Summer Blogpost

This summer was by far the worst summer i have ever experienced throughout my life time, firstly i did not travel anywhere with my family, wasted half, if not the majority of my time sleeping, the amount of IB work we were set to complete over the summer is immense, and finally Ramadan wasted literally half my summer.

Ramadan is a holy month in which Muslims all over the world practice strict fasting from dawn to sunset, since Ramadan is a month long and the summer was two months, half the summer was wasted with endless hours of sleep to make up for the time i had to fast. Not travelling anywhere and doing absolutely nothing was the biggest waste of time ever, all i did during my free time was sit at home and watch TV shows, on the bright side the intense amount of IB work given to us by school was not bad as i had so much free time on my hands that sometimes i would rather work on my university applications or my school work rather than do nothing.

All in all, i have experienced the worst summer i will ever experience in my life. The only thing i am currently looking forward to is the completion of the IB program and receiving my diploma.

Paper #2

Stories often form an important part of the culture of a people. It is through stories that ideas, moral beliefs and everyday life can be preserved most easily. In a culture with no form of written language, such as Achebe’s Igbo culture, story-telling becomes the most practical way to convey knowledge to the younger generations. In his novel Things Fall Apart, Achebe makes good use of various stories and myths of the Igbo culture to create a genuine depiction of his own culture, which in turn allows his readers to not only better understand the Igbo culture, but to entirely immerse oneself into Achebe’s fictional village of Umuofia.

Achebe shows us just how important stories are in Igbo culture by showing us a story made up by Ekwefi, who is telling it to Ezinma. Ekwefi’s story carries a moral that she intends to teach to her daughter. She uses the story as a method of education. Ekwefi then asks Ezinma to create her own story, a task which she finds to be harder than what her mother made it look like. The use of stories as a form of education and the encouragement for young members of the population to be trained in the art of making stories from a young age shows us that in Igbo culture stories are the main way of transmitting knowledge and of educating the population. Achebe also shows us that this transmission of knowledge was something more than just a mere moral lesson. It was also used to shape the Igbo society itself. This can be seen when we see that Okonkwo’s male sons are told stories by him while his daughters are only told stories by their mothers. This shows that stories were used to determine the gender roles within the Igbo society, since there would be a separation as to what stories the boys would hear and what stories the girls would hear. And as remarked by Achebe through Nwoye’s opinions of the difference between Okonkwo’s and his mother’s stories, these stories would differ in content, the male ones usually being more violent than those told by the mothers.

Another example of an Igbo legend used by Achebe, and in this case one that has a visible effect within the culture is the legend of the Ogbanje. The Ogbanje is a demon child that keeps dying young and being reborn into the womb of the same mother. In Things Fall Apart, Ezinma is considered to be an Ogbanje, since Ekwefi has had many children before her, but they have all died young, thus she was thought to be plagued by an Ogbanje for a long time. At one point in the novel, the members of the village even harass Ezinma so that she gives off the location of the small pebble that is supposed to be the link between the Ogbanje and the physical world, in order to make sure that Ekwefi would not be tortured anymore. Achebe, writing for a contemporary audience, would have known that there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon which the Igbo mythology attributed to supernatural forces, and that his audience would have known this as well. The fact that the reader knows that this is indeed nothing more than a legend may cause some confusion or misjudgment of the Igbo culture, but Achebe tries to stay as true to the culture as possible and show his readers exactly what the culture was like. And to this end, he shows us the extreme extent that these legends would impact the behavior of the Igbo people.

Another example of a myth that would directly impact the lifestyle of the Igbo people was their belief of having a very strong connection to Ani, the earth goddess in Igbo religion. Throughout Things Fall Apart Ani is the most mentioned deity, since many of the actions taken by the people in the village have consequences that are directly related to her. An example of this can be seen when Okonkwo accidentally kills Ogbuefi Ezeudo’s son with his faulty gun. Killing a fellow clansman is considered to be an offense to Ani, and thus Okonkwo is forced into exile in order to prevent the earth goddess from doing anything too rash. Okonkwo’s house, all of his crops and his animals are also destroyed in order to please the earth goddess. This shows that the Igbo people had a very deep belief in their religion and that it heavily affected the way they lived. Achebe might have intended to make special emphasis on this aspect of the Igbo culture in order to make an indirect comparison with the Christian church, where a lot of people do not take religion as much into account during all of their lives, and thus portray the Igbo people as a culture that may be more religious than the colonizers themselves. This would have caused the western readers of the time of the novels release to question the religious aspects of their own lives.

