Relationship between language, gender, and power

In the following link contains the article about "Minnesota police offers shot after city council meeting".

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/27/minneapolis-police-shooting-city-council-meeting

There is some relationship between language, gender and power in this particular article. Looking at the heading "Minnesota (police officers) shot after city council meeting", it uses "police officers" instead of pointing into specific information such as policeman or policewoman meaning that the article does not have any bias to either man or woman, or does not want to reveal specific gender of wounded police since it might cause further conflict. Using the word "police officer" also means that the author does not oppress any genders. The following sentence states that "......returned fire and killed the (gunman)...". The use of the word "gunman" has specific gender-identification explained through language, which means that the convict was male. Meanwhile, if the article stated the word "gunwoman", which is rarely to be seen,  it would imply that the convict is female meaning that the detail might oppress female in some way since sometimes it is not appropriate to expose female conducting horrible deed. Reading along the article, the author still uses the same neutral word relating to victims meaning that author does not want to reveal specific information. It shows that he/she is trying to keep his/her piece neutral.

Linguistic Imperialism

First of all "Imperialism" is a policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies; according to dictionary. Linked to education, imperialism has significant effects both in positive and negative way. For positive way, countries or community colonized by the dominant country will be able to gather more knowledge from the immigrants. The standard quality of  education system will be heightened up which will open a wider opportunity for students to study various subject branches. Students who are studying in the system will have a wider view of the world around them because information collected into the education system comes from different places that might have different perspective or cognition. Different perspective or cognition means that when they meet the same dispute or arguement, more knowledge will be created since everyone has different interpretation and imagination. One of the best thing of being colonized is that people tend to use the same language which is easier to communicate and exchange personal ideas. Coming back to education system, the graduated students will provide good quality services or works into the community which will, eventually, increase life-quality, income, or health. Furthermore essential services will be provided in the community since people have enough knowledge and satisfactory profession, such as doctor, lawyer, or teacher, in order to produce needed service. Community , especially with lower quality life, will benefit from being colonized because immigrants will bring knowledge in order to teach native the way of using their resources efficiently creating higher income-rate and increasing quality of life. However, being colonized means using new language or, moreover, losing dialect which will lead to the loss of indigenous knowledge. Since every place has their way of living which includes the use of herbs, tools, or machine. Gathering new education system or knowledge from immigrant means that native will have to abandon uniques techniques, language, or cultural value. Crucially, language and cultural value might extinct eventually. Nevertheless, being colonized was a potential way of getting new knowledge and better education quality in past. Since living in modern era where social networking is spreading conprehensively, people have opportunity to learn and study through electronic device which means that being colonized is not the best way of getting high-standard education anymore.

Paper #1 Text # 2

This text is a descriptive text from the website because it mostly tells the background information of food crisis in Sahel region of West and Central Africa before saying what Oxfam international itself is doing in order to help people living within the area. The aim of the text is to review significant problem occurring by saying the people’s daily life living which should be treated.The people who mostly will interested in this specific topic are local, operation related to humanity or people who have faced the same problem because they would have a lot of concern and sympathy to support Oxfam in order to help people.

Looking at the content and picture, the text is mostly about the people in Sahel region of West and Central Africa who are facing food crisis in the past years. A lot of people do not have enough food and water to live because of many factors including climate and scarce resources that heightens up the food prices. Therefore, Oxfam international claims that they are helping, preventing and trying to supply food and resources for people living in the area. The message that the author is trying to build the sympathy emotion and convey is the long-term food crisis in Africa, having been infecting and killing people for many year, which need to be taken into account. Therefore, the author is trying to mention the goodness of Oxfam international by saying its operation within the area in order to hook the emotional and concerning readers.

The tone of the text is sympathetic because it is about food crisis, which have been affecting people’s life for many years, resulting to the illness, struggling and death of African people. The atmosphere is sad and gloomy because a lot of people are dying, however; there is still some happiness within this atmosphere because Oxfam international is in its helping and supporting operation which might cure the problems.

