Emotional Intelligence - This is Water and Alice Munro's short stories

In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion

Throughout the reading of "This is Water" and the numerous short stories of Alice Munro, a connection in purpose and theme were found, emotional intelligence. This is water talks about the ability for people to be able to use emotional intelligence and be able to manipulate which lenses to use in every day situations. Through successful education and the ability to be free in terms of choosing what you want to think about in order to not "die a thousand deaths" one can experience and connect with the world in a different way. The short stories of Alice Munro are extracts of a person's life, very much connected to reality and actual experiences the author has had throughout her journey. Unlike popular fiction which is more plot-focused, these short stories make the reader deeply connect and associate with the characters created through an in depth use of character development. Although all the stories are set in rural Canada, the journeys of each of these characters are relatable in some way, from the struggle of the main character in "Boys and Girls" with societal expectations and trying to break through, complex family relationship of Janet with her two daughters, a broken marriage and the need to seek acceptance from her father and even Alfrida from "Family Furnishing". A character who was idolized by the narrator and her family but the reader is able to sympathize with her at the end story when it is found that she is not what the narrator had thought she would be.

All these examples serve to show the sympathetic tone which is created by Munro to feel compassionate with the characters and the journey they all have gone through. These stories help put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and really understand their situation and feel a connection with them through their perspective on life and therefore be more sympathetic and as a result develop our own emotional intelligence. Although these stories don't appear as exciting and groundbreaking as some others, they still have a great deal of complexity which as to be analyzed in order to fully understand the text. This therefore allows the reader to comprehend the characters better and relate to them as they face numerous conflicts which one faces in their normal "day in, day out" life which is described by Foster Wallace. In addition to this, one can also switch their default setting in order to look at these experiences happening on the short stories through the main character's life.

Munro and her short stories

In the short stories of Alice Munro there appears to be a lot of connections from her lifestyle and the events that happen throughout with the main female characters. This is seen with the settings of all of the short stories she wrote and I have analyzed. Alice Munro is from Western Ontario, Canada, this is an important fact as she bases all her stories within familiar surroundings and previous experiences which all happen in Canada.

Alice Munro had 3 daughters, 2 husbands and had lived in a farm alone with her second husband. She has worked as a waitress, experienced a divorce and her father was a fox farmer. All these experiences and facts have all featured in some way throughout Alice Munro's short stories. In "Boys and Girls" the girl's father appears to be a fox farmer who earns a living by skinning foxes and selling their pelts alongside the help from his daughter. In Royal Beatings, Rose gets beaten by her father while her stepmother tries to stop him, this might also be a similar experience Munro has faced when she was younger, getting beaten by her father as a form of disciplinary action. In Moons of Jupiter, Janet faces a divorce from her husband, has 2 daughters who she experiences complex relationships with and seeks acceptance from her father, all of which Alice Munro could have experienced by being a female and trying to help out her father in the fox pelt business. In Family Furnishings, the narrator idolizes her aunt and explains her journey in becoming a writer for a newspaper, although this is a similar story from the last one, this one focuses more on the rural-urban change she faced as she distances herself from everyone and eventually does get married and divorced.

Overall, one can see how Alice Munro integrates extracts of her life in order to formulate some of her short stories, it allows for greater realism for the reader as well as further character development as she tries to also characterize herself into the stories, all while following this very similar theme of complex family relationships throughout her years.

Decolonizing the Mind and Things Fall Apart

In what ways does this text influence your understanding of Achebe’s use of language and stylistic choices in Things Fall Apart?

The extract from "Decolonizing the Mind" by Ngugi influences my understanding of Achebe's use of language and stylistic choices in Things Fall Apart. Through Ngugi's writing it can be seen that both family backgrounds are of large families who enjoy story-telling similarly to Ekwefi and Ezinma. It talks about the value of words for their meaning and nuances which like in Acebe’s book the use of Igbo language throughout the novel are used as to both conform to 'Western style" writing in English but also deviates from it with the addition of their own language. He states that words had suggestive magical power, which tells the immense value of good orator in their culture, with the ability to manipulate words through proverbs, tales and songs to enrich their speech within their culture.

