The Power of Language in American Culture Essay -- Term Papers Researc

The Power of Language in American Culture Culture is a part of everyone's life, whether we choose to express it in our everyday lives or to just be aware of its presence. A major part of one's culture is a defining language. The topic of assimilation versus multiculturalism directly relates to culture in America, and even more specifically to the power of language in American culture. Since language is the basis of communication I think that all immigrants must assimilate to a certain degree by speaking English, while preserving their heritage if they choose to do so. Language is a very powerful thing. It is the way that people communicate with each other. For a foreigner living in America I think that this is essential. This is why I believe that if a foreigner only attempts to learn English, then they are already assimilating to American culture. Whether or not they choose to change their whole lifestyle into an American way of life, if they take on the English language then they are assimilating to a certain extent. Amy Tan is the author of the essay Mother Tongue. In this essay, she explains how the power of language has influenced her life through her mother and the experiences they have had together concerning her mother's English-speaking ability, or lack there of. She was born into a Chinese family where both Chinese and English were spoken. She is sensitive to and accepting of people's lingual differences. She talks about how the inability to speak English well in America gives others the wrong impression: "...everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker" (Tan 13). She is saying here that prolific English speakers place limitations on people who have limited English-speak... ...who you ask. It can mean many different things to many different people. I don't think that there is one right answer to the question: What is American culture? One thing for sure is that in order to truly be a part of a culture, you must be able to communicate with those around you. Therefore, I think it is essential that foreigners learn and speak English while preserving their heritage in America. The English language is a very powerful and useful tool. To those who enter this country, it can mean the difference between taken seriously or being taken for granted. Sources Cited Bray, Thomas. "Memorial Day and Multiculturalism." Detroit News 24 May 1998. 25 September 2005. . Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 26-31.

Four-Year College Course Essay

This is an essay on the vocation that I am going to take. College will be the turning-point in my life and four years of studies in the field of nursing will be very interesting as well as full of challenges and responsibilities. It will be years of hardships and sacrifices but the discipline will mold me into becoming a more mature individual, ready to take on the role of being a Registered Nurse, caring for ailing people, the elderly as well as sick children. This course will also mold me into a person with better interpersonal relationships with superiors, fellow nurses and family members of individuals needing care and attention. Four-Year College Course (Registered Nurse) Nursing is a noble profession in the healthcare industry. Since I was a child, I have always wanted to become a nurse. Now I am determined to pursue that dream. When I grew up and had a deeper understanding of things, I knew that nurses chose this vocation to have a greater purpose in life which is to care for ailing patients, give them comfort and hope as well as educate their family members so that they will be able to handle the sick when at home after hospital confinement. My passion to become a nurse intensified with that noble purpose in life. Now I have the opportunity to reach that goal. I always have that urge to help people. I have the compassion for taking care of sick individuals. I know that this is the vocation or profession where I can make a difference in people’s lives. I know for a fact that the education, training and discipline to become a nurse will be very challenging, full of hardships and sacrifices but I am willing to undergo these to obtain and improve my capability of being a nurse. Thus, this course will need courage and self-discipline to succeed. I know that I still need to learn about comprehensive scientific and medical knowledge, practical and clinical skills, communication and documentation skills, but I am ready to learn new things. The drive to take care of the sick is motivating me to learn to take care of them effectively, improving their condition. I am also attracted to become a nurse due to the huge demand in hospitals and the lack of adequate medical care. I am also interested in the different roles that a nurse does aside from relating with the patients. Dealing with superiors, fellow nurses and family members of the sick will be a challenge, too. This course will hone my interpersonal relationships with various types of people and personalities, making me a better person in the process. This is the best job I can imagine myself performing in the near future.. The role of providing assistance and technical activities that will facilitate healthcare management of a patient makes nurses an important component in the healthcare industry. Nurses also have crucial roles in saving lives. In addition, nurses help in the role of preventing diseases and complications among patients they handle. I would like then to share my capabilities in providing care and doing things for the good of mankind. For me, it would be very rewarding and fulfilling to do the role of easing the difficulties that ailing patients feel. Another driving force for me to become a nurse is the opportunity to teach and educate the patients’ families on how to take care of their sick at home by teaching them to identify illnesses, provide first aid and let them decide when to seek immediate medical attention based on the symptoms the patients will show. The role of educating people is priceless and surely it will give me satisfaction whenever I will be a nurse someday. By being a nurse, I will be guided by Dale Carnegie’s fundamental techniques in handling people which are: 1) not to criticize, condemn or complain; 2) to give honest and sincere appreciation; and, 3) to arouse in the other person an eager want or interest. With the above techniques in handling people, I will also enhance my interpersonal skills, not only with the patients but with my superiors or the physicians whom I am going to deal with. I know that the well-being and progress of the patients are not only dependent on the compassion and attention given to them but on the clear, concise and consistent communications between the nurse and the physician in administering medications. I believe that improving my communication skills will be crucial in being a successful nurse. After graduation, I will be taking licensure examinations that will legitimize my nursing profession and will make me eligible to practice this profession. With the high demand for nurses in the healthcare industry, I surely will not find it hard to find a job. With the skills and the discipline that I will obtain from a four-year nursing course in college, I am very confident that I will not find it hard to get employed and join those in the noble healthcare industry. Reference Carnegie, Dale. (1936). How to Win Friends and Influence People. December 12, 2007. Web site: http://www. westegg. com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends. html

