Entry #10 Essay/More on Refugees

 Entry #10  

(AKA Second part of entry #9. To view Zephaniah's and Bilston's poems plus paragraphs on those poems, please go to Entry #9)

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And now, it's the

Joyful time for us to write our own five-paragraph essays, but first we must learn, investigate and do some research. Through two selected videos, we summarize the main and most important points on how to write an academic essay. The following are study notes and a Padlet board mentioning the most salient characteristics, apart from the ones mentioned in the campus and posted by our teacher.

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY is also known as

> The basic essay

> The Academic essay

> The 1-3-1 essay

...and more playfully, the "easy essay"

There are 3 FORMULAS to produce a five-paragraph essay

1) THE MAGIC OF THREE

Once we have the topic, we ought to define the three main points (causes, effects, reasons, etc.) that will organize the second, third and fourth paragraphs. Through these 3 main points, our position and opinions towards the topic will become explicit.

(We must limit ourselves to 3)

In the organization and structure of the second, third and fourth paragraphs, REPETITION is a desirable feature. The paragraphs can start with "in the first place", "in the second place" and "in the third place", respectively. Thus, the idea of summative sequence is reinforced.

IS REPETITION GOOD? YES, IT IS VERY GOOD.

2) THE ESSAY FORMULA FOR THE THESIS

This formula combines the TOPIC + OUR position/opinion (YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE!!)  to obtain a THESIS.

TOPIC + OPINION = THESIS STATEMENT

Then come the 3 main points that were mentioned before

The THESIS STATEMENT works as:

> A controlling idea

> An overall point

> A position statement

3)THE 1-3-1 OUTLINE

There is a first paragraph for the  

> INTRODUCTION that contains the THESIS STATEMENT (near or by the end of the paragraph)It is the purpose of the introductory paragraph to introduce the thesis (NOT THE WHOLE ESSAY) The thesis then works as an umbrella.

There are

> THREE BODY PARAGRAPHS (THE 3 MAIN TOPIC SENTENCES LEAD THE 3 BODY PARAGRAPHS)

And there is a last paragraph for the 

> CONCLUSION

Information retrieved from https://youtu.be/GwjmMtTVO1g on Sep 29th, 2020

WRITING  A  KILLER 

THESIS  STATEMENT

Theses statements are about figuring out the main idea

of our paper, and

explaining it to our readers.

• We begin with a question, and we answer it. PRELIMINARY THESIS.
• Then, we refine our answers, going back to the source (book, research, etc.)
• We revise our thesis statement.
• We resort to examples and, with them in mind, we revise the TS one more time. (VERSION #1 FINALIZED, more focused)
• Last step(optional)Go deeper. Am I saying ALL that can be said? We refine our TS so that it answers our question in a creative, thoughtful and profound way.

Retrieved from https://youtu.be/9R0ivCaLtnY on Sep 29th 2020

   

Last contribution on the topic of our essays...

Upon the teacher's proposal, I have watched a few TED Talks concerning refugees, and I found this one, by Luma Mufleh, particularly bold and worthy. It is SO good that I hope that some of you, readers, take the time to hear what this Muslim woman has to say. If you don't, at least go through these smart lines (an excerpt from her talk):

"We have seen advances in every aspect of our lives, except our humanity."

"Not only do we shame, blame and reject them for atrocities that they had absolutely nothing to do with: We re-traumatize them when we're supposed to be welcoming them in our countries." 

I presume that the second quote could be seen as a synopsis of my essay, and how glad I was to realize that Luma Mufleh—a refugee herself—had put in words what I only imagined. That quote is almost a calque of my thesis statement, which I wrote a week before running into this video. Really, I strongly recommend watching it, I feel nothing but respect and admiration for women like this.

Posted on July 25th, 2017 

at  https://www.youtube.com/TED

Very very last contribution (this time, for real)

I didn't want to miss the chance to pay homage to the late Quino, through this timely reflection about empathy and the tricks of language.

