it is important to highlight a very influential idea that was pointed out in this video which was that the concept of a Black individual varies depending of the country in which the individual is. The concept of a Black individual has been greatly generalized with the American view; however, this is not necessarily true in all cases, since different cultures view concepts differently.

            In the portion of Song of Solomon that I read, I found it very interesting to observe a situation that related to this topic. This can be seen when it is said, “They stop anybody they want to. They saw you was colored, that’s all. And they’re looking for the Negro that killed that boy” (p. 204). In this case, one can clearly see the stereotype that African Americans have in that community. The police just assumes that the killer is black and therefore starts stopping and searching any African American that he sees. These type of thoughts are guided solely by the external differences among Blacks and Whites, but they are omitting the internal differences, which in many cases are the most important. Finally, it is crucial to point out that Blacks are treated as a whole in the community, disregarding the differences inside their genes and personality and this is exactly what the book and the video are criticizing and trying to make their audiences aware of.

 

     

    

Guitar: Lured by Money

            Throughout most of the last pages of the book, the narrator implies that Guitar undertook the killing job in the organization as a way to have revenge against the White race, which supposedly had as its primary objective to annihilate the African American race. However, I found it very interesting to observe that this is corroborated by Guitar in his conversations with Milkman, since he openly declares his hatred toward whites and states the pleasure he has in killing them. In addition to the theme of racism being presented here, it is crucial to highlight the fact that Guitar is the character with the most radical thoughts in the entire book. This is pointed out when the narrator states, “Guitar had placed himself willingly and eagerly in a life cause that would always provide him with a proximity to knife-cold terror” (p. 177). Guitar had chosen his way of life. He chose to present an active and violent resistance against the oppressions made by whites.

            In addition, I found the content of the last sentence I read surprising. It states, “As he listened to him go over each detail of meals, clothes, tombstones, he wondered if Guitar simply could not resist the lure of something he had never had-money” (p. 181). This represents a completely different theory about the factors that led Guitar to choose the life he chose. According to this, Guitar had been a man with few financial resources, which means that when he saw the opportunity to start gaining some of his own money in a way that made him feel he was doing the right thing, he had no doubt that that was going to be his life. It is important to mention that now we know that Guitar is ambitious and likes to acquire lots of wealth, no matter if that means having to kill others.

  

A Feeling of Vengeance

                Guitar, up to now a discrete and subtle character when discussing racism, experiences a complete change in personality in this section of the book. He becomes part of a very exclusive society of African Americans that are organized to kill whites as a form of vengeance for the killing of blacks. In it very interesting to see the calmness with which Guitar presents his new role and the importance he gives to certain of its characteristics. For example, the fact that the members of this organization do not give importance to who or how the killing was done, just that it happened. Also, it is important to highlight that the resentment does not go only to the whites that have murdered African Americans, but to all the white population in general. This can be seen when Guitar states, “It doesn’t matter who did it. Each and every one of them could do it. So you just get any one of them” (p. 155).

            In Booker T. Washington’s speech, he declares that African Americans can be very good citizens and quite helpful community members if they were given the opportunity to be so. Washington presents the problem from a positive point of view, stating what benefits could be attained if African Americans were given the same privileges as whites. On the contrary, Guitar presents the issue from a negative point of view, stating the consequences that will occur in whites continue their mistreatment and racism. Both of these individuals have radical opinions on racism, but have very different ways of expressing them. I believe that Washington’s perspective is much more effective since it is encouraging whites to work together in order to build a stronger and healthier community, rather than taking revenge for past actions, which will only increase the tensions between the members of the two races.

    

Racism Begins to Enter the Stage

            Up to this point in the book, Toni Morrison had used the narrator and the characters in order to make discrete insights about her views or racism and segregation. However, in this section of the book, the implications start being much greater and much more explicit. This can be seen when the narrator states, “And forty years ago Fairfield was farm country with a county cemetery too tiny for anybody to care whether its dead were white or black” (p. 123). This shows the importance that race has on how an individual is viewed, either dead or alive. Milkman once again appears practically as the main character of the novel and is the one that has some of the strongest opinions about racism, along with Guitar. Another important point to mention is the fact that Morrison wants to point out that even in the smallest and most remote towns of the country, African-Americans are being segregated from the rest of the community.

            “Why couldn’t anybody in his whole family just be normal?” (p. 123). I found it very interesting to observe the way in which Morrison is able to discuss two very different topics on the same page. In the first paragraphs, she discusses segregation and racism in Fairfield, and in the last few paragraphs she switches to discussing Milkman’s family problems. These sudden transitions are usually very harmful to the flow of the text, since they interrupt the chain of thought that the reader is having and switch to another idea. However, Morrison is able to link the two distinct topics in a very effective way. This allows her to provide some historical and thematic insight on racism without losing the essence of the novel and its plot. Racism begins to enter the novel not as a secondary them, but as one of the main themes.

