~Karen Canty~ Eng 190

Karen Canty

CE #3

April 21, 2010

The English Language: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It’s All Just Advancement

     It is becoming more and more evident everyday that our society is experiencing the changes and evolution of the English language, but who says that has to be a bad thing? The way that we communicate the English language that we speak is all connected to our culture. Where we grew up and the people we grew up around really have more of an impact on our lives than many people ever notice. It’s only when we get around people that were raised in a different place than we were that we find out of strong or different our culture really is. This is why I personally believe that everyone should do something that puts them out of their comfort zone, at least once in their lives to experience something other than just what you are used to. Being a minority at Clemson, I can relate that when I came here I wasn’t in total shock as to how different things were but it was a bit of a culture shock. It’s not what I was used to in my everyday life but being exposed to different things and different people, in my opinion, is a great thing because it helps us to not be so close minded and welcome different backgrounds. This could be one reason why we believe language is changing so drastically, maybe certain types of slang and language have been happening all along and we’re just opening our eyes to it.

     Whenever we become more knowledgeable of the language we speak, we realize that it is very versatile and we are able to be more creative than any other language could be. In any other language, everything has to make sense when you put the words together but we have the advantage of being able to “create” more and more words every day. I understand that some people may think that this issue is more of a concern because they are looking at it from a professional aspect. I believe that many people realize the difference between speaking to a group of friends in a certain way and speaking to someone in a professional atmosphere. As long as you are getting the proper education and you know the correct way to say something, I don’t see the problem with just wanting to express yourself in a way that is natural to you when you’re on your free time and in a relaxed atmosphere. The only people that have a problem with this are the bystanders and witness how you speak in your free time and they believe that you really don’t know any better. Sadly, this is often a stereotype that many people place upon African Americans.  A product of people judging the way that African Americans speak is the Ebonics dictionary. I looked it up one day and I was offended because I personally don’t know anyone that says half of the nonsense in that dictionary. I think it’s just another way to make fun of black people, because who is seriously going to use that dictionary for anything positive? How black people are portrayed on some of the movies are definitely exaggerated and made to be funny and some of them are just so ridiculous that you have to laugh at it. An example of one of these movies that I encourage you all to watch if you haven’t seen it yet is “How High,” and you can probably guess exactly what it’s about. The basic moral to this movie is that they are making fun of the fact that the chances of two black males getting into Harvard is very slim and the only reason they make it in is because they smoke some magical marijuana before they take the SAT test and they both receive a perfect score. I actually view movies like this as a bit of reverse psychology directed towards society. Movies like this are becoming more and more acceptable in today’s society because the younger generation of African Americans find it to be more amusing that many people are still stuck in the mindset that black people aren’t as good as anyone else.

     On another note, music is also very influential on today’s society and the way we talk. Think about it, no matter what type of music you listen to, most people especially on a college campus spend most of their time listening to it. We listen to it on our way to class, in our car, at a party, and some of us even listen to it while we study and do work. Anything that you are exposed to that much on a daily basis is bound to affect your life in some way. Music and the evolution of the English language go hand in hand because it is just another way of expression. The language in itself has changed massively since the beginning of time but there comes a time when it can be related in a sense to fashion. Of course not in the physical sense but, in fashion, some people like to use the term “fad.” It is basically something that is in style, or cool today may not be so in style a year from now. Our language goes through the same process. In the 1970’s people weren’t using the same sayings that we would be using today in our day to day language, just as people back then dressed a lot differently than we do today. But here we are in 2010, and we see that some of those same styles and words/phrases are sneaking back into our lives. My only explanation for this would be that when people use something for a while, they grow tired of it so they find a new, “cooler” way of expressing themselves. But, when the next generation comes along they find that they want to be different so they bring back a style or language that was once considered dead and it becomes a popular thing again.

     The last point that I would like to make deals with how the technology of today is impacting our language. I view the world today as being a very on-the-go society and the quicker that we can make every aspect of our lives, the more that we can benefit because we are trying to make productive use of every second of the day. Texting, emails, and instant messaging are things that we all have become very accustomed to, but I don’t feel like they are destroying or causing as much harm to our language as some people may claim. I believe that these communication tactics are actually helping our language because it shows just how versatile and creative we can be in using it. The only way that I can think of these things as harmful is when people don’t know when to use the quick sayings like: brb (be right back), or even just misspelling words to make them shorter but for someone else to still be able to grasp the understanding of what you’re saying. Sometimes when I’m typing an email to my professor I may accidently slip up and use one of these sayings but that just makes it more important to use our proofreading skills. People shouldn’t view things like this as a problem; they should be viewed as an advancement because that is exactly what it is. For all of these reasons I believe that the English language is the most versatile and we should be proud of the advancements that we are making.