Passage Analysis Chapter 21 (Things Fall Apart)

Summary of Chapter 21:



At this point in the story, the majority of the Umofian people are quite pleased with the changes taking place in Umofia as they have set-up trading posts and wealth as a result of that started flowing into the village. Mr. Brown (the white missionary) and Akunna (one of the clan’s elders) meet often to debate about their own cultural and religious views in attempt to convince one another to convert religions. However; that was not Mr. Brown’s sole intention, he persistently visited Akunna to acquire additional information regarding the flaws of Umofia’s religion in order to convey that the flaws of the Igbo religion are the advantages of Christianity. Using this information Mr. Brown goes on and builds a hospital and a school and argues that “strangers who can read and write will come to rule them”. His arguments are fairly effective and his hospital wins praise for its treatments.




Various power factors that impact the major events in the novel:


The missionaries seemed to acquire and provide the Umofians with advantages lacking in the Igbo culture. Firstly he provides the well-established members of Umofia with new opportunities for wealth (Trading), Secondly the impotent members find find acceptance in Christianity that they didn't experience in the so-called old ways, and finally Mr. Brown builds a school and a much-needed hospital in Umuofia; both institutions produce immediate and impressive results which attracts even more converts to side with the missionaries.

Paper #2

The Igbo people rely on success, in order to determine how well a person should be respected and recognized. Social status in Things Fall Apart plays an impacting role on the various themes originated by Achebe. It is one of the most important factors that as a result, character's actions were driven with their traits. Social status was used as a tool of characterization, as Achebe managed to relate titles character traits. In Igbo culture, a man's social status is based on merit rather than inheritance. A man is capable of gaining respect by committing to hard work, bravery and war skills. Hence, when men have a couple of titles, it means that they have earned a rather high status in their society. Achebe kept the audience updated and informed of the titles earned by characters. Okwonko has earned two titles; this signifies his physical capabilities and his hard working inflated ego. On the other hand Unoka, Okwonko's father, has not earned any titles throughout his lifetime, this is a symbol of the ideologies stating that Unoka is a lazy character and incompetent.

Ezeudu, the oldest man in the village and considered to be one of the most important clan elders and leaders, had a high status in Umofia. Because of his significant titles, “he was to be buried after dark with only a glowing brand to light the sacred ceremony" (page 123). This further enriches the idea that relates titles to social status and characterization. Unoka, unlike Ezeudu, had no titles. Which resulted in him dying a rather shameful death as he was left in the evil forest to die there alone.

Those who were old were given a lot of respect by their society. This is because respect is associated with experience, wealth and social status. Assuming that old people have the most experience, and as a result they gained respect. However, the tribe valued achievement and accomplishment more than how much age was concerned. This is determined after perceiving that Okwonko was a fine young warrior in contrast with the respect he gained from his people, as he was an achiever and hardworking.

Women did not play a huge role in society and were only good at raising their husband’s children, thus men with no titles were referred to as women, as they did not play a role in society and deemed to be lazy and unworthy in terms of their social status.

"There was a wealthy man in Okonkwo's village who had three huge barns, nine wives, and thirty children. His name was Nwakibie and he had taken the highest but one title which a man could take in the clan" (page 18-19). This enhances the ideas of titles and success. The more titles an individual has, then the more respect he will earn from his tribe, showing that a character is an accomplished citizen of Umofia.

In conclusion, social status shaped the character’s actions and limited their character traits as discussed in the previous analytical response. As characters were introduced in terms of how many titles each has, then resulting in a creation of an idea surrounding the character and his actions relating to his social status.

