Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

April 12, 2011

The Awareness in Biased Language

            The power of language can be a strong influence within the meaning and interpretation of words.  Susanne Langer describes language as a “symbol” because it causes a person to think about what is being symbolized.  Rosalie Maggio’s  argument relates biased language as being a form of a symbol as the meaning interprets different information.  One of the example’s that Maggio uses is the word manmade.  The words, she argues, does reveal much information.  “Does it mean artificial? Handmade? Synthetic? Fabricated? Machine made? Custom-made? Simulated? Plastic? Imitation? Contrived?”  The true meaning of the word manmade is an object that is made by human being, not artificially made.  The word can be misinterpreted as to refer that any object is made only by the male sex.  Her example of biased language is very accurate in regards to “manmade.”  It is a word that I do not pay much attention to because the meaning of the word has been engraved in my head.  The affect of the word would be different to a person who is not familiar with the language.  At first sound it would be presumed that an object was made by a man.  This is how the perception of language can influence a person and language itself. 

            Langer writes, “the essence of language is symbolic,”  and provides a good example of a child playing with a toy, which is always referred to as horsey.  The child’s repeated use of horsey allows for the fixed conception of the meaning to be created.   With every repetition, the name and meaning become engraved in the young minds head.  The name, describes Langer, “Names are the essence of language; for the name is what abstracts the conception of the horse form the horse itself, and lets the mere idea recur at the speaking of the name.”   Although, not all names completely describe the correct meaning or conception.  Several names that have been created and given within society are very derogatory and/or biased.  Words that Maggio describes such as gay, bum, fishermen, office girl.  Words such as these have been created but describe a very biased meaning.  These words are often used in mainstream society and media.  For a person who is unaware of their derogatory meaning or chooses to be ignorant to it,  influences others conception of the name. 

            I am guilty of using such words at times and as I read Maggio’s article, it is unbelievable the amount of biased language that is used.  It is engraved in everyday literature and heavily used in media and marketing elements.  Reading several examples of this bias, it emphasize the large amount of influence words can have upon a person.  It ranges from the car commercials advertising only for the male audience or the packaging labels that emphasize how easy the use of the product will be for all mom.  It is almost a form of brainwashing manufactures and companies are constantly labeling the “norm,” that car belong to men and the rearing of children only belongs to women.  It is language that at times I use in my regular language, language that has been engraved in my head since I was young. 

Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

April 1, 2011

Happiness Through Self Worth

            Growing up, my mother would always tell me, “do whatever makes you happy.”   Yet what happens when that happiness conflicts with others physically or emotionally?  Happiness isn’t always the correct choice when it affects other people or one’s personal safety.  Actions such as theft, murder and lies can never be dismissed or justified if the reason for those actions were that it made an individual happy.   Agreeing with one’s choices and having the integrity and self respect is the best decision one can make when achieving true happiness.  Through personal experience, retail is a very competitive environment as management positions within the company that I work for are scarcely  available.  When a pricing position opened up with our store, management collectively decided that the position would be filled by promoting within the store.  There were two associates that expressed interest within the position.  The first associate was twenty-seven years old, had been with the company for three years, energetic and assertive in demeanor.  The second associate was twenty years old, had been with the company for four years, very quite and shy in demeanor.  When the interview process had arrived, both candidates were given ample time to describe what they felt were their personal achievements and successes within their time with the company.  Within the interviews, it was reveled that one of the associates had lied about a previous job performance and was ultimately terminated.  I  was eventually offered and then excepted the pricing position.  I felt very thankful that my four years within the company had finally paid off.  I was relived and proud that I had achieved the position with my self respect intact.  It is accomplishments such as these, that allow one to be pleased with ones self and not be haunted with shame or regret of previous bad judgments.  My mother would have been terribly wrong to advise me to do what ever makes me happy, if that happiness meant stealing company money such as that terminated employee did.