 

Milkman and Guitar: A Profound Relationship

            In this section of the book, Toni Morrison focuses a great deal on describing the relationship between Milkman and Guitar. I found it interesting to observe how this relationship is much more than one that two casual friends might have. The degree of tension to which these characters arrive in some situations demonstrate that they need one another in order to be able to fully express themselves. It seems that Milkman can only be truly honest with Guitar and Guitar can only be truly honest with Milkman. However, this relationship begins to crumble when each of them finds out that the other has many secrets that he has been hiding for a long time. Nevertheless, they start talking and in the end, they regain the trust they have had in one another all this time. This can be seen when the narrator points out, “They were easy with each other now that they didn’t have to pretend” (p. 114). This is true for almost any relationship; when individuals begin to pretend to be someone they are not, the relationship falls apart.

            In addition, the profound discussions brought about by Milkman and Guitar also contribute to the theme of racism. Since they are having a friendly conversation, the author can throw some of her own opinions about the topic either through the narrator’s interventions or through the characters’ dialogue. Therefore, these discussions not only develop the plot of the story, but have a much more complex meaning. They represent the conversations that most African Americans had at the time about the injustices being done to them and the inability to do something about them. This inability is what frustrates them the most, since you are seeing the injustices being made but you know there is nothing you can do to stop them.

 

An Unjust World

            Toni Morrison continues the novel emphasizing on Guitar’s thoughts and ideas. This character provides, up to this point, the most valuable insights on the topics being examined in the book. In a discussion with several other men, Guitar is offended by the idea that just because some people are white they will not go to jail. This is exposed when he states, “They always say that. He could have had a wad of bubble gum, they’d swear it was a hand grenade” (p. 82). This is a strong critic to the United States judicial system, since it is declaring that this branch of the government is very biased and cannot hold an objective case when dealing with people from different ethnic backgrounds. I believe this is one of the main sources of violence in a country, since if people hold a grudge on the system and feel they are always presented as guilty no matter what, they will purposely disobey the laws established by the government.

                In order for a society to function correctly, the majority of its members have to believe that the government that is leading them is working for their benefit, or at least not against it. African Americans constitute a fairly large portion of the United States population and they definitely did not belief that the government was helping them in any sense. Some got to the point, as Guitar did, of stating that all of what the government called “truth” was as a manipulation of the versions of whites in an attempt to condemn the African Americans. This is pointed out when Guitar states, “You stupid, man. Real stupid. Ain’t no law for no colored man except the one that sends him to the chair” (p. 82). There was no rights for African Americans, but there certainly was laws that sent them to jail and even to the death row.

  

Highlights and Critics

            Philip B. Corbett presents some highlights about special entries written in the newspaper in the past week. I found it very interesting to observe the way he responds to the entries. Corbett is able to make his point clearly and directly in a very concise manner. This makes the reader thoroughly understand him and either sympathize with him or disagree with him immediately. This way of evaluating the entries gives Corbett credibility, since the readers do not feel that he is trying to persuade them of thinking one way or another but is simply stating the main characteristics of the writing piece and giving a thoughtful insight on them. However, Corbett criticizes the constant use of dangling modifier, which adds ambiguity to the sentence in which they are present. A dangling modifier is an error caused by not placing the noun being modified next to its modifier.

            These modifiers are very common in day-to-day conversations since they have become part of the way we speak. Corbett, consistently states “rephrase” at the end of his analysis, giving the sense that the only way to fix this error is by restating the whole sentence again. Now that I think about it, there are times when I have used a dangling modifier. For example, this is the case when I say “Hoping to excuse my lateness, the note was given to my teacher.” One factor leading to my use of dangling modifiers might be the direct translation of the sentence from Spanish to English. Although the person who uses the modifier understands completely what he is trying to say, the other individuals, especially if it is a written piece, might have trouble understanding that sentence. Also, it is crucial to point out that by fixing these grammatical mistakes, one can add a lot of credibility to his writing and improve his accurateness. It is not merely a matter of polishing your grammar, but of transmitting your message in a clear and effective manner.

    

Hiding Issues

            The narrative continues on at the same pace; however, it focusses more on the life of Milkman. He probably becomes one of the main characters of the book from now on. I found it very interesting to observe how the narrator depicts one of Milkman’s physical problems. For example, he states, “By the time Milkman was fourteen he had noticed that one of his legs was shorter than the other” (p. 62). The approach Milkman took to deal with this issue was very conservative, since he found ways to avoid making it apparent to others around him. I believe that keeping all the problem to himself and not telling anybody about it was not the right decision since that blocks any possibility of receiving emotional, psychological, or even physical assistance.