Ngugi expresses the harmony in which their community was in, in terms of their way of life with the use of the Gikuyu within their homes and fields; Achebe also mirrors this perspective by giving an insight on the Igbo way of life before the colonization of Umuofia. Both of these works show the influence the colonizers have had within their community with the lingual harmony broken, and the usage of the colonist ideologies to implement their own language and society in which the others have to bow before in deference.  

Language in both of these novels are seen as the tool or reason for the assimilation of their societies with Ngugi saying that English became more than a language, it was the language everyone had to serve. While in Things Fall Apart, it caused conflict between the missionaries and the local community with their incomprehension of each other language and how in the assimilation of their society the colonizers didn’t bother to learn about the local culture.

This was of importance as language gave the people “a view of the world, but it had beauty of its own.” It provided a new perspective of things, and the colonizers with Reverend’s Smith’s approach didn’t bother to learn but reject everything the locals believed in. 

Personal history and its influence

The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

Thesis Statement:
The personal history of Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart can have a significant influence of the way meaning is constructed. While implementing his influence with personal history he is able to affect character's role in the book as well as the cultural and historical context in which this text was based in. 

Topic sentence 1:
With the use of certain characters such as Mr. Brown, Achebe is able to utilize him as a figure who shows what the colonization of Umuofia could have been like, had he stayed. With his comprehending personality about the Igbo's culture and religion he portrays one side of colonization trying to add balance in the way the assimilation of his society was done. 

Topic sentence 2:
By allowing such a character like Reverend Smith, Achebe is able to contrast this character with that of Mr. Brown, representing two different ideologies and approaches to the colonization of the Igbo. Even though they are both trying to implement their religion and way of life into Umuofia, the clashing differences are shown with the reaction of the people in the Igbo groups.

Topic sentence 3:
Achebe, when publishing this book, just a few years before Nigeria's independence, shows how he decides and manipulates the cultural and historical context by setting this book back when the Igbo were first colonized. This, evident in the text, would show the adaptation of the Igbo people with colonization and how each different character dealt with it differently. This also serves to show a perspective into the everyday life of the igbo, their culture and society. 

TFA Gender Thesis Statement and Outline

With reference to Things Fall Apart, discuss how an understanding of gender influences how the text may be understood.

Thesis Statement:

Gender roles in Things Fall apart is shown to be a  major theme, recurrent throughout the whole of the book. Igbo society functions with the revolving theme of gender and is present in the cultural interactions and traditional activities its people do in terms of agriculture, their justice system to crimes, figures of worship and alongside their role with children it creates a deeper understanding for the purpose of creating a different view and appreciation on their religion and culture.

Topic sentences:

1- Okonkwo's hyper-masculinity in his interactions with other people from the Igbo society ultimately influences the outcomes towards the end of the book in the way that not only his life but his family's affected as a result. 

2- The role of women in Igbo society is addressed as contrasting roles in the presence of respected religious figures such as Chielo, the priestess, Uchendu's representation of "Mother is supreme" and the different agricultural purposes for women within Things Fall Apart.

3- The role of men evident throughout the book is seen as the characters of greater authority between the two genders as well as the eventual successors in the riches and possessions of the father. This seen with the contrasting purposes and care of male children and female children. 

Things Fall Apart - Thesis statement

Achebe, through the use of numerous secondary characters such as Unoka and Obierika, he drives the story and personality of Okonkwo throughout the book with direct and indirect characterization and therefore creates the conflicts in which lead to his inability to fit in the community and eventually suicide after things start to fall apart. These foil characters help and hinder Okonkwo throughout his journey and affect his judgement towards different aspects and decisions which affect the outcome of numerous key decisions in the book.