“We all have dreams. But in order to make those dreams a reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” ~Jesse Owens

The Final Exam

Twas the night before finals, and all through the college,
The students were praying for last minute knowledge. Most
were quite sleepy, but none touched their beds, While
visions of essays danced in their heads. Out in the
taverns, a few were still drinking, And hoping that liquor
would loosen up their thinking. In my own room, I had been
pacing, And dreading exams I soon would be facing. My
roommate was speechless, her nose in her books, And my
comments to her drew unfriendly looks. I drained all the
coffee, and brewed a new pot, No longer caring that my
nerves were shot. I stared at my notes, but my thoughts
were muddy, My eyes went ablur, I just couldn’t study.
“Some pizza might help,” I said with a shiver, But each
place I called refused to deliver. I’d nearly concluded
that life was too cruel, With futures depending on grades
had in school. When all of a sudden, our door opened wide,
And Patron Saint Put It Off ambled inside. His spirit was
careless, his manner was mellow, All of a sudden, he
started to bellow. “On Cliff notes, on Crib notes, on Last
Year Exams. On Wingit and Slingit and Last Minute Crams.”
His message delivered he vanished from sight. But we heard
him laughing outside in the night. Your teachers have
pegged you so just do your best. Happy Finals to All and to
all a Good Test.

Karen Canty

March 30, 2010

Cultural Event #2

     Jill McDonough is clearly giving the readers of her sonnets the impression that she is against capital punishment. Along with each sonnet that she has written, she gives us a brief overview of the person it was about in the back of the book. What I noticed from reading some of these write-ups was that in some cases she seems to leave out some important details and make one feel as if the punishment was unjust for the crime that was committed. In other cases, McDonough wrote sonnets about people who did some really horrible things, but just from reading the sonnet alone you almost felt some kind of pity for them because of the way it was presented. Some of these people that she wrote about seemed to deserve the execution that they got, but others of them were unfairly charged. One actually has to do some kind of outside research if you really want to know the entire story behind the convicted criminals because “Habeas Corpus” only gives us a one-sided view.

     The sonnet that I presented to my group members was about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Julius along with his wife Ethel were executed on June 19, 1953 in Ossining, New York. The Rosenbergs were convicted for espionage, they were selling American secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Julius worked as an electrical engineer and Ethel was a singer and an actress. The two were only in their middle to late thirties at the time of their electrocution. This is one of the sonnets that made the reader see the people who were being convicted of a crime as innocent, and not deserving of the death penalty. When I first read this sonnet, it made me sad and wonder what they possibly could have been being convicted for because their was no mention of it in the sonnet. McDonough put a part in the sonnet where the Rosenbergs were writing an emotional letter to their children before they were taken to be executed. This tactic was used to gain our sympathy for them. It stated ” We were innocent, and could not wrong our conscience. Now we press you close and kiss you with all our strength (9-11).” This brings up another interesting point, were the Rosenbergs guilty or not? A lot of sources haven’t proven that Ethel Rosenberg was actually guilty of this accused crime but her husband was a courier and recruiter for the Soviets. That is why the issue of their execution is so controversial, because it wasn’t like a lot of the other murder crimes mentioned in this book and they also had no hard evidence against Ethel Rosenberg. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. civilians to be sentenced to death for espionage. 

     Another reason why this sonnet can be seen as more of a sympathizing one is because of all the references made to emotions and love. Pyramus and Thisbe is a Roman myth about two lovers whose lives end in tragedy. Its not hard to see how this situation related to the Rosenbergs, because their lives too ended in tragedy. The only difference in their story and this one is that they both killed themselves because they couldn’t live without the other, but the whole thing could have been avoided because it was just one big misunderstanding. But, it could also be argued that the Rosenbergs’ situation was too just a misunderstanding because there wasn’t a whole lot of evidence that could be brought up against them. The whole sonnet just reminds me of a love story gone tragic.

     Throughout the entire sonnet, McDonough really puts the focus on the love that the Rosenbergs shared for each other and them having their last moments together before their execution. The two were only allowed to speak to each other through a metal mesh, somewhat like a fence, before they were to be executed. They just sat there awaiting their death with their hands pressing up against one another through a wired fence. If that’s not romantic, then I don’t know what is.

     The Rosenbergs weren’t the only people accused of being involved in selling atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union but they were the only ones sentenced to death for it. Others that were caught for doing the same crime confessed to what they did and some of them were sentenced to a prison time as little as 10 years and were then set free. The only difference between them and the Rosenbergs was that Ethel and Julius did not confess to doing anything wrong. When Ethel’s younger brother, David Greenglass, brought up some evidence against them in court it was a surprise but the evidence did hold up against them. The irony of that situation is that David was a part of the whole scheme also, but he too confessed to what he did and only served ten of the fifteen years that he was sentenced to before he was set free.

     The Rosenberg case is still thought of today as a very controversial case but since they have been executed, evidence has been recovered to show that they were guilty of espionage. I still wonder why this book of sonnets was written, but I feel like maybe she was trying to get us to do some more outside research on the cases so that we could see for ourselves how unfair or just the system can be at times.   

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” Chinese Proverb

Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.  ~Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne