The Rhetorical Image of Free

The Rhetorical Image of Freedom Essay In Phillis Wheatleys poem, To the Right Honorable William†¦, evokes a spirit of an American vision that undermines that of Thomas Jeffersons Declaration of Independence, by reminding the Earl of Dartmouth that all should have freedom but for those who have obtained it, should not forget to thank God. Thomas Jeffersons vision of America is almost the same as Wheatleys with one major difference, his version doesnt include African Americans nor for that matter, equality for women. The words expressed, written, and agreed upon by our founding fathers, regards the vital importance to being free from Britain but ignore that the word man can mean mankind, human and not just white male (Arnold 2) Wheatleys version of America has a major difference with Thomas Jeffersons vision of America, she speaks for equality of African Americans and yet as she illustrates, freedom should be thanked by acknowledging God (Lauter 1243). In 1765 when the first echoing of dispute to British authority became obvious to Parliament, the frontier in America consisted of thirteen separate colonies. Each had a resident legislature which served on provincial soil, but which served only at the pleasure of a governor appointed by the crown. By July 2, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress adopted the resolution, introduced by Richard Henry Lee and John Adams, which actually declared independence from Great Britain. It declared, in part, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved/ (Arnold 4) The Declaration, which explained why the Colonies that were now states declare their independence, after which was adopted by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776. The leading draftsman was Thomas Jefferson, assisted by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Some of the text follows:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or  to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (GA 1). Jefferson, as others had complained that they felt King George of Britain had enslaved the people in the colonies and had forgotten their needs. When he wrote the crucial points of needing Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, they were radical ideas written on paper but aired the need to justify that their Creator (God) was the authority who approved that men were created equal/ Hence, the reasoning behind the need to be liberated on their own terms (Arnold 2). Jeffersons message, forever written in our countrys history, uses strong language acknowledging the fact that people need to be free. On the other hand, history tells another story. Jeffersons vision of a free America is freedom for white men against their oppressor and failed to grant freedom to African Americans. Jefferson at the time argued that blacks were 3/5 humans and owned 200 slaves (7). He wasnt impressed with Phillis Wheatleys poetry or anything else she had to say (9). The Declaration of Independence immediately became the worlds foremost manifesto celebrating human rights and personal freedom. The fact of the matter is that America still had real slave issues to deal with (8). Wheatley, a former slave, wrote, the 1773 publication of Phillis Wheatleys Poems on Various Subjects established her as a young prodigy and defied the major justification for enslavement of Africans the European assumption of African inferiority. One of the best-known poems in the collection is dedicated To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majestys Principal Secretary of State for North-America, Etc. Wheatley was encouraged by the appointment of Dartmouth, whom she had met in London. She knew that he was friends with the abolitionist Countess of Huntingdon and of the late Reverend George Whitefield, who had helped initiate the Great Awakening (VanSpanckeren 2). The poem opens with hopefulness that under Dartmouths blissful sway, the  colonies will see Freedoms charms unfold and experience an end to the reign of wanton Tyranny that meant tenslave the land. Those lines provide a subtle yet powerful segue into the next verse, in which she proposes that her love of Freedom and by the implication, that of the black Patriots, springs from the anguish Africans have known as slaves. In here lies vital information that she too loves freedom. To find this freedom, her parents in Africa, she notes, What pangs excruciating must molest, What sorrows labour in my parents breast?/ describe what they may have felt after she was kidnapped and brought to America. Perhaps including her experiences in the poem she reinforces that she too knows what it is like to come through the Atlantic and then be sold into slavery. She was a slave who found freedom. She has empathy for those had to make the difficult voyage to get here; fought to separate themselves from Britain because they felt enslaved and needed to be free just as the Declaration of Independence proposed (1243). The vision Wheatley wanted for America is just like that of Jefferson except for the fact that she wanted to include African Americas. The question she provokes to undermine the author of The Declaration of Independence would be how can he argue the need for freedom from bondage of your motherland and not free the African Americans he has in his own backyard (Arnold 8). For example, when she writes, And can I then pray others may never feel tyrannic sway?/ She asserts to the response that there are still enslaved people around. She wants them to obtain the same freedom America will have. She writes strong and eloquent words to the fact that she, like America, who were brought here and suffered with under the monarchy, was now free. Her journey on being brought here, although hard, still afforded her to overcome these experiences through finding God (1243). Jefferson mentions God as the Creator and permits his creations (man) to seek liberty (GA 1). Wheatley notes that through the celebration of finding liberty, one must thank God for it. The spirit of liberty and the disruptions of the Revolutionary era encouraged African American men and women to choose sides. They were either Patriots or Loyalists. They were a fundamental part of what this nation would become  (Arnold 10). This same spirit of liberty propelled Jefferson to write, The Declaration of Independence and Wheatleys, To the Honourable William†¦, which combines one ideal for America. This principle which the country was founded upon speaks volumes about the need of man to be free from their tyrant, whoever this tyrant is. Jefferson saw it as King George of England. Wheatley saw it as some people in power in America who didnt want African Americans free from their bondage. She used kinder words to express her opinions. In an ironic twist, Jefferson, whose final draft of The Declaration of Independence, was altered when he used very strong language referring to the Monarchy as enslaving the colonies and its people, helped establish equal rights for all minorities . It was his words that helped minorities win the case the first of equal rights in the Supreme Court in 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that separate but equal accommodations were constitutional. (Hendrickson 2)Works CitedArnold, H. J. ed. The life of Thomas Jefferson. From Revolution to ReconstructionHTML project. http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/ (November 16, 2005)Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Volume A. Boston, MA:Houghton Mifflin Company. (2006)The Government Archives. http://www.archives.gov/. (November 5, 2005)Hendrickson, B. The Beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. NAACP: Voices inAmerica.http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/AfricanAmerican/cvrights.html. (November 11, 2005)VanSpanckeren, Kathryn. Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820:Phillis Wheatley (c.1753-1784). An Outline of American Literature. http://www.rlc.dcccd.edu/annex/comm/english/mah8420/ColonialPage.htm. (November 2,2005)