Okonkwo as a tragic hero in Things Fall Apart

In many ways Things Fall Apart is considered a tragedy. Why would Achebe, taking into account the cultural context, choose to characterize Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype?

Achebe chose to characterize Okonkwo throughout the book using the tragic hero archetype as to show that even though he represents the Igbo people and their culture to some extent, he can also be seen as an outsider and unable to fit in the community with everyone else. Growing up with many disadvantages in which most people would never have, a lazy and rather weak father in Unoka, Okonkwo grew to hate everything that he loved, and he might have taken that promise very literally, enabling his path to failure and for everything to eventually fall apart. With characteristics like being physically strong, respectful, brave and a man of many titles, he can indeed be considered some sort of symbol for his people. However his duality, constantly present in the book as a rather close-minded person who beheaded a lot of people in war and in times of anger can lead the audience to believe that he was made to be the tragic hero of the story as a way to represent the Igbo people and culture as well as showing their eventual downfall in the hands of the influential and forceful colonizers of the North. By characterizing Okonkwo as the tragic hero, it can evoke pity in the audience as a result of the outcome at the end of the book. After working so hard to become everything his father wasn't, and succeed in life by continuing to gain titles and respect as time goes on, his journey was interrupted by the numerous errors in judgement and misfortune by the coming of the colonizers. These descriptions lead to the definition of a tragic hero and its effect on the audience would be its awakening of emotions in sorrow for his eventual downfall which led to his suicide. 

Speech about the Igbo and colonization

I am standing here today to tell you something about our way of thinking and our current approach in the colonization of other countries. We are doing it wrong. Primarily focusing on one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, with over 15 million living in Nigeria, The Igbo, have been severely impacted by our influence and forceful adaptations of our religion, our culture and our way of life. These farming communities have dozens of dialects, all separated by their different towns and villages, yet we treat them as one. Over two hundred separate groups, twenty to thirty villages, all considered to be distinct societies, yet we treat them as one.

Our approach to colonization has to change, as we try to implement our familiar hierarchies of kingdoms and empires when these communities already have such structure which has worked for them for long, and would continue to do so without intervention. Their entire social and political structure revolves around the idea of cross-cutting ties, with such institutions like the council of elders, age-groups, council of chiefs, women's association and secret societies. Once we as the colonizers come to their land, we destroy their cross-cutting ties without acknowledging the implications and consequences left in the communities. We forcefully make them involved in subordinating African business interests to European interests, and when they don't accept, we play with fire.

Their whole religion is based around a supreme god with the name of Chukwu who created all things and demanded obedience. We implement our own religion into their community, take away their children, brothers and sisters into joining Christianity, and although the Igbo religion is pacific and respected the religious views of other people, we have failed to pay equal attention to their side. With our inability to try and comprehend their way of life, we have jumped to such conclusions in which have led to the complete disrespect of their figures in who they worship.

We have to change our approach in the colonial rule of other countries, but we cannot do so unless our priorities are right. Speaking in behalf of the Igbo people I have come here to say that rather than act on violence and force dramatic changes in the lifestyle of their communities, we have the power to cooperate with them, comprehend that they are not savages that need to be saved or controlled but rather people who we need to understand their way of life, culture and religion in order for them to do the same to us.

Discussion of colonialism

“Africa is not simple – people want to simplify it”

The possession of power is very important when wanting to tell a story. Usually the person, who wins a war, colonizes another country or is superior in general in terms of their development, economic stability and military power is the one who gets to write the story. It’s always written from the winner’s perspective and its single story of a culture, country or situation can be very objective and can usually represent a very negative or over exaggerated description which is what the people who are not from that country or region will grow up to learn. Similarly in Africa, people want to simplify it in the way where they just get the single story which leads to numerous stereotypes and assumptions of a whole entire region with the reader having limited knowledge of what it’s really like. These assumptions rob people of dignity and it’s unfair for the culture and the lives of people to be represented by a single story. There are so many sides and perspectives from which to look at Africa with and it has to be balanced in the way from how we are looking at it, if it’s not then it devalues the people and their culture. “Show people as one thing, and only one thing, and that’s what they will become”. Africa it’s really complex and just describing the whole region as one even though it is made of large number of different culture and traditions doesn’t give them justice. The simplification of the whole continent with only one story can, and was used to justify their actions towards colonizing other places and forcing them to adapt to the colonizer’s way of living and traditions without taking into account their already existing civic order in a framework of tradition, political understanding and faith.

