#triggered

After watching the Tyler, the Creator Mountain Dew commercial, I was confused. Was I offended? Yes. As a person of colour and a woman, I didn't appreciate the manner in which both groups were depicted. Although many argue it came from a comedic aspect, when it comes to such sensitive topics comedy is merciless.

Many people like to create such content to help spread awareness; this can sometimes be found in mediums such as the theatre of the oppressed; maybe even in films, music, or stories. But to take such matters and release it to live National television in which people have not chosen or given consent to display such content in their homes. Television and other forms of mass media have an influential power on children, sharing such topics could lead children in the wrong direction and falsify their perspective on the world in a negative manner. Moreover, this could trigger many victims of bigotry or abuse.

From a technical perspective, Mountain Dews company has probably received more backlash or boycotting as opposed to persuading the audience into purchasing their product; in which is the companies initial aim.

It is times such as this where people must learn to draw the line. What is the difference between satire and injustice? As an audience member, I cannot accept where the idea was derived from, although I am aware that it comes with comedic intentions, industries with such great influence and platform should not be tolerating the inhumane behaviour. Personally, I believe that it is a moral duty to stray from bigotry. Therefore I don't understand why there might be an exception for the media industry. There mustn't be a double standard, especially when it's in the hands of such influential corporations.

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The advert targets American smokers; this advert seems to date back to the mid-1900’s. As stated on the symbol “ A lucky strike for all America, Buy U.S. defence bonds.” Thus indicating that the advert was made and published during a war (presumably the Second World War), considering they are advertising U.S. defence bonds while also incorporating an image of a marine. Moreover, this advert’s colours depict the colours of the American flag, thus allowing the viewer to associate it with their home country. This symbolism is relevant considering it was a time of war in which always creates a sense of patriotism within the nation.

This advert aims to persuade its audience to buy lucky strike cigarettes. This is presented in the persuasive slogan stating “ Be Happy- Go Lucky!” in addition to that the advert includes different texts that make persuasive claims such as “ Luckies taste better than any other cigarette”. Insinuating that this is a friendly and encouraging advert. Moreover, it is displayed through the sailor on the right-hand corner of the image, giving the audience his thumbs up. Linking back to Ethos Rhetoric, the U.S. Marine is credible and trustworthy, and the portrayal of him looking as though he’s enjoying the cigarette ultimately persuades the audience to purchase or favour this cigarette brand over others. It is a relaxed image that looks inviting, due to the scenic setting of a picnic at the beach.

The advert targets those who smoke while using sex appeals to sell the product. Evidently, in this image, a man is managing to gain a woman's interest through the packet of cigarettes. With the interaction of the man and the women, it shows how by purchasing the cigarette, it will attract women to converse with the man to ask for a cigarette. This gives us insight on the values of the society. This image targets men and allows them to presume that material objects could help them gain the attention of other, specifically ones from the opposite sex. Although the woman is standing above the men, it is very much plausible to understand that the woman is just as much an accessory to the male as the cigarettes are. Another point that is emphasised in this advert would be the importance of social approval and conformity, through the Marine's hand gestures, that are understood as an encouragement to the male in the advert, and projected towards the targeted audience as well.

This advertisement adequately reveals the cultural characteristics of their time, through exhibiting the societal norms and expectations that come regarding relationships. Overall, the man’s stance and ability to draw the woman in through the simple act of waving around a box of cigarettes all the while sitting down showcases how woman were portrayed as accessories or a trophy in this historical and social context. This ultimately depicts that in this commercials context, the man is empowered whereas the woman is marginalised as a trophy/side chick. Thus allowing us to understand the context of the social norms and gender roles within this time period.

The Pitch (Reflection)

What main appeals did you use in your pitch? Why did you decide they would be the most effective? 

In our presentation, we explained that the advertisement would employ the Bandwaggon, Humour and Logic appeal. While doing so, we also exercised humour and logic appeals to the company we were trying to persuade; this was done to exemplify the type of advertisement that we would create. The appeals we had unanimously chosen would be the most effective appeals, considering that the bandwagon appeal allows the audience to be content when it comes to affiliating themselves to the programme we have in store for them. Due to the interactive pathways that this product would create for the targetted audience. Moreover, the Logic appeal would help target the viewers need to achieve. Whether it be obtaining a healthier lifestyle, new social activities, or even an escape from day-to-day routine. The use of these appeals were the most powerful techniques; for humour draws in the audiences attentions while logic and bandwagon appeals manipulate and persuade them.

