How powerful is the connection between the effect of social media and the structure of the Hunger Games?

There is a stable and powerful connection between the effect of social media and the structure of the Hunger Games, they do not differ from one another. Social media is a prompt that allows us to share our personal content with the world, and once that begins to get out into the cyber world things begin to shift. For example, If I put up a video on youtube and it begins to receive likes, subscriptions and comments then my self esteem will begin to rise depending on the amount of attention my video is receiving. Now sooner or later what will happen will be that I will become so consumed with the thought of making sure that I am pleasing everyone and doing everything it takes to become “famous”, I will begin to believe that forgetting my morals, heritage and culture, is alright as long as I get what I want. Now the connection of social media relates back to the structure of the Hunger Games as it links back to our everyday lives. The Hunger Games revolves around the concept of ordinary people competing in a bloodbath competition, and the only way to survive is if they get people to like them and sponsor them, in order for that to happen they must drop everything they now and believe in. To get things heated up in the games, the game makers the ones who design and control the games, insure that things never get dull in the arena. This relates back to social media as they are similar in numerous ways. The people competing in the games are just like the consumers of social media, they change everything they believe in just to get people to like and sponsor them no matter the cost. The game makers in our case would be the social media companies as they feed off the amount of money they gain daily due to the amount of likes someone receives on their picture or video. Social media drives us to a point where we begin to question everything not only on social media but also in real life. This needs to be put to a halt, we can not allow social media to control our thoughts and actions, nether can we allow them to drive us to a point where we let go of everything that we once saw and knew as good and turn it into something horrific and unrecognisable.

A critique of One Direction's ' Steal My Girl'

A critique of One Direction's ' Steal My Girl'

Promoted as an everlasting love story saga, One Direction's lead single ' Steal My Girl' music video directed by Benjamin and Gabe Turner, portrays a completely contrasting meaning. The song's lyrics imply's how the boys ( One Direction) idolize this girl who they view as a goddess,and that how with out her their worlds would never be the same as they can not imagine a life without her as shown in their lyrics “I don't exist, If I don't have her, The sun doesn't shine,The world doesn't turn,”. The song also describes how everyone desires to take her away and have her for themselves. Not only do the lyrics display how protective they are of this particular girl but also how they are claiming her as theirs, which is displayed in their lyrics “Everybody wanna steal my girl ,Everybody wanna take her love away ,Couple billion in the whole wide world ,Find another one 'cause she belongs to me”.

The opening scene of the music video consists of One Direction awaiting their director who was portrayed by Danny Devito, who after showing up explains to the band "We're here in the name of art," "We're here to commit ourselves to a higher form of expression." little did we expect that higher form to involve sumo wrestlers, marching bands, zoo animals ,ballerinas and parasols.

Once the music begins and everyone gets into their places, the singing commences and whilst that is happening all the chaos begins to develop in the background. As the music video continues to reveal in front of us it becomes quite clear that it has no relation to the bands lyrics whats so ever. There is no goddess like figure which the band describes in their lyrics “Kisses like cream,Her walk is so mean,And every jaw drop,When she's in those jeans” nor was there a girl in jeans and no display of kissed like cream presented in the video, which may lead to confusion due the fact that if someone had not seen the video they would assume the video to contain that. Along with there not being anyone who imposed a threat towards the relationship.

Although the lyrics made us think otherwise, the music video remains to have some meaning. Each band member seems to teach the audience something meaningful in the end, we are taught to bestow peace, which is shown through the halting of the sumo wrestlers from fighting along with being taught how to stop racism, by having one of the band members dance with the African dancers. A few more lessons that are presented to us through the music video is the depiction of not allowing inhibition fear us and to be confident and independent, along with being shown we should adore and interact with animals as they are just like humans and lastly we are taught the lesson of how love can be spread everywhere even towards strangers. The video is quite deep and it takes a closer inspection to fully appreciate its deeper well thought out meaning. Ultimately the band was able to bring life to the desert including everyone that was there hence leading to the conclusion that life should be lived peacefully, happily and full of color.

Written Task 2

Written Task 2:

Reader, culture and text: How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers?