The Ballot or The Bullet - Paper 1

This text by Malcom X is an extract from his political speech to all black voters, called “The Ballot or the Bullet”, and delivered on April 3^rd 1964. This text is evident of a political speech format, as it includes the continuous use of repetition, and with the goal of influencing the audience for a common purpose. Malcolm X uses a number of literary and persuasive techniques as well as the use of references throughout this speech to argue the position of African Americans within United States in order to unite them, remind them of their constitutional right to vote and go against the “white man” –led government in which they are under. It also aims to empower the black community into standing up for their rights and equality, creating a common purpose in which to base his argument and goal.

This political speech has a target audience of African Americans, evident in the use of pronouns and the dialect used in order to refer to his listeners. The topic in which he is discussing throughout the text seems to be Black Nationalism, and how that is what his audience needs to head into in order to become independent. Having a separation of blacks and whites and creating self-government for the African Americans. Other signs that show his target audience are present when Malcom states “Well you and I have been sitting long enough” since he is himself African American, his positions as minister and as a human rights activist can prove how he wants to make a change and by using “you and I” it proves a united front that he is creating.

The purpose of this speech is to persuade the African Americans into joining this single philosophy of Black Nationalism, making a call to action and creating a common enemy to the people in the government which prevents them from reaching equality. This is present when he says “If you are black you should be thinking black”, he commands the people what their thought process should be, uses repetition throughout the first paragraph with “Once you change” this is followed numerous times with different purposes but used a chain in where once you change something it leads to the change of another thing, referencing to how Black Nationalism would work and change their lives for the better. Later on he says that they have spent enough time sitting down  and how anyone can be doing that, how it “castrates you”, then goes on empower the people and telling them their goal “Well you and I been sitting long enough, and it’s time today for us to start doing some standing, and some fighting to back that up.”

Malcom X demeans the African American audience into reality, describing the role of their people in United States and the way they are being treated. He states that blacks in America are in no more than a “second-class citizenship” and that “second-class citizenship is nothing but 20^th century slavery.” He describes that term  being nothing more than an euphemism and continues to describe the reality with use of strong diction by saying “No, you’re nothing but a 20^th century slave”. Degrading the audience with these kinds of terms puts them in a position of actuality, in that they ask themselves what would be the next step to not be treated as such, and Malcolm has the answer with the implementation of the new philosophy.

He mentions the faults in the system and points out the person to blame “Negroes have listened to the trickery, and the lies, and the false promises of the white man now for too long”. He forms a resistance with his speech against the white people and the government, using logos by stating previous occasions where nationalism used to get independence. He says that “freedom of 22 million Afro-Americans” is suffering due to colonialism for 400 years, by stating statistical figures and putting in colonialism as to blame, Malcolm appeals to logic and reason as another reason to join the Black Nationalism philosophy.

The style and structure of this extract from the political speech is visible with the use of repetition and anaphoras throughout the text with the purpose of supporting and reinforcing the main idea as well as making a cumulative and convincing effect on the audience. These rhetoric devices alongside the use of short sentence structure help the speech be fluent and for the audience to fully understand his goal. One example of the use of epistrophes in this text is found in the first paragraph, stating “An old woman can sit. An old man can sit. A chump can sit. A coward can sit.” This suggests the idea to try and differentiate the type of people mentioned with what the African Americans need to do in order to rise above. While the use of anaphoras and repetition are used widely in the text, one of the more influential ones comes in the beginning when trying to make the target audience come together to symbolize a common philosophy. He uses “You can” and then follows that up with whatever or wherever a person might be, whether in a church, civic organization or if you are an atheist and then ends it off with epistrophes “and still take Black Nationalism as your philosophy” this conveys the impression that no matter who you are or what you do within the society, you can still follow the same philosophy without the need of division or argument.