What were some specific persuasive techniques you used (include examples) why did you believe these would be effective? 

To allow our audience to be intrigued, we consolidated effective techniques such as humour, great vocabulary as well as expressing logos through a cause vs. correlation strategy. We also tried our best to associate the audience with the advert, and product at hand. As a group, we had come to the conclusion that consistent association between the two would help display our data of the bike share programme. Thus allowing us to sell our advert and product to the audience, by describing our overall methods. This was done with the intention to emphasise on the spokespeople charisma, linking us back to pathos and allowing an emotional connection. Psychology's Sociocultural Levels of Analysis have proven that a friendly relationship between to business dealers, a seller and buyer could enlarge the outcomes by more than 50%. Therefore we intended on exaggerating our commitment towards the product and towards the "buyers" to help boost the likelihood of success. 

Cause vs. Correlation was used to help convince the audience that the advert/product that is something they need to enhance their lives significantly. Therefore we had insisted that the cause of high diabetes rate was because we do not have a bike share programme. In which could be rendered as hyperbole. 

How did an awareness of audience and context influence your overall approach to this activity?   

Maintaining an awareness of the audience and context was very influential, as it allowed us to manipulate the targetted audience through the understanding we have of their social, literal and physical characteristics. Most importantly, it enabled us to enhance our technicality, as we were provided with enough information to make emotional, lifestyle and health connections between the buyers and the sellers. We had also manipulated the audience into solely foreseeing the positive factors that come with our presentation and product. We took to our advantage that the presentation was in fact completely one-sided and completely disregarded any questions or refutations, allowing the audience to commend our overall presentation. We avoided mentioning any negatives such as the weather of the context, in which came to our benefit as salespeople. 

If you were to complete this presentation again, what would you do differently regarding content and preparation?

After watching the other groups, I was able to pick up many things that we could have done to extend our success rate as an "advert company." Initially, I would increase my preparation time and rehearse the presentation. Although, as a group, we were able to transmit our ideas to the audience, I would have preferred to ensure little to no mistakes and ultimately articulate ( and if it weren't a stretch, I would have preferred to present without cue cards considering it was such a low content based presentation). But overall I would state that our group was able to perform very successfully under such a time constraint. Furthermore, I would have liked to be able to make simple additions such as repetition and making catchy phrases to help enhance the memorability of our product. 

Christy Turlington's Maybelline advert for 'The Eraser'

Maybelline New York is a renowned beauty and make-up brand in the cosmetics industry that was founded a century ago, 1915. They are also notorious for using celebrities to endorse their products. This tactic is used to give the audience a source of credibility. The brands time in the market alone is enough credit to gain their targeted populous’ opinions, but to enhance their appeal in this advert, the supermodel Christy Turlington is used to instil a source of authority within the audience. The American beauty is known to be a part of the Supermodel Trinity that is comprised of Turlington and the models Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Thus giving the demographic faith in the fact that this product is worthy, considering its endorsed by a supermodel splendour in which has an immense experience in the cosmetic world.  This approach is known as Ethos, where the basis of a form of argument is of authority and credibility. The supermodels’ celebrity and cosmetic authority are made use of in this advert; consequently, the brand/product has gained the trust of a vast demographic. A demographic by which desires the beauty and confidence that supermodels achieve throughout their careers. Therefore the brand is using Pathos, through the motivational and emotional appeals that come with using a model spokeswoman, moreover driving their business on the audiences’ craving to be prettier, ultimately endorsing their product: a concealer. That allows many people to gain confidence as they grow into their wrinkles, dark circles and discoloration.  This brand uses a form of logic, facts, and figures as a campaigning technique thus instilling statistics in the commercial. Such as the fact that the product had undergone 7 years of research prior to its making, as well as the fact that it has 3 varied patents, and emphasizing the fact that it is a super-concentrated treatment in which is made of natural products such as goji berry and that it features the technology of a micro-correcting applicator. This brand makes claims that are supported by logic that consists of logic and prior research. Overall, this business has an awareness of the effects that rhetoric approaches to commercials, has on their targeted audience. They have studied their demographic and understand the insecurities that within it. Making use of resources such as research, and the correct spokespeople, time and time again. Ultimately winning over their audience through the use of Ethos, Pathos and Logos in persuasion.