The Related Literature And Studies English Language Essay

The Related Literature And Studies English Language Essay Communication is an integral part of human existence and development. Engaging in it is inevitable particularly in a business setting as it is relative to promoting an idea, product, service, or organization to create value or make a sale (Khan). Successful businesses recognize the value of communication in the workplace which requires proficiency in oral and written communication skills. The latter is engineered to display information effectively on the page in order to get results, to inform, to request, to entertain, or to persuade (Holloway). In fact, 90% of all business transactions involve written communications (DePompa). Hence effective business communication demands ideas, thoughts, and concepts to be expressed and presented in an orderly, formal, and effective manner. English as Second Language (ESL) learners perceive business writing skill as far more challenging than that of oral business communication. The former requires the use of written English based on standards set by prescriptive authorities associated with publishing houses and schools (www.wikipedia.com). Teachers, like the researcher, are faced with the challenge of addressing students lack of business writing skills which emanates from their confusion and difficulty in understanding the concepts governing business writing. Business writing is a highly demanding process that necessitates an organization in the development of thoughts, ideas, and accuracy in word choices. The most common problem that confronts teachers of the writing class does not lie so much on what to ask students to write about; the difficulty is more on how to motivate the students to write interesting and effective materials. Writing for its own sake is a drag, and produces boring output (Ikeguchi). Writing only becomes an interesting activity when the teacher knows how to go about teaching it. One very important point the teacher can consider to increase motivation is to actually become a very good supporter and facilitator in the entire writing process. In this regard, the use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing is can be considered. The use of newspaper articles can be an effective intervention to implement in the writing-learning process because it can easily be adapted in Business Communication and Writing class. Newspaper articles offer situations that students are likely to encounter in real life. Through newspaper articles, they can use their experiences and prior knowledge to respond appropriately, and even creatively. This intervention can also help students with low English proficiency to arouse interest so they can actively participate in the class activities. The use of newspaper articles motivates students to write what they want, what they need, and what they feel. Because of the increased responsibility to participate through a variety of writing exercises, students may gain confidence in using the target language in general. Students are more responsible managers of their own learning (Larsen Freeman). This paper intends to find out whether the use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing skills of iACADEMY students is effective. Background of the Study Having the mindset of directly addressing the need for ready-to-hire graduates/applicants of both the information technology (IT) and business industries, Mr. Mitch Andaya, former Dean of the College of Computer Studies in DLSU and Vice-President of STI Colleges Head Office, together with the other founders, established the Information and Communications Technology Academy, now better known as iACADEMY, in March of 2002. The school acquired the first and third floors of the PhilCare Building in Ayala Avenue corner Dela Rosa Street in Makati City. At present, the school occupies the third to the fifth floor of the building that has been renamed iACADEMY. iACADEMY offers Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) with Specialization in Software Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) with Specialization in Digital Arts, and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with Specialization in Marketing and Advertising Management, Bachelor of Science in Animation (BSA), Bachelor of Science in Game Development (BSGD), Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Arts and Design (AB MMA), and Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design (ABFD). iACADEMYs library houses a good selection of hard-to-find and imported books, a generous number of local text books and reference materials, and half a dozen desktop computers equipped with the internet, the latest software for IT-related courses and electronic books (e-books) encompassing a variety of subjects to address the needs of its students across all degrees. It also has been on daily subscription with two of the more prominent Philippine broadsheets, the Manila Bulletin and the Philippine Star. Several copies of the daily issues of these broadsheets are accessible to everyone who works for or studies in the institution. However, based upon the school librarians personal observation, only a handful of individuals, most of whom are faculty members, take the time to read these newspapers. Students become interested with these learning materials only when the need arises, like when assignments necessitate them to read and photocopy articles in these newspapers. This study, which aims to improve the students business writing skills, also hopes to make students become active newspaper readers after they discover the real-life learning opportunities it can offer. The advent of computer and internet technology may have invited people to forgo handwritten letters, but definitely not letter writing itself. The existence of the computer and internet in fact has revolutionized letter writing, particularly its speed in creation, transmission, and feedback. And, with the development of electronic mailing system (e-mail), people probably write more than they actually used to. The internet may have decreased the interest of people to perform the task of hand writing but it has also increased peoples preference for written communication (Bly). Two decades or so ago, most managers dictated letters which their secretaries typed. Today, more professionals personally transcribe their letters as computer literacy, including