Propaganda Blog Post

Deception is just as bad as telling an outright lie.

In Al Jazeera's depiction of Iraq's point of view of their war, some truths surface from how American news channels' portrayals of the same war have contributed to the extreme bigotism against Arabs and Islam. American media is widely considered to be hijacked by the US government as leverage against enemy countries, such as Iraq. In the American depiction of the Iraq war, their news outlets have made a conscious effort to antagonise the Iraqi and middle Eastern culture. Considering this, the deception exuded by the American media is just as bad as telling an outright lie. 

Firstly, the representation of the United States' perspective on their news outlets materialised to be innocent and often downplayed their military actions. The American President at the time had a large involvement in the media as he often contributed his strong point of views. He created an enemy out of Iraq by stating things like "Al Jazeera is the mouthpiece of Osama Bin Laden" or publicly communicating that he felt the U.S. was being fair in their military actions. From an American civilians' point of view, they are only able to view their government as being just and honourable. Yet, their government is in fact disguising their real involvement in the war through language manipulation and fact deception. In many instances, American news outlets have used soldiers as their new anchors and describe certain military events as having "heroic resistance" or perhaps "miscalculating" some of their moves, which is in fact a huge paraphrase of the true events occurring within Iraq. The tone of voice used by their anchors also appears to be calm and certain, which acts as a tool to the media in reassuring the American audience and disguising the American government at the time. It is obvious that what the American news outlet are showing benefits their country rather than communicating the truth. In doing so, the truth will never ultimately be revealed to the American public demonstrating these U.S. journalists' inability toe be objective. 

On the other hand, Al Jazeera's approach at news seems to be much more effective. Despite inevitably having bias, their conscious effort at covering news that demonstrates neutrality and truth, effectively allows for their audience to come to their own conclusions about the truth. Their head director has confidently expressed that their news outlet only wishes to hear individuals and depict news that does not overtly communicate only one side of the story. The lack of support from the Iraqi government goes to show how they do not rely on the middle Eastern support to convey the truth. 

All in all, American media's obstructing the process of their own media is in fact misinformation and in this case can be viewed as an outright lie. The public deserves the right to know and understand the truth concerning their country's affairs with other countries. 

Media Bias - Rewrite

Private Prison Stocks Skyrocket Following Donald Trump's Election Win

Wednesday morning, following Donald Trump's victory in the election, stocks for CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), the biggest private prison in the United States, was up by nearly 60 percent. Stocks for the second biggest, GEO Group, went up by 28 percent. While both have subsided since early this morning, stocks have remained rather strong.

This marks an undoing of the Obama administration, which, in August of 2016, announced plans to phase out and cease use of private prisons, some of which have been used to house undocumented inmates. According to the Justice Department's Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, "They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department's Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security." 

Stock prices for both CoreCivic and GEO Group had dropped around 25 percent following the Obama administration's announcement, but both are now back up a mere hours after the Trump's election victory. Under Hillary Clinton's administration, Obama's plan would have been continued. But Trump's republican stance has predicted an expansion of private prisons. Despite Trump's lack of vocalization on the exact matter, it's long been known that the prison system has been owned by private owners. However, the Motley Fool notes that the spike is curious considering Trump's end game for illegal immigrants is deportation, not imprisonment. 

Rewritten

Just this morning, following Donald Trump's pyrrhic victory in the US election, stocks for CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America), the biggest private prison in the United States,  immediately raised by 60 percent. Stocks for the second biggest, GEO Group, went up by 28 percent, a significant rise. Since Trump's election as American President, prison stocks have increase in value.

This marks an instantaneous downfall of the Obama administration's effort to improve America's prison conditions. In August of 2016, the government declared intentions to phase out and cease use of privately owned prisons, some of which have been used to confine undocumented men and women. According to the Justice Department's Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, "These prisons are not equipped with humane correctional services, programs, and resources; and the costs are most beneficial to the rich white male owners; and as noted in a recent report by the Department's Office of Inspector General, they marginalise basic levels of safety and security needed for a prison." 