Letter to the Editor

Date: 26/3/2014

To the editor, Laura Clark

Daily Mail Senior Editor

London, UK

Subject: A response to the change in Language "Twtr? It's majorly bad!" 

Ms. Clark,

Over the past 24 hours, there has been a flood of letters to the editor in response to the article titled "Twtr? It's majorly bad!” Through the use of your newspaper, I would like to express my viewpoint of the developmental changes of language. 

 Our perspective on language has always been evolving, as it is a variable that is strongly affected by time and place. As time and knowledge progress, our styles in language will adapt to these to these developments. Language is evolutionary, as Standard English today and Standard English a thousand years ago are poles apart. These technology-driven advancements are not the first time this language faces a significant evolution. Radical change in the English language has been evident dating back to 63 AD. Events such as the Norman Invasion allow us to see how language over the span of history has always evolved and adapted to what time has to offer it. These developments are inevitable, and what technology has provided the English language can be classed as a linguistic miracle. 

Through linguists thorough analysis of technology they have come to find that only 10% of a text is written in slang, meanwhile, the rest of the 90% is written in standard form. This statistic challenges the article's statement that students have “limited vocabularies because they spend so much free time on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.” The Internet is a resource that allows students to find an abundance of excellent linguistic content. Many novels, books, and films are shared through the Internet; therefore, stating that the use of it is a danger to students' language is inaccurate. 

 In addition to that to abbreviate, miss letters in words, and shorten sentences people must initially realize that those words and letters are present in the first place. For example, claiming that when student’s text the words "thank you" as "thnk u" means they do not know how to spell the phrase in the first place is unattainable. These students must have an idea as to what words they are shortening and what letters are in them to miss them out on the first place. 

As a teenager, I would class myself as a representative of our generation; the world is changing rapidly, it all always has. The technology and Internet era have been a sensation like no other and has had the ability to shape our worlds upcoming future. To illustrate, I am a bilingual speaker and have learned more English through my computer than in schoolrooms. I have been provided with applications that cater to helping me decipher grammar and style of the English language; therefore expanding my knowledge and ability.

 The article at hand is one that expresses many, ideas that reflect how the Internet's beginning to affect the English language both socially and professionally. Evidently, the pros outweigh the cons of technologies impact on language. Unfortunately, it only emphasized on the close-minded approach to such a linguistic advancement. I would prefer articles such as these offer both sides of the argument. This Daily Mail is an outlet that many tend to seek awareness from therefore I urge you to provide unbiased approaches in the future. 

Yours sincerely,

Shamsa Al Ameemi

Raha International School,

Khalifa City A,

AD,

UAE

Little Mix on Billboard Magazine

Little Mix (comprising of Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Ann Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie  Edwards) is currently the biggest girl group in the world, ever since conquering X Factor UK in 2011. They were the first group to ever win the X Factor, let alone being a girl group. During the show, their critical ratings,  have surpassed artists such as One Direction, Union J and Olly Murs. 

Ever since then they have been blasting hit after hit and appearing on the Billboard charts.  Their breakout album "DNA"(2012)  bowed at number 4 on the Billboard 200 charts. By which is the highest debut in history to be made by a British girl group, even surpassing Spice Girls' "Spice" which debuted at number six back in 1997. 

Interviewer: How does it feel knowing that you have surpassed the Spice Girls on the American Charts?

LP: It's unimaginable-
PE: We grew up listening to the Spice Girls, that's the thing.
JN: Yeah, growing up we always saw them as our role models. I wouldn't think we're anywhere near their level-
LP: They managed to unite girls from all end of the planet, it was great!
JN: They're so influential to young girls everywhere!
JT: We like to see them as our inspirations, in that perspective.

Interviewer: It has been four years since winning the X Factor, you're third studio album has gone platinum, how do you do it?

PE: Honestly, we owe it to our mixers (their fans), they're always up for new music. After building such a great connection with our audience, they're now always are so excited for our new stuff.

Interviewer: Awwww, Mixers sounds so cute! I was wondering, what demographic does you music typically appeal to most?