Intended targeted audience( Women): When an intended targeted audience member looks at this advertisement the first thing that would come to their mind is that Blake Lively is prompting the product. By using a celebrity endorsement this not only help's benefit the company, but also the sales of the product. Women will start to think that 'if Blake uses it so should' and that by using this specific product not only will they obtain “invisible coverage” but they will also look like Blake, as according to the advertisement it is achievable. This advertisement would provide hope for the women, as in the advertisement it states that “ You're looking at the first unretouched makeup ad” hence leading them to believe that they can achieve a flawless look just by using the makeup forever professional foundation.

Unintended targeted audience: When someone from the unintended targeted audience such as someone with a critical eye, views this advertisement the first thing that they would note would be the promotion of insecurity and image consciousness. They would view this advertisement as something that would make women feel insecure about their complexion, and that if they do not match their airbrushed model then it would lead them to just feel uncomfortable in their own skin. Along with stating that there is no such thing as a “unretouched make up ad” as every advertisement is either photoshopped or retouched to the company's specific image and desire. Displaying that the company is not only providing and selling a product that contains false hope for customers but also one that imply's that by purchasing their specific product you will be able to achieve the goal they have set. Furthermore the advertisement would be seen as something that would make women feel horrible about their complexion, and that the consideration of beauty advertisement's be taken under critical viewing in order to be more aware of the harmful messages being directed towards women everywhere.

Further Oral Activity Refelection

My further oral activity explored the topic of beauty stereotypes, and how the media promotes and displays insecurity and image consciousness to women through the use of advertisements. I presented and compared two advertisements. The first one was a Palmolive bath bar advertisement, and the second one was a makeup forever professional foundation advertisement. I was able to achieve the learning outcomes as I examined the contrasting forms of communication within the advertisements that I presented and I was able to show an awareness of the ideological influence that the media displayed in the advertisements I presented. Along with being able to show and explain how the media used language and images to not only inform women about their specific product, but to also persuade them into wanting it. Having accomplished presenting my presentation I felt less agitated, and far more relaxed. Along with feeling proud (as even though I had done numerous presentations in the past) this was something new. In the middle of my presentation, I was slightly confused, I overcame that particular obstacle by composing myself, I continued and made it work. I would say that I did well in criteria A, B and D, however, I feel that for criteria C, I could have been more organized and responded to that criteria more effectively. I chose my specific text's due to my interest in stereotypes. When this topic was discussed in class, I found myself fascinated with stereotyping, even though I had learnt a little about it in another subject, this was on a completely different level. I also wanted the chance to explore and demonstrate how beauty stereotypes have been set and how they have evolved over a period of time. In my presentation I discussed the features of how each text leads women to feel both insecure and self conscious about their image, along with explaining the true meaning of preciously how the media executes it through the use of their advertisements. After completing this activity, I have learnt that I need to be a tad more organized and that overall it wasn't a negative experience. I have to admit, I thought it would have been. In the future when I will have to complete more of these oral assessments, I shall be experienced and I will know exactly how they are conducted and what is expected of me.

Advertisement reflection- OLAY complete moisturiser

The advertisement that my group presented today in class was the OLAY complete moisturiser advertisement, which contained the overall theme of simplicity and purity. By the woman looking so simple and innocent it showed that she was complete and that all her needs were met hence getting the message of the product across. The advertisement revealed the role the product play's in culture and society, which is that it responds to societies pressure to look a certain way. The most important characteristics that the advertisement is displaying is that it encourages the desire to remain young and beautiful, which may lead to a negative self image. Which is not supported as the aesthetic decision that is depicted in this advertisement is that it show's how something as simple as a moisturiser can make you feel so complete. The advertisement is empowering a stereotypical image of women, which is that if they are not ' mothers, writers, wives, etc..' then their lives are not complete whereas if they already are then OLAY complete moisturiser will help further complete them. This is supported by the fact that the woman in the advertisement is wearing a wedding ring , which supports the idea that if your occupation is one of the listed then OLAY will help you live a happier lifestyle The women who are marginalized for not being ' mothers, writers, wives, etc...' are being told that they have no further role in society and basically getting their abilities devalued.

TV Violence

Do you ever consider the negative impact television violence has on society, or do you simply bury your head in the sand?

The dramatic impact of violence being repeatedly shown on television effects mainly children, it's increasingly difficult to find programmes that don't broadcast any form of violence in their shows.