Metacognitive reflection 

Writing, in terms of second language acquisition, is perhaps the most uncomfortable skill to deal with for most students. Even so, communication and thinking skills result highly stimulated when we write. We refine out thoughts during the writing process, our ideas are examined when there is room for reflection and insight, and we become more aware and more awake. Against all odds, we must encourage our students to write with a double aim: to provide them with more chances to produce speech in the target language, and also to release them(albeit momentarily)from their "mind-forg'd manacles"—in Blakean terms.

Entry #9

Part 1: "We Refugees" (Benjamin Zephaniah)

In Zephaniah’s poetic manifesto We Refugees, we face an appalling truth: all of us, at any time and place, are susceptible of becoming refugees. The author depicts a hometown, a social group, sunny lands, folk songs and rhythms; a myriad of personal experiences told in the first-person plural to include absolutely everyone, making a clear statement about the universality of exile. The video that accompanies the text introduces a variety of people with ‘ordinary’ looks and of different ages reciting the words, in turns. Thus, the spirit of comprehensiveness is reinforced.  Moreover, the images are in an egalitarian black and white, making the skin complexions indistinguishable. ‘We can all be refugees’ insists time and again the British writer, son of a Jamaican mother and a Barbadian father. As if he wanted to rest assured that we finally get it: No one is safe, no refugee is to blame for being so, and being one implies a terribly painful loss.

Part 2:  "Refugees" (Brian Bilston)

In the poem “Refugees” we might either follow the logical order of reading and find one text, or subvert it and discover an antagonistic voice, in an original exercise of empathy and perspective. It comes as no surprise that public opinion tends to split in halves in regard to different issues; the “gap” is always there, diligently waiting as a treacherous snake that is willing to attack. In this case, the halves are: people who openly refuse to accept and integrate those “outsiders”, and people who understand that the “newcomers” must have had good reasons to flee, and that they are not a menace. And in between, deep down in the gap –of course– the bereft ones lie. The interesting proposal hidden in this reversible poem casts light on the topic of multiple perspectives and, at once, interpellates us: Whose truth are we reading about?

 

The following is another reversible poem that I found while doing some research. It is posted in a website of a fund that helps victims of domestic violence in the UK: refuge.org.uk . The advertising agency responsible for the image is Mc Cann Bristol, but no one is credited for the words. 

It could be seen as another case of people in need of a refuge. Many women and children don't flee their countries but must leave their homes, where the menace dwells. 

LAST LAST LAST task: PEER CORRECTION choose ANY paragraph, from ANY forum, from ANY poem, from ANY student... ANY. use the chart above (RUBRICS) to assess your mate's/mates' paragraph. add corrective feedback (i.e. PRAISE what is correct and SUGGEST "corrections" or more appropriate choices >> organization, vocabulary, cohesion...??)        NB: a recurrent "mistake" is a WEAK topic   sentence, or NO connection at all between the TS and the rest of the paragraph.      **GO BACK to the entry (video) related to TYPES of TS!**

Part 3:  PEER CORRECTION:  CLAUDIA ALEXANDRA DILELLA 

Refugees by Brian Bliston.

Brian Bliston chooses a witty and shocking outline to get his message through.The way in which he toys with our inner feelings regarding refugees and the way in which some people tend to perceive them is much more than a simple writing- style choice. He puts us at war with ourselves by focusing our attention on the plight these people are subjected to even after having fled their home countries because of war or persecution in contrast to the danger they are said to pose for others. His ultimate aim, for me, is to make us realize what is behind figures and blurred faces, who these people are, the group and individual circumstances that led them to their present situation, how they live, work and try to be part of the communities they are in.

 Claudia Alexandra Dilella

responder a intervención

JULIANA ROFMAN - 17/09/2020 

Dear Claudia,

I have decided to assess your paragraph on "Refugees" because, when I first read it, I found it a beautiful exegesis, rich in reflection and carefully selected and combined words. It is brief, yet full of meaning. I particularly like the "blurred faces" imagery. 

As regards the rubric, your writing  accomplishes all the instances. I have found no errors in grammar or vocabulary, only the misspelling of the lastname of the author, that should read Bilston instead of Bliston (I am sure that it's a typo). The main idea stands out and is easily identified. Although I am not completely sure, probably the topic sentence is not complete, maybe I would have included the topic (refugees) in it, at least as a sole mention. In your topic sentence, you refer to the structure of the poem and the resource of the palindrome, but the topic "refugees" is left out. As I said, I am not certain that this can be a problem, and in fact  I lack the authority to assure it.  We are here to learn. 