JN: *giggles* anyone looking for a jam really
PE: I would assume we appeal mostly to the teenage demographic, especially the girls in high school
LP: Yeah, our tunes scream girl power. We were there once, and we know how it feels to be at that age and facing teenage troubles. Most of our music carries themes of empowerment. Like if you listen to songs like Wings, Grown and Little Me, we're sorta talking about our experiences and what we'd say to our little selfs.

Interviewer: Totally, I was just about to ask about that. I wanted to ask about what similarities you guys see in between the song Grown from your new album and Little Me from the last, and We Are Who We Are from your first album; they all have very different sounds, but to the audience, we get the same vibes off of the lyrics.

JT: Yeah, technically We Are Who We Are is a very pop-y song, and Grown is such a Motown-inspired song, whereas Little Me is a ballad. In Little Me and We Are Who We Are, we wanted to convey that if we went back and spoke to ourselves when we were the same ages that the majority of our fans are, we would tell ourselves to speak up. Gain a bit more self-confidence, ya know? With Grown, we sang about how now that we've grown up and matured we've managed to gain that confidence, and it's managed to be much more appealing to others.
PE: The common ground between the two songs are the underlying themes of confidence.

Interviewer: When it comes to writing lyrics for your music, how do you manipulate words to your benefit? I'm the worst writer in the world; I suck using words to express what I feel.

JN: Honestly, usually it comes naturally. We're all interested in language, and how to manipulate it to portray what's implied. When we write a particular song thoughts that I personally always keep in mind is "who's gonna listen to this? ", "how would they want to hear it?" and "what kind of language and structure should I use to translate these thoughts and emotions?".
PE: It depends on the intentions of a song, like when into the studio with the intention of writing a pop song, we wanna make it catchy and focus on rhyme schemes and alliteration. Like in Black Magic we used an alternate rhyme scheme. Whereas when we come to write an emotional, sad song, we're leaning more towards a ballade and the use of imagery and such.
LP: When I write a song, personally I like to focus on what would sit well with who I'm targeting. Our albums genuinely have a song for everyone. Like we have Salute and Little me for the empowerment, and Black Magic and Wings for the pop lovers, and then there are songs like Loverboy and Hair who are for the hipsters that are into throwback tracks, ya know with all the 80s influence. You really want to focus on the context of the song, the people who are gonna hear it and how you should structure it to benefit the song; especially when we want to make it relatable to the audience.

Interviewer: Woah! That so much more technical than you'd think. But even from the older fans like myself, I can relate to your words, and it makes me feel so powered up and secure. Honestly, it's great to jam out to you guys when I'm feeling quite low. So I guess all that initiative and technicality works!

JN: Babe, your too sweet!
PE: That's the best thing I've heard in years; honestly that makes me so happy!
LP: Genuinely that means loads, like empowering people, not just teenage girls either, but women, and even boys, just people, in general, are why we do what we do!

Interviewer: Feminism, girl power and everything in between have been some of the most talked about topics in the media right now, how do you feel your music has allowed you to contribute to it?

LP: Ah, everyone loves a Lil' bit of girl power! The good thing about Little Mix is that we embrace who we are wholeheartedly. We want to empower, not only our fans but ourselves too! DNA our first album, Salute our second, and now Get Weird are all about embracing ourselves. We don't think we would ever end up changing that because it's what are fans relate and connect to the most.
PE: And to be honest, no matter how much we want to include and unify women, you can tell that we never want to un-include boys and men. That's not the case; we have songs about loving ourselves and empowering ourselves that go both for girl and boys, and I just wanted to emphasize on that.
JN: Yeah, like as much as we write about girls, we also do write a cheeky amount of songs about love. All our songs are for the public; we don't have a certain age, sex, or racial that we only want to appeal to, it the exact opposite. Our music is out there for anyone who intends to listen to it. We never want to diss people or make people look bad in general to make a point. We fight for female empowerment, but we don't want to exclude the boys while doing so.
PE: Now that that's out there, I also wanna say we are very pro-feminism. Just as much as our music is for everyone, I wouldn't want to overshadow the whole girl power thing. We feel like women are a stronger force when they do unite; they are so much stronger, so why not?

Interviewer: Preach it! I just wanted to ask about how you girls feel about portraying past experiences in your music?