Stock prices for both CoreCivic and GEO Group had notably decreased nearly 25 percent following the Obama administration's announcement, but both are now back up a mere hour after Trump's unfortunate election. Under Hillary Clinton's leadership, Obama's favourable objectives would have continued to make a difference. But Trump's racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant stance has predicted an expansion of these prisons owned by America's 1%. Despite Trump's absent vocalisation on the matter, it's long been known that the prison system has been fueled by racism. White men are now unable to own slaves, so the privatisation of prisons is plan B. However, the Motley Fool notes that the spike is curious considering Trump's end game for immigrants is deportation, and less focus on imprisonment. 

Sylvia Plath Practice IOC

Provided below is a link to my practice IOC on Sylvia Plath's poem "Lady Lazarus":

https://youtu.be/bR7GpbBvBxg

Coriolanus IOC Practice Passage Outline

This particular passage is sourced from Shakespeare's play Coriolanus, particularly towards the  end of scene IV during a period after Coriolanus' banishment from Rome, prior to his attempt at returning. This Shakespeare is renowned to the most politically exploratory of his plays, ultimately leadings to the overall discussion of my following commentary. This commentary will thematically explore the relevance of social classes in Rome at the time Shakespeare created this play. Throughout the tragedy, the conflict between Aufidius and Coriolanus has developed, and the reader can expect a negative characterisation of the protagonist throughout this passage through his enemy's dialogue. 

Chunk 1: Characterisation of Coriolanus

• In multiple instances in the text, Coriolanus is compared to predator-natured animals as Shakespeare ultimate characterisation of this multi-faceted protagonist as a powerful and violent figure. 
• The characters prevalent within this passage are immediately indicative of the tone Shakespeare sets as the dialogue progresses. 
• The development of Coriolanus as an anti-hero is foreshadowed in the final two lines of the passage, where Shakespeare uses the protagonist's enemy to reveal Coriolanus' eventual downfall from the power he continuously longs for. 

Chunk 2: Transition of power roles in Rome

• Since the beginning of the text, the reader can recognise a struggle for power between the upper and lower classes of Rome, Coriolanus depicting the upper class while the Plebeians are considered lower class. The democratic nature of Rome hints at the reader that Coriolanus would never be appointed power within Rome due to his incredibly selfish nature. As the story progresses, this unsuspected transition of power is becoming more and more probable, much to the demise of Aufidius, who struggles for power as well. 
• At this particular point in the play, Coriolanus is in his most powerful state due to his manipulation of his social appearance as a noble, amicable soldier, to which even Aufidius admits, from lines 10 to 15, that this manipulation of power should result in his seizing of power.

Chunk 3: Roman Social classes

• Coriolanus' inability to consider a life without power and dominance, leads to his manipulation of Rome's upper class of their opinion of him. Despite the lower class of Rome being much more abundant in size, Coriolanus is aware that a close relationship with the upper class will allow him to achieve his ultimate dreams. 
• This characterisation of Coriolanus serves as a tool to Shakespeare to comment on the dominance of the wealthy of the poor and the lack of control the poor essentially had in a Roman democracy. 
• This downfall of Coriolanus as an anti-hero ultimately serves as a commentary about the social flaw Rome has inherited, in its inability to adhere to social equality. 

All in all, Shakespeare's most politically endowed play serves as a relatable template to similar social issues modern day societies encounter, faced with the flaws of greed and the need to control.  

Practice IOC Outline: Runaway Passage

Annotated Passage sourced from Alice Munro's short story: Runaway

IOC Outline

This particular passage is sourced from Runaway, a short story part of a collection of Alice Munro's short stories of the same name. This collection of short stories titled "Runaway", was published well into her writing career, in 2004, particularly focus on the notion of physically and mentally escaping one's issues. The title is continuously relevant throughout these stories in its encompassment of the notion of running away through instances of deliberate ignorance or characters escaping settings that trap their concept of freedom. This commentary will sequentially explore  a particular passage towards the end of the short story, where both the protagonist and a secondary character come to terms with the lack of control in their social settings through ignorance and compromise. 