It has been proven time and time again through psychological research that the three primary effects of television violence have been well documented by Dr. Gail Gross a well respected and highly well known family and child development expert, author and lecturer. “children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others” “children may be more fearful of the world around them” and finally “children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others” Is this the how we want to raise the children of today, who are in fact the future of tomorrow?

These effects may lead to the child inflicting harm to not only others but also themselves. Is that what you want? Can you imagine your child rotting away in prison?

There are several steps of action that parents can take in order to prevent negative behaviour. The first step, consider banning any programmes that could be violent or unsuitable. Replace them with children beneficial programmes, that demonstrate acts of kindness and sympathy. Various studies conducted by psychologists have found that those type of programmes lead to influencing children to act more kind and to be more considerate towards others.

Another step that parents may take towards preventing such horrific consequences is that they can just limit the amount of time their children sit in front of the television, wouldn't it be more beneficial for children to go and play outdoors with their friends and in general be more active?

In my opinion I think that television in general is a brain washing system, used to manipulate us and the youth of today. The youth of today are the ones that will continue to lead on, inspire, be resourceful, creative and innovative. Isn’t that how you would like your child to turn out?

Along with being a portal that leads us to a whole new world where anything is possible, and among one of those is television violence which is highly popular as there are multiple crime shows that date back to 1938 till the present day.

As a mother, I personally am not able to even think of the mere possibility of my child becoming a violent member of society, or worse still, a murderer. Could you? I try my best to balance between allowing my children to watch some television and to have time to be outdoors and interact with others. Would you like your child to become an antisocial child who only thinks about violence? I don't think so, as parents we must fulfil our job by doing what is best for our children and if that includes reducing television hours or getting rid of television all together then so be it!

Paper 1

Rationale
The type of written text that I have chosen to produce is a letter to the editor, I have chosen to produce not only one letter but two so that I may be able to not only shine light on the matter of texting but to also be able to discuss the topic with contradicting view points. By using structural and stylistic conventions such as powerful adjectives, rhetorical questions, emotive language, evidence to support and a clear introduction and conclusion will help enhance the viewpoints. The first letter will be from the perspective of a school teacher who is against texting and views it as a negative subject. However in the second letter, the perspective will be from a second person who is a part of the youth of today and views texting as a positive subject. As both letters either hold a positive or negative perspective, the targeted audience will be someone who reads Times magazine and will either possess a positive or negative view on the subject of texting. The intended purpose of the letters is to show both viewpoints of both perspectives and to explain how texting has impacted both, along with explaining the insight into how texting affects language and technology.

Is Texting Killing the English Language? People have always spoken differently from how they write, and texting is actually talking with your fingers By John McWhorter
Dana Farah
18 October 2014
To The Editor,
Having seen your article last week in Times Magazine, I was absolutely disgusted by the fact that “textspeak” has been seen as a rich and complex “spoken” language. Never in my thirty years of teaching have I ever come across such a vile and ghastly “language”.
Do you think it is acceptable for the youth of today's generation to be looked down upon and be seen as unintelligent, just because this so called textspeak has affected their lingual ability to not only accept new words but to also encourage unconstrained language. As a teacher I see it as such a disappointment due to the fact that, the students who use abbreviated words and sentences are wasting their time and talent. By using such elements of text speak they are damaging their chances to express themselves through their writing. In the end where will it take them? Certainly not to Harvard, Brown or Duke; no they will end up working at some fast food restaurant that only pays them minimal wage and will have no problem with their vulgar use of language!
I will not stand by and allow such a language to surpass the divine english language. The youth of today does not have enough common sense to see the destruction that their language is inflicting on both themselves and society. I agree with the statement “Texting is developing its own kind of grammar” that is displayed in your article as it is very true, everyday before I start my lessons I ask my students to write one paragraph about any topic they desire. When I grade them, I am generally completely stunned by what is presented to me as most of the papers lack capital letters, basic grammatical knowledge, punctuation and in general, it is written in a sloppy manner. Is this the way you want the youth to continue on? Would you want your children to end up having a constricted future? I am one hundred percent positive that this is not what you want, so let's minimize the use of this language and bring back the language that was once seen as breathtaking.
I would appreciate it if my words were taken into consideration and that the youth of today and society finally open their eyes and see the real damage being caused here. I will never stop trying to prove and display the issues I uphold with the outrageous use of textspeak within the educational facility and throughout the world. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion in the end, many people believe that textspeak is just a temporary phase that we will overcome in time, or a phase that we gradually continue to develop and will eventually turn into a new from of modern jargon, I for one hope that it is a temporary phase that within due time will be surpassed by standard english.
-Sincerely Dana Farah

