Social Devistation

Benjamin Burns

Araina Paliobagis

English 121

4/16/08

Response 6

All of the texts, Achebe, Han Fei Tzu, and Cicero all deal with and discuss how powerful language is and how it can be used in everyday life. It also discussed the use of rhetoric language and how using rhetoric in our speech shows intelligence as people.

In Achebe’s text he writes, “language is the primary agent to social cohesion” (592). He also states that “its corruption and abuse carry the potential for devastating consequences” (592). These two quotes are extremely important because they are referring to how society would be without the use of language. The ability to communicate with one another is the reason that mankind is such a dominant race (that and opposable thumbs), and the use of rhetoric comes standard with communication. Achebe is arguing that we need to use language to unite the human race and promote the factious, so consequently rhetoric is needed to do these things. If rhetoric in language is used primarily to promote the fictitious, there will be no social cohesion and it will have devastating consequences.

Examples of using language in a non positive way is cursing and promoting the fictitious. Dropping the F bomb, flipping the middle finger, or any lie is all using language in a way that it shouldn’t be used. As time goes on, more and more forms of language come up. Such as text messaging, verbal language, sign language, and even facial expressions. The use of any type of language, whether it be verbal or non verbal, leads ever so slightly to what Achebe was talking about in his texts. The lack of social cohesion and devastation to the human race.

The Art of Persuasion

 

Felix J Grobler

Ariana Paliobagis

English 121

Response 6

16^th of April 2008

The texts of Achebe, Han Fei Tzu and Cicero all talk about the power of language and how it can be used. The use of rhetoric and language in general coincidentally shows our intelligence as humans in general.

Language plays a pivotal role in society, without which our society would be unable to function. Achebe illustrated this point very well in his piece Language and the Destiny of Man. In order for two people to be able to interact properly with each other there needs to be communication present. Not all, but most communication between humans is based on language, may it be written or spoken. Body language and other factors come into play as well, but language makes up the single most important part of communication.

Both Cicero and Han Fei Tzu describe how an argument should be constructed. They describe the principles and rules of composition of arguments in general. I see rhetoric being more of an art form than a science in general. Even though there are many general systems of organizing arguments, there are some people that just have the innate ability to be persuasive. In order to be able to bring forth a well rounded argument it is important to connect with the audience. Making an appeal to the audience’s ethos allows for them to relate to the arguments of the speaker. Naturally politicians need to be very adapt at using rhetoric to persuade people. Cicero shows his skills of persuasion in the Rhetorical Invention. When experiencing a speaker, for example a professor, it often is obvious from the start whether the person is an accomplished public speaker. An accomplished public speaker must be able to bring across their ideas in a concise manner. Politicians need to be well versed in the tools of persuasion in addition to being a good public speaker. In general, how well a person uses language shows from the start. Being able to use rhetoric to bring across your ideas in a coherent and structured manner proves how educated you are in the use of language. Communication skills, writing and oral, are an important part of everybody’s education, they make up one of the most important sections. Without language we would lack a medium to interact with, which would prove detrimental to the workings of society.

Response#6

Michael Chopp

ENG 121

4/16/08

Response #6

 

                According to Achebe, “language is the primary agent to social cohesion” (592). Also, he argues that “its corruption and abuse carry the potential for devastating consequences.” (592). I believe these two quotes are quite powerful in how our being able to communicate to each other is what can bring unity to a group of people. Without language and some basic form of communication between people, the world would be corrupt.

                Today there are so many different forms of communication. Talking in person, text messaging, sign language, non-verbal gestures, email, letters and so on are all different forms of communication which have evolved how we speak to each other. Being able to communicate has become such a distinguished part of our lives and for the world today. Trading between countries would be nearly non-existent. Learning would be extremely difficult, as one learns to read after they have learned to speak.

                Corruption and abuse to language can lead to consequences. Even as minor as getting grounded for arguing with your parents, any form of word abuse can lead to punishment. Gestures such as using the middle finger can also be used as word abuse and can lead to harassment. Harassment is basically one of the consequences of word abuse. I believe we can avoid word abuse if people realized what they said sometimes to others was hurtful and uncalled for. Our country is smart, and we can limit word abuse if we really tried to.

