Summary and reaction Essay Example for Free

Summary and reaction Essay The writer started his article by describing a group of people called Tuvans, who lives in a remote area in the Republic of Tuva, in Russian Federation. The importance of this group came from the fact that they are speaking Tuvan, a language consider by linguists to be among a group of languages that are considered to be on the edge of extinction because of the low numbers of people that speak it. The earth population speak approximately 7000 languages. Tuvan is among the 3500 small languages that are spoken only by 8. 25 million people in the entire world, which is a very low fraction of the seven billion people who inhabit the earth. On the other hand, seventy eight percent of the earth population are speaking only 85 languages, Mandarin, Spanish, and English are among the top spoken languages on the globe. Linguist predicted that in the next century almost half of the spoken languages may vanish, and at this point more than 1000 languages are considered on the extinction. The writer mentioned the reasons that lead to this languages dilemma. He mentioned the effect of the dominant languages, that controls communications and commerce, on the small one that do not have any defense mechanism, like television or currency, to protect its existence. Because of that the people of Tuva must speak Russian or Chinese if they want to stay in contact with the outside world. The writer then mentioned another endangered languages known as AKA, the native language of AKA people in Plaizi a small village in India. The writer describe its people as a very self-dependent people that produce everything they need in their daily life. The AKA language was protected from outside influence because of the location of the village that makes it very difficult for outsiders to reach it. The authors then described two trends in the field of linguistics. The first one is based on the theory of Noam Chomsky who mentioned that all languages came from one single origin which is fixed in the human genes. The second trend is the increase interest in small endangered languages around the world, and how the field linguists are interested in idiosyncrasies that distinguish each language from the others and the cultural effects on it. There are 85 percent of the needs to be documented in order to understand it, and the main reason for this documentation comes from the fact that each language contains unique human experiences that reveals many aspects of life . The writer declared very important point regarding the loss of any language. His main idea was based on the fact that every language contains a valuable information about the culture and the knowledge that accumulated from generation to generation in this culture. The author gave us another example of vanishing languages which is the Cmiique Itiom, a language used by the Seri in Mexico and how their language contains the knowledge that is important for all humans. Cmiique Itiom managed to preserved its original form without any outside interference . The Seri managed to keep their language untouched mainly because their hostility to the outsiders. Even the modern commodities likes cars the Seri managed to bring it to their culture but they used for it a unique names that merged from their own language so they never used there Spanish names. The writer mentioned a way to preserved the vanishing languages which is to: â€Å"†¦ enshrine it in writing and compile a dictionary. †. He gave an examples for linguists that worked in those kind of projects like David Harrison and Greg Anderson who compiled the first Tuvan- English dictionary. Also, Steve and Cathay Marlett who worked to finish Cmiique Itiom dictionary, but the writer mentioned very important point which is stated in page 86 : â€Å"But saving a language is not something linguists can accomplish, because salvation must come from within. †. The salvation must come from the people who are using this language by teaching it to the next generation, and also by using dictionaries and books to preserve it and keeping it active as long there is something to speak about it. Writer Choices The writer starts his article by using a story as a hook for the readers, to grab their attention for the rest of the article, and he kept telling the readers different stories about the people he met during his travel. The writer also used creative language ,like figurative language which includes metaphor in many places in the article, and he also used compare and contrast in many other places . Numbers was used by the writers to support his main idea, he mentioned a specific numbers related to the languages in the first page. Visuals aid had been used by the writer to illustrate the subject of his article in a very professional way, yet it was very simple and effective, we can see that from the beautiful pictures for all the people that he met during his trip. Reflection on the Reading Process I found the article hard to read at the beginning, but after using SQ4R and reading the article in class for many times it became much easier for me to understand, and this make the whole process of reading very interesting. The language used not always clear, with difficult word as shown below: Nomadic: roaming about from place to place aimlessly, frequently, or without a fixed pattern of movement. Proselytize: to try to persuade people to join a religion, cause, or group. Dwindle: to gradually become smaller. Thatch: to make (a roof) with dried plant material (called thatch). Supplant: to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery. Atelier: a room where an artist works. Propitious: likely to have or produce good results. Reading process included: Skimming and Skamming ,summarize the article and annotate the key points in it, and SQ4R. Reaction Languages is the soul of human civilizations. The connection between the two of them is very similar to the relationship between human soul and body because without the sole the body will surely collapse because humans need their soul to drive the physical body and to keep him from perishing. In contrast, language plays the same role in people collective awareness about their on existence in the society and culture. Language is the invisible glue that hold the culture pieces together, and without this glue everything will collapse. It’s the strong foundation that up hold the society structures and grant it the strength to resist any outside threats. Why the language is so important? Because it’s the memory of the society. This memory is the experiences and knowledge that transferred from generation to generation until it reached this point in time, and no it will very hard to live without our memories. Losing any language would be similar to someone who lost his own memory. The only thing he can do is to embrace a new experiences and knowledge, and to start accumulating new memories about his new life. Unfortunately, it is the same thing for languages, when the people abandon their own language in favor for new ones they will lose their cultural experiences and knowledge. They will eventually lose their own identity that distinguished them from the rest of humans. Finally, losing any language on earth would be a lost for humanity in general because we will lose our diversity that make life on earth interesting . I think life with one color would be very tedious, and for life to be interesting it should contain whole spectrum of color. Spinoff Topics One of the spinoff topics would be a to study the individuals that abandon their own language and how they adopt with their new languages and cultures.