Within the text, Oxfam international’s perspective is objective from its data receiving for many years. It can be seen by the use of “According to national early warning systems…..” and “Recent reports said….” that it is not biased or made by themselves in order to make this website trustable. The ideological standpoint in this text is not obvious, however, it gives some sense of helping and providing the people who do not have or have less. The ideological can be obvious in the sense of sharing. The repetition of Oxfam in the last paragraph emphasizes the fact that they are actually helping these people, not the other organization. It can also be said that Oxfam international is stepping and actually helping without any doubt because it uses first person or specific pronoun in order to hook and create some emotional sense relating to Oxfam to the reader. The paragraph structure used in this text is trying to build up emotion and ideas of struggling people. The use of image of local riding sad-looking donkey at the beginning of the text including the catchphrase “Food Crisis in Sahel” creates sympathetic impression to the readers. The dry ground and probably bright sunlight (because of the shadow) also creates the sense of shortages of water and foods that African people are struggling with. The structure of this text is providing from background information to specific data. The first bold paragraph is hooking and creating curious emotion for the readers to find out more about the situation because it uses specific data such as “12 million people……are facing a food crisis…” and imperative emotional word such as “we hope…”. The following paragraph provides basic information about food crisis, however, it also tells consequences, such as “……provides an opportunity to avoid the mistake of the pass”, if this problem does not take into account which this particular is hooking the readers into the emotion of caring. Moving to the subheading, it mostly talks and goes in depth to the specific data which builds up more sympathetic emotion because of the use of number such as “5.4 million people”. The use of paragraph-ending has significant emotional touch to the readers who are actually concerning to this problem because “2.4 million people don’t have always enough to eat” shows that these people really need to be helped. Coming to the last subheading, all of the sympathy emotional makes Oxfam international looks very good and helpful because it is the only organization mentioned in this text. Therefore, if this organization is gathering donation, people who are really concerning about this problem will definitely donate for them since there are only what Oxfam is trying to help African people in the last subheading. It shows only its goodness including the use of repetition of Oxfam is emphasizing that Oxfam is the best one.

Generation Like Blog Post

How is the currency of likes equivalent to an actual currency? How do consumers contribute to this currency?

First of all currency is a system of money used in different countries, therefore there are a lot of currencies around all over the world. I think the most important point that makes likes-currency equivalent to other actual currenties is tangible or actual work. You need to put your effort on work or job in order to gain money, likewise you need to do or start something attractive in order to gain likes for example; creating video, composing music, or just posting your selfie in social media. Sometimes likes can be transferred between people as same as money for example; you trade money in order to buy things. It is the same as you trade likes in order to gain more likes because people or teenagers tend to reply likes when getting liked by other people. Nevertheless likes can be gained by begging other people as well. However, I think that consumers do not mostly contribute with likes-currency in daily life because it cannot be used in buying necessary things in order to live. It is just a tool that consumers use in order to gain happiness or feel successful when reaching certain amount of likes. Meanwhile, consumers might use likes as a tool to be in social or social media because they will be able to talk about the fame of their photograph or video. I think gaining a lot of likes in social media can be seen as a little famous, therefore; gaining likes can be used as a door to gain actual money because company will sponsor you in order to advertise something. However, this method is relatively hard because you have to reach certain amount of likes or fame. Overall, I think consumers mostly contribute with likes in term of gaining happiness, feeling greatful or proud. 

Pop Culture Blog Post

Not Giving In

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9-Lwpgfd1E

“Not Giving In” is a song from Rudimental presented in a way that empower particular social group being in hard time or bad environment which might involve drug, crime or thief.  The song’s lyrics presenting the stress of people after having conflicts are supported by the use music video that portrays two boys which could make choices to be successful in either good or bad way after having family problem. However, the ideology of people living in this particular social group is that they cannot be successful and have to follow the old way which is thief or crime. Hence, the song “Not Giving In” is trying to empower people in a way that they can be successful with the use of effort and talent even though they have fallen or passed through many hard times.

The music video has significantly effect on lyrics because lyrics themselves only have a lot of repetition of the words “Not giving in” rather mention particular problem. The opening scene that the boys’ father uses violence on their mother can be seen as their hard time and heartbroken situation because kids could rarely bear these kinds of feeling. Apparently they start to rob people until one boy finds his interest and chooses his own way which is a good way happening and carrying performance in bad environment. In this case, the use of dancing can be seen as positive alternative to be shown the success in. Watching the music video backward will be able to empower and see that everyone can be successful even though how stress you have and deep you have fallen in. The use of a boy, working and training hard in order to be good at dancing, emphasizes the lyrics of the song, “I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in”. The boy fails many times, and gets stronger every times he fails. He finally reaches his goal even though he is in bad environment.

In contrast, another boy chooses bad alternative which leads to end as in people ideology, crime and thief. Watching through the music video shows that working in black market is not a hard job but dangerous only. The end of this boy is apparently bad. The use of showing the progress of two boys empowers people and the fact that you can choose your successful way. The ideology is nothing comparing with your notion and goal.