Cultural Values in Things Fall Apart - 2425 Words

What are cultural values? Why are they essential to our lives? Cultural values are the lifestyles or way of life of a particular society. Within more or less ordered communities, cultural values give individuals a sense of identity within the community, and acts as a vessel of sustained unity that conducts our actions and affairs. For ex: In Nigeria, two characteristic’s associated with cultural values are strong family ties and village traditions that are expressed daily through the lives of Nigerian people. One of the many places exhibiting really profound culture values in Nigeria is the Umuofia village of the Igbo people. This village symbolizes great significance of cultural values, because it is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart. As a child Chinua Achebe was brought up in a Christian family in the village of Ogidi during the 1930’s. Ogidi was an early center of Anglican Missionary work in Eastern Nigeria (TFA, 1996). Although Mr. Achebe’s early life was heavily influenced by the Christian missionary, brought on by British colonialism Mr. Achebe did not let the outside influence of British Colonialism affect his work at school and the loyalty to his native culture. He was extremely focused to accomplishing his goal in academics. Recognized for his academic achievement Mr. Achebe was accepted into the University of Ibadan (TFA). While attending college Mr.Achebe began writing and publishing short stories, and followed those withShow MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1538 Words   |  7 Pages In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, the protagonist, experiences change from the cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas into the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is the personification of the Igbo cultural values and morals, he is a true warrior, hard-working man that raises a surplus of staple foods, and a holder of many Igbo cultural titles showing proof of his dedication and work. Okonkwo is also one of the Egwugwu, an elder of the village that acts as a host for a godRead MoreThe Struggle Between Tradition and Change1056 Words   |  5 PagesENGL 2112 October 17, 2012 In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader is taken on a literary journey to a Nigerian tribe, the Umuofia, to experience first-hand the struggles of a warrior named Okonkwo. At first glance, the novel appears to be written for a very specific audience: scholars familiar with Nigerian history, traditions, and culture. However, upon further examination the novel reveals itself to be a striking chronicle of human experiences, universal themes, and timelessRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pagesthat response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the following essay I will be discussing why Achebe wrote the novel Things Fall apart in English and what messages he was trying to reveal,Read MoreAfrican Literature : Is It Truly Authentic?1214 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican Literature: Is it Truly Authentic? Now lets just say an Anthropologist went on to study an African cultural group in Nigeria. Now let s consider that Anthropologist went on to live exactly like that African group, and the Anthropologist decided to report his findings as if an individual from that cultural group was writing about the experience. Now think about the controversy that will be caused, and the debate regarding if this is truly African experience. Ever since the mid 1700’s toRead MoreImperialism In The 19Th Century Resulted In European Countries1726 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism in the 19th century resulted in European countries using social Darwinism to justify controlling the social and cultural lives of natives in African countries.When Chinua Achebe published Things fall apart in 1958, a novel criticizing the European aspects of imperialism, his aspiration was to teach readers that â€Å"their past-with all its imperfections-was not one long night of savagery from which the first Europeans a cting on God’s behalf delivered them†(Chinua Achebe on the Role of theRead MoreNigeria s Capital City1598 Words   |  7 Pagesto the title of the book, Things Fall Apart. Per the summary review in Cliff Notes on Things Fall Apart, history of Nigeria, the British claimed Nigeria to be their territory. The British government took over the role of the elders and began to control the population, religious missions and with the support of local Muslim leaders collected taxes. The British would search villages and massacre natives to control the population. The title of the book, Things Fall Apart, reflects the way the BritishRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1410 Words   |  6 PagesTeddy Manfre Ms. Blass ENG 209-001 April 24, 2017 Things Fall Apart In 1958, Chinua Achebe a famous Nigerian author publishes one of his most famous novels Things Fall Apart. The novel takes place in a Nigerian village called Umuofia. During the time that this novel is published Nigeria is being criticized by the Europeans for being uncivilized. In response, Achebe uses his brilliance in this novel to express the valued history of his people to his audience. His focus in the novel is on the pre-colonizedRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1341 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is set in Nigeria during the 1890’s. The novel focuses on the clash between Nigeria’s white government and the culture of the Igbo people. Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan, by Bruce Feiler, covers Feiler’s journey to Japan to teach English and American culture for a year in the 1980’s. Throughout each novel, the reader is presented many different elements of each societies beliefs and culture. The central c onflict surrounding each novel involves oneRead MorePostcolonial Literature (Persepolis Things Fall Apart)1504 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿There are many different critical approaches to studying literature. With reference of both texts you have studied, show what you believe the value to be in using a particular critical approach. ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe and ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi follow a postcolonial critical approach. Both books take place in a country considered politically inferior through western perspective and both texts, even though reinforce colonialists’ oppressive ideology, don’t stand completelyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1414 Words   |  6 PagesAisne Richardson Ms. Talbott English 10 Accelerated December 4, 2015 Things Fall Apart Test 1. What are the similarities of â€Å"The Second Coming† by W.B Yeats and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe? In Things Fall Apart, it appears like things happen to fall apart at whatever point Okonkwo builds trust. On the other side, the substance of â€Å"The Second Coming† recounted a chaotic world and a base that couldn t hold as its very own inner conflicts. In addition to the synonymous feeling both the book