Being Persuaded

                                                                                                            Emily Zerbel

                                                                                                            April 16, 2008

                                                                                                            English – 121

                                                                                                            Response 6

Persuasion

           

We are reading again parts from Han Fei Tzu, “The Difficulties of Persuasion”.  I think this piece is definitely right on with all the examples Tzu gives on when you are trying to persuade someone and they have to be willing to be persuaded before you even have a chance. Its kind of like when you are teaching someone to learn to ride a bike, they have to want to learn before they can do it for the first time, and then either they can or they cant. It’s just a matter of knowing that there is a possibility for change. Everyone has to keep an open mind and not think the worst of people if they do try and tell you something other than how you truly feel.

           

At the end of this reading Tzu gives a good example on how people should have an open mind about things to be able to be persuaded. “The beast called a dragon can be tamed and trained to the point where you may ride on its back. But on the underside of its throat it has scales a foot in diameter that curl back from the body, and anyone who chances to brush against them is sure to die.” This I believe is saying that you can talk to someone and share the same ideas and be able to go with the same ideas that they have, yet there are others that may not share those same thoughts and they will never have that option.

           

There are people out there that have very closed minds and don’t ever want to change their opinion for anyone, or even listen to others ideas. They are pretty much stuck in their own ways because they believe their way is the best and only way to go. Those kind of people are very hard to have a discussion with, and even harder to debate with. Debating meaning the act of persuasion. Tzu puts it very nicely that there are going to be those people that get hurt, not literally hurt, but the ones that can never persuade the beast. But there will still be the ones that can ride on the back of the beast, those being the ones that share the same thoughts as the beast itself. I also believe this is how Tzu sees all rulers and emperors, people that do not have open minds and are only for what they have always thought. They don’t want to hear what others think because they will do it their own way. 

Response 6

Mary Alice Dewees

Writing 121/response #6

April 16, 2008

Advice and Persuasion

In a day and time when people feel free to give their advice or state their opinions, it is hard to believe there was a time when these acts could cost you your life. Could you imagine the President of the United States killing one of his advisors if they stated something he did not like? Well it is this type of instance that Han Fei Tzu writes about in his piece The Difficulties of Persuasion. Specifically, Han Fei Tzu is addressing how a counselor would go about advising a ruler, and the attention that must be paid to persuading the ruler in just the right way.

While persuading people to see your point of view is never easy, it must have been infinity more difficult in a time when such acts had severe penalties. Han Fei Tzu writes, “If you try to talk to a person into doing what he cannot do, or stopping what he cannot stop, then you will be in danger”(558). Throughout his piece Han Fei Tzu gives ample examples of what can happen when one does not thoroughly know who they are giving advice to. Furthermore, even if one initially earns the respect of his ruler it does not mean it is lasting, “…the fact that he was praised in the early days, and accused of a crime later on, was because the ruler’s love had turned to hate”(561).

Han Fei Tzu had the ability to recognize how complicated it can be to persuade people, especially people of power. Perhaps, one could learn from his ideas on persuasion; “…situation(s) require a thorough understanding of the audience and of how different kinds of advice are likely to be perceived”(557). It could be ventured to say that Han Fei Tzu had great respect and understanding for those for whom he advised and that is something every person from every era could learn from.

Han Fei Tzu vs. Cicero

I have to admit, I wasn’t a big fan of Cicero. He had some interesting ideas, but the way he presented them was not the most effective. It was kind of an interesting concept, in the way that he would talk about something he thought was good or bad, and then he would basically describe it in a scenario situation. He would say that if a person did this, then others would respond in this way, and if a person did this other thing, then others would respond in a different way. It seemed as if he is kind of a negative person, as the scenarios he described almost always ended in a bad way. He doesn’t seem to be a positive person, but I did like his ideas, just not the way they are presented.