Chunk 1: Ignorance

• Sylvia physically escapes her life in this social setting, aware of the hardships her friend Carla and the compromise of her happiness with her freedom. 
• "made the mistake of thinking how somehow that Carla's freedom and happiness were the same thing. All she cared for was Carla's happiness; and she saw now that she - Carla - had found that in her marriage."
• The awareness of freedom is evident in Sylvia's reflection however she immediately shifts to ignoring the lack of freedom in Carla's life. She reflects upon her awareness of the compromise Carla must go through to live a happy life. 
• "With all my good wishes"; Sylvia never offers any help to Carla, despite her awareness of the internal conflict this protagonist is experiencing. Munro utilises Sylvia's character to reflect such attitudes in society and the reality of having to face one conflicts alone. 

Chunk 2: Realisation

• In Sylvia's letter, Carla is able to realise that her husband is withholding information that could be useful to her, stripping her of her freedom to choose her reactions to situations. By this I mean that Carla is unable to react to the reappearance of Flora and the potential inclination this event could have on Carla's situation, leave Clark responsible for controlling Carla's knowledge, censoring her from things he believes she shouldn't know. 
• Sylvia's ignorance reappears in this chunk in her saying that "Flora has her place as a good angel in my life and perhaps also in your husband's life and yours." Sylvia was victim to Clark's need for power, as he confronted her at her home. Yet, she later on believes that he is open with his wife, a seemingly ignorant thought to form considering Clark's past actions.

Chunk 3: Acceptance/ Compromise

• Carla's reaction to Sylvia's letter is expected as she is forced to confront certain issues that she wanted to run away from. Her husbands control of her freedom, and the lack of ability to rely on others in her life. With the leaving of Sylvia, Carla is essentially left alone with Clark, forced to succumb to his power and compromise her freedom with her happiness. 
• Munro's use of figurative language is reflected in this final passage of the text, on the form of a metaphor. "It was as if she had a murderous needle in her lungs, and by breathing carefully she could avoid feeling it. But every once it a while she had to take a deep breath, and it was still there." Clark's control over Carla is compared to a murderous needle, and as long as he remains in her life, she will be unable to escape it, just like breathing. 

All things considered, Munro's use of figurative language and human relationships are utilised as tools to communicate internal and external conflicts, allowing readers to relate and reflect upon her short stories, and perhaps exhibits more social emotion. 

Royal Beatings Passage: Practice IOC

Here is a link to a practice IOC that explores a passage in Alice Munro's short story "Royal Beatings":

https://youtu.be/kQeIYXNqlRA

Emotional Intelligence

Throughout the past few classes, we have been discussing the importance of emotional intelligence, particularly focusing in on the question "How can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence?".  David Foster Wallace's speech provides an interesting link to the point of view Alice Munro's presents in her series of short stories. 

David Foster Wallace's commencement speech "This is Water" effectively discusses the importance of emotional intelligence in relationships and the world around us. He suggests that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious and sympathetic. By having an awareness of other's emotions, one can become less self-absorbed and proceed to becoming more conscious and accepting of the world around them. Essentially, emotional intelligence is essential for becoming a well rounded, functioning member of society. 

Alice Munro's short stories follow the daily-life of the protagonist and allows us to see a second perspective at the complexities of life that may not have been considered. Her stories allow us to understand all the quirks and hardships. Her texts often leave out a lot of elements that allow the readers to develop their own assumptions. A connection to Wallace's theory is exemplified in the Family Furnishings short, through Alfreda's character and her role as a black sheep. 