a working knowledge on MS Word and Excel has become a basic managerial requirement (Bly). This goes to show that there is an increase in the number of individuals who are actively performing the skill of writing everyday; therefore, a call for more emphasis on teaching and learning writing skills is an imperative. Majority of iACADEMYs student population comes from the upper-middle to the high-class members of the society. Most of them are graduates of private or exclusive high schools. However, this alone cannot be taken as a guarantee of their English proficiency, both in oral and written communication. Business Communication and Writing course falls under the umbrella of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) course; therefore, it requires a higher level of English proficiency. This is why the course is set as the third English course to be taken by students while the first two English courses are its prerequisites. iACADEMY English faculty are alarmed with their students poor writing performance. These students barely pass or even fail their English subjects because they exhibit below average level of competency, particularly in writing; and when asked why they performed rather poorly, they blamed their very little exposure to the language and uninteresting English subjects as the culprits. English language educators have to admit that ensuring the students improvement in writing performance is in their hands. Writing only becomes an interesting activity when the language educator knows how to go about teaching it and by increasing students motivation in engaging students in the writing process. In this regard, the use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing of iACADEMY students is recommended for consideration. In the Philippines, there are very limited studies related to the topic. The researcher would therefore attempt to make a modest contribution to this area through a different approach by the use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwwDInnmrAi-u-GOs4YiBXOy9bBgAT_wUAKZzoYosNc1t6kzLmg5kZiRa0fVzKQ0hF-z_6dEi7mUqYQdj6hg8qagKZrpscO2x_V-sFx6ELfdheOyLSAk-7wrBcw0I0u57bVnEFsX_5Qz8/s1600/iACADEMY.jpg Map of the Location of Information and Communications Technology Academy Figure 1 Theoretical Framework The framework of this research is anchored on two approaches. First is Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) or Communicative Approach (CA) or in its earlier stage, Notional Functional Approach; and second is the Craftsmanship approach in Business Communication. The CLT approach is the result of the works of educators and linguists known as the Council of Europe language experts (Bryam) in the early 1970s and was further developed by David Wilkins, a prominent linguist who used the term communicative approach in 1974 (Wilkins). It can be further traced to the work of Chomsky in the 1960s, when he advanced the two notions of competence and performance as a reaction against the prevalent audio-lingual method of the time. The central theoretical concept and goal of the CLT approach is communicative competence, a term introduced into discussions of language use and second or foreign language learning together with communicative language teaching in the early 1970s (Savignon). Communicative competence can be defined in terms of the expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning and looks to both psycholinguistic and socio-cultural perspectives in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research to account for its development (Savignon). Teaching writing in the SLA context is one of the main objectives of foreign language teaching and learning. It involves a preparatory phase known as the decision-making phase. This phase entails defining the rhetorical problem: establishing a purpose for writing, determining the audience and a topic. Secondly, the ensuing writing processes are then determined and established. These processes involve the planning, transcribing, and reviewing of the composed work (Lee). The CLT approach to writing is an effective approach because it allows students to draw from their prior knowledge, actively navigate their way through the various writing processes with the appropriate scaffolding, and finally present their understanding of the content. One application of CLT approach is the use of authentic materials. Proponents of CLT have advocated the use of authentic real-life materials in the classroom which include language-based such as newspapers, magazines, advertisements, or graphic and visual sources in which communicative activities can be built (Jin, Application of Communicative Approach in College English Teaching). The range of exercise types and activities compatible with CLT is unlimited. Moreover, it is not assumed in this approach that the teacher is the center of all classroom activities (Al-Mutawa); therefore, the CLT is a learner-centered approach to language learning; and that the teachers and learners motivation and positive attitude are crucial for effective teaching and learning. Finally, as each classroom is different and is composed of different types of learners, several techniques and strategies may be used to address individual learner differences within the SLA environment (Lee). The second theory that this study will use as framework is the Rhetorical Theory in Business Communication. This theory declares that the communication process is neither a single nor a linear process; but is rather continuous making the entire communication process clear to all parties involved. One of the major approaches that the rhetorical theory offers to business communication is the Craftsmanship approach, which is based upon the well-crafted sales letter. It posits that the purpose of the letter is to convince, inform, and arouse its readers interest; therefore, it should be written with the you attitude, wherein the writer attempts to identify with the readers needs, perspective, language, and desires. This then becomes the master strategy for planning means of stimulating the readers faculties in various letter situations (Brooks). The you attitude is given due attention and emphasis by George Burton Hotchkiss. He says that what is true of sales letters is equally true of all other kinds of business letters. He further suggests that the first thing the writer must do is to form the habit of looking at the subject of his message from the readers viewpoint and language; and more importantly, he must get what is called the you attitude. The ideas and concepts in a letter should be expressed from the point of view of the reader. Whatever is said must be expressed in language directed at the reader himself (Hotchkiss and Kilduff). Aside from the you attitude, principle, Hotchkiss also adds five concepts that should always be observed when writing a business letter correctness, clearness, conciseness, courteousness, and character (Hotchkiss and Kilduff). These concepts are known as the, 5 Cs of business writing, should be evident in any type of business letter. Conceptual Framework The researcher has come up with a conceptual framework (see Fig. 1) based upon the theoretical framework of this study. Experimental (treatment) and control