Paper 1 Political Speech

The chosen text that I will be analyzing is conveyed and published in the form of a political speech by John F. Kennedy. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was held on Friday, January 20, 1961. An Inaugural Address is a form of speech that is delivered by a leader who aims to share his or her intentions as a dominant figure with the audience. This speech takes place during an inauguration, which is a formal ceremony held to mark the very first steps of a public leader. Knowing that the text was an Inaugural Address and delivered by one of the most memorable American leaders, allows us to determine, recognize and identify the text as a speech. Speeches given by leading American presidents generally console the commonalities of their citizens by referring to the American history, significance of the occasion and most importantly to hope for a thriving future.

Kennedy’s speech aimed to reassure Americans of what their nation is capable of, “United there is little we cannot do”. The “we” in the previous quote resembles unity and sympathy shared by the leader with his supporters. Simultaneously projecting a sense of security in the eyes and hearts of his fellow supporters, who showed their support by embracing the young leader’s vision. Kennedy then moves on to educate and inspire the American society to serve their homeland and the world, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man”. By referring to the world in contrast to America, further enhances the ideologies portrayed to the audience, as it views the United States of America as a vicious side that the world is in need of.

John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is considered to be the finest and most eloquent speech to be given by a president in the American history. Kennedy’s speech marked the 44th presidential inauguration, while at the same time the cold war was taking place, as he starts off by saying "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to insure the survival and the success of liberty”. These previous lines indicate the situation that Kennedy and his nation were in. The hardships that the Americans lived with were all shifted away as Kennedy gave his speech, giving Americans hope and a mission to further build their uprising nation.

The tone was that the speech was set on and the way the speech was conveyed tells us a lot about Kennedy’s character. The tone allows the speech teller to feel more empowered and project this power to the audience. Kennedy used formal and sophisticated vocabulary, showing his eloquence and intelligence. For example, “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans”, the previous lines further portray Kennedy as an intellect leader, his usage of antiquated words resemble his care for the nation’s history while thriving for a superior future.

Literary devices give authors the opportunity to express what they want, as a result Kennedy took an advantage of that as he used detailed and impacting key literary devices allowing him to portray his ideas more efficiently. Ethos, Pathos and Logos were present in this text. Ethos for example, “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago”. The previous quote is an example of Ethos, as Kennedy’s political background provided him with tools to take on the audience from all around the world in his speech, including the Soviet Union. Pathos was also relevant in the context where Kennedy said, “let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own”. That shows Pathos since Kennedy assures that there is a common god and a mutual belief in him, the usage of both “we” and “us” signify equality although Kennedy is considered to be the president of the most powerful nation in the world. Last but not least, Logos was evident as Kennedy said, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures”. In the previous quote Kennedy states the fact that working together allows their nation to succeed as a whole better.

Rhetoric devices were also frequently plotted in the text, such as Antithesis, Repetition and Metaphor.
Antithesis is when there is contrast of ideas in parallel structures or words, it was evident when JFK said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. Repetition however, is a word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity, such as, “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life”. Metaphors are the most commonly used form of rhetoric devices, where there is an implied comparison through a figurative use of words, for example as Kennedy referred to poverty as chains that need to be broken by working together, “the chains of poverty”.

Over all JFK's speech was constructed and delivered in a superior manner. Rhetorical devices being implemented in his speech further built up his leading character in the eyes of his supporting audience. His Inaugural Address was one of the most successful speeches in US history, and all the factors contributing in the previous statement were thoroughly discussed in the previous analysis.

FOA Reflection

My FOA was based upon the focus question, how is language used to represent a social class in media types such as TV shows, rap songs, and magazine articles. The two learning outcomes in which i seek to achieve are as follows, firstly to analyse how audience and purpose affect the structure and content of texts, and secondly to analyse how language can either oppress or empower a group of people.

 Our group chose to present this FOA in the form of a video mainly because our voices tend to be clearer and easier to comprehend if we use a microphone rather than present our presentation live, and we wish to be ale to present our analysis and ideas clearer and in a more organized way than if we chose to present our FOA live; therefore our final decision on how we are going to present this FOA was based upon these two questions.