Alfreda is considered an outcast in her family. Her sisters, brothers and cousins never invite her to their houses or gatherings. Her "business woman" attitude and lack of a partner presents her as an untraditional character, contrasting the conservative attitudes of the rest of her family. Towards the end of the story, however, the readers come to learn a crucial element of Alfreda's story, she had had a child with her cousins as a teenager, and her family never looked at her the same way since. By acknowledging the hardships she has experienced throughout her life, the readers are able to develop sympathy towards and use their emotional intelligence to rationalise her actions and decisions. 

The awareness of Alfreda's internal and external conflicts forces the reader to sympathise with this character. If a reader already has an emotional awareness of their surrounding environment, they would be able to immediately consider potential reasons for Alfreda's uniqueness, without having to wait until the end to understand the reason for her role as a black sheep in the short story. 

An anthology of the most emotionally riveting songs of the past century

Amy Winehouse's song "Valerie" always made me feel empathetic towards the character she was singing about, Valerie. The song presents a relationship between two women that seems to have faded away over the years, and Winehouse seems to be reaching out for her attention, perhaps in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. The way in which the singer speaks about Valerie, it seems as though when they ended their relationship,Valerie was under a lot of stress, perhaps indicating Winehouse had not supported her in her time of hardship. Valerie is said to perhaps have had to go to jail, which makes the reader aware of the issues Valerie has had to experience. In addition to this Winehouse allows us to understand that Valerie was not on the right plane when it came to her intimate relationship as she is told to find a man who might be able to support her in her struggles.

Miming, Pointing, Deciphering and Mind-Reading

As I sit here, around a bunch of people who I thought I would have stuff in common with, I have found myself restricted by a language barrier. For the first time in my life (that I can remember), being an Anglophone is to my disadvantage. 

Here in Denmark, virtually everything is written and spoken in Danish. And while this makes perfect sense, being a country of people who speak Danish, I am somewhat surprised by the lack of English spoken. For some reason, I had expected for English to be more widely spoken. This assumption may stem from the privilege I have being a French and English speaking Canadian, that has lived in many places internationally, yet have always been able to communicate using the English language. 

English is considered the international language of business, and while I'm sure Danish business men and women are capable of speaking English, the average Danish teenager and I may find trouble communicating. We would probably have to resort to miming, pointing, deciphering and mind-reading. 

Thankfully this experience has taught me to be more appreciative and understanding of others who are in the same place. Not everyone speaks English... (duh Gabby)

Achebe Blog Post: Religious influence

Thesis:

Chinua Achebe's Nigerian cultural upbringing significantly influences the characterisation of certain characters in his literature through religious, cultural and social beliefs, in an attempt to rationalise the impact of the colonisers religion: Christianity. 

TS1: 

The extremist similarities in personality between Okonkwo and Mr. Smith allow for the reader to develop an establishment of the religious, cultural and social conflict both character represent. 

TS2:

Achebe's uses Enoch to develop the conflict present through Things Fall Apart, as Enoch represents a first instance of a lack of coexistence between the Igbo people and the colonisers. 

TS3:

Mr. Brown's character offers a compromise between the Igbo culture and its colonisers allowing the reader to develop an understanding of coexistence between both culture. 

The Tragic Hero

Chinua Achebe repetitively characterizes Okonkwo as a Tragic Hero in a variety of ways throughout the text. By definition, a tragic hero is a character in a story that exhibits courage yet also is faced with a variety of adversities that will ultimately result in his/her downfall. Achebe follows Aristotle's characteristics to develop Okonkwo's character.

Okonkwo's hamartia is his fear laziness, which exhibit through his handwork achieve a powerful title in the Igbo society. When it is announced that Ikemefuna must he ignores his emotional attachment to the boy, and instead participates in his slaughter to fulfil his own pride, a demonstration of hubris. This event could also be considered Okonkwo's peripeteia, as it impacts the development of the story. Peripeteia is also evident later on in the text where Okonkwo is somewhat framed by his fate in an accident with a gun which kills a young boy during a funeral. This event leads to the exiled of Okonkwo and his family to Mbamba, his motherland. So when his home village of Umuofia is colonised by Europeans and the Igbo people do not resist, he commit suicides as he fears the feeling of powerlessness. 