groups are included in the framework design. The process to be used for the experimental (treatment) group will be from a pretest to the use of newspaper articles to the posttest that will provide data for the validation of the hypotheses. The control group will undergo the process of a pretest to the conventional pedagogy to the posttest that will provide data for validation of hypotheses. The teaching methodology to be applied for this group is lecture-discussions. Experimental Group Control Group Pretest Pretest Conventional Teaching Conventional Teaching Posttest Use of Newspaper Articles as Intervention Posttest Improved Business Writing Skills Research Paradigm Figure 2 Statement of the Problem The main purpose of the study was to look into the effectiveness of using newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing performance in the Business Communication and Writing class of iACADEMY during the third trimester of school year 2011-2012. More specifically, the study aimed to answer the following sub-problems: Based on the 5 Cs of writing, what were the writing performances of the experimental and control groups in the following: Pretest Posttest Was there any significant difference between the pretest and the posttest writing performance of the two groups: Experimental group Control group Was there any significant difference in the pretest writing performance of the two groups: Experimental group Control group Was there any significant difference in the posttest writing performance of the two groups: Experimental group Control group Hypotheses: There is no significant difference between the pretest and the posttest writing performance of the experimental group. There is no significant difference between the pretest and the posttest writing performance of the control group. There is no significant difference in the pretest writing performance of the experimental and control groups. There is no significant difference in the posttest writing performance of the experimental and control groups. Scopes and Limitations This study focused on determining the effects of using newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing performance of iACADEMY students. The research subjects were taken from two heterogeneous groups of students enrolled at the Information and Communications Technology Academy (iACADEMY) in Makati City during the third semester of school year 2011-2012 and who were officially enrolled in ENG103 Business Communication and Writing course. The lecture-discussions for this study were based on the ENG103 (Business Communication and Writing) syllabus designed by the researcher three weeks prior to the start of the third trimester. The institution where he teaches allows members of the faculty to modify the course syllabus provided that such modifications are geared towards better delivery of the much needed learning of the students. Both experimental and control group were provided with the same lectures but with differences in the pedagogical approach. The control group was given only the lecture presentations and practice drills while the experimental group had newspapers articles integrated in the class activities in addition to the usual lecture presentations and practice drills. The newspaper articles chosen by the researcher typified the following principles of CLT approach (Jin, Application of Communicative Approach in College English Teaching): (1) Communicative Principle; (2) Task Principle; and (3) Meaningfulness Principle. Significance of the Study The individuals, who can benefit from this study, include the students, the language and the literature instructors, the curriculum designers, and future researchers. Students. The implementation of the study will benefit college students since newspapers can help them develop not only their reading and speaking skills, grammar, and vocabulary, but also their writing skill. Newspaper articles are considered to be authentic learning materials that provide real-life learning that motivates students to utilize previous life experiences and prior knowledge of a given topic. It can also serve as a model for proper execution of the writing tasks. Language Arts Instructors. The use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of the business writing skills of students gives English instructors more up-to-date teaching materials that are readily accessible to them and their students. Newspaper articles can also serve as good examples for students to improve their writing skills. Curriculum Designers. Inevitably, academicians who focus on innovating designs of the English curriculum would need to find better if not pioneering approaches to teaching English as a second language. It is in this light that such professionals might want to consider including and utilizing newspaper articles in developing curricula that would focus on both language and literature. Other researchers. This study can open new doors for researchers to investigate the effects of the use of newspaper articles in the improvement of the writing performance of students in the English classes, and probably in other disciplines as well, such as in science, history, and values education. Definition of Terms The following terms are defined operationally and conceptually in the study: Authentic Materials. These are materials which involve language naturally occurring as communication in native-speaker contexts of use, or those selected contexts where Standard English is the norm. Business Communication. This is sharing of information between people within an enterprise that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization. In addition, business communication can also refer to how a company shares information to promote its product or services to potential consumers. Business Communication Skill. This is the ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently. Business managers with good verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills help facilitate the sharing of information between people within a company for its commercial benefit. Character. This is both an intellectual and emotional quality of the business letter that expresses the writers unique personality in a very natural way, with due regard for his subject and his reader, making the letter a more adequate substitute for personal representative. Clearness. This is an intellectual quality of the business letter that shows its quality of impression and is therefore always to be judged from the readers viewpoint. The writer always knows what he means if he means anything at all. If the reader, however, does not know what a statement means, such a statement lacks this quality of clarity. Communication. This is the two-way process by which information is being conveyed between two individuals, a sender and a receiver, through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior in order to reach mutual understanding and create a shared meaning. Communicative Competence. It is a situational ability to set realistic and appropriate goals and to maximize their achievement by using knowledge of self, other, context, and thereby to generate adaptive communication performances. Communicative Principle. This principle