There is use of a hypophora in the beginning of the first paragraph as Malcolm tries to persuade people about the benefits of taking Black Nationalism as the new philosophy, he states “What’s is so good about it?” He then proceeds to answer the question and shows the audience why this is the way to go. A similar example is found when he asks the audience “What do you call second-class citizenship?” Off course, to create a common enemy in that, he follows by saying it would be modern slavery, a product of colonization in United States. 

In the last paragraph it can be seen that there is evident use of parallelism numerous times “Because Negroes have listened to the trickery, and the lies, and the false promises of the white man now for too long.” “He mentions all the negative consequences in result of listening and following the “white man”, this therefore causes an uprising type of mood in the text as he tries to unite the people. “They’ve become disenchanted. They’ve become disillusioned. They’ve become dissatisfied” This is another example where he explains the outcome in how the black community feels after being tricked, told lies and false promises. This not only bring the audience into realization but also the constant repetition of “They” throughout the whole paragraph makes it clear who to point the finger at to blame for their unjust treatment and lack of equality within the country they live in.

Later on in the text, Malcom uses a metaphor in order to compare the extent of frustration the black community is going through by saying it is “more explosive than all of the atomic bombs the Russians can ever invent” This comparison shows the power they have as a community in which they can use if it comes down to the ballot or the bullet. He references the march on Washington as a way to say how the “white man” fooled them by making them march between two dead white figures Lincoln and Washington, believing they are actually going somewhere. But really they are just marching for freedom figuratively and literally between two white figures which represents reality where they are just being controlled by a white-majority government and country. He makes another reference with the song “We shall overcome” and points out that by just singing and marching, nothing is going to change, and the African Americans are just being fooled. The political speech ends of with the use of inclusive language and a rhetorical question in order to use his political authority and ethos to say “What do we care about odds?” By saying “we” he makes himself as one of them and gains credibility for his argument in joining this philosophy.

The tone and mood of this text can be described as confronting, direct and generally angry overall as Malcolm tries to persuade, encourage and motivate the African-Americans into taking action and increasing their political awareness. Some of his strong dialect used in this extract which can convey a very direct and negative tone can be seen when he states “If you are black and you not thinking black at this late date, well I’m sorry for you.” And also “He made a chump out of you. He made a fool out of you.” These express the disappointment that is being caused for their ignorance to vote and to battle for their equal rights. A more confrontational tone used here which can be interpreted even as a threat judging from the title “The Ballot or the Bullet” Malcolm declares that their anger is even bigger than all of the atomic bomb in Russia, so if they are not allowed to vote, that built up anger and frustration will be released in terms of the “Bullet” part of the title of this political speech.

In conclusion, this political speech by Malcom X uses numerous famous techniques used in speeches, in order to rally the African Americans to follow his methodology of Black Nationalism and his goal of going to the ballot or going with violence with the bullet.

Coriolanus 2.1 IOC Passage

Link to IOC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoWbMR1DLg

Annotated Passage:

Menenius Agrippa. Is he not wounded? he was wont to come home wounded.

Menenius points out he is likely to come home wounded, which provides an opportunity to characterize Volumnia.

Virgilia. O, no, no, no.

This characterizes Virgilia as a dutiful wife, who genuinely cares for Martius. This is consistent with  her character, as throughout the play Virgilia has been the image of the perfect wife. This starkly contrasts with Volumnia’s reaction,

Volumnia. O, he is wounded; I thank the gods for't.

Volumnia is glad that Coriolanus might be wounded. She prioritizes how she can get into a position of power through his son rather than care about his health.