Human Euthanization Essay example -- Euthanasia Essays

Euthanasia should be legalized for terminally ill individuals on a voluntary basis to reduce medical costs, prevent prolonged physical pain and unnecessary suffering, and to preserve the dignity of the dying person. Terminally ill patients often accumulate massive amounts of medical expenses. In addition to costs, terminally ill patients are subject to excruciating pain and discomfort due to the disease and/or treatments involved, given only to prolong the inevitable. When a person is dying, he or she may have very little or no say in what goes on in one’s own home, finances, or other aspects of that person’s life, but one reserves the right to die with dignity intact. Euthanasia comes from Greek prefix â€Å"eu† meaning good or easy, and suffix â€Å"thanatos† meaning death (123helpme.com). In ancient Greece, suicides and assisted suicides were practiced regularly. In some situations, it was considered honorable to commit suicide or have a family member assist in one’s death (Walker). On the other hand, Socrates was sentenced to suicide as punishment for â€Å"corrupting the city’s youth with his teachings† (Yount). As time went on, suicide and assisted suicide became decreasingly accepted in society. As Christianity was introduced into Western civilization, a value was placed on the human life that was not there before. It was said that only God had the right to take the gift of life away from individuals. By the 19th century, most countries had laws against suicide, punishing the family by taking property, livestock, etc. However, those laws were lifted because they were found insensitive to the grieving famili es. Today in the United States, there are no laws against committing suicide or attempting suicide, however assisted suicide and eut... ...rable illness wishes to hasten death, the clinician should be obligated to assist the patient in carrying out those wishes, by prescribing medication or withholding life prolonging treatments. If laws were made to allow euthanasia and assisted suicide, this would have a positive effect on the economy, the public, and the emotional and financial condition of dying patients and their families. Works Sited Williams, Mary. Terminal Illness. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Print. Yount, Lisa. Euthanasia. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print. Yount, Lisa. Right to Die and Euthanasia. Revised. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc., 2007. Print. WWW.procon.org/euthanasia/historical-timeline WWW.usatoday.com Walker, Richard. The Right to Die?. 1st. North Mankato, MN: Sea to Sea Publishing, 2006. Print WWW.123helpme.com Human Euthanization Essay example -- Euthanasia Essays Euthanasia should be legalized for terminally ill individuals on a voluntary basis to reduce medical costs, prevent prolonged physical pain and unnecessary suffering, and to preserve the dignity of the dying person. Terminally ill patients often accumulate massive amounts of medical expenses. In addition to costs, terminally ill patients are subject to excruciating pain and discomfort due to the disease and/or treatments involved, given only to prolong the inevitable. When a person is dying, he or she may have very little or no say in what goes on in one’s own home, finances, or other aspects of that person’s life, but one reserves the right to die with dignity intact. Euthanasia comes from Greek prefix â€Å"eu† meaning good or easy, and suffix â€Å"thanatos† meaning death (123helpme.com). In ancient Greece, suicides and assisted suicides were practiced regularly. In some situations, it was considered honorable to commit suicide or have a family member assist in one’s death (Walker). On the other hand, Socrates was sentenced to suicide as punishment for â€Å"corrupting the city’s youth with his teachings† (Yount). As time went on, suicide and assisted suicide became decreasingly accepted in society. As Christianity was introduced into Western civilization, a value was placed on the human life that was not there before. It was said that only God had the right to take the gift of life away from individuals. By the 19th century, most countries had laws against suicide, punishing the family by taking property, livestock, etc. However, those laws were lifted because they were found insensitive to the grieving famili es. Today in the United States, there are no laws against committing suicide or attempting suicide, however assisted suicide and eut... ...rable illness wishes to hasten death, the clinician should be obligated to assist the patient in carrying out those wishes, by prescribing medication or withholding life prolonging treatments. If laws were made to allow euthanasia and assisted suicide, this would have a positive effect on the economy, the public, and the emotional and financial condition of dying patients and their families. Works Sited Williams, Mary. Terminal Illness. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Print. Yount, Lisa. Euthanasia. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print. Yount, Lisa. Right to Die and Euthanasia. Revised. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc., 2007. Print. WWW.procon.org/euthanasia/historical-timeline WWW.usatoday.com Walker, Richard. The Right to Die?. 1st. North Mankato, MN: Sea to Sea Publishing, 2006. Print WWW.123helpme.com