uses activities that involve real communication situations that promote learning. Conciseness. This is an intellectual quality of the business letter that demands as little as possible of the readers time and gives the kind of service that builds goodwill. Control group. This is a group of students to be used as standard comparison in a control experiment. Conventional Pedagogy. This is the standard way of providing learning to the students at iACADEMY, which incorporates PowerPoint presentations with lecture-discussions. Correctness. This is both an intellectual and emotional quality of the business letter. It is an intellectual quality because the words, spelling, grammar, and punctuation must all be in conformity with established usage. It is also an emotional quality because incorrectness distracts and irritates, and arouses contempt because it gives a bad suggestion of ignorance, carelessness, or haste on the part of the writer. Courteousness. This is an emotional quality of the business letter that is based upon consideration for the readers feelings and personality by the studious avoidance of any idea that would offend. A writer should have no difficulty in securing this quality if he has a genuine recognition of the readers equality with himself. ENG 103. This is the course code of Business Communication and Writing, which is the third English subject needed to be taken by the students after accomplishing the prerequisite English courses Communication Arts 101 and Oral Communications with Public Speaking. Experimental group. This is a group of students that will under study to determine the effects of using newspaper articles as intervention in business writing performance Learner-centered Approach. This is an approach to education focusing on the needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles of the students with the teacher as a facilitator of learning, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators. Lecture-Discussion. This is a teaching model that uses what students already know by building their own background; presents information in a systematic manner; and uses teacher questioning to involve students actively in the learning process. Meaningfulness Principle. This involves language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process. Newspaper Article. This is a written work published in print for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis, or debate in a scheduled publication such as the broadsheets. Posttest. This is an achievement test that will be used to identify the students level of improvement in their writing skills upon attainment of learning in the given lecture-discussions and activities performed in class. Pretest. This is a diagnostic test which aims to determine the students preparedness in beginning a new course of study. The test helps in the assessment of the student needs in learning the topics to be covered in the instructional design. Proficiency. It is mastery of a specific behavior or skill demonstrated by consistently superior performance, measured against established or popular standards. Second Language Acquisition (SLA). This is the process by which people of a first language learn a second language in addition to their native language. Task principle. This principle involves activities in which language is used to carry out meaningful tasks to promote learning. Writing rubric. This is an assessment tool that attempts to communicate particular level of expected qualities in writing performance areas specifically based upon the 5 Cs of Business Writing. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES Presented in this chapter are the foreign and local literatures and studies which are relevant to the present study because such contain written reviews or commentaries of other researchers, theorists, and professionals with regard to the use of newspaper articles as intervention in the improvement of business writing. As a result of some limitations, the researcher acknowledges the fact that there is a possibility that other relevant literatures are still unread, either due to time constraint or distance issues of the location of the resource materials. Despite this discrepancy, the researcher tries to exhaust, to its fullest capabilities, the internet that seems to augment and provide sufficient information to supplement the library materials available. Foreign Literature J.C. Richards (2006) states that the ever-growing demand for good communication skills in the English language has created a huge demand for teaching English and an enormous demand for quality language teaching materials and resources. Learners today set themselves the demanding goal of being able to master English on a high proficiency level. Even employers demand that members of the workforce exhibit good English language skills, both oral and written. The demand for an appropriate teaching methodology is therefore an imperative (J. C. Richards). According to Carol Rzadkiewicz, communication is vital in an organization because it not only connects members within a specific department but also connects them to those from other departments, from other branches, and, in todays global economy, from around the world. Moreover, communication can make the difference between success and failure for a company. Good communication helps ensure the efficient operation of all levels of an organization, from the lowest to the highest, whereas poor communication often results in inefficiency; and as successful business leaders know, inefficiency equals a loss of productivity and, consequently, a loss of profits (Rzadkiewicz). Lee believes that writing must first be given a clear definition so that a philosophy or an approach to teaching writing in SLA classroom maybe utilized. Writing as communication may be defined as how learners put thoughts down on paper and develop them into some kind of coherent text (p.245) (Lee). Writing skill is a difficult task for it requires prior knowledge of the language components such as morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. These components serve as broader aspects of language for the underlying foundation of language skills like vocabulary, capitalization, syllabification, punctuation, sentence structure, sequential order, and initiation and maintenance of thoughts (Brice). Beare (2012) revealed that for many ESL learners, learning to write fluently in English is much more challenging than learning to speak fluently. Even for advanced level learners, written communications can come much more slowly in English than spoken communications because written communication is more formal; spoken communication allows for more mistakes; less reflection goes into spoken English than written English; and expectations are much higher for formal written English. It is important when teaching written English skills especially for business English to be aware of the challenges that learners face when learning to function in a written English environment and considerations should be given to achieve this. One such consideration is that acquiring speech is an unconscious act, whereas learning to write takes a conscious effort on the part of the learner. Another