Menenius Agrippa. So do I too, if it be not too much: brings a'

5 victory in his pocket? the wounds become him. 5

Volumnia. On's brows: Menenius, he comes the third time home

with the oaken garland.

Shows his battle experience and how he is a very good warrior with his previous wins.

Menenius Agrippa. Has he disciplined Aufidius soundly?

Menenius already expects victory from Coriolanus, again signifying that he a trustworthy warrior and can take anyone in battle.

Volumnia. Titus TITUS writes, they fought together, but

Aufidius got off. 10

Menenius Agrippa. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him that:

an he had stayed by him, I would not have been so

‘fidiused for all the chests in Corioli, and the gold

that's in them. Is the senate possessed of this?

Volumnia. Good ladies, let's go. Yes, yes, yes; the senate 15

has letters from the general, wherein he gives my

son the whole name of the war: he hath in this

action outdone his former deeds doubly

She is stating how Martius is going to receive his new name and he has outdone his expectations and she therefore shows the pride she has for him and it shows that she raised him to be one of Rome’s deadliest warriors. This is further characterization of Volumnia and Coriolanus.

Valeria. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him.

Menenius Agrippa. Wondrous! ay, I warrant you, and not without his 20

true purchasing.

Virgilia. The gods grant them true!

Volumnia. True! pow, wow.

Menenius Agrippa. True! I'll be sworn they are true.

Where is he wounded? 25

[To the Tribunes]

God save your good worships! CORIOLANUS is coming

home: he has more cause to be proud. Where is he wounded?

Menenius states how Coriolanus has much to be proud of after his success in Corioles and also showing some father-like features by also participating in the curiousness for Coriolanus’s battle scars as to show the people and gain support for his future campaign.

Volumnia. I' the shoulder and i' the left arm there will be

large cicatrices to show the people, when he shall

stand for his place. He received in the repulse of 30

Tarquin seven hurts i' the body.

Volumnia is not too concerned about her son’s wounds but rather the scars the will become to show the people and therefore represent the valor he showed in battle and get support to be consul. She of course uses this as an opportunity to get him into a position of political power and at the same time, she also having power and influence in the field for being the mother. As she is a woman, she doesn't have that much ‘say’ in things to do with politics, and participate in wars, so in a way she is and wants to continue living those experiences through Coriolanus.

Menenius Agrippa. One i' the neck, and two i' the thigh,—there's

nine that I know.

Volumnia. He had, before this last expedition, twenty-five

wounds upon him. 35

She keeps note of how many wounds he has in order to measure her pride for her son. Shakespeare writes her as the sort of woman that goes against ideal standards, as she has more of a bloody mouth and is versed in things having to do with the military.

Menenius Agrippa. Now it's twenty-seven: every gash was an enemy's grave.

The inconsistent arithmetic demonstrates their exhilaration by the possibilities that Martius’ wounds bring forth. Menenius further characterizes Coriolanus by saying that for every scratch in his body there was a casualty for the enemy, this reinforcing his position as a ruthless warrior. Metaphor in “every gash was an enemy’s grave.

[A shout and flourish]

Hark! the trumpets.

Volumnia. These are the ushers of CORIOLANUS: before him he

carries noise, and behind him he leaves tears:

Death, that dark spirit, in's nervy arm doth lie; 40

Which, being advanced, declines, and then men die.

By saying that that he carries noise and leaves tears, Shakespeare uses Volumnia to characterize Coriolanus as man which brings such emotional impact on the people welcoming him home for his god-like actions in the field of war.