JT: Well in general when we do write, we write without hiding anything. It all comes from the heart and first-hand experiences.
LP: Whether we're writing about love and heartbreak, or confidence and girl power, we will always put our emotions into these tracks.
PE: It allows us to enjoy what we're writing, while also letting the mixers connect with what we're singing about in our songs.
JN: Yeah, we want to write about things that are relatable, so we include our real experiences, ya' know?

Interviewer: Girls, it's been great having you back on Billboard Magazine! You've given us great insight and all the more reason to love and support your music. Thank you so much, and we wish you the best with the next few months of touring, lots of love!

PE: Thanks guys
JN: It's been wonderful speaking with you!
JT: It's been great being back anyways!
LP: Love you guys!

2nd April 2016

Sources:
Little Mix Get All Righteous and Talk Getting Empowered for New Album Salute. Perf. Little Mix. Sugarscape, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_QXH5aD-4>.

"Little Mix." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"Little Mix Breaks Spice Girls' Chart Record." Billboard. N.p., 5 June 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. 

Alex Turner Memoir (Language and Identity)

Growing up in High Green, Sheffield my parents were teachers; the two were specialized in languages, to say the least. My mum taught the German language whilst my dad tried to translate the unknown wonders of the physics language to secondary students. Bored ones at that! My father also dabbled in music and taught it at school for a while. There are more people that none who sat to me that physics and music aren't a language. Nowadays I would assume that it was due to the fact that I might have and still maintained a differing perspective on language itself. 

A language is a form of communications that humans have conducted to make their lives easier. The sole purpose of a language is to translate one person's thoughts and pass it on to the next. Although I was quite lackadaisical in school, I still managed to keep up with Mr. Barkers English classes enough to pick up a few skills. I still remember when we were initially introduced to John Cooper Clarke's poetry. It has spurred a certain part of me to take a figurative and more so artistic approach of communication.

"Come on, I know you've got it in you"

"Maybe next time, sir. What I've written isn't worth reading out tot he class"

"We only get given a few opportunities in life, Alex you need to more risks"

The conversation we had the day he had urged me to read the poetry I've written to the class has been etched into the walls of my mind. At the time his statement seemed extreme, but with hindsight, I would deem it the best advice I had ever been given.

After college, just like the rest of us, my parents urged me to go to university. After all, it's what school has been building us towards all these years, but over the last few years of school, I had developed a liking for poetry.  I have also picked up a few skills with a guitar. My friends, soon to be band mates, introduced me to the good music. I started listening to all the classics, the newbies and everything in between. I found myself lost in all these songs, lyrics and music. Mr. Barker’s words rang in my ears and I came to take the risk of a gap year. My parents are supportive and ultimately allowed me to take a year of to explore my passions. I filled in a few applications for Manchester, but my gap year has slowly but surely turned into some sort of gap life. To put it short I never went to university. I did instead though find myself in a band, the Arctic Monkeys. 

At first, our music didn’t have much meaning because “ A lot of people have an idea of the music they wanna make and they go make it, but we started the band to have something to do and we figured all that stuff out.” I never shared my lyrics with my band mates for "I had this sense of dread that the others would laugh me out of the room. Mickey taking is a useful quality control.” But as time went on I was finally able to an outlet all my emotions and experiences. I managed to get better at writing poetry. I managed to sculpt my identity and with it learned how to convey it to an audience willing to listen. I was very much so influenced by the stylistic choices of the Strokes, the Hives, the White Stripes and every other talented rock band from the ninety’s and naughty’s. As a band, we had managed to find the perfect ground between our own identity and the influence of the greats.

I read somewhere that a journalist that had interviewed me said that I was:

“Hard to reconcile the gentle, boyish, self-contained singer ("always the quiet one", according to his band-mates) with the person who writes so vivaciously about modern teenage life; but slowly his guard will drop a little.”

I would have to agree with them if I’m completely honest. People know me to be the shyer member of the band. I don’t usually say much but I write with a lot of emotions, I don’t spare any. I find it so much easier to put my thoughts into lyrics.

If you think about it for long enough, you would realise that I would not be where I am without language and every aspect of its literal and figurative approaches of communication. I owe it to the language. Without it, I would not be bale to make the art that I do and without it, I also would not be able to outlet my inner most thoughts. My thoughts are mirrored through the language that I use, and through the years I have come to the conclusion that language in some ways more than others, helps disclose and communicate my beliefs and experiences. and although I'm too shy to do so in real life, I manage to take advantage of what I can with my language through the artistic approach of songwriting. 

