Gender Differences in Discourse Essay Example for Free

Gender Differences in Discourse Essay The ability to communicate with our fellow human beings makes us distinct from other living beings. The chapter has made it very clear that speaking is not conversation. Conversation is a collaborative effort by both the speaker and the listener. Our success much depends on how well we can interact with people around us. It much depends upon understanding certain factors called ‘social dynamics’ in conversation. In the essay â€Å"Women Talk Too Much† Janet Holmes makes it very clear that it is a wrong notion to think that women talk more than men. She says it is an assumption based on stereotypes. On the other hand, she says that it is men who talk more. There is no proof to say that men are biologically programmed to talk more than women. It is just the social conditions that promoted the wrong notion that boys are more active than girls and they talk more. She says it is entirely disagreeable. I find quite interesting to know that it is boys who interact more in the class rooms than the girls. Then, the author claims, how it can be said that women talk more than men In the second essay of the chapter, Tony Kornheiser makes a distinction in the communication style of women and that of men. He feels that women are very particular about everything and they have more to say than men have. He makes a point saying that women do not think life is as simple as men believe it to be. A conversation that turns into a lecture is definitely boring as Deborah Tannen points out in the essay â€Å"I’ll Explain It to You†. The most frustrating experience for anyone is when a conversation turns into a lecture. I feel it is not only boring to women but also equally tedious to men. There has been much literature on gender biased language and there is a gradual change in the use of language to sound neutral. Ronald Macaulay also agrees with Janet Holmes and says that many of the notions are myth and they have no validity scientifically speaking. It is rather social conditioning that has played a key role in imparting opinions that have no basis. Clive Thompson’s essay on how computer software can identify accurately whether the writer is a man or woman is quite interesting, His questions the many of the commonly held ideas about the differences between the two sexes. (407 words) Chapter6: Media Speak. What we know about the world is from media only. Our perception of the world is influenced by the media which presents it. The billions of dollars spent on TV ads clearly indicate the power that the media enjoys. Undoubtedly, the advertisements that come on television and newspapers and magazines have tremendous influence on us. Within a span of a century there is a great change in the media. Now the world is increasingly dependent on oral media where as it was mostly written word in the beginning of the last century. With the aim of reaching more number of audiences, the quality of language used in TV news and shows has become very low. Neil Postman and Steve Powers, rightly point out that the dependence on the image has made a great shift in news making. The highly quality visuals have replaced good language with low level popular language. They argue that it is not just language but also our views and opinions about the world are getting corrupted. The general saying is â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand words† but in the present days when news is re-created or re-presented, it is equally true to say that â€Å"one word is worth a thousand pictures. † There is little doubt that the language used by the media is aimed at creating sensations to attract more audience. Then, I do believe that it is not exactly what happened i. e. news. The article ‘All the World in Pictures’ is very interesting and thought provoking. It has clearly explained how the language is used in mass media. It is aptly said that ‘Advertising is the driving force of consumer economy’. The world is filled with advertisements. Wherever there are people, there are advertisements. They appeal to all our weakness creating a world of fancy with eternal youth, power, enriched beauty, immediate happiness, and fulfillment of our inner needs. I feel the use of language in creating such emotional appeals is quite amazing. Advertising plays much on the psychology of people. A small fifteen second ad can effectively tempt the people appealing to their emotions by making fantastic appeals and promises. The article â€Å"With these Words, I can Sell You Anything† is very enlightening. It has made it clear how they twist the language to send their message effectively. It is a finely engineered language that creates strong images on the minds of audience. I have found it very exciting to know the how the advertisers play on the people with their language. (419 words) Chapter7: Censorship and Free Speech Freedom of speech is fundamental to American democracy. It enables every American to freely express his ideas, opinions and beliefs. Any limits to the freedom of speech are seen as a threat to the rights of Americans. It is interesting to note that the discussion lays emphasis on the equality in enjoying one’s rights. No man or woman has the right to hurt the feelings or sentiments of others. It is by respecting others rights that we can enjoy our rights well. The censorship is against the rights given in the constitution. However, it is required in some areas. The censorship and books, biased language and hate speech and certain limits on campus speech have lead to interesting debate. The first amendment has not only given the right to express ideas freely but it also has given the right to know others’ ideas. The censorship on books has been a much debated issue with different opinions. It is beyond my understanding why some books are banned totally and some are censored. When a book raises questions that lead to controversy and debate, it will help people to know what exactly the truth is. Banning is not the solution for it. The controversy over Harry Potter books, which have attracted millions of children all over the world, seems pointless. Censorship on books is dangerous as it blocks all new creative and original ideas. Censorship on biased language and hate speech is quite useful as it raises many questions in the practical use of language. It is very difficult and almost impossible to classify what makes a hate speech and biased language. I feel it is highly impossible to make a law in the absence of any valid principles regarding what comes under biased language and hate speech. Sometimes, the words may be good but the tone in which they are delivered could be full of hatred. Censorship on free speech on the campus has some good in it, as it reduces misunderstanding among the students who come different parts of the world. The campus is a place where tolerance is mostly needed. The rules prohibiting certain speech acts is good for the minority students. But it does not guarantee that no racist speech is ever heard on the campuses. (378 words) Chapter -8 The English Language Debate The debate whether English should be made official language of the US or not, is very interesting bringing out valid arguments on both the sides. The United States, the nation of immigrants, respects cultural differences of people coming from different countries. Respecting other languages, the US has not declared English as the official language. I find it very great quality of the American people for their respect other cultures. It shows their multi cultural tolerance and national unity. The unity of American people has come more from their like mindedness in political and social values and self respect than from having one language. The discussion on what is Standard English has made it clear how different forces work on language. Robert MacNeil has explored well what makes American English and what exactly it is. The argument for Standard English has its own merits with clear focus on clarity in thinking and what we are saying. It argues for care and caution in the use of language as it is central for identifying an individual. If a person neglects his language and uses it causally, it will not help him or her in the long run. As the author has rightly put it â€Å"casualization† everything in culture has led to casual attitude to language use as well. The ‘growing informality’ of language is one of the major concerns of linguists. The scholars and grammarians who prescribe rules on how language should be used are rightly called â€Å"Prescriptivists. † Especially, John Simon, who is called the Prince of Prescriptivists, holds the view that the present day language is poor, unhealthy and hopeless. He represents those who argue for perfect use of language as it helps you to communicate clearly what you are. It is with the use of language only that a person can show his distinction. If the distinction is lost, he or she will be among many who can not say clearly what they mean. It becomes a serious challenge. I feel there should be certain principles which can not be sacrificed in the use of language. The â€Å"Descriptivists†, on the other hand, just describe how the language is used by people. They do not dictate any rules regarding how English should be used. They are permissive and tolerate the new expressions and the informality in expressions. They argue that a language is called a living language only when it is spoken. When it is spoken it is natural to have changes in the language as no two people can pronounce the same word in the same way. They are free to allow new words into English as change the law of life and of language. It shows tolerance towards people who speak the same language with some regional differences. There are many examples when the language of the Black people is accepted by the grammarians and included in the dictionaries. It helps the language to grow and reflect the present day culture. The fears about what will happen to American English seem justified, but nobody can stop the changes that take place in society. I feel the changes in English are an indication of changes in society, and language is just reflecting the same. (534 words)

