Total Pageviews

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Lord of the Flies : the beast within all humans

From : http://www.slideshare.net/keesijzerman/lord-of-the-flies-21390536 
My posts about literature keep growing and growing. I already wrote posts about Defoe's  Robinson Crusoe, about Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. I have lately read another outstanding piece of literature : The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding . This thrilling novel tells the story of a group of pre-teenagers who must endeavour to survive on a deserted island without any adults around, after the crashing of their plane. 

At the beginning, everything seems promising. A boy, Ralph is elected leader by coincidence when he happens to find a conch and blows it calling the first assembly. He starts to arrange things on the island, instructing others to make a fire and keep it burning; to construct shelters and have fun. However, little by little, as time goes by things get worsen and the gang of boys start losing their childlike innocence to brutal savagery and barbarity. 

Soon after they arrive on the island, most of the boys start bullying one of the most intelligent lads, nicknaming him 'Piggy'. They start to despise and insult him. In addition, the small society is quickly divided between 'Bigguns' (the oldest ones) and 'Littluns' (mostly kindergarten or pre-school children who are unable to take care of themselves). 

Soon one of the boys, Jack Merridew, opposes the leader. He is jealous of him and wants to become the leader of the group. He hunts for food and little by little he persuades the others to join him. They forget to let the fire going and they descend into savagery and lose their humankind. They barely wear any clothes, they paint their faces, they hunt for food and they dance like in a ritual. In no time, a battle arises : a battle between Ralph, the original leader (backed up by Piggy), and Jack (supported by the rest of the boys); a battle between humankind and savagery; a battle that will take some lives...

The question here is 'why is this book so riveting ?' The answer is simple : it deals with complex problems of humankind. It depicts topics that are still current nowadays. First and foremost, William Golding analyzes the darkness within the human soul. Throughout the book, the children lead an unquenchable quest for a beast. However, the best is always within them. That beast is a metaphor of the human violence and savagery. Both the survival instincts and the abandonment of society lead the man to wander around like animals. When Jack and his group paint their faces they have lost their humanity; they are wild animals willing to do whatever it takes, even despicable things like killing and torturing others, or burning the island on fire. The message that the author is sending is clear : we have a beast within that will lead us to derailment. Humanity is about controlling that beast. Not controlling that beast means going back, becoming soulless and animalistic, as can be seen in the following excerpt : "Jack began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling." This is precisely what drives the group to ritualistic behaviours. They turn into a ruthless tribe. They offer some sacrifices to the beast, but what they are actually doing is to enlarge their beast within. 
From : https://englishosaca.wordpress.com/sixth-grade/lord-of-the-flies/
Another important topic is life in society. There is an eternal debate going on in the book. In extreme cases, must we live in society and obey a leader, or, on the contrary, must we do whatever it takes to survive; must we surrender to our most primitive instincts ? This struggle is dealt with in the book, as can be seen in the following extract : “Which is better –to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”At the beginning, they behave humanely. They obey their reasonable and humane leader, Ralph. However, when they run out of food, they decide to follow Ralph, who is less humane but it is a survivor, able to hunt for food and keep them alive. The littluns are abandoned and neglected: they consider them weak and a burden for the survival of everyone. The society of the children is a mirror of the society of adults when lousy decisions are made. If we don't make the right choices, society is bound to fall apart. 

From : https://aliciamarrone.wordpress.com/
The book describes some current and important issues in nowadays society, namely bullying and the loss of innocence in children. The first one is dealt with in the figure of Piggy. He is the voice of reason, but he is beaten and insulted with no reason, even by his own friends. He is a victim unable to escape his destiny. As for the innocence, when the children arrive on the island, their innocence is intact. Due to the conditions of the island and their action, they lose their innocence and behave cruelly. The message is demolishing : not even children are safe from their beasts within. 
From : http://chrishanze.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/discrimination-against-piggy-deeper.html
To conclude, this book proves to be compelling and enthralling given that his author seems to know human nature perfectly. You must read this book, despite its pessimistic -yet truthful vision about human beings. 

To illustrate the novel much better, here you have a parody made by The Simpsons and the trailer of the movie. I hope you enjoy them.