Alex Turner Memoir (Language and Identity)

Growing up in High Green, Sheffield my parents were teachers; the two were specialized in languages, to say the least. My mum taught the German language whilst my dad tried to translate the unknown wonders of the physics language to secondary students. Bored ones at that! My father also dabbled in music and taught it at school for a while. There are more people that none who sat to me that physics and music aren't a language. Nowadays I would assume that it was due to the fact that I might have and still maintained a differing perspective on language itself. 

A language is a form of communications that humans have conducted to make their lives easier. The sole purpose of a language is to translate one person's thoughts and pass it on to the next. Although I was quite lackadaisical in school, I still managed to keep up with Mr. Barkers English classes enough to pick up a few skills. I still remember when we were initially introduced to John Cooper Clarke's poetry. It has spurred a certain part of me to take a figurative and more so artistic approach of communication.

"Come on, I know you've got it in you"

"Maybe next time, sir. What I've written isn't worth reading out tot he class"

"We only get given a few opportunities in life, Alex you need to more risks"

The conversation we had the day he had urged me to read the poetry I've written to the class has been etched into the walls of my mind. At the time his statement seemed extreme, but with hindsight, I would deem it the best advice I had ever been given.

After college, just like the rest of us, my parents urged me to go to university. After all, it's what school has been building us towards all these years, but over the last few years of school, I had developed a liking for poetry.  I have also picked up a few skills with a guitar. My friends, soon to be band mates, introduced me to the good music. I started listening to all the classics, the newbies and everything in between. I found myself lost in all these songs, lyrics and music. Mr. Barker’s words rang in my ears and I came to take the risk of a gap year. My parents are supportive and ultimately allowed me to take a year of to explore my passions. I filled in a few applications for Manchester, but my gap year has slowly but surely turned into some sort of gap life. To put it short I never went to university. I did instead though find myself in a band, the Arctic Monkeys. 

At first, our music didn’t have much meaning because “ A lot of people have an idea of the music they wanna make and they go make it, but we started the band to have something to do and we figured all that stuff out.” I never shared my lyrics with my band mates for "I had this sense of dread that the others would laugh me out of the room. Mickey taking is a useful quality control.” But as time went on I was finally able to an outlet all my emotions and experiences. I managed to get better at writing poetry. I managed to sculpt my identity and with it learned how to convey it to an audience willing to listen. I was very much so influenced by the stylistic choices of the Strokes, the Hives, the White Stripes and every other talented rock band from the ninety’s and naughty’s. As a band, we had managed to find the perfect ground between our own identity and the influence of the greats.

I read somewhere that a journalist that had interviewed me said that I was:

“Hard to reconcile the gentle, boyish, self-contained singer ("always the quiet one", according to his band-mates) with the person who writes so vivaciously about modern teenage life; but slowly his guard will drop a little.”

I would have to agree with them if I’m completely honest. People know me to be the shyer member of the band. I don’t usually say much but I write with a lot of emotions, I don’t spare any. I find it so much easier to put my thoughts into lyrics.

If you think about it for long enough, you would realise that I would not be where I am without language and every aspect of its literal and figurative approaches of communication. I owe it to the language. Without it, I would not be bale to make the art that I do and without it, I also would not be able to outlet my inner most thoughts. My thoughts are mirrored through the language that I use, and through the years I have come to the conclusion that language in some ways more than others, helps disclose and communicate my beliefs and experiences. and although I'm too shy to do so in real life, I manage to take advantage of what I can with my language through the artistic approach of songwriting. 

Mother Tongue

"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence" - Carl Sagan 

In Amy Tan's Mother Tongue, Tan shares the challenges in which her family had met upon settling into an English speaking country, when in fact, English was not their native tongue. Throughout the text, an array of issues was discussed. The article highlights what Tan, who could be considered as a fluent English speaker, had faced whilst helping her mother throughout her life. Which was the major conduit to her realisation of these said issues? A majority of these struggles prove to be transnational, as a class of 19 international students was able to make connections to their personal lives while reading this article.