 I feel like we were successful in presenting this FOA due to many different reasons, firstly we provided the audience with a detailed and thorough analysis of three different media types (Rap song, magazine, and a TV show), we stuck to our topic and did not go off track during the presentation, each member of the group answered the main focus question at the end of our analysis of each of our specific media types, and spoke briefly about how language was used in the texts in relation to our focus question, and finally we provided the audience with examples from our media types to back up our analysis.

 Our strengths were our organization of the FOA, ensuring that the language we were using was appropriate and relevant to the task, and we conveyed good understanding of how language is used in each of the media types, as for our weaknesses, i believe that we should have improved on sticking to our time limit although we were only a minute under the required amount and we should make sure we are fully knowledgeable of our texts.

 The reason i chose my specific text is chiefly due to it being extremely relevant to answering my focus question and would help me achieve my self-assigned learning outcomes, Some of the features that i analysed in which i was able to demonstrate and answer my focus question through, were the author's word choice in the article, how the language used by the author portrayed women as lower citizens of a society, and the author's exclusion of women's important roles in society.

Some of the things i learnt from completing this activity were: learning how to edit and construct a video from scratch, the fact that there is power in language and that a certain social group can be oppressed or empowered depending on the author's use of language, and finally social classes can be degraded or upgraded through the language in many of the common media types we watch and listen to everyday.

Practice IOC Act 4 Scene 1

IOC Script:

For my IOC, i will be analyzing Act IV Scene I (Lines 25-59)

Context and the major events leading up to this play include:

- A huge storm rages upon a ship carrying the King of Naples, his brother, his son, and other characters

- The shipwreck survivors wake up on the island, They are surprised that there clothes smell and feel fresh

- Ariel's song puts them all to sleep except for Sebastian and Antonio. Antonio, (who replaced his brother his brother Prospero as Duke of Milan), manipulates and brainwashes Sebastian (Brother of the King) into doing the same thing Antonio did in the past by replacing King Alonso. As the two were about to kill the king in his sleep, Ariel awakens everyone and the two men quickly make an excuse for drawing their swords.

- Trinculo, a jester on the ship discovers Caliban and quickly realizes that such a monster would earn a fortune for him in England. Stephano, trinculo's friend eventually finds Trinculo under Caliban's huge frame. Stephano gives Caliban alcohol, causing Caliban to believe Stephano to be more powerful than Prospero. The three men set off together, later deciding to kill Propspero

- Prospero who is now invisible to Ferdinand and Miranda, witnesses Ferdinand and Miranda expressing their deep love for one another. Propsero, realizing he is witnessing a truly rare meeting of hearts, approves of Ferdinand for his daughter. The scene ends with Ferdinand taking Miranda for his wife. Prospero is pleased but must now leave to attend to matters before supper

- Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian and Francisco and others witness a banquet on the island but it is an illusion. Ariel returns and verbally punishes Alonso (King of Naples), Antonio and Sebastian for their roles in exiling Prospero,

Summary Of The Lines

- In these specific lines, Prospero orders to gather his band of spirits to put on a celebratory masque, or performance, for the new couple

Plot/Purpose:

- These lines are strategically placed in this Scene because The Tempest is filled with Prospero's magic and illusions. The play begins with Prospero's magic and end with it as well. Therefore Shakespeare intended to show that Propspero was always in charge, and not just in the initial and concluding scenes of the play, but throughout the entirety of the text. Strategically placing these lines in the middle of the play contributes to proving that Propsero was always in charge and always one step ahead.

- Also, the organization of the court masque played a crucial role in the way the Renaissance monarchs chose to think about themselves. Masques served essentially as images of Order, Peace, and Harmony brought about by the ruler's mere presence

Style and Language:

- The repetition of the word "servant" by Prospero when speaking to Ariel throughout these lines underlines the Propsero's power over Ariel and the fact the she owes him for freeing her from Sycorax.

- And at the beginning of the lines, the transfer of power is being shown by Propspero when he grants "1/3" of his life to Ferdinand when he approves of Ferdinand and Miranda's marriage.

- By Propspero telling Ferdinand to keep off Miranda till after the wedding largely highlights the importance of Miranda's virginity and innocence, and that her virginity is a thing that's treated like a "Treasure" and to be guarded well in the hands of her father from Caliban's attempts to rape her and Ferdinand (Till after the wedding)