Theme of Power in Coriolanus

In the play, Coriolanus, the main character Caius Martius is a god-like persona who is ruthless and an inspiring leader to its people in battle. This is shown continuously throughout the battle for Corioles in which is the place where he earned his name 'Coriolanus'. Coriolanus tries to use his extensive power and reputation in the field of war to try and get in the political arena as a consul, however even though he is compared by numerous characters throughout the play as a furious lone dragon, capable of escaping near impossible situations, he isn't able to gain the support of the plebeians and the tribunes due to his lack of respect and value for them. Despite his great military service for Rome and "growing from man to dragon", his quest for political power is what eventually led to his tragic death by Aufidius towards the end of the play. The person behind his pursuit for sovereignty is his mother, Volumnia, who holds a different kind of power in which she is able to use for her own purposes. She uses her position as the mother of Coriolanus to persuade and manipulate him into heading certain directions and get political power herself. She expects nothing but the best from his son as she hoped for his son to get scars from battle to show to the people and gain more votes and support from them. Other people that continue this trend of power in the play can be seen with Tullus Aufidius, general of the Volscians, is shown as Coriolanus's main enemy and the man who brought him to his death. He first takes advantage of Coriolanus's position of being exiled from Rome and accepts his request to join his army against them and therefore bring fear among the Romans. However he then uses his high position as a general to turn the Volscians against Caius after him deciding against the attack on Rome. The theme of power in the play can show how Coriolanus was unfortunate to be born in an era where putting good military service and being a hero to Rome was not enough to have political power due to his lack of knowledge and care for the people in the lower classes.

What is Shakespeare’s larger purpose in his characterization of Coriolanus in Act I?

Shakespeare depicts Caius Martius through the lens of different perspectives in Rome as a dominant, inspiring, high status figure, and as an arrogant unyielding force to deal with. This is done throughout the play with the use of direct and indirect characterization of Coriolanus for the larger purpose of introducing the numerous conflicts within the play, the introduction of a hero-like character with his strengths and flaws, and how these later play a pivotal role in foreshadowing his downfall.

In the beginning of Act 1 Scene 1, the plebeians are seen protesting and threatening to revolt to the change grain prizes, and straightaway it is seen that they have come to a single common target in Caius Martius "Caius Coriolanus is chief enemy to the people."(Act 1 Scene 1, Page 7). One side of Coriolanus is immediately shown with how he is "a very dog to the commonalty"(Act 1 Scene 1, Page 9) and how when the citizens are discussing his service to the country trying to justify his actions against him, they dont believe he did it for reasons other than personal gain, referring to his mother Volumnia "He did it to please his mother and to be partly proud"(Act 1 Scene 1, Page 9). This conflict between Martius and the common people further develops after his introduction in the play, describing the plebeians as "dissentious rogues"(Act 1 Scene 1, Page 17) which only angers them even more and reveals the lack of political knowledge and speech which greatly contrasts with that of him in the battlefield. This early section of Act 1 gives us an important plot in the play where it can be seen that Coriolanus does not have a good relationship with the peasants, something which would later play an important role when Martius decides to became consul. This hate from Coriolanus towards the lower classes of Rome is self-justified with his actions in war (later in Corioles), how the patricians are the most involved in the fighting and are in the front line, proving their worth, while the citizens would be seen making up the numbers in back.

The other side of Coriolanus is seen later on Act 1 as he goes up against the Volsces in the battle of Corioles. In the battlefield, he manages to prove himself physically, Shakespeare showing his leadership and demi-god abilities which get him off a very disadvantaged position with just enough scars to prove his service in the military. This shows how he managed to put Rome before himself "If any think brave death outweighs bad life, and that his country's dearer than himself; let him alone, or so many minded wave thus, to express his disposition and follow Marcius" inspiring his soldiers with multiple types of inspirational speeches and threats as a strategy to galvanize the men of Rome into action. This manifests a higher status and respect from the both the patricians and the plebeians as he doesn't even accept a reward for his service after the war "But cannot make my heart consent to take a bribe to pay my sword. I do refuse it and stand upon my common part with those that have beheld the doing.". He stands up as one man army during the latter stages of the war at Corioles and has a performance which makes a strong argument towards taking the position as a consul. However due to his lack of connections with the people who have the final say on the matter as well as very limited knowledge in politics can foreshadow his rejection by the tribunes who represent the plebeians. 