            In that same description of the problem, the narrator points out, “The deformity was mostly in his mind” (p.62). This is the case in many situations. One judges himself too harshly and starts imagining things that others do not even notice. Milkman probably did not have such a big of an issue, but by trying to find ways to cover up the small deformity, he was making it more apparent to everyone else. In my opinion, Milkman used this physical problem in order to avoid facing his family issues. As we would later know, Milkman could not distinguish the roles of his sisters and his mother toward him due to the great difference in ages between him and his sisters. This and other worse issues definitely affect Milkman and probably made him be more paranoid about how others viewed him. IN this section of the book, we can once again notice the influence that one’s family has not only on his personality, but on his mental health. In order to truly understand someone, it is crucial to know some family history to be able to relate it to the present.

  

The Importance of Family Roles

            In this section of the book, Toni Morrison describes some family relationships present among the characters. For example, it is said that Hagar and Milkman are cousins; however, Pilate says they are brothers. This is the starting point of a discussion in which they argue about the difference of a brother and a cousin. I believe that although a brother and a cousin are different at a literal level, they are very similar in real life. I completely agree with Pilate when she states, “I mean what’s the difference in the way you act toward ‘em? Don’t you have to act the same way to both?” (p. 44). Sometimes individuals even feel more attached to their cousins than to their own brothers. That all depends on personality and on each specific case. Nevertheless, we would have to look deeper into the family relationships in that case to determine whether Hagar and Milkman could be considered brothers. There are people who are offended when they are not given the appropriate title. For example, when they are called someone’s brother when they are really cousins. However, this cannot be stereotyped because each family is different and their relationships are distinct.

            “Milkman lowered his head. His father had explained nothing to him” (p. 55). I found this part very interesting since I could relate to it. Many times a parent uses a metaphor or an analogy to present his point and suggest a path to take. Some of the times, one does not understand why your father is advising you to do that, but in the end you know it is the right thing to do and you still do it. This is exactly what Milkman is experiencing with his father. Although he is upset with his father for contradicting him, he decides to follow his orders. It is important to always trust your family in every case.

 

A Harsh Environment

            As the book goes on, the narrator introduces us into a much more specific context in the book. No longer are we being presented with the society as a whole, but with the individual case of Mrs. Bains, which probably is an example to author wants to portray to exemplify the hardships many African Americans were experiencing. I found it very impressive to see the inhumanity and the cold blood with which Mr. Dead is forcing Mrs. Bains to pay the rent. This can be seen when Mr. Dead states, “Can they make it in the street, Mrs. Bains? That’s where they gonna be if you don’t figure out some way to get me my money” (p. 21). He does not even try to come up with an agreement or a solution to the problem; moreover, Mr. Dead presents a selfish and egocentric personality. However, we cannot forget that those times in the United States were not the most abundant in wealth of all. Many people were experiencing troubles with their finances and had to get money in any way they could. This could have been the case of Mr. Dead.

            This section of the book highlights the financial difficulties of African Americans at the time. For example, this is demonstrated when Mrs. Bains states, “A nigger in business is a terrible thing to see. A terrible, terrible thing to see” (p. 22). When doing business, sometimes people forget their ethical values and only focus on acquiring the greatest amount of wealth possible. In addition, this type of thinking happens much more often when people are seeking any wealth available in order to survive. There is no loyalty in business since in the end, an individual knows he is working only for himself and he knows that in hardships, it is his wealth that will sustain him, not the wealth of another individual.

 

An Interesting Beginning

            Toni Morrison begins her book Song of Solomon in a very peculiar way. This is because most of the other books we have read so far begin in medias res, or right in the action. On the contrary, this work begins with an exposition, which illustrates the community and society of that particular section of the United States. I found it very interesting to observe the way Morrison starts to criticize that society right from the beginning. This can be seen when the narrator states, “At that time of day, during the middle of the week, word-of-mouth news just lumbered along. Children were in school; men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets and getting ready to go see what tails or entrails the butcher might be giving away” (p. 3-4). This society gives the impression of being very monotonous and having no dynamic. The narrator presents this in a neutral tone, which can reflect certain discontent for this society which does not go out of its routine very often.

            Although the book has not yet explicitly made it clear, one of the major topics in the work is going to be racism and segregation. This can be depicted when the narrator states, “Town maps registered the street as Mains Avenue, but the only colored doctor in the city had lived and died on that street…” (p. 4). In this section of the book, the narrator alludes to the few educational and employment opportunities African American had in that time period and how surprising it was that even one African American made it to be a doctor. He even brings this to the extent of creating a street named in commemoration of this doctor. This is critical since it gives us a sense of how Morrison will deal with this topic and how will she give her insight on the theme through the exposition not only of the characters, but of the setting.