is that written language must be filtered through a system, which can be phonemic, structural or representative, etc. The individual must not only learn to recognize the meaning of words orally, but also go through a process of transcribing these sounds. Lastly, the process of transcribing requires the learning of other rules and structures thereby cognizing a previously unconscious process (Beare). Widdowson ¼Ã‹â€ 1978 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °enumenrates two aspects in language; one is rules, such as grammar, that determine correctness, and the other is the performative ability that allows people to undertake meaningful communication. He labels the correctness as usage and the performance as use. Since the language functions systematically and communicatively, both spoken and written modes of language cannot leave out either the grammatical and communicative aspects (Widdowson). Communicative writing can be described as the act of corresponding. Of course, as Widdowson ¼Ã‹â€ 1978 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °acknowledges, the socially reciprocal setting of the written mode is different from that of the spoken mode because, unlike listeners, readers are not always available for immediate responses or, even worse, for any form of interactions whatsoever. However, communicative writing entails the presence of readers as target audience. The important point is that one can write following grammatical rules, and one can compose in order to communicate with others through writing, yet, if the one does not write with the target audience in mind, composition cannot be an act of communication. According to Richards and Rodgers (1986), the theory of CLT approach is holistic rather than behavioristic. It starts with a theory of language as communication which implies knowledge of the grammatical system as well as performance (Richards and Rodgers). Widdowson (1984) stated that in other words, such competence includes both the usage and use of the language (Widdowson). Richards, J. C. (2006) explains that communicative competence embraces three fundamental dimensions: first, the ability to use linguistic means to realize a variety of language functions; second, the ability to use language appropriately with due consideration of the social context in which communication takes place; and third is the ability to develop strategies to manage the negotiation of meaning. This specification of communicative competence is the hallmark of the CLT approach because it cannot be founding the theoretical framework of any other method of or approach to language teaching (J. C. Richards). The CLT approach to teaching writing in the second language acquisition (SLA) context introduces two essential phases: first, a decision-making phase and a second phase whereby the ensuing writing processes are determined and established (Lee). The decision-making phase entails defining the rhetorical problem. It involves establishing a purpose for writing, determining an audience and a topic, ac

Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence Essay -- Edith Wharton Age Innoce

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence â€Å"As he entered the box his eyes met Miss Welland’s, and he saw that she had instantly understood his motive, though the family dignity which both considered so high a virtue would not permit her to tell him so. The persons of their world lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies, and the fact that he and she understood each other without a word seemed to the young man to bring them nearer than any explanation would have done.† (Wharton 16) This statement vividly illustrates the power of the unsaid within New York society during the 1870’s, the time in which The Age of Innocence was set. At that time, there existed a powerful set of rules, regulations, and codes pertaining to one’s conduct that were most often unspoken and, therefore, were never â€Å"formally† outlined. However, this did not in any way lessen the degree to which these standards were adhered to, and, thereby, upheld as if they were carved in the same ston e as the Ten Commandments. Because New York Society did not have much need for religion, other than for rites of passage, the rules of society were to them like rules of their religion. As a woman who was raised in this society, Edith Wharton was able to illustrate with great clarity the influence that the unsaid had when it came to knowing how one should behave if society is to look on them favourably. She further goes on to express the perils of a life lived within these particular codes. In the initial example used in the introduction, which took place in Chapter II of the novel, the reader is not only able to see the reason for Newland Archer’s behaviour, but the example also acts as a method of foreshadowing which alludes to the significant role ... ...nocence, one must only see the power that things left unsaid had in holding together a society such as the one that existed in New York during the time of the novel. Things that went unspoken, but were left to be solved by duty and appropriateness had the ability to act like the glue that held the Newland/Archer family together for a lifetime of children, and a lifetime of existence within a society that would not have accepted it any other way. Until the day before she died, May Welland/Archer acted in accordance with the unspoken rules of society in order to protect herself, her family, her marriage, and even the social structure itself, the very structure which forced her into accepting what life had given her long ago, and had taught her to learn to accept it. Works Cited Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York: 1920.

St. Augustine Essay -- essays research papers

Saint Augustine of Hippo Theologians, Biblical scholars and Christians all over the world often wrestle with two extremely important questions about their faith. These questions are, "What is God like?" and "How should we live in response to God?" Some feel that we need others to direct us, some feel we need them to challenge us, but everyone agrees that we need others. That is exactly how Saint Augustine struggles to find his faith and beliefs. He found it extremely difficult to come with a conclusion when it was staring at him straight in the face, but just as he did, we draw up our own conclusions with the guidance of others. Saint Augustine, born Aurelis Augustinus, was an influential and great philosopher and theologian of early times. He was considered the most important of the Latin Church Fathers. His writings of sermons gained fame, notably Confessions and his Treatise City of God. Through his work he helped distinguish the church in Western Europe from the church that it had reformed elsewhere. Saint Augustine was born on November 13, 354 AD in Tagaste, Numidia (modern-day Nigeria). His father, Patricius was a pagan and his mother, Monica was a devoted Christian who prayed untiringly for her son’s conversion to become a Christian herself. His mother later became officially declared by the Roman Catholic Church and became a saint as well. Due to his parents mixed beliefs, St. Augustine questioned both sides of re...