Wealth and Poverty :: Essays on Poverty

Wealth and Poverty The christen teaching on wealth and poverty is that all men should be equal and thus every one should have the same amount of money as everyone else and that good christens should give away their wealth to people that were poorer than them selves. In the bible Jesus said to a man who asked what he should do to enter into heaven: "Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 7: 21) . Although Jesus did not condemn wealth, he merely taught how hard it is for a wealth man to "how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". After he said this, his disciples where shocked: "And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27). The disciples where so astonished because the teachings of the time stated that riches where given by god as assign of approval. Amos, a profit acknowledged by both the Christian and Jewish religions. Amos also sheared Jesus' view that it was very hard for rich people to get into heaven, but not because of their riches alone, but because of the way that they acted. He believed that the rich should give aid to the poor, and he taught that social injustices such as this were a sin and he considered that the rich peoples worship to be a sham. Of all the people that caused injustices Amos said that the rich wives where responsible for the most, and he often called them 'The Cows Of Bashan' There is need for world development because there are over 600 million

Making Sex Offenders Names Public

Amanda McCloskey â€Å"Making sex offenders names public. † Making sex offenders names public does have there ups and downs but i am totally for it. Sex offenders can be men or women it does not matter about what gender the sex offenders are because either way the adult is the one who is taking the innocents of a child. In most cases the child can know there sex offender.The reasons why i think that sex offenders name should be public are, the protection of both genders and children in the area, for the sex offenders names to be out there so they have to live with what they did, so that the people from the community can prevent it from happening again. Sex offenders are very dangerous and we really don't know when they are going to do it again. The first reason why i think sex offenders names should be public is for the protection of both genders and children in the area.Men and women can both sexually abuse someone. Sometimes when your walking by someone you never really thin k to yourself that the person you just walked by can actually be a sex offender. Sex offenders names are already public but the reason i am for it is because then people actually can try to prevent it by taking there time and looking through the list of sex offenders and what the person did, who is actually by them and live close to them. Both genders can still be harmful, or even harmed.This whole topic and situation is just scary to picture and talk about but personally it needs to be out there, and the sex offenders website for your state needs to be always updated. When your a child you never think that someone can actually do something that harmful for you and it is just sad. Any person has a right to know so that they actually have a chance to protect themselves. Thats one of the reasons why i think that sex offenders name should be public. The second reason why i think a sex offenders name should be public is so sex offenders name to be out there for everyone to see and so th ey have to live with what they did.Also because they won't be able to hide if someone ask them about it, for instants trying to get a job and lying about it. The thought of being sexually offended is scary and i personally don't think anyone would want to go through that. People who are sexually offending shouldn't be afraid to tell on the person, because a lot of the people who don't tell often who did to them might do it to someone else, and if they talk they can prevent it from happening again. I don't understand how an adult can take avenge of a person knowing that it is wrong.

A Climate Repair Manual, By Gary Stix - 1001 Words

Climate change is an issue that has plagued the minds of humans for centuries. The issue goes back as far as the ancient Greeks, who thought that cutting down forests could lead to more rain. We have always been preoccupied with the topic, and now finally we have evidence that it is in fact happening. We have to work towards lessening the effects that climate change has on our society and combat the reluctance of our government to change our nation’s methods of getting energy. In, â€Å"A Climate Repair Manual,† by Gary Stix, he urges Americans to change their ways and use more renewable sources of energy. Gary Stix calls to Americans to halt global warming. The world is changing and not for the better, he writes â€Å"The Debate on Global Warming is Over† (Stix 46). CO2 levels are higher than they have been in 650,000 years and are projected to only increase at an exponential rate. No one knows exactly when and what will happen, but all scientist can agr ee that it won’t be good. Making a difference in the fight against global warming will require a massive alteration in the entire world’s energy economy. Fossil Fuels account for 80% of the world’s energy and if a â€Å"carbon budget† is put into place then they will be ineffective (Stix 47). We need to begin to make a shift towards more renewable sources of energy, and adopt a system to help regulate the total amount of emissions. These programs will give us a head start on lessening the effects of global warming, but the