  

Ambiguous Contradictions

            Chapters O, P, and Q deal with contradictory statements that generate doubt and reflection in the reader. Shields tries to transmit the message that not every idea we have is as clear as it appears to be. Even the idea we have of reality is paradoxical. What is reality for me is not necessarily the absolute truth; it is only my version of the story. However, there needs to be a reality; therefore, everyone tries to create reality. One of the most important antithetical statements in these chapters is the one that states, “Something can be true and untrue at the same time” (p.  135). At first, I compared this to saying that something can be black and white at the same time since both are opposites. Nevertheless, as I reflected further upon this matter, I realized that what Shields was trying to say was that reality is not absolute and that it is only real for the person who created it.

            Also, I found it interesting to interpret the idea that is pointed out when Shields states, “We’re only certain (“certain only”?) about what we don’t understand” (p. 138). I completely agree with this antithetical statement because the only thing that people can assure is what they do not know. In other words, people can be sure they do not know something, but they cannot be certain that they understand another thing. Finally, another statement that captured my attention was the following: “Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings” (p. 136). A great artist is not the one that simply restates what has already been said, it is the one that gathers mixed feelings or ideas and is able to organize them in a way that becomes clear for the audience. According to this statement, not everyone can be an artist, at least not a good one.

 

 

Conciseness is the Key

           Some people believe that the longer a text is, the better it must be. This is certainly not true in most of the cases. Conciseness and directness allow the author to transmit his message in a clear and effective manner. Long texts usually confuse the reader and make the author’s objective obscure. Shields points this out when he states, “The merit of style exists precisely in that it delivers the greatest number of ideas in the fewest number of words” (p. 127). Brief texts do not represent a lack of ideas or topics; on the contrast, they reflect profound ideas that it is the reader’s responsibility to recognize. Perfect examples of this are Michael Kimball’s postcards which have a description of someone’s life written in them. An individual’s life is certainly very complex and long to completely describe it. This is what makes Kimball so fantastic. It is his ability to put years of experiences into a very brief text.

            In addition, the reaction of the people when they read their postcards has always been positive. This shows that Kimball’s synthesis of the person’s life has shown them how valuable they are and how interesting their lives are. Shields supports this point when he declares, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what everyone else says in a whole book-what everyone else does not say in a whole book” (p. 129) Synthesizing very long ideas into a few words is not an easy task; only a few can master this skill. Kimball is able to do what Shields describe in a very effective manner. Kimball not only synthesizes the lives of the people, he highlights key points that in some cases the individual himself has not realized. This makes people passing through hard times realize the positive moments they have had and that their live is not complete misery. Sometimes one needs another person to point out certain events for you to remember them.

 

Meaningful Fragments

            “Genre is a minimum-security prison” (p. 70). Genre is said to be a way to join books that have similar subjects or that address similar topics. However, I strongly believe that genres are not necessarily that stable. It is true that books have specific genres and that almost all of them have been categorized by this manner. However, after reading a book or watching a movie, sometimes you are not satisfied with or do not understand why that genre was given to the piece of art if it fits in another one. A work could even change from one genre to another as it develops. Django Unchained and Never Back Down are examples that reflect this issue. Therefore, genres are not as secure as they seem to be. There are certain times when you feel that this categorization has been given arbitrarily and could have been modified to be more exact.

            “Our culture is obsessed with real events because we experience hardly any” (p. 82). I believe that the less an individual has of a certain object or experience, the more desire he has of that thing. Therefore, if people are not living what we call real experiences, then their desire for real experiences will increase. We might consider real events every event that happens to us; however, this is reality to us, not to the rest of the people. In fact, once you realize a moment is reality, that moment has already passed as is no longer reality. Therefore, there are very few, if any, real moments in our lives which make us eager for real events.

            “We live in difficult times; art should be difficult (my goal is to make every paragraph as discomforting as possible)” (p. 84). Reading an easy novel, watching a movie that is easy to understand or looking at a work of art that has no profound meaning has to real charm. We live in a time where the more difficult a work is, the more it attracts and engages the audience since they feel it is their job to decipher the hidden message. Shields even provides an example of this idea in the very same fragment he uses to explain it. This fragment is confusing and not completely coherent. Nevertheless, once the reader understands it, he comprehends a profound meaning that can be applied to real life.