Looking into the lyrics shows that it does not have anything relate to particular situation, but the music video’. It is just the empowering and strong meaning words that inspire people: “lost my mind and lost my goal” shows that you’re in hard time, “Mm, not giving in” empowers and inspires people not to give up, “this time, I’m gonna be stronger I’m not giving in, emphasizes that you will be stronger every times you fall if you do not give up, and “waste my time which makes things worse” urges people to start doing and working hard. This song and its lyrics is an inspiration to people who are in hard time or in bad environment, as in music video. It shows that every life can choose what they want, and can be successful what they intend as in the end of music video one boy dies and one successes. It is just the way you choose.

Hence, the song “Not Giving In” is a successfully empowerment of people who are in hard time which the music video has significantly effect on feeling and people’s notion.  

Blog Post Advertisements and Culture

According to the advertisement which is about American army, it obviously reveals that soldiers were needed in that particular time period. It shows that there might be war or serious situation in the society that had to get support from civilians. The image of the advertisement also portrays in a way that the actor was taking place somewhere in the desert, mostly in the Middle East. The Americans involve in many wars in the Middle East which corresponds to the message that they’re trying to convey about the soldiers. Meanwhile, the message “The best place to start a business career isn’t always in business” shows that there might be many young graduated facing with scarce employment at that time. The advertisement is trying to persuade people to join army because they claimed that people will get determination, good judgment and self-discipline skills. These claims are interpreted that the people with the skills will have more opportunity than others in finding jobs. The advertisement also shows that the American culture doesn’t want only smart people to work in the company, but also consider their behaviors and other social skills. The message “Army, Be all you can be” is showing that graduating from university doesn’t give all the skills you need for your life. It might be only academic skills, not the mental and behavior one.

The most important characteristic in this advertisement is the way that soldier acts. The image portrays the soldiers jumping over the rocks; it represents the feeling of determination and perhaps judgment skills that needed to be considered before doing anything dangerous or harmfulness. The expression on his face and aspect of the gun gives the feeling of self-discipline skills, since being in the army is a selflessness job that every soldier has to put effort in. The angle of the picture shows that soldier is relatively high of the ground, and almost jumps over the rock. It means that with these skills, you can overcome dangerous or serious life problem. The action of soldiers mostly relate to what they claim people will get.

However, this advertisement is empowering and focusing on masculinity population only since there is nothing relating to female about army. The advertisement itself is showing and representing male soldier because some job is relatively not appropriate for female. Meanwhile, being in the army needs good physical health condition due to the condition of training or serving place might be very tough. Therefore not only female population is being ignored, but also old male population. It is relatively biased to male.

Persuasive Blog

Persuasive Advertisement

This will be the advertisement of instant noodle, Noody

Bored of cooking breakfast?  We know that cooking breakfast is a horrible thing to do every morning. But how are you going to do? You need breakfast. Kids need breakfast. That’s why Noody was born. It is a new generation of food, which is delicious, fast and easy to cook with loads of nutrients and energy from quality ingredients. Noody exists everywhere! Everyone has it! And you will get one soon! All you have to do is just boil the water, pour on the Noody, and add some flavor and a bit of egg. BOOOM! The aromatic smells of Noody you can enjoy within 5 minutes. Oh wait! If you have more time, you can even make a fried noodle form the Noody. The taste of Asian can be yours within short time. You might not wonder how easy and fast Noody is. Our survey found 99% of Mothers use less time cooking breakfast, and they drop their kids on time as well as arriving office in time. How awesome Noody is? Everything is in Noody; convenient, fast, easy and delicious. Get Noody now, and you won’t be disappointed.

Logos: “Our survey found 99% of Mothers use less time cooking breakfast, and they drop their kids on time as well as arriving office in time.” This can be considered as Logos because it uses reasonable proof from the survey showing that getting Noody is actually make their life easier. By telling that they won’t drop their kids and go to work late, it (if we think widely problem occurred in some country) will resolve the problem that they will stuck in the rush hour traffic if spending less time in making breakfast. It’s a way for persuading the audiences to buy product.

Pathos: "We know that cooking breakfast is a horrible thing to do every morning. But how are you going to do?” This can be considered as Pathos because this statement represents sympathetic emotion that the writer can feel. By telling and asking the question to the audiences to think along, it will drag the audiences into their feeling resulting that the audiences might want to find a easier way to cook. And eventually buy Noody.

Ethos: “Noody exists everywhere! Everyone has it! And you will get one soon!” This can be considered as Ethos because this statement represents the connection between Noody and their ethical community. It’s trying to how famous Noody is within community. Therefore, it will drag their attraction to probably buy and get Noody soon.

          “with loads of nutrients and energy from quality ingredients” This can be considered as another Ethos because it shows how good-willed Noody is from putting quality ingredients.