             Scenarios such as these, solidify the need for honesty and integrity, not just the need to feel emotionally happy.  It is also a matter of having a clean or guilty conscience.  I don’t believe that any good hearted individual could live with their conscience if a choice was not made with good intensions in mind.  Having a guilty conscience, would rip a person apart sooner or later, regret and sorrow would then become apart of a person’s life.  Religion can also be a large factor between a persons pursuit of happiness or self respect.  Many choices that are made are positive choices that would provided happiness or pleasure. It is very difficult to say that an individual would choose anything for the total opposite, yet there are always exceptions.  Personally, self respect is the ultimate satisfaction.  If I died tomorrow, I would be very satisfied to know that all my accomplishments, as great or little as they maybe, were achieved with self respect and hard earned dedication. 

Reyes, Dalila
Instr. Gross
English 103
April 1, 2011

Happiness Through Self Worth

Growing up, my mother would always tell me, “do whatever makes you happy.” Yet what happens when that happiness conflicts with others physically or emotionally? Happiness isn’t always the correct choice when it affects other people or one’s personal safety. Actions such as theft, murder and lies can never be dismissed or justified if the reason for those actions were that it made an individual happy. Agreeing with one’s choices and having the integrity and self respect is the best decision one can make when achieving true happiness. Through personal experience, retail is a very competitive environment as management positions within the company that I work for are scarcely available. When a pricing position opened up with our store, management collectively decided that the position would be filled by promoting within the store. There were two associates that expressed interest within the position. The first associate was twenty-seven years old, had been with the company for three years, energetic and assertive in demeanor. The second associate was twenty years old, had been with the company for four years, very quite and shy in demeanor. When the interview process had arrived, both candidates were given ample time to describe what they felt were their personal achievements and successes within their time with the company. Within the interviews, it was reveled that one of the associates had lied about a previous job performance and was ultimately terminated. I was eventually offered and then excepted the pricing position. I felt very thankful that my four years within the company had finally paid off. I was relived and proud that I had achieved the position with my self respect intact. It is accomplishments such as these, that allow one to be pleased with ones self and not be haunted with shame or regret of previous bad judgments. My mother would have been terribly wrong to advise me to do what ever makes me happy, if that happiness meant stealing company money such as that terminated employee did.

Scenarios such as these, solidify the need for honesty and integrity, not just the need to feel emotionally happy. It is also a matter of having a clean or guilty conscience. I don’t believe that any good hearted individual could live with their conscience if a choice was not made with good intensions in mind. Having a guilty conscience, would rip a person apart sooner or later, regret and sorrow would then become apart of a person’s life. Religion can also be a large factor between a persons pursuit of happiness or self respect. Many choices that are made are positive choices that would provided happiness or pleasure. It is very difficult to say that an individual would choose anything for the total opposite, yet there are always exceptions. Personally, self respect is the ultimate satisfaction. If I died tomorrow, I would be very satisfied to know that all my accomplishments, as great or little as they maybe, were achieved with self respect and hard earned dedication.