However, Han Fei Tzu had some ideas that I thought were very interesting. When I read his second sentence, his idea really hit home with me. He says, “On the whole, the difficult thing about persuasion is to know the mind of the person one is trying to persuade and to be able to fit one’s words to it” (558). This is so true. It does not matter at all, what you say, if it isn’t what the person wants to hear, then they won’t listen. Once you are able to quickly decide what will make a person listen and properly orate it, you will become a very successful speaker. I think this could be tied into my third essay, which I have decided will be utilizing the television show Family Guy. It is relevant in the fact that I think Family Guy is a terrible show and a waste of one’s time, yet, because of the way that the characters are depicted and the way they say things, the show grabs the attention of many people. I definitely think that Tzu will be a good source to use to help me argue my thesis, which will be something like Family Guy is a terrible show that pushes the envelope only to see how far it can go, under the cover that it is comedy. The only reason that people watch it is because the characters know what to say initially to get people to listen, and then they go beyond what is appropriate way too often.

Simply Respect

Samantha Kujala

 4/15/08                                Simply Respect

Han Fei Tzu mentions how you must be cautious of what you say to a ruler in order to not be punished or killed. Except some of the examples he gives seem to be more common sense and that we should be respectful to others. This is not only true for rulers, but for everyone including your close friends. Some thoughts are better kept to yourself.

            Han Fei Tzu says, “If you talk about what he hates, he will suspect you of trying to test his patience” (559). This seems so obvious to me. I know if one of my friends purposely talked about a certain issue that bothered me; it of course will anger me. That is called “picking on that person.” Sure sometimes picking on your friends is just harmless fun as long as you all can laugh about it. Though, doing this with the wrong intentions to purposely annoy someone is just disrespectful and that goes for everyone you communicate with; not just rulers.

            I think Han Fei Tzu did have a deeper meaning to his story. This message is that we should be respectful to one another. Also we should possibly thankful that when we are disrespectful, we should be thankful that our friends do not physically punish us or harshly judge us. More on the topic of persuasion though, being respectful may become more difficult when trying to make a strong point. Sometimes you may be trying to persuade someone to like something they hate and this is not really being respectful of their opinions. I think Han Fei Tzu makes another important point though. This point is that we have to be adaptable to our different audiences. Know who your audience is when you are trying to be persuasive. Like a ruler for example you are going to want to be very cautious of what you say and only say what will make them happy. With someone who is very young, when persuading them you may be more direct giving them cold facts that they do not want to hear but leaves an impression on them to make them believe in what you are saying.

Think Before you speak

Ryan Haidle

English 121

April 15, 2008

Response 6

A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the rules used to manipulate them. Achebe, Han Fei Tzu, and Cicero were all masters of language. They used language to master the art of persuasion and rhetoric. One problem with language is its possibility of misinterpretation. What someone says can be interpreted in several different ways. 

Chinua Achebe said, “Unquestionably, language was crucial to the creation of society.” (Achebe 593). Since it speech comes so freely, it makes people speak without thinking things through completely. I think speech today gets taken advantage of. When people don’t think before they speak, they often say things that regret later on. If talking was more of a privilege that not everyone possessed, I think people would be more grateful for the gift that they have. If people appreciate things, they tend to use it wisely.

On the other hand, without language society today would be completely different. I can’t imagine life without being able to communicate by means of talking. I am grateful for the ability to talk and use language for the growth and development of society.

Since communicating tends to get taken advantage of so often, it is imperative that everyone thinks before they speak, and only say what they really mean.

Language: The Key to Society

Carley Buttelman

English 121

Mrs. P

Response 6

Language: The Key to Society

            Chinua Achebe says in Language and the Destiny of Man, “Language was crucial to the creation of society. There is no way in which human society could exist without speech.” I try and imagine a world without noise and everyone being deaf. I began to wonder if sign language could have been as powerful as the words we speak every day.  But I truly just don’t believe that anything can be as influential and persuasive as being able to talk!

              Talking is going on constantly throughout our daily lives, but does anyone every consciously think how truly amazing it is. There are over 150,000 words in the Oxford dictionary and we can recognize majority of them (www.slate.com/id/2139611/). Being able to speak is something that gets taken for granted, which is sad because our society would not be where it is today if we were not able to talk. Our lives are based on communication and majority of this is done through speech.  

            It’s also amazing how our language can be taught to others including the youth. Children begin to recognize words like “no, no” in approximately 6 months or their life and beginning speaking around one year of age. How remarkable is that? Your language has to be passed on to the youth for our society to continue to grow!

            So, I completely agree with Chinua Achebe when he says “human society could not exist without speech.”

And the Word Was, What Happened?