 

Practice and Revision Makes Perfection

            Mr. Tangen did a very effective job in the audio commentary and was able to transmit several important points to keep in mind in every research paper I write. First of all, I completely agree that the title is one of the most important parts in a document, since it not only captures the reader’s attention, but it provides a very brief insight on what the paper will be about. Also, I agree that the language government uses is very particular since it has to be very careful with saying inappropiate words or ideas that might be misinterpreted since it can result in nation-wide chaos. I found it very interesting as I was listening to the audio commentary to see that sometimes I was redundant with some ideas. I believe I did this with the intention of making my point clear and maybe because that was a crucial point in my argument. Nevertheless, I recognize that these points could be made without the necessity to reapeat myself.

            In addition, I also considered the subtitles to be effective in my research paper since they visually helped the reader to see how the document was layed out and the different topics I was going to discuss. Another suggestion Mr. Tangen made was to avoid wordiness and long sentences. These two suggestions go together because wordiness lead to long sentences. Varying the length of my sentences will most definitely make me write more concisely. Finally, it is important to point out that there was one case in which I needed to revise gramar. I wrote “reflects on” instead of reflects. This is due to the fact that there are some times that I think what I am going to say in Spanish and then translate it in my mind to English. I have to get used to thinking in English when writing in English and thinking in Spanish when writing in Spanish.

 

Allusions: Shield’s Insight on the Topic

                David Shields uses several allusions throughout Reality Hunger in order to exemplify certain important ideas. Since his book is written in the form of a collage and a mixture of components gathered from different authors, Shields has deciphered a very effective way to bring them together and make them transmit the ideas he wants to about art, literature, and writing. One of the allusions he uses is Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time. This is a novel written in seven volumes by the French author which is especially characterized by its theme of involuntary memory. Marcel Proust makes it seem as if he did not want to remember certain events in his past but anyway the situation he faces in his everyday life forced him to remember. Shields uses this allusion in order to exemplify the ambiguity between reality, imagination, and fiction.

Shields depicts this when he states, “In Search of Lost Time begins and ends with the actual thoughts of the author; its the manifestation of what the author must think, base don what he does in fact think” (p. 39). He wants to transmit the message that every individual has the right to think what he wants and the ideas that come to his mind are his reality and therefore he can state that he is not making things up. This allusion helps Shield proove his point by analyzing a famous novel in which the author has the same conflict that the one being discussed. Proust said that he was not inventing things, he was just writing what he remembered and what he thought. Therefore, Shields is able to conclude that the definition of reality is not the same as the one we have been used to hearing in the past. It is through this allusion that Shields shows us his theory on a practical level with a novel that exists. He prooves his messages not only with reasoning, logic, and his perspective, but with evidence from widely recognized literature, such as In Search of Lost Time.

 

  

Analyzing Manifestos

           Manifestos tend to be similar to one another in some aspects. For instance, they all propose new ideas and criticize existing ones. However, the two manifestos I recently read are two different versions of manifestos: Reality Hunger and Cartagena Manifesto. Base don these two documents, a manifesto is a declaration of the political or artistic views and opinions of a certain individual regarding a certain idea. It criticizes a previously existing perspective and proposes a new one. Reality Hunger is an artistic manifesto, which deals with the reality and originality of art in life and how new forms of art are emerging. Regarding this topic. David Shields states, “Every artistic movement from the beginning of time is an attempt to figure out a way to smuggle more of what the artist thinks is reality into the work of art” (p. 3). Art is merely a representation of the perspective the artist has of life. Shields criticizes the established and well-known genres of literature and art since they have not evolved with time and have remained the same for decades. On the other hand, new and innovative genres have been emerging, which provide a new perspective on art and relate it more clearly to real life.

 

            Cartagena Manifesto is a political manifesto which takes a completely different approach. It does not deal with reality or with new forms of art. Instead, it deals with the failure of the First Republic. He criticizes some of his own actions and those taken by the government which led to the downfall of this idea. He considers social, economic, and political aspects when making his declarations about what should have been done. His explanations try to depict the main errors the government made and describe his political ideals. For example, Bolivar states, “I am, Granadans, a son of unhappy Caracas, who miraculously escaped from amidst her physical and political ruins…” (p. 1). Bolivar begins by establishing the goals he had from the beginning and how he felt about his own nation. Then he criticizes the Europeans and other peoples who did not benefit South America. This is truly a political manifesto which gives a perspective on the conquering and Independence of South America.

Empire and Language: Interconnected

A. The Word assasin derives from the Arabic Word hashashin.

B. The English lexicón is extremely big since it takes root in many languages from around the world. Many words can be introduced into the English language and son be widely accepted and recognized. Over one million words are in today’s dictionaries.

C. I recognized various prefixes and suffixes due to their comon use in the English language. Examples are: anti, dis, multi, pre, super, and re. Also, I recognized suffixes such as able, ize, ate, and ive.