Is Texting Killing the English Language? People have always spoken differently from how they write, and texting is actually talking with your fingers By John McWhorter
Dana Farah
18 October 2014
To The Editor,
Having seen your article last week in Times Magazine, I was very ecstatic as you finally discussed the topic everyone has been causing controversy about, texting. You did not beat around the bush, no you simply got to the point which is that texting has gotten and continues to be a rich and complex “spoken” language, as stated by John McWhorter.
I use textspeak all the time in order to communicate with my friends, as it is something that we are fluently associated with, I see textspeak as a second language to me as after standard English it is my another language form that I associate with. I personally get a little bit aggravated when society say's that textspeak affects our ability to perform well in school just because we are comfortable with using textspeak, do you think that is fair? As part of the younger generation I can say that we are all able to distinguish between textspeak and standard english when it comes to writing tests or essays, it is rare when someone can not but I will admit to the fact that sometimes we do tend to accidentally apply textspeak into our work without realizing.
People need to realize that texting its self is “its own kind of grammar” as you stated, and that although we do not use proper capital letters, punctuation or write it in a presentable format ,we the younger generation, use a code that is mostly separate from the English language. Even if by the end of the day textspeak is not accepted into society, I personally find it useful and I hope that one day it transforms into a modern day jargon.
- Sincerely Dana Farah

Bibliography:

• Myers, Jennifer. "Texting Affects Ability to Interpret Words." Home. University of Calgary, 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/february17-2012/texting>
• "How Does Texting Influence the English Language?" How Does Texting Influence the English Language? N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <https://www.englishforums.com/content/resources/how-does-texting-influence-the-english-language.htm>
• McWhorter, John. "Is Texting Killing the English Language? | TIME.com." Ideas Is Texting Killing the English Language Comments. Times Magazine, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/25/is-texting-killing-the-english-language/>

Rationale

Rationale

The type of written text that I have chosen to produce is a letter to the editor, I have chosen to produce this type of text so that I may be able to not only shine light on the matter of texting but to also be able to state my opinion on the topic it's self. The perspective this response it being written will be from a person who finds the topic of texting interesting and is fascinated by the discussion going around whether it is a negative or positive impact on language. The targeted audience will be the reader of the Time's magazine. The intended purpose of the response is to display the different opinions going around about texting, and to not only explain my thoughts and opinions but to also be able to show just exactly how this particular topic effects the world and everyone on it. The context of this particular piece of writing will contain both social and historical settings. The social setting will explain the modern day perception of the topic and the historical setting will the explain the older perception of the topic . I intend to explore particular aspects of both the topic and the text by communicating the explanation of how different people view the affect of texting on the younger generation and around the world, but most importantly I want to be able to explain an insight into how texting affects language and technology. The structure and stylistic conventions of type of text I have chosen to emulate are:

* Rhetorical questions

* Powerful adjectives

* Emotive language

* Evidence to support

*Clear introduction and conclusion

Written Task 1

Is Texting Killing the English Language? People have always spoken differently from how they write, and texting is actually talking with your fingers By John McWhorter

Dana Farah

18 October 2014

Dear editor,

Having seen your article in Times Magazine, It was fascinating to read about the discussion that has caused controversy around the world, along with the argument of whether or not texting has a negative or positive impact on language. John McWhorter believes that over the years texting as gotten and continues to be a rich and complex “spoken” language, he actually defines texting as fingered speech. He says that we can now thanks to texting write the way we talk, it is seen as interesting and yet it is easy to see a sort of decline in it. McWhorter states that we are able to see the loose structure and the lack of consideration towards using capital letters or punctuation, and yet he justifies it in a way by saying “No one thinks about capital letters or punctuation when one texts, but then again, do you think about those things when you talk? No, and so therefore why would you when you were texting?”