English as a Second Language Essay -- Education, Helen Dunkelblau, ESL

Helene Dunkelblau, an Assistant Professor of English as a Second Language at Queensborough Community College and author of â€Å"ESL Students Discover the Rewards of Reading through Reader Response Journals,† has experienced ESL students not only struggle to read but struggle to see themselves â€Å"as readers† (50). Dunkelblau has done the same first day introduction activity through many of her ESL classrooms, when the questions transition from those based on nationality to book interest â€Å"at least half of the students just shake their heads and ‘pass’† (51). Dunkelblau faces a challenge with ESL students encountered by English teachers in mainstream classrooms on a smaller scale—helping students develop a love for reading. Finding a way to relate what students are reading to their lives helps to create relevance and a greater understanding; which leads Dunkelblau to her rational for using reader response journals in the ESL reading c lassroom. Throughout the course of the semester Dunkelblau requires reader response journals. She defines reader response journals as â€Å"informal literature logs in which students focus on their personal reaction to a story rather than on a strict literary analysis† (51), the informal structure of these responses appear to be a way to lessen readers’ stress while allowing for response. Due to the interactive nature of reading and the â€Å"theoretical framework which assumes that all reading involves transactions between reader and text† (51), readers who journal about what they read show a reflective ability important in the understanding of reading. Dunkelblau sees these reader response journals as a way for her students to find relevance in text to their lives. While the idea of reader response journals i... ...comes not only from having read all the words of the novel, but from really knowing, for themselves† (55) the excitement and knowledge gained from reading and understanding a novel. As a future high school English teacher I hope to bring the idea of reader response journals into my classroom. By seeing the effectiveness reflection and response has had in Dunkelblau’s ESL classrooms, I definitely observe the importance of the exercise in all aspects of English. Dunkelblau didn’t start something new; she simply shared the activity as a way to get students involved in the text so that reading and reading comprehension grows within the ESL classroom. Overall, Dunkelblau setup her classroom in a way she felt would be effective to her students, while other classrooms may be different it is interesting to see a classroom model that has been shown to be successful.

Being Single or Being Married Essay

There are many differences between life as a single person and life as a part of a married couple. some of these differences are obvious, while others are more subtle. The key to make the dicision is the answer of the following question: Do you prefer life of going home to an empty house and a cold bed alone, but which seems easier; or do you prefer life of coming home with considerate family and warm atmosphere, but which seems more complicated? Sometimes, the soceity favors marriages. Because in traditional opinions, a marriage adds happinesses and fulfilments to one’s life. A reseaches also shows that married people are more likely than those who are not married to be very happy: forty-three percent of people who say they are very happy they are married, versus twenty-four percent of unmarried people saying they are very happy[1]. What is more, in a marriage, there is always someone to talk to or listen to you. It is good to have someone there to have a conversation, to bounce idea of or to have a witty exchange of remarks. The companionship between the couple also offer supports and can be particularly important at time of trouble and stress. Partners of a marriage which lasts long are usually assured a certain basic level of emotional sustence. Marriages also result in consistent expression of sexual desire for one’s spouse through the life course. People who are married reported the highest levels of well-being, regardless of whether they were happily married or not. â€Å"Even when controlling for relationship happiness, being married was associated with high-esteem, greater life satisfaction, greater happiness and less distress.† The heavier commitment of marriage brings long-term concerns over a spouse’s future well-being. Marriage is a motivation of fighting for better financial supports. Some people prefer being single. In many people’s dictionaries, being single means being free. Single people can make decisions follwing their hearts without asking for any others’ approval. Their time is their own and their money is their own, so they can dominate the life by themselves. They may occasionally feel that thet have too much empty time on their hands, but thet can fill that time any way they want. Being single makes people really focus on their careers, education, and life goals. Put in long hours, work toward advancement or job hop until they find ideal positions which give them personal satisfaction. Dreams can be pursued freely, life can be shaped discretionarily. Being single may relate to less responsibilities. Besides freedom, another advantage to many people of being single is travalling. From weekend jounts to summer resort vacations, traveling alone is the time in one’s life of getting away and relaxing. On many practical levels, being single has additional advantage, a single person can often snag the odd single seat for otherwise sold-out performance. Without â€Å"wearing a ring†, single people have opportunities to choose their favorite partners among all the pursuers. For myself, I would like to choose the life of being married, rather than the life of being single. First of all, companionship and stabability is much more important to me than freedom. True love and marriage is a companionship. Secondly, as a person who likes struggling emotionally, I do not expect to live in my own emotional world. Thirdly, even though traveling alone is a wonderful experience, traveling with one’s partner will be an unforgettable journey. Visiting the places you both dream of will accomplish your common expectations. The same experience will make you closer. As to the question of being single or being married; people come and go and walk away, but I am not going anywhere. Being married cannot make life easier, but I will have someone to suffer this hard life with me, that is the marriage all about for me.