Lastly it can be seen that with the characterization of the Coriolanus throughout the first act Shakespeare managed to convey a larger message and purpose by foreshadowing future events and plots to be taken place such as Coriolanus's death, his rejection as a consul and possible exile from Rome. Shakespeare shows the two sides of Caius Martius on both settings (Rome-politics, Corioles-war) in which later develops to re-establish his position as a hero in this play by showing his strengths and the eventual appearance of his weaknesses which lead Coriolanus to exile and death.

Language as a form of resistance

7. An unbroken connection exists between the broken English of the displaced, enslaved African and the diverse black vernacular speech black folks use today. In both cases, the rupture of standard English enabled and enables rebellion and resistance. By transforming the oppressor’s language, making a culture of resistance, black people created an intimate speech that could say far more than was permissible within the boundaries of standard English.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorstruck/201009/whats-so-wrong-sounding-black 

This article shown here is very similar to the quote from Bell Hooks and matches its significance by saying that Black American Vernacular English has become from the broken English of the displaced enslave Africans to something more developed which is still used today as a form of resistance and rebellion towards the Standard English. AAVE is used to differentiate them from one culture to the next and make their language of the community have deeper meaning and "say far more than was permissible within the boundaries of standard English. 

The author of the article describes AAVE as a "distinct cadence and way of pronouncing words", meaning that it is not a broken, incorrect and diction poor filled version of English but just as another distinct way and version of pronunciation. He compares this type of English with other such dialects and accents from around the US which brings u a good point with how AAVE is the one that comes out in the spotlight and looked down upon. 

"The change is largely unconscious mimicry, much like how a New Yorker who now lives in California might find her Brooklyn accent gets a little stronger when she goes back home; or how my coworker says her English husband's accent gets stronger when they visit across the pond.". She states that it is just society that has conformed to the idea that black accent is somehow less of that of a standard accent. But is there really a standard accent? and why does the black accent have to be the one to be judged as the least desirable in United States? "There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a black accent, except that in a society where whiteness is normative, a black accent is judged as less desirable.". A lot of African Americans now have to code switch between their dialects in order to fit from one culture to another "as a matter of survival" in the way they would be wary to use their own accent as they could lose they job or something at a similar risk. “Upwardly mobile blacks learn to effortlessly code switch, that is unconsciously modify speech to slip from one culture to another.". 

This text therefore connects with the quote as it describes the struggles of code-switching from their own dialect depending on their situation and how they have continued to use AAVE as a form of resistance and to differentiate from the others to make it more into an intimate speech for their community. 

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What is the value of preserving indigenous languages?

The preservation of indigenous languages has great value and importance in the world; this is because losing the language of a group whose lineage has gone back many years would also mean the loss of cultural diversity as well as ecological knowledge. A whole perspective disappearing from earth just limits the possibility of various interpretations of the world and how it works. What leads to people even having to preserve an endangered language starts with rise of a more dominant higher power against smaller groups. Numerous factors such as the economic might, military muscle and the cultural prestige of a country are what lead to that nation's language becoming more dominant than others. Rapid globalization and the need for development in the world have led to classification of the more powerful groups and the minorities. Forced civilization for the minorities leads to limitations which prevent the elder passing their knowledge, language and culture on to the younger generation. This eventually would lead to the loss of a language, accounting to statistical estimates such as losing up to 90% of the world's 7000 languages in the following 100 years. This would not only mean the loss of the language, but also the entire history of a community, their ancestral beliefs and environmental knowledge. There are multiple reasons for the preservation of indigenous languages which include scientific, artistic and historical values. These would contain possible medicinal documentation, cultural identity of the people but also the prevention of loss of creativeness in the way that as you reduce linguistic diversity you also limit your thought process as to be critically thinking in one language. The diversity in language allows for a more complex and various point of views which can shape the way one thinks. One language might not have a direct translation to a word in another language, leading to more limitations in the way of our thought process. The more languages we have preserved the more variety there would be in the way we interpret and understand things therefore having a better understanding of our world and history.