Achebe's purposeful use of hamartia, hubris and peripeteia impact his targeted audience on a personal level. The mistakes and downfalls that Okonkwo experiences are also experienced by the reader to an extent. The reader is then taught to avoid the mistakes the hero makes and sadness is evoked when the hero experiences his/her downfall. As Achebe has explained in previous interviews, his choice to write literature about Nigerian culture is due to the lack of Nigerian literature, essentially humanising the international view of Nigeria. Evidently, Achebe intends to use the tragic hero as a method for the reader to humanise Okonkwo as a character. 

A European's guide to Igboland

A pleasant surprise

During the completion of my post in Igboland over the past three years, I have observed the habits and customs of the Igbo people, one of the largest ethnic groups in the whole continent of Africa. It seems to me that their culture and society is structured similarly to that of the Europeans, and I would like to provide other Europeans with a guide to how to behave there.  So, without further a do, here is my version of a European’s guidebook to Igboland.

Cultural Structure:

A significant difference of cultural structure between the West and the Igbo people, would be their lack of "centralized political structures", however similarly, the Igbo people follow democratic political decision-making. They like the idea of direct involvement in government/political decision. "Cross cutting ties" was something they adherently subscribed to, so when Europeans arrived, the Igbo societal structure was halted by our impositions. Before our arrival, Igboland could consider itself divided into 200 separate groups, which emphasizes the diversity of cultural values within the country.

Title:

Throughout Igboland, the title "ozo" was appointed to men who merited the title throughout wealth, dedication and respect. The word is not used lightly and has a high significance to this culture, since status is very important to them. However, while colonizing Igboland, the ozo's have been stripped of their title by British colonizers who overtake their powerful place in society. Nowadays, the terms "igwe" and "ogbu efi" are use to describe the ozo's. The age group system seems to be significant to this culture as well, as it promotes respect as individuals age and gain wisdom. Also, the Igbo people must maintain a “transparent” life, meaning that they must not live a life of secrecy and should deal with their conflicts through compromise.

Religion/ worship:

Eze Nri is the Igbo people's first family to be created on the Earth, while Chukwu is the name for a god. Contrarily to Christianity, each person forms a belief in his or her own individual god, while acknowledging the main god Chukwu.

Marriage:

Men are allowed to have many wives. The main/first wife often brought the junior wives to the husband. Each wife is given her own house and also have the right to leave if unhappy in the marriage. Although this may not adhere to Western standards of cultural structure, there do not seem to be major issues that surface as a result of these different customs.

Death:

Igbo people believe of multiple lives and that their social status would be carried on throughout these lives. However, the death of an individual is considered to be a disturbance to the cosmological balance of their society.

Women:

Similarly to men, women are involved in associations that contributed to the wellbeing of their society. Also, women are considered to be more spiritually aware.

Children:

Children are valued very highly and deemed to be important for lineages to be continued.

Source of food:

Don’t expect apples or potatoes as sources of vitamins and potassium. Instead, develop an open mindedness to yams, cocoyams, bananas and plantains, as Igbo agriculture mainly revolves around these staple fruits and vegetables.

Above are different aspects of the Igbo culture and society that one must be aware and extremely respectful of. However, they are aware of the differences between theirs and our culture, and the mistakes or assumptions we may make during our stay in Igboland.

Chinua Achebe Interview Meaningful Takeaway

During our Shared Inquiry Discussion in class today, I was struck by the lack of books recounting African stories from the point of view of an African individual. It was not a concept that I had previously considered, yet, the extent of it on the African culture must be considerably large. In the interview with Achebe, he explains that previous to his endeavours in literature, there were a significant amount of "authentically African" books written by European or American authors. He went on to say that "The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. The reason for this had to do with the need to justify the slave trade and slavery." (p. 2-3) This seems to be a complete marginalisation of the voices of Africans, who are equally as able to recount African stories. Since Western culture had incredible power over cultural minorities, their ability to manipulate other Westerners opinions on Africans allowed them to justify their dismissal and ignorance towards African cultures. By Africans publishing their own books, and recounting their own stories and experiences, they are able to express themselves and their cultures in a more positive. Additionally, by using English in their literature, they are able to reach a wider audience, and perhaps humanise themselves to Western audiences, who have only ever been shown dreading images of African cultures. 