Monday, February 15, 2016

Englench : English and French have more in common than you can think !

From : http://canadianspanish.com/post/16006886987/french-vs-spanish 

Hello folks,
I think languages are a gift. As you read in my post about the languages influencing English, English has been influenced and shaped by a great deal of languages, including Spanish. Thankfully, I speak several languages, some better than others. One of the languages I speak is French and, though I do not love French as much as I love English, I happen to find French an interesting language. There is a cliché stating that the English and the French don't get along too much, so I thought it would be a great idea to analyze this cliché in purely linguistic terms. Let's begin : 
From : http://www.witslanguageschool.com/Services/TranslationandInterpreting/English-FrenchTranslations.aspx
Historically, French became a dominant language in the twelfth centuries. That was due to the fact that a Norman king, William the Conqueror, became the ruler of England and brought the French language with him (although the French language had already 'invaded' the English language before). French was spoken for three centuries until the English regained its status. The French influence was so vast that it has spread to current English. French is now linked to sophistication, its use being considered formal, exquisite and even pedantic. To illustrate this example, have a look at the word in bold I used at the beginning of the post: 'cliché'. Isn't it more sophisticated than stereotype ? I really think so.
Firstly, I will show you a very appealing video stating French influence in English: 

Here you have a list of French words and expressions currently existing in the English language. 

The influence of French in the English language

English words
French words
Decoration
Décor
Stereotype
Cliché
Naivety
Naiveté
Place
Venue
Liquor
Liqueur
Majestic
Grand
Small (short)
Petite
Dark-haired
Brunet / brunette
Majesty
Grandeur
Underwear
Lingerie
Castle
Château
Disciple
Protégé
Candle / candelabrum (the latter from Latin)
Chandelier
Mask
Masque
Check
Cheque
Sheep
Mutton
Pig
Pork
Deer
Venison
Friendly /  nice
Pleasant / agreeable / amiable
Perfume
Cologne
Smell /aroma
Bouquet
Single
Bachelor / bachelorette



French expressions
English equivalence
Bon appétit
Have a nice meal
Enchanté
Nice to meet you
Femme fatale
Seductive woman
Enfant terrible
Incorrigible child
Savoir faire
Elegance / cultivation
Coup d’état
Revolution
Comme-ci comme ça
So-so
Chef d’oeuvre
Master piece (opera prima in Latin)
Café-au-lait
Coffee with milk / White coffee
Déjà vu
Something that you think has happened before
En garde
To be on your guard, attentive. 
En route
On the way
À la
In the way of
À la mode
In fashion / fashionable
Entrée
Starter
Ménage à trois
Threesome
Lait-motif
Symbol
Vis-à-vis
Face-to-face / visit in prison
Voilà
Here it is

The influence of English in the French language
English is everywhere and it has become a lingua franca. It has clearly invaded French and many other languages. Here you have some examples:

- Football /footballeur / basket / basketball
- stopper = s'arreter 
- week-end
- OK = d'accord
- Cool = chouette 
- kidnapper / kidnappeur / kidnapage = kidnap / kidnapper / kidnapping
- Last but not least = pour en finir
 - Coach = entraîneur 
- Job = travail / boulot
- Un mail = courrier electronique / courriel
- Footing /jogging / marketing / meeting / brainstorming / parking / le living(-room)

Did you like the post ? Can you add more words to my list ? Anyway, despite their differences both English and French are really interesting cultures with very curious -and quirk- languages. I hope this post has helped you to realize their similarities rather than their differences 
Image taken from : http://www.witslanguageschool.com/Services/TranslationandInterpreting/English-FrenchTranslations.aspx


P.S. My former French teacher has also contributed with his examples of French words into the  English language: 'ballet' vs. dancing; expert vs. connoisseur; touché vs. nice point; ragoût vs. stew; He also added some English words invading French, such as 'gadget', 'racket', 'folklore' or 'chips'. Thanks a lot, Jose Manuel 

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Same or different ?