D. Neologistic borrowings entered the English language in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries because that was the time were technology and culture began to widely spread throughout Britain and the United States. Also, the wars that went on at that time created very specific terminology which included neologisms borrowed from other languages. Also, the immigration of people from different parts of the world resulted in a mixture of the languages and enlarged the English language. Scientific advances also forced the English language to borrow terms from other parts of the world.

E. The relationship between language and empire consists in their interdependence. Above all, it is crucial to mention that an empire will most likely be very unified and share a lot of traditions among its territories. One of the most important of these traditions is language. Language will maintain an empire communicated and united. It will also set an identity for the people to be identified with and will create a sense of belonging to the inhabitants of the empire. Finally, a stron linguistic policy will keep an empire under control.

F. I believe language still affects language in the twenty-first century because people identify a language to a certain region in particular. Also, peole can tell where an individual is from depending of their language. However, this relationship is not as strong as it was before since languages have spread all over the world to different regions and have combined with other languages. 

 

English by the Influential

                English was now becoming the most influential language of the world.  It was not only spoken in developed and wealthy nations, but also in third-world countries. I found it very interesting to observe how British individuals began to demand that English had to be taught by schools and other educational institutions in India. Not only did they want this to be done, but that a law be established that forced the institutions of teach the language. It is impressive to see how a few British individuals began dominating an entire country. This began to reflect the imperialist actions that the United Kingdom was taking. The first step towards complete domination over a country is get them to accept and implement your language and your customs. The implementation of the English language in India was a breakthrough in British colonial actions. As the narrator says it, “English would be the imperial language of India” (The Adventure of English). The only way the British were able to do this was through their political power in India.

            The natives of the country began reacting against what was to them an unjust action. The narrator of the film accurately states, “Some feel it is totally patronizing and still do” (The Adventure of English). People in India did not like to have to speak a language that was imposed to them by force. In addition, the British began building buildings from which they worked in India to make progress in their political aspirations in the country. It is said that “from here, the British, through English, ran India” (The Adventure of English). The English language gave the British a clear powre in a foreign country that not only allowed the to take control on their economy and trade, but it allowed them to impose their social customs in a completely different environment, which would extend the impact of British culture in the world.

 

 

  

An Age of Change

                The English language now came to a point in which it started being controversial. Not only was it the dominating language in several parts of the world, but it was the language in which many publications were written in. Moreover, it was the main way in which knowledge was transferred. Among the main thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was John Locke. He stated, “If the definition of words could be agreed and misunderstandings avoided, peace would follow” (The Adventure of English). I agree with Locke in the sense that most misunderstandings occur because of the different use of the same language. If people are able to understand one another, they will probably work their differences out and stay out of conflict. Newton introduced several terms that were used to describe scientific investigations. I believe that this refining of the English language was essential so scientific concepts could be transmitted accurately and precisely. Newton redefined English for his benefit, but it really was a benefit for all.

            Jonathan Swift hated the “vulgar liberties” that individuals were taking with the English language. I found it surprising to see that the critics to the English language began centuties ago and are not a new thing. I agree with Swift in the sense that English should be standardized and should have clear gramatical rules. This is essential for its well-functioning. Samuel Johnson created one of the most famous dictionary. However, one of his major flaws was that he did not include words that he did not understand or that related to science. I disagree with him in this aspect, since these words are essential for certain knowledge to be expressed appropiately. Austen had a very particular viwe of the English language, since she thought of it as a way to judge one’s social status and determine his social acceptability. I found this very interesting since it represents another way, besides knowledge, in which the English language was being used. This greatly influenced social life at the time. Another great thinker of the era, Thomas Paine, believed that “simpler language could carry precise thought” (The Adventure of English). This is completely true. I belive that the more complex a language gets, the more it can express, but thee fewer it can be understood. William Wordsworth agreed with Paine in this aspect, since he thought that special poetic diction was not needed for a message to be transmitted. So long as the individual understood what is said, nothing else is needed. Finally, William Cobbet summarizes the importance of English in daily life. Without English, one will not be able to acquire sufficient knowledge to progress in life.

            Some of the problems with the theories deal with the fact that the English language is and will continue to change. English will not remain static and will continue a process of evolution that does not allow English to be completely standardized. In addition, English will differ depending on the región it is spoken in. Therefore, several dialects will begin branching off the language and keep creting misunderstandings and several slangs. The thinkers’ logical thinking Works only for their present, not necessarily for the future of the language. In the present, we continue to view language as the main way to acquire knowledge. However, we view our language as a manner of communicating and being able come to agreements. Each one views their language differently depending on how it was taught to them and how they use it.