Finally, my sincere congratulations for a beautifully written paragraph, I am a fan of your productions and this one didn't let me down.          

                                       

In terms of the paragraph work, I must admit that short didn't mean easy this time. I felt under extreme strain due to this brevity. Defining a good topic sentence, comprehensible but not too broad, was perhaps the biggest challenge. Accordinly, finding a final sentence that could round up the idea was something I also put my efforts on accomplishing. As for the lenght of the paragraphs, in both cases I decided not to make them too long so as to to keep sight of the topic sentence, and to avoid an overwhelming amount of information.  

As a final reflection, and adding to what I already expressed through the paragraphs, I wish to state the following: We all, as teachers to be, constitute an active piece in the construction of culture and society. It is our unquestionable duty -if not as citizens, as educators- to be committed to a more humane formation of our students. It is written in the national curricula, and it is carved in our consciences. Human welfare, empathy and unselfishness are goals towards which each teacher should walk, regardless the many pitfalls in the way. And for those who say that this is ideologization, and that teachers should be neutral, my response borrows Paulo Freire's dexterous pen: “Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral”.  

  

Entry # 8 The Study of Language

 

Yule, G. (2014). The study of Language. U.K.: Cambridge University Press

ORAL PRESENTATION # 1
September 2^nd , 2020

Short description of the chapters

Chapter 1: The origins of language

This chapter strives to fathom out the question of the origins of human speech. Although it is suspected that spoken language was developed between 100.000 to 50.000 years ago, there is no conclusive evidence of when and where human speech first appeared.  Thus, the opening chapter of this book provides a number of theories and possible explanations that aim to account for the origins of language. 

According to Yule's compilation, both science and religion  have proposed a variety of answers: the first one from different angles and upon certain evidence, the latter through the grace of God, verging on the magic.  But among the compendium of scientific theories  comprised  in this chapter, we can identify different sources -such as the observation of the natural world, physical evolution, social relationships and genetic mutations-  that are valid explanations provided by the scientific community to unveil the mistery. The actual birthplace of human speech could be found in those sources, or it might be a combination of more than one. 

The truth is that the origins of human speech still remain a matter of controversy and speculation, the author holds, even when we might feel more attracted to one of the theories and find its explanation more feasible. In this sense, what Yule's opening paragraph discloses is a range of possibilities instead of a concluding verdict. 

 

Chapter 2: Animals and human language 

This chapter analyses different properties of human language in order to understand the reasons why human language is so unique and different from the animals' languages. The properties are mentioned and explained in an affordable way along the chapter.

The order in which those particular characteristics are introduced is the following: Firstly, REFLEXIVITY, or the ability to talk and think about the language. Secondly, DISPLACEMENT, which refers to the ability of talking about things that are not present in the immediate context. For instance, a case of displacement would be speaking of things that happened in the past or in the future (this capacity of abstraction is immanent in humans). Thirdly, Yule alludes to ARBITRARINESS. This property refers to the lack of connection (either natural or iconic) between the words and their meaning (the case of onomatopoeias is an exception, though). The following property of human language mentioned and described in this chapter is PRODUCTIVITY, and it refers to the ability of creating new expressions and utterances. And the two last properties are CULTURAL TRANSMISSION and DUALITY. Cultural transmission implies that our language is not something that we are born with, while duality makes reference to the fact that our language is organized in two different levels: One is made up of sounds and letters, which have no distinct meaning when they are in isolation, and the other one consists of all the possible combinations of those sounds that end up producing distinct meanings.