Do you remember my post about the illogical English pronunciation ? Well, today I propose you a challenging game. I will present you with some pairs of words and you will have to decide if they are homophones (words written differently but pronounced in the same way) or minimal pairs (very similar words in pronunciation with only one distinctive phoneme). I will present you with the pairs of words and you will have to decide if they are pronounced the same or not. Then, you can see the solutions down below.  Are you ready ? I warn you : be prepared for surprise:


1. kennel vs. kernel
  
From : http://freepuppiesfinder.blogspot.com.es/   From :http://www.fotosearch.com/ilustracion/corn-kernel.html

2015/06/puppy-kennels.html

2. mayor vs. major

                    
From :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby   From : http://www.andrews.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=14005
 3. use vs. juice
From :  http://yonanas.com/juice/ 
From : https://twitter.com/projetouse 

4. Flower vs. flour 

 
From :  http://www.clipartpanda.com          From : http://clipartfreefor.com/cliparts/flour-clipart/
/categories/flower-clipart                           cliparti1_flour-clipart_01.jpg

5. gaol vs. jail
From : http://clipartfreefor.com/files/1/21973_jail-clipart.html
6. berry vs. bury
From : http://4vector.com/free-vector/             From : http://deevybee.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/
        small-red-berries-clip-art-4266               lhow-to-bury-your-academic-writing.htm

7. marry vs. Mary vs. merry
From : http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/in-which-age-are-you-going-to-marry/question-1848779/ 
                                                              http://www.animatedimages.org/cat-merry -christmas-570.htm                                                                               
From :http://www.caringcatholicconvert.com/_sites/wordpress/articles/mary/our-lady-in-the-middle-east/ 
8. Core vs. corps

From : http://www.gograph.com/stock-illustration/core.html
 
From : http://www.bmaconline.org/index.cfm/youth-education/us-army-cadet-corps/


9. Right - write
 
From : http://school.glwh.org/grace-lutheran-school          From : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=
-is-the-right-choice/                                                       com.jamesmc.writer

10. Cereal vs. serial
From : http://www.quakeroats.com/products/              From : http://lankahelper.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/200-tv-seriesl
 cold-cereals/life-cereal/regular.aspx                        -folder-icon-pack.htm


11. Ireland vs. island
  
From http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/        From : http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/05/16/a-hotel-on-it/
traveler/none/ireland                                              my-tiny-heart-shaped-island-and-yes-theres-

Solutions :

1. DIFFERENT (minimal pairs): Kennel ['kenl] kernel ['k3:nl]. As you can see, the second word is a bit longer than the first one. Surprisingly, 'kernel' is homophones with 'colonel'. Did you know that ?

2. DIFFERENT  : Mayor [meə]; major ['meɪʤə]. As appreciated, the first word is a bit irregular. However, the first word is homophones with the female horse : 'mare'. Quite interesting, don't you think ?

3. DIFFERENT :  Use [ju:z];  juice [ʤu:s]. Although, they seem very similar, both words have very distinctive sounds. Firstly, the difference between [j] and [ʤ]. Secondly, the sibilant sound in the first one is voiced, while in the second one is voiceless.

4. SAME (homophones) : Yeah ! Both words are pronounced the same : [flaʊə], with just one syllable. If you say the sentence : I work in a flour factory, someone may think that you make flowers and not flour ! 

5. SAME (homophones). They are both pronounced [ʤeɪl]. The first one is typically British. These words are really special homophones. Not only are they pronounced the same, but they also refer to the same thing and they have the same meaning ! 

6. SAME (homophones) : Both of them are pronounced ['beri]. As you can see, the second word has an unusual pronunciation.

7. DIFFERENT (minimal pairs) : Marry ['mɶri]; merry ['meri]; Mary ['meəri]. 

8. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced [kɔ:]. 

9. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced [raɪt]. These words are also homophones with 'rite' and 'wright'.

10. SAME (homophones) : Both words are pronounced ['sɪərɪəl]. What a wonderful language English is ! 

11. SAME (homophones), but only in British English ['aɪlənd]. You can say a sentence like Ireland is an island. However, in American English, post-vocalic 'r' is pronounced, so they would be different words in American English. 

Did you enjoy the post ? Then post a comment and add more pairs to my list.