 

The Adventure of English. Dir. Nigel Wattis. Perf. Amanda Root and David Gwillim. LWT, 2003. Youtube. 19 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.

 

   

Trying to Standardize American English

 

            English had gotten the impulse it needed to dominate regions all throughout the world. The problem now was completely different. Although general English was spoken in many portions of the world, the dialects spoken were very different among them. The pronunciation was one of the main issues since inhabitants of a certain region would pronounce a world very differently than others. It is impressive to observe how this lack of regulation created ambiguity on which was the correct way to say a word or even to write it. From a prescriptivist point of view, this is terrible. Therefore, Mr. Webster decided to take the initiative to construct one of the first mediums to standardize English. The narrator says that “the dictionary was an attempt to straighten out idiomatic English pronunciation” (The Story of English). This attempted to solve the dialect issue and certainly helped to establish a “right way” of pronouncing words.

            However, there was still lots of diversity with regards to terms being used by people from different regions. For example, in the 1900s, the narrator depicts that “spending was so much a part of frontier life now that many Americans did not just say yes, they said you bet” (The Story of English). I was surprised to realize that all these new terms came from betting games such as poker. This slight difference did not seem too bad for me at first. But, think about all the differences that there are. When combining them, you nearly form other languages within the English language. I can relate to this, since I was taught the traditional usage of the English language. Therefore, when I go to cities in the Middle West region of the United States or to the deep south of the country, I can barely understand some of the terms they use and their pronunciation. I believe differences in a language are very important since they are what distinguish certain regions from one another and are part of their identity. Nevertheless, it is crucial to standardize the language and have an accurate and precise regulation of the language for those people who wish to learn the language and are not part of one of those regions.   

African American Influence: Shaping the English Language

            Although the English language was first spoken by white families in Britain and the United States, it contains many words and terms that come from African Americans. The narrator depicted that New York “embraced the migrating Black culture in music, in dance, and in language” (The Story of English). I found it very interesting to observe how it was not only the verbal conversational language that came along, but the music and their way of living was also introduced into the American lifestyle. Their forms of the language were expressed through their dances and other arts, where they could freely talk with their slang and colloquialisms. However, there are some people who believe there should not be generalizations when regarding how African Americans speak. Mark Pontius comments: “But I do find it offensive that fellow blacks call those who speak proper "white" English Uncle Toms'” in video clip six of the episode. This reflects the thoughts of liberty and freedom not only of speech, but the way in which you speak.

            Music needs to be emphasized in this part of the evolution of English, since it was one of the main manners which people got to listen and appreciate the different “types” of English surrounding them. To exemplify this point, the narrator declares, “The musicians who migrated here introduced the wealth of black jargon into the heart of American and world English, from Jazz to jam session” (The Story of English). Many of the genres of music and terms we commonly use today come from African American dialects. In fact, English without the valuable influence of this ethnic group would have been very different, since it would contain fewer mixtures. From this point on, the English language would not only be a combination of languages from its conquistadors, but also a result of the blends of the dialects within a same region.

 

 

Scotland: an Sassenach Ancestry

       Scotlain has bin a body ay th' most important places fur th' evolution ay th' sassenach leid. Althoogh it helped tae unite stoatin britain an' maunt tae create a medium ay communication atween th' tois regions, it destroyed mony wee, natife dialects. Sic' an overwhelmin' globalization ay sassenach coods be seen when fowk aw throoghit stoatin britain began 'spikin th' sam leid when they hud ance differed sae much in th' idioms. Th' narratur exemplifies thes point by statin', “it is in remote places loch barra 'at ye can see th' woonds inflicted by warld sassenach oan a traditional local culture” (The Story ay English). Ah relate thes tae an article Ah recently reid abit hoo multinational companies ur destroyin' th' medium an' small-sized businesses in colombia. Noo wi' th' free trade agreement atween united states an' colombia, these huge corporations will gie lots ay benefits, which will allaw them tae monopolize th' markets e'en mair. Sassenach has damaged mony wee dialects 'at waur part ay natife fowk in several regions.

       As sassenach began tae spreid ower seas tae international territories, it left a mark a' place it went. Th' narratur in th' video clip says 'at “abit ten percent ay today’s americans can claeem scottish ancestry” (the story ay english). Ah foond it huir uv a interestin' tae observe 'at americans nae only hae british ancestry, but a reasonable part ay them hae scottish ancestry. Thes reaffirms th' statement 'at scootlund played an important transition role in th' origins ay sassenach. When talkin' abit th' wars an' battles in stoatin britain, Ah remembered readin' abit th' crusades gart by th' roman catholics athwart europe. In thes particular scenario, th' irish catholics waur defeated by th' scottish, fa still celebrate their victories. Th' sassenach leid nae only hud tae gang ben territorial boondaries, but also ben religioos boondaries. It truly is surprisin' 'at th' leid maunt tae prosper an' continue spreadin' it aw throoghit stoatin britain wi' sae mony obstacles an' varieties ay cultures 'at coods hae easily prevented it frae gainin' sae much territory.

