Strawman (Semester 2 | Week 3)

This week of 11 Ap English brought with it the study of a broad range of rhetorical fallacies and how it is used in the manipulation of language. It was almost an enjoyable experience to discover just how many of these fallacies are consistently applied in today's media and common conversations (especially arguments). The "Strawman" was a recognizable name, and easily became one of my favorites to learn about and search for as the week progressed. This is because I have noticed it is used as a sneaky and strangely effective weapon against opposing statements. 

For those who may not know: a strawman is a rhetorical fallacy used to divert attention away from a point/claim by intentionally switching the topic of conversation to a related, but misrepresented proposition. At first, I thought that this technique was only seen in unprofessional arguments, politics, or propaganda. 

For example, in the recent election, a point was made that Hillary Clinton desired the abolishment of the second amendment, due to the fact that she supported numerous gun safety measures. This flawed way of thinking negatively affected the audience's perspective of Clinton's support for gun safety in a stealthy and illogical manner.  

However, now that I have analyzed multiple examples of this, I realize that the strawman is a common occurrence for nearly all argumentative forms of communication. This fallacy has occurred in the form of both professional articles and misunderstandings (ex. the medias many writings of Pewdiepie's recent and controversial joke). 

The popularity of the strawman makes me wonder if it should actually be viewed in a positive and accepting manner. Many times, a strong claim is undeniable and does not exist with a justified counter. In turn, it appears that people react with methods that either twist the truth, avoid the truth, or redirect the conversation. This method is extremely effective when implemented correctly, and perhaps the most clever of the rhetorical fallacies for just how imperceptible and effective it can be. 

It is yet another example of how clever the world's manipulation of language can be, and adds on to my growing list of reasons to love this section of the 11 Ap English curriculum.  

 

Identity (Semester 2 | Week 2)

This week, my studies in 11 Ap English surrounded the concept of language, and how it is manipulated by society. Tearing apart different phrases and articles in search of the hidden intent of the speaker was both an interesting and eye-opening experience. The phrase "people never say what the mean", I have discovered, acts as an accurate description for a person's use of language; the intent of the speaker always alters the words they speak. 

One of the articles I analyzed this week, "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell, has a question that asks 'Does language corrupt thought. Or does though corrupt language?' When this inquiry was first imposed on me, I was uncertain of the answer. However, as the week progressed, I slowly began to lean towards the idea that it is a person's mind that corrupts their language.

A nice example of this was demonstrated by a college professor from Oakland University (who visited my class as a guest speaker on Thursday). He told a story of two very different women -  one based off of a well-loved protagonist for children, and the other an infamous criminal-  with the intention of making the latter's cause seem more justified. In turn, the descriptive vocabulary he used was loaded with words that carried a distinctly positive or negative connotation towards the two women. The professor's objective to steer his audience's favoritism towards one particular person corrupted his use of language. Many similar scenarios such as the one previously described occur in our daily life when we argue, gossip, lie, persuade, apologize, etc.  

However, I believe that being informed and aware of such manipulation is a lovely way to combat it. If people become aware of the times when a story is false, an argument is biased, or a rumor is an exaggeration, they will be likely to fall victim to the manipulation of language. 

Identity (Semester 2 | Week 1)

It seems that identity is the major theme I have come across during this week of 11 Ap's second semester, and how it is affected by different forms of language and communication. The first article I received this week, "Mother Tounge", was very intriguing; the narrator had a family background very similar to mine, yet our experiences with identity and English contrasted greatly.

Unlike the scenario for most children with immigrant parents, my mother's English is superb; her Chinese accent is indistinct, and her use of language in writing is extremely formidable. In addition, she has exposed me to many different forms of English in various forms from a young age. As a result of this, I never experienced the form of language that many people refer to as 'broken English' during my childhood.

It leads me to wonder how drastically the circumstances of my upbringing has changed my personal sense of identity; there is a chance that the lack of disadvantage and sense of racial divide in my small little city has caused my perception of society and its limits to contrast with others.  In another article, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue", the group of people described as 'Chicanas' appear to struggle much harder to find a sense of belonging in the same world that I have often thought to be accepting. It is almost impressive how large of a factor spoken language plays in their personal conflicts.

In fact, I am lead to believe that language is connected to a sense of identity in very powerful ways. The role language plays in one's life appears to have the ability to offer a person both numerous social connections and a sense of belonging, as well as the ability to strip a person of power. It is also a part of a person's identity that influences not only society's perception of that individual, but also that individual's perception of society.

Week one has brought some very interesting ideas to the table.