CHAPTER 17: Language history and change 

This chapter focuses on Philology, which is the study of language history and change. We have discovered that languages are actually related, and that is because they share common ancestors. The case of Indo-European is mentioned as one of the around 30 languages that have originated different family trees.  In them, family connections establish a possible relation between different languages by looking at the cognates. Using information from these sets of cognates we can reconstruct the original or “proto” form in the common ancestral language through two principles: The Majority Principle and The Most Natural Development Principle. These principles allow the reconstruction of a word and make it possible to venture what the older forms could have been like. Accordingly, the phrase "The reconstruction of proto-forms is an attempt to determine what a language must have been like before any written records" could work as a good synthesis of this chapter, in my opinion. 

In addition to the previously explained concepts, chapter 17 concludes by providing a brief summary of the history of English, divided into 4 periods: Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English and Modern English. From the Angles, Saxons and Jutes to these days, we can seize some examples of changes that certain sounds, syntax and semanthics features have experienced. 

CHAPTER 18: Languages and regional variations

In this chapter, we are confronted with the fact that every language  presents  a lot of variations beyond what is known as the standard language. Through these pages, we learn that a standard language is an idealized variety, an accepted version that counts as the official laguage of a community or country, albeit not actually spoken by any native speaker. We can find it, however, in newspapers and books, in the mass media and in academic instruction. Expectedly, when taught as a second language, the standard version is most desirable, even though it is a fact that, in a natural context, the regional variations present particular  accents.  

As a matter of fact, this chapter reinforces the idea of the inescapable accent. Yule makes a point on this: every speaker presents a degree of accent, no matter how subtle it might be. And the author explains that this accent reflects the regional and/or social origins of the speaker. 

However, we must clearly distinguish between accent and dialect, Yule warns us. The notion of dialect is used to highlight the distinction between, on the one hand, two different dialects of the same language and, on the other hand, two different languages. Every dialect entrails certain features of grammar and vocabulary, as well as aspects of pronunciation. Dialectology holds that all varieties of dialects are equally important, although from a social point of view some varieties become more prestigious, for example, the standard language. 

The chapter also introduces notions such as isogloss, dialect continuum, dialect boundary and regional dialects. The highlighted cogitation is that regional variation exists along a dialect continuum, and there are no sharp breaks from one region to the other, but a soft merging of one dialect  into another. The terms "bilingualism" and "diglossia" are also mentioned and briefly explained. Although the first one is well-know and quite common, the latter describes a rather unfamiliar situation: the simultaneous existence of a low and a high variety of the same language (and the use of one or the other depending on the context).

In reference to the issue of language planning, the chapter mentions the cases of the USA, Tanzania and Guatemala, nations with a population whose inhabitants speak native languages or dialects which are different from the official one. When this happens, governments may draw up a long-term plan of homogenization,  so as to install one national language for the vast majority. 

By the end of the chapter, we meet the notions  "pidgin" and "creole". The first one refers to varieties that were created for practical purposes such as trading. Later in time, a pidgin might end up becoming the first language of a social community -as it happened in Hawaii- and then the label "pidgin" is replaced by "creole".

On this occasion, we were assigned to follow a series of steps that led us to an oral presentation. Every phase was an important part of the whole, and was articulated as meticulously as possible to finally set the clockwork running. The oral presentation in itself was a highly challenging task. Be that as it may, the topic was especially appealing to me, and that helped me through the way. To lecture on a topic which entrails matters of one's personal interest makes the journey much more pleasant. All in all, the selection of the chapter as well as the preparation of the slideshow, the writing of a guiding script, the sucession of rehearsals, the actual presentation, the compilation to be included in this entry, and finally this very analysis, composes a riveting sequence —not free of tribulations but  rewarding to a profound extent. 

With regard to the topic that we have dealt with, it would be superfluous to abound in minutiae of where its importance lies: at this point, we all agree on the significant value of reading about language from a reputable source. However, I would like to point out the enjoyment that approaching this matter of tracing the origins of human speech has caused me. Anthropological issues are of my highest concern, in deed. The fact that the question of the first stages of human speech is not solved yet seems fascinating to me. In addition, the possibility to reflect and ponder about language's first apparitions and the later changes it underwent is both enriching and stimulating. I consider it a great way of opening a book about the study of language. I find it hooking and coherent in the sense that, as an opening, it travels back to the origins, to the point where it all began. Yes, I like it when authors allow themselves a slight frolicking whilst they write.

Language history and change