Three Shots and Indian Camp

Devin Westfall Professor Peter Faziani English 151 October 15, 2012 Hemingway’s Nick Adams â€Å"Three Shots† and â€Å"Indian Camp† In Hemingway’s Nick Adams â€Å"Three Shots† and â€Å"Indian Camp† Nick goes through some changes in his life. He goes from being scared that someday he must die to feeling quite sure that he will never die. In the short story â€Å"Three Shots† Nick, his father, and his uncle are camping and Nick remembers with shame how he had gotten scared thinking about how he would die one day when he was alone. His father and uncle go fishing after supper leaving Nick all alone at the camp site.He tried to lay still and go to sleep but he couldn’t all he could think about is that someday he must die it started to make him feel quite sick. â€Å"Before they shoved the boat out his father told him that if any emergency came up while they were gone he was to fire three shots with the rifle and they would come right back. † Nick ended up calling his father and uncle by firing three shots up in the air with the rifle his father had left him, this had made his uncle frustrated by thinking that Nick was a coward; his father on the other hand more understands then his uncle.When his father and uncle return his father ask him â€Å"what was it Nickie? † He lies and tells his father that he had heard an animal outside the tent he was too ashamed to tell his father the truth. In the short story â€Å"Indian Camp† Nick accompanies his father, who is a Doctor, and his uncle to an Indian camp, to help a young Indian women she had been trying to give birth to her child for two days due to complications. Nicks father ends up having to perform a caesarian to recover the women’s child. Oh, daddy, can’t you give her something to make her stop screaming? Asked nick† Nick becomes frightened by the women’s screams and does not want to watch his father perform the surgery on the Indian women. Nicks father had been told that the baby’s father had hurt himself in an ax accident a few days before and he goes to take a look at him and finds that the baby’s father had actually killed himself by slitting his throat from one end to another.Nicks father tries to keep him from seeing what had happened to the man but it was too late he had already seen what had happened. Nicks father feels awful for bringing him along and putting him through everything he had seen that day. As they are leaving the camp Nick and his father discuss suicide and death. â€Å"Why did he kill himself, daddy? † Nicks father didn’t know the answer to his question he told him he didn’t know and that maybe it was because he couldn’t stand things, Nick then asks â€Å"is dying, hard daddy? His father tells him no its not and that he thinks it’s pretty easy, Nick then felt quite sure that he would never die. In conclusion Hemin gway’s Nick Adams â€Å"Three Shots† and â€Å"Indian Camp† both change Nick throughout each story in different ways. He goes from being scared of dying someday to feeling quite sure that he would never die. In â€Å"Three Shots† it shows a conflict between nicks immaturity and his realization that all life eventually come to an end. In â€Å"Indian Camp† it shows life and death, Nick is no longer afraid of death.

The Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs - 981 Words

Slavery was common in the eighteenth century. Slaves were seen as property, as they were taken from their native land and forced into long hours of labor. The experience was traumatic for both black men and black women. They were physically and mentally abused by slave owners, dehumanized by the system, and ultimately denied their fundamental rights to a favorable American life. Although African men and women were both subjected to the same enslavement, men and women had different experiences in slavery based on their gender. A male perspective can be seen in, My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass. A female perspective is shared in Harriet Jacobs’ narrative titled, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Upon reading both of the viewpoints provided, along with outside research, one can infer that women had it worse. Women were not only used for their labor, but were also exploited sexually. Slave owners felt they had the right to use black women for their own sexual desires, and felt they had the right to use their bodies for slave breeding. This obscenity between the master and slave were not only psychologically damaging for black women, but would also lead to physical abuse. In her narrative, Ms. Jacobs gives us a firsthand description of the abuse that would occur if she were to upset her master, â€Å"Some months before, he had pitched me down stairs in a fit of passion; and the injury I received was so serious that I was unable to turn myself in bed for many days†Show MoreRelatedThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs858 Words   |  4 PagesThe way that Harriet Jacobs describes slavery in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was not a surprise to me. I believed that slaves were treated poorly and often times were hurt, the way that I thought of slavery is just like it is descr ibed in the book if not worse. I will discuss what I believed slavery was like before I read the book, how slavery was according to the book using in text citations and examples and also explain my thoughts on why the treatment was not a surprise to me. FromRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1606 Words   |  7 PagesSlaves in the southern states of the United States were oppressed, beaten, and deprived of their natural human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Which in turn caused many slaves to resist their ill fate that was decided by their masters. Through the story of â€Å"Incidents in the life of a slave girl† by Harriet Jacobs she wrote in her experience how she was resisting her masters and how many people helped her in her escape. And it wasn’t just black that resisted the slave systemRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1791 Words   |  8 PagesIn the slave narrative entitled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs also known as Linda Brent, is faced with a number of decisions, brutal hardships, and internal conflicts that she must cope with as an enslaved black woman. She opens the narrative with a preface that states: â€Å"READER, be a ssured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery†Read MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs Essay1316 Words   |  6 PagesIncidents in the life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, she talks about how her life changed while serving different and new masters and mistresses. I think that this narrative writing is an important text to help us understand the different perspectives of slavery in America. There are some slave owners that are kind and humane, and some slave owners that are cruel and abusive. Additionally, reading from a female slave’s perspectives teaches us that life on the plantations and life in the house isRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacob Essay1049 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacob’s writes an autobiography about the personal s truggles her family, as well as women in bondage, commonly face while maturing in the Southern part of America. While young and enslaved, Harriet had learned how to read, write, sew, and taught how to perform other tasks associated with a ladies work from her first mistress. With the advantage of having a background in literacy, Harriet Jacobs later came to the realization that she wouldRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1198 Words   |  5 PagesIn her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs portrays her detailed life events on such an intense level. Jacobs was born in 1813 in North Carolina. She had a rough life starting at the age of six when her mother died, and soon after that everything started to go downhill, which she explains in her autobiography. Her novel was originally published in 1861, but was later reprinted in 1973 and 1987. Harriet Jacobs presents her story using numerous detailed descriptionsRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1292 Words   |  6 Pagesslavery. I chose to focus on two texts: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In the personal narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, author Harriet Jacobs depicts the various struggles she endured in the course of her life as a young female slave and, as she grew older, a runaway escaped to the â€Å"free† land of the North, referring to herself as Linda Brent. Throughout this story, Jacobs places a heavy emphasis on the ways in which Brent andRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs928 Words   |  4 Pagesin the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs offers the audience to experience slavery through a feminist perspective. Unlike neo-slave narratives, Jacobs uses the pseudonym ‘Linda Brent’ to narrate her first-person account in order to keep her identity clandestine. Located in the Southern part of America, her incidents commence from her sheltered life as a child to her subordination to her mistress upon her mother’s death, and her continuing struggle to live a dignified and virtuous life despiteRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1335 Words   |  6 PagesHarriet Jacobs wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Incidents) to plead with free white women in the north for the abolition of slavery. She focused on highlighting characteristics that the Cult of True Womanhood and other traditional protestant Christians idolized in women, mainly piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. Yet, by representing how each of her characters loses the ability to maintain the prescribed values, she presents the strong moral framework of the African AmericanRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1575 Words   |  7 Pagesncidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Slavery, in my eyes, is an institution that has always been ridiculed on behalf of the physical demands of the practice, but few know the extreme mental hardships that all slaves faced. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs writes autobiographically about her families and her personal struggles as a maturing mullatto child in the South. Throughout this engulfing memoir of Harriet Jacobs life, this brave woman tells of many trying times