Paper 1 Practice

Emma Watson presents a speech at a UN assembly in an attempt to persuade society to support the #HeForShe campaign. In doing so, she also presents an argument as to why equal gender rights have not yet become tangible, as a method of further persuading her targeted audience. The employment of the persuasive appeals pathos and ethos, as well as a variety of literary devices such as anaphora, amplifications, personal experiences as well as a great understanding of her targeted audience, are successful methods to gain the support of her targeted audience for the #HeForShe campaign.

         Firstly, Watson’s speech takes a serious and positive stance towards the issue of gender equality, as it neither condemns nor blames a specific group, but creates the mood of a welcoming and hopeful speech, in the hopes to encourage her targeted audience to support the #HeForShe campaign. The speech begins with Watson identifying herself with the term “I”, and directly addressing her targeted audience with the terms “you/your”, which allows this audience to feel comfortable with the speaker and her point of view. This use of pathos is evident by Watson saying, “I am reaching out to you because we need your help” (l. 1-2), as she directly references the audience, creating a relationship with them.

Later on in the text, this Goodwill Ambassador explains the concept behind the #HeForShe campaign by defining the word feminism as “the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes”(l. 15), as this is the overall message of the #HeForShe campaign. By defining this term and explaining the #HeForShe in more detail, Watson appeals to the audience’s ethos, allowing them to feel more comfortable with her credibility. She then chooses to recite that “the reality is that if we do nothing, it will take seventy-five years, or for me to be nearly 100, before woman can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work” (l. 103-105) as a fact relevant to the topic of gender equality. She further develops her credibility with the audience by stating, “15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children. And at current rates, it wont be until 2086 before all rural African girls can have a secondary education” (l. 106-109). By conveying these facts, the targeted audience is able to understand the effects of gender inequality and support the #HeForShe campaign.

Watson employs a variety of literary devices within her speech in an attempt to further persuade her targeted audience to support the feminist campaign. In the third paragraph of the speech, the use of the anaphora “when at (…)” (l. 18-23), is sourced from Watson’s personal experiences which allows the audience to familiarize themselves with her, and therefore feel more comfortable with her point of view. An anaphora is also used between the lines 43 and 45 to further this appeal to the emotions of the audience. Later on, she uses the rhetorical question, “why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?” (l.31), referring to the word ‘feminism’, to further the argue to those against the term and concept of feminism. The use of the imagery “imprisoned by gender stereotypes” (l. 73-74) allows Watson to support her argument about the effects of gender stereotypes.

Since the #HeForShe campaign was launched at a UN assembly, it is essential to consider her targeted audience to be of a variety nationalities and multicultural backgrounds, as well as gender. The UN ensures to employ both men and women, which allows for both genders to be part of their decision processes. In terms of the public audience of this speech, a video was launched across social media allowing mostly the newest and middle-aged generations to view the speech and reflect upon the #HeForShe message. Also, although Watson mentions her British nationality and personal experiences, this is meant to persuade her audience to broaden the audience to an international scale. She uses her British nationality as a platform to speak out against gender equality issues, such as her reference to “rural African girls” (l. 108) and "child marriage" (l. 107). This infers her acknowledgement of International issues, allowing her to gain a wider audience to persuade.

All in all, the effect of this text on Watson’s targeted audience should be considered to understand her persuasive success. The extensive use of literary techniques, persuasive appeals, personal experiences and a great understanding of her audience allow for a triumphant persuasive speech.