Personally, as I am a bilingual speaker myself the issue with which resonated with me was that the ideology that in a matter where a person faces difficulty in translating their thoughts, they are perceived to lack the knowledge in the first place. Their "limited" ability to speak a language skews others perception of them. This could be identified as the inferiority complex, by which has subconsciously been expressed towards those who are perceived as speakers of “Broken English”.

It is human instinct to judge and classify other people; these subconscious impulses are why we want to categorize everything and everyone we are exposed to. A widespread tendency between practised English speakers is to brand those who speak “broken English” as an incompetent bunch, and predominantly this couldn’t be farther from the truth. This is one of the main causes of prejudice within our society. Unfortunately, these compulsions are ones that are built upon ignorance. People often forget that other than a person’s lack of English skills they have a brain box jam-packed with knowledge in own their native language. For all, we know Tan’s mother could have the answer to global warming in her back pocket but her inability to phrase it in English does not mean the pocket is empty.

Reading this article has opened my eyes to a whole new faction of discrimination. I was always aware of the social injustices that came with race and religion when it comes to immigration, but I seemed to have always underestimated how language played a major role in this said discrimination. People who assume they are of higher status due to their ability in certain languages tend to disregard those who don’t as people of lower status. Forgetting that language has little to no input in status and power in both societal and academic aspects.

Those who are better equipped in language tend to treat the others in a condescending manner as expressed by Tan when she referred to the majority’s behaviour towards her mother. “People… did not take her seriously”

As an audience, we were faced with an even bigger shock when it was revealed that her mother was not only treated this way in public but was also receiving this handling in places such as the hospital. As Tan’s mother was not only expecting results from this medical centre but results in which signified if she was to be diagnosed with a brain tumour. “She said they would not give her any information until next time”, the hospital had stated that they could not find the lost documents that Tan’s mothers’ life had depended on, also mentioning that she would have to make another trip to the doctors to reclaim them. Yet when Tan made the effort to speak to the hospital in what can be regarded as a higher quality of English, they “had assurance the CAT scan would be found.” Reading this I was absolutely appalled at the thought that a place of such significance would treat patients in such a manner. Hospitals should be the most cautious and tactful of places, as we put our lives in the hands of these individuals. So if they were to be discriminating against the simplest of things and put off Tan’s mothers’ CAT scan results for another time, how would they expect her to trust them at all? This is another display of the calamitous outcomes that occur through these discriminations.

Through this article, I was brought back to my first blog post topic, the importance of language. I had spoken of how language had played a major role in my life and how I would never make do without it. I had never been faced with the extent of how hard life would be without language, especially the dominant language of where I live. After becoming exposed to a second-hand experience of life without the ability of conversing in the dominant language, English, I feel as though I have an overall improved understanding of the statement I had made prior to reading this.

The Name Game

The name game!

Shamsa!

Shamsa, Shamsa bo Bamsa Bonana fanna fo Famsa

Fee fy mo Mamsa, Shamsa!

Identity!

Identity, Identity bo B’dentity Banana fanna fo F’dentity

Come on everybody!

I say let's play a game

I betcha I can make a rhyme out of my identity

….

Now, what?

Okay, I guess I can’t come up with the identity version of Shirley Ellis’ name game, but hey I tried.

Shamsa Al Ameemi, my first name is the Arabic translation for Sun. My name has been passed down to me from my aunt. I was named after her and therefore I have to live up to the expectation to be great enough to be compared to my father's favourite sibling. Funnily enough, we are nothing alike, therefore I guess I have to put a different meaning behind this name.

My parent's intention when they decided to name me Shamsa, was to honour their sister and pass down the name to me. In Emirati culture, we tend to pass names down the family tree to display honour and respect towards that certain elder. In addition to that, my parents were very convinced that the name shamsa depicted a very unique and beautiful meaning and symbol. Aforementioned, Shamsa is a variant of the name 'Shams', a proper noun that refers to the sun. the name could also represent the brilliance and the radiance that is derived from the sun.
My name has affected my identity, as I somehow feel like I have an automatic interest and fondness towards space and astrology. I have associated myself with an astrological aesthetic (as well as a mixture of other things, I spice it up).

My cousin once made a comparison between the sun and my personal identity, stating that I was like the sun in terms that I am vital in my loved ones lives, and seem to always be there although I might not always be remembered… that took a turn for the worst to be completely honest. I was expecting her to be all artistic and make me feel special but hey ho I guess this will do.

18.9.2016