Scotland: An English Ancestry

            Scotland has been one of the most important places for the evolution of the English language. Although it helped to unite Great Britain and was able to create a medium of communication between the two regions, it destroyed many small, native dialects. Such an overwhelming globalization of English could be seen when people all throughout Great Britain began speaking the same language when they had once differed so much in the idioms. The narrator exemplifies this point by stating, “It is in remote places like Barra that you can see the wounds inflicted by world English on a traditional local culture” (The Story of English). I relate this to an article I recently read about how multinational companies are destroying the medium and small-sized businesses in Colombia. Now with the free trade agreement between United States and Colombia, these huge corporations will get lots of benefits, which will allow them to monopolize the markets even more. English has damaged many small dialects that were part of native people in several regions.

            As English began to spread over seas to international territories, it left a mark everywhere it went. The narrator in the video clip says that “about ten percent of today’s Americans can claim Scottish ancestry” (The Story of English). I found it very interesting to observe that Americans not only have British ancestry, but a reasonable part of them have Scottish ancestry. This reaffirms the statement that Scotland played an important transition role in the origins of English. When talking about the wars and battles in Great Britain, I remembered reading about the Crusades made by the Roman Catholics across Europe. In this particular scenario, the Irish Catholics were defeated by the Scottish, who still celebrate their victories. The English language not only had to go through territorial boundaries, but also through religious boundaries. It truly is surprising that the language was able to prosper and continue spreading out all throughout Great Britain with so many obstacles and varieties of cultures that could have easily prevented it from gaining so much territory.

 

  

Surviving the Invasion

            Recalling the beginnings of the English language, it is crucial to highlight the Norman invasion. After the English language had stepped up and was fairly accepted in Britain, it had to face one of the most ferocious invasions by the Normans. They came along with their own language expecting to establish their culture and customs. I would have predicted at least a substantial decrease in the popularity and a radical change in the language. However, as said in the video, “English remained mostly unchanged after the Norman invasion” (The Story of English). Surprisingly, not even its pronunciation changed. People were beginning to get used to hearing English in their surroundings, which was vital for English to maintain its dominance in the region. A language can survive throughout time, but English did not just survive, it prospered. An example of the progress English was making was the fact that “Anglo Norman children were learning French as a second language” (The Story of English). This was a major change in the progress of the language, since it was starting to gather people that previously spoke another language and newborns and increasing its population.

            But how was English especially different from the other languages? The diversity was the key. “English gained a staggering ten thousand words from the Normans” (The Story of English). It almost doubled in size and in variety. Now, people were fascinated with the English since they had several ways of saying the thing. This allowed them to express themselves more freely and accurately. At this point, one can begin to see how the English language starts being composed of several other languages. Mixtures are usually the best in most aspects, and in this case the mixture seemed to be the key for the English language to thrive. How will British English be transformed into the American English? Will more invasions take place and expand the language even more? 

 

   

The English Language: Indispensable for the World

                The Story of English begins by depicting the importance the English language has gained over the years. It is very interesting to observe how it begins with the present. I would have expected the story to begin from the origins and work its way to today. One of the main examples in which one can see the universality of English is its use in air control. As the narrator states, “English is the universal language for air control” (The Story of English). With the importance air transportation has acquired in recent years for international traveling, a common-spoken language was necessary for pilots and control towers to communicate. Without English, this communication would be impossible.Speaking of communication, I found it impressive to realize that “in news, English dominates the world’s airwaves” (The Story of English). This shows how English probably has managed to spread all over the world and at the same time influence the perspectives of citizens of foreign countries. Since people are interested in news and want to be able to understand as much as they can, they are forced to learn English.

As said in the video, “In the post-colonial period, English was expected to be replaced by Native languages” (The Story of English). However, this was proved wrong shortly after. English continued to be as strong as it was before, since it was a way of interaction between cultures and different ethnic groups. English has certainly become indispensable all throughout the world not only as a medium of communication, but as source of knowledge. Since most printed articles, newspapers, and books are written in English, those individuals who master the language have a huge advantage over those who do not. Science, one of the main paths towards progress, is publishing most of the information and sources in English, since this language has become the common language of the entire world.

 The Story of English. Dir. William Cran, Peter Dale, Vivian Ducat, and Howard Reid. N.d. The Story of English. BBC TV, 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.