A Memorable Journey

This creates a picture of ‘twin dragons playing with pearls'. This 468 meters (1 ,536 feet) high tower Is the world's sixth and China's second tallest TV and radio tower. It was a Sunday morning when we left home. We spent 2 hours on the way to Oriental Pearl TV Tower. It was the first time to hold global animation fair. The fair attracts thousands of visitors. The display was held in cartoon drawings. Coplay contest, and other activities. At the fair were an exhibition area, costly performance area, e-sports experience zone, Japan, Europe, and the cartoon image was everywhere.My favorite activity was protagonist's Coplay. Coplay,short for â€Å"costume play†, is a performance art in which participant wear costumes to represent a specific character. Coplay is known to show creative behavior, you can see these cartoon fans heart dress. There are usually some identified Coplay celebrities that effectively represent your favorite character. You can purchase one you love to be your idol. Today, people all around the world are involved in splays fantasy fun. In the noon, we went to the revolving restaurant, where we ate seafood and drank juice.We were enjoying the beautiful view while the seats revolved. The restaurant was a great place that let people repose. I was able to fully relax myself there. It was proudly at the top of the Shanghai. The view was amazing. Finally, we went to the Observation Deck. The whole passage was made up of steel structure and glass. You can see the ground while standing on the glass floor. We were 863 feet off the ground. From Oriental Pearl TV Tower, we can have a bird's eye view of the city. In the Observation Deck where I snapped photos of the view. There were a lot of tourists.From a viewpoint overlooking Shanghai City you can see numerous high alluding, congested traffic, and dense population. Life Is like a Journey, you never know when something will come up. All Journeys are opportunities for discovery. Some Journey s are opportunities to discover the Inner self. I can never forget this unforgettable Journey. Reminiscences of this Journey often flicker In my mind every now and then. Because It was my Jovial Journey with my family. There was no nuisance surrounded us, only Jaunty moments. After that vacation, I had many more vacations. But that first vacation had some special magic In It.It Is Just an unforgettable experience. By pinpricks My most memorable childhood Journey to date is visiting Shanghai with my family. It is the year 2002 and I can remember the details of each place. I can remember the food I and my family ate. It's all still so fresh in my mind. There were many famous Tower. Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudding Park in Lazuli, Shanghai. The Tower, surrounded by the Yang Bridge in the northeast and the Nap Bridge in meters (1 ,536 feet) high tower is the world's sixth and China's second tallest TV and It was a Sunday morning when we left home. We spent 2 hours onThe fai r attracts thousands of visitors. The display was held in cartoon drawings, your idol. Today, people all around the world are involved in Copley's fantasy fun. Observation Deck. The whole passage was made up of steel structure and glass. You Life is like a Journey, you never Some Journeys are opportunities to discover the inner self. I can never forget this unforgettable Journey. Reminiscences of this Journey often flicker in my mind every now and then. Because it was my Jovial Journey with my family. There was no vacations. But that first vacation had some special magic in it. It is Just an A Memorable Journey My first day of the trip contained making sure we had the everything we needed packed in our bags. We reached at the International Airport at ten-thirty, about an hour previous to our plane taking off. When we did finally depart from GSP airport we took a two hour ride to London, from there we got on another plane. Finally, then we reach at Dubai. The currency in Dubai was different from Pakistan one rupee is equal to 0. 03449AED or dirhams in Dubai money. When we reached in Dubai we took a taxi to pick up our rental car.We had reserved a land cruiser because it was the most inexpensive choice for our trip. We heard from there to the hotel the Star Metro Deira Hotel arriving at nearby five-thirty. We went up to or room unpacked and got settled in for about two hours before leaving for our first event of the day, Aqua venture Water ParkWe stayed there for about five or so hours before returning to the hotel. With the height of about 829 meters one cannot miss the world’s talles t construction while having a trip to Dubai.The Star Metro Deira Hotel is an wonderful art of engineering. It covers and one 134 levels and the view from the top is fabulous and beautiful. The sound and light show, which is in front of the Star Metro Deira Hotel is a splendid and colorful experience. On day two of our trip we have also saves some time to visit â€Å"The Palm Jumeirah†. This huge man-made island is a world wonder. The island is formed like a Palm and hence is called as The Palm Jumeirah. One of the best parts of this island is â€Å"Atlantis†.This is a exciting complete resort with a lot of activities and adventure sports. From swimming to the exciting water slides, every single activity was outstanding. On day three we woke up and went to the dessert safari was an fantastic experience. We started with the bumpy car ride through the dry and hot dessert. After which, we annoyed the ship of the desert, â€Å"Camels†, Our journey ended with an capti vating belly dance and an extravagant spread of delicious Arabian food. We enjoy too much at this trip. I wish we will go again for this trip soon.