Reyes, Dalila
Instr. Gross
English 103
March 24, 2011
At What Age Should One Baptize?
Baptism is a religious sacrament that uses the symbolism of water to erase original sin and it is also recognized as the acceptance of God. Raised in a Catholic family and having been baptized my self, I was expected to do the same for my children. Many years ago before I had my children, I had a conversation with my boyfriend and he challenged my religion’s practice of baptizing children at a small age. He asked me what the point was of baptizing a child upon birth if the child is to small to comprehend the responsibly and meaning of the sacrament. I was a bit surprised that he was interested and yet challenging my religion. He was brought up in a Christian religion, in which baptisms are performed once an adult is able to make the conscious choice and is able to understand the commitment one is making with God. Once I shared with him my religions information, the topic soon lead to a hypothetical question, if we one day conceived a child, what religion would that child be baptized under? This topic struck a very delicate conversation. We were both avoiding harsh words that would bring insult or hurt to each others families and religious beliefs. As in any discussion, I am very opened to ideas or suggestions, so I tried very hard to remain unbiased and hear him out. He stated that he would disagree with my decision of baptizing his children at such a young age. He didn’t not agree with a religion baptizing at an early age and he made it very clear that no child of his would be baptized in a Catholic church. I didn’t not fully agree with his view and began feeling very angered that he would not understand or have any consideration or respect for my religion. If baptism at an early age held no meaning for him what difference does a sprinkling of water at an early age make?
As I continued to ponder on the subject, I began to realize that we would both need to compromise if that day ever arrived. I evaluated my own personal reasons of wanting to baptize: I was not and still am not religious; was there really such thing as natural sin? Yet the only reason that I could rationalize is that my mother would like to see my children baptized one day. Holding off on baptism was not an option for me. A couple of years later, after I had my children, the subject reared its ugly head once again. I explain to the father, that baptizing was not an option. Although I am not an active member of the church, I would follow through with the sacrament. Once the children are older, they would be free to choose which ever religious path of their liking. His parent, the religious grandparents, would be free to teach our children about the Christian faith, and would be more than welcomed to take the children to mass. Compromise was not as simple for me but I realized that it must be done in difficult scenarios whether or not it’s to our liking.

Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

March 17, 2011

Nonverbal Behavior

            In retail, nonverbal cues are very important, as it can make a huge difference when providing service to a customer.  I am trained to read cues such as a customer restlessly looking thorough a stack of shirts or a customer with a bag at hand looking hurriedly around the store.  All these nonverbal cues are signs of customers in need of a size or searching for the check out, and without these cues, associates such as myself, would not know when a customer is in need of assistance.  Although technology is advancing everyday, we still live in a predominantly personnel society.  The DMV, post office, banks, including retail stores are all social ran facilities in which verbal cues come into play.   Due to all the different personal interactions, it can become very easy to be influenced by them.  The slightest nonverbal cue can be perceived as a positive or a negative.  Depending on the perceptions, a negative one can be the beginning of personal discomfort or the start of an argument.

            Nonverbal cues can be heavily influenced by the media.  The advance of technology has allowed quicker and easier access to music videos and television shows.  With teenagers and young adults having access to this media at their palm of their hands, many feed off of the actions or “fashion” trends many of these celebrity figures do or say.  For example, the hand “shake” that many young men use, is very different than a normal hand shake a fifty year old man would use.  The hand “shake” means hello, a sign of respect and acknowledgement for one another. If a young man would use such gesture with a much older man, the gesture would be meaning less.  The younger generation has been influenced by mass media and has essentially created new meaning to gestures and nonverbal cues. 

            We all rely on nonverbal cues when communicating with one another.  The cues can be universal such as a hand wave which means hello, a smile which indicates happiness or satisfaction, or a frown to indicate sadness or disappointment.  Working in retail for many years, I have become accustomed to the many facial expressions that can be portrayed by a customer.  One customer alone can express happy, excited, relieved, perplexed and angered expressions within a thirty minute shopping experience.  The expressions can be limitless.  At times the tone of voice can indicate the mood of person.  When interacting with a customer, the first statement that I make is “Hello, How are you today?”  The most common answer is “good. “ The responses can be very genuine at times, as the tone can be very pleasant and happy.  There are occasions in which the answer is “good,” although that good can be very contradicting as the tone of voice is harsh, unpleasant, irritated and annoyed.  In those types of cases, the actual words are meaningless as the tone conveys the real truth.  The nonverbal cue that can be understood is that the customers do not want to be bothered as they are having a bad day.  Working in retail strengths the idea that nonverbal cues are just as important as verbal cues

Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

March 11, 2011

The Study of Foreign Languages

            Is the need of learning more than on language necessary for such a dominant and influential country such as the United States? I believe the answer is yes, as it is imperative for our country to remain economically and socially superior in technology and education.  The originating language of our country is English, it is the language in which we do domestic and international business, trade and investment.  As our country moves into a higher advance in technology and education, other countries are adapting and emphasizing the need to learn the language of such as superior country.  Yet, the United States falls short when compared to other countries such as China or Russia, but as a country we do little to encourage the necessity to learn the different languages that also influence the world.  Emphasis needs to be applied within the education system to offer courses in the study of different languages and accountably in both college and university levels to see that every student is successfully completing and moderately mastering a language course.  This is beneficial in insuring long term success not only for a student, but as for the country as well.  As a country with so many resources at hand, each American should be bilingual in more than two languages. The diversity of cultures and influences are limitless, therefore it is important for the young American population to be able to compete in this high demand  world.  Career advancement and success in our country greatly depends on the schooling one has received.  Many employers look to the skills and bilingual attributes one posses.   For example, the high immigration rate that is occurring in our country is creating a higher population that is unable to understand and speak the English language.  As our neighboring country, south of the boarder, is a Spanish speaking country, the demand of bilingual speakers is on the rise.  When hiring a position in a city level government such as Los Angeles, a predominantly Spanish speaking city, an employer will review many applications before hiring for the position.  When two applicants contain the same amount of schooling and major, the difference between being passed up or hired could fall on the bilingual background that one applicant may have.  Thus giving that applicant the upper hand and the higher potential of being hired.  If all education systems required the learning of a second language, an employer will not be given the opportunity to solely base his or her decision on the ability to speak a second language.  Higher emphasis would be placed on the higher experience level and previous job experience.  A dual language provides the opportunity for higher success in this competitive market. 

            As for a the benefits for the country as a whole, the United States can lead the way with its high education levels and proficiency in language.  Our country is considered a melting pot, in which there are many different cultures, religions, ethnicities.  Why not take advantage of the multicultural languages and opportunities that exist right here in our very own country?  The opportunity is now, so that we can become a better tomorrow. 

Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

March 3, 2011

Charged Language

            The use of charged language becomes a daily influence in the way we speak and think.  The notion that “without charged language, life would be but a half life,” describes a hypothetical idea that everyday language would be without emphasis or meaning.  Charged language is described as slanting facts, words and emphasis.  It also affects feelings and judgment towards a subject.  In my opinion, this type of language is derived from emotion, differences in understanding, agreement or debate.  A person lacking or restraint from this language can be described to be living a half life, as there is no emotion or passion to everyday thoughts or ideas.  Charged language can be used as a method to influence or persuade an individual to side with a certain idea or position.  This type of language has different affects from person to person.  It can differ between experiences or beliefs.  It is a strong and highly emphasized way to express powerfully charged words that can cause “misunderstandings and misinterpretations” on subjects.  Charged language can be used with very little effort in ones part, or can be extensively studied and constructed to created a stronger meaning. 

            We are all human beings, with different thoughts, feelings and perspectives in life.  As humans, we yearn to communicate and share our perspectives on different subjects with other human beings.  As interaction occurs, charged language creates positive and negative experiences.  It can change our attitudes and actions without conscious knowledge.  Charged language is also used in the political level.  Speakers can emphasis positive and/or negative information to help persuade a person to agree with a certain topic.  It can be used as propaganda, with the use of emphasized words to convey meaning.  At times, charged language is what capturers our attentions.  In the commercial advertising world it takes words such as value, speed, luxury to catch and retain our attention towards a certain subject.  It does this by relating to our lives through our wallets, expectations and personal style.  Life would be a half life it words did not relate to our everyday living.  It is very interesting to analyze when charged language comes into play.  It is a part of speech that can be masked very well but can also produce many different results.  Reading this piece and the uses of slanting and charged language helped me realize how it is a huge part of everyday life.  The lack of usage is impossible as it is grounded in everything we read, hear and watch.  It is mixed with politics, advertising and our own thoughts and ideas.  Without the use of charged language, would we still be considered strong human intellects that can decipher own thoughts and judgments? The possibility would be very slim.