 

Language and rhetoric are two parts to the same piece; one enables the other, and they are tools to persuade and understand. The way that these interact with the society among them, is strongly dependent upon the social contract the individuals practice, and the goals that are being sought. The powers of rhetoric and language are indeed important. They help to shape the way that the human primate evolves. Achebe has some beautiful quotes from across the world and generations, they show the reader that the word has had great impact. These myths also reveal a change from past to present, the transition from the word being revered by all to being misused and butchered. This excerpt from Achebe, stats that humans have the ability to,“challenge that peculiar and perilous destiny with an even chance of wresting from it a purposeful, creative existence.” This is what Achebe says sets us apart from other creatures, it is our weapon, and the way that the individual decides to sharpen and use this weapon is reliant upon the personal social contract that the individual believes and practices. For the incentive rhetoric empowers, is the ability to manipulate language to ones own desires. The idea of the control that can be obtained through the use of self-interested rhetoric can be dangerous and socially irresponsible, but as the essay’s on rhetoric have all said so far, if you are good at rhetoric you have the opportunity to achieve much and or deceive, many.

The Power of Words

Few people realize the power that is contained in a simple word or string of words.  Though language is a powerful and useful tool, it has been used more for bad as of late.  As Achebe talks about, language can be twisted to do all sorts of things it was not meant to do.  People these days are not careful with their words and this is why language and words have become meaningless. 

Think of the simple phrase “I love you”.  This is one of the most powerful things a person can say to another person, but in our world it almost means nothing anymore.  Marriage, which used to be sacred and meant to be forever, has become something that is more optional.  When one party or the other is unsatisfied or bored of their partner, then its time to move on to the next and call it quits.  People do not think of the words “till death do us part”, the vows they committed to one another, when they decide to throw in the towel.  “I love you” no longer means I vow to be your and only your until the end of time, its just something we say to anyone we like.  Few people really understand the impact of their words.  Words have become meaningless because we do not even hesitate or think before we let words fly out of our mouths.

As can be seen in political debates and things of the like, words are used to twist the truth.  No more is there one universal truth or moral standard, only a relative truth that is different for every single person.  I am thankful for the ability to speak, but it kills me to see what speech is used for in today’s society.  Speech is freedom we should respect, because as Achebe argues, our society would not have been created without it.  Rhetoric is a powerful tool and one that should be used with all wisdom and integrity.  Treat others as you want to be treated; that includes the using words.  In the movie Open Range, Robert Duval says, “A man’s trust is a hard thing to come by; its not worth losing on hand of cards.” Here he is referring to cheating at cards, but does it not also apply to the words we use when we talk to and about one another?  So are truth and trust not the same?

Word are more powerful than anyone realizes and we would do well to fix our speech.  Think before you speak and remember that every word you say, no matter how small, has an impact on someone whether you know it or not.  No matter what someone has to say, listen and see the power that comes from what they say.  I think words are one of the most powerful tools we have, but the question is, How will each individual choose to use thier words?

 

Language: Often Misinterpreted

Bethany Van Dyke

English 121-31

Response Paper 6

April 16, 2008

After reading Achebe, Han Fei Tzu, and Cicero, one common theme is clear: language is powerful and the number one tool for persuasion; but at the same time, it is susceptible to interpretation.  Overall, I believe language is good and useful but one must be careful not to be misled and should take the time to find the true meaning behind both written and spoken words.

One such example of written word that is commonly misinterpreted is a magazine cover.  Although it may not have much written language, it definitely conveys a message and gets a point across (which is a key use of language). Not only are there flashy headlines but a picture to tie the whole cover together.  To me, it is interesting how a simple headline or picture can be interpreted in so many different ways and can influence a person in a positive way, negative way, or both.

In Achebe’s Language and the Destiny of Man, he talks about how “language, like any other human invention, can be abused , can be turned from its original purpose in to something useless or even deadly” (Achebe 597). This idea of language being abused, or misleading, can be directly applied to some magazine covers and the message they convey.  Some topics presented on magazine covers include subjects such as sex, beauty, health (along with many other topics).  These topics are naturally a part of life, and are not bad, but they have the potential to be represented in an unreal or inappropriate manner.  Therefore, like I said earlier, a person must be careful with the things they read/see and be sure to investigate into the true meaning/purpose behind them.