Texting has caused a revolution through out the world, due to fact that now because of technology such as laptop's, tablets and phones we are able to write as we are talking. In the past around 5,500 years ago, writing was invented and was seen as prolonged and predetermined whereas talking was seen as prompt and subconscious, and they still are till this day. Over the years texting has developed it's very own grammar and usage which eventually has led to the creation of 'text speak', now you may be wondering what is 'textspeak'?. Text speak is the language of texting, it is a language that the younger generation use and are quite fluent in as they use it everyday in order to communicate with their friends. Now this is when the controversy of the subject begin's as many people believe because the younger generation are so comfortable with using ' text speak' it causes them to perform poorly at school which aggravates school teachers, whereas other people argue that ' text speak' does not fully effect the students performance in school.

Multiple researchers have researched the effect of textspeak and the results have comeback both positive and negative. The negative effects have been that textspeak has effected people's lingual ability to not only accept new words but to also encourage not limited language. In general teachers are the main ones that claim to have a serious issue with this form of writing as they say that students who use abbreviated words and sentences are wasting their time and that by using such elements of text speak they are corrupting and damaging their chances to express themselves through their writing. The main issue is that the students have been using inappropriate punctuation, grammar and abbreviations. On the bright side of this controversy there have been many studies that have proven that textspeak is not as horrible as everyone makes it out to be. In 2006 two professors conducted a study at Coventry University in Britain, the results displayed that 11 year olds who were able to easily switch between textspeak and standard English actually were greater in both writing and spelling.

I have come to the conclusion that although there has been controversy revolving this specific subject, I see textspeak as a positive effect on the younger generation, as to me personally I see that textspeak has no effect on standard English. As part of the younger generation I can say that we are all able to distinguish between textspeak and standard english when it comes to writing tests or essays, it is rare when someone can not but I will admit to the fact that sometimes we do tend to accidentally apply textspeak into or work with out realizing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion in the end, many people believe that textspeak is just a temporary phase that we will overcome in time, or a phase that we gradually continue to develop and will eventually turn into a new from of modern jargon.

Texting...

After taking the words of Crystal and McWhorter into consideration, I have come to the conclusion that both of these linguists support the fact that texting is not as negative as people may think.

David Crystal stated that “Texting is a startling modern phenomenon” , he also states that text speak is a language that mainly associates with a younger generation and although it has caused controversy among many and discussions have been held around the fact that it is seen as “thin and unimaginative... mask (ing) dyslexia, poor spelling and mental laziness” others view it as “communicatively adept, having linguistic creativity” People that associate with the younger generation do not purposely use “ textspeak” as an excuse of laziness or the incapability to spell, it is just an easier form for them to turn to as they have gotten used to using it. Now don't go starting to think that just because they are used to using “textspeak” that means that they must use that form of language at school whilst writing essay's or tests, no they actually now when is the right time to use it . Crystal also adds in the fact that he is fascinated by the fact that he views “textspeak” as a “manifestation of human ability” not only that but also that he is interested in evaluation of texting.

John McWhorter defines texting as fingered speech. He says that we can now thanks to texting write the way we talk, it is seen as interesting and yet it is easy to see a sort of decline in it. McWhorter states that we are able to see the loose structure and the lack of consideration towards using capital letters or punctuation, and yet he justifies it in a way by saying “ No one thinks about capital letters or punctuation when one texts, but then again, do you think about those things when you talk? No, and so therefore why would you when you were texting?”

In the end both Crystal and McWhorter agree and support that texting is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be ,and that although they both see texting in their own separate ways they both are implying that due to technology the world especially the younger generation have been able to have a new form of dialect which is their own.

Letter to the editor

Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Rihanna Photo Shoot: Muslims React To Abu Dhabi Incident

Dana Farah

5 October 2014

Dear editor,

Having seen your article in the Huff Post, I read a variety of opinions given by a wide range of people. As an arab muslim myself, I one hundred percent understand the controversy surrounding this topic. Many people saw the photo shoot as a harmless act, they fully supported Rihanna's actions and even tried justifying them by saying she was fully clothed and was wearing a loose fitting garment, hence saying that she was “technically” following the law and regulations. The fact of the matter is, they still did not fully appreciate the offence in her actions. Rihanna displayed no respect towards our culture or religion. She took things that we held sacred, and she trampled all over them, regardless of the consequences. Although everyone from all over the world is welcomed regardless of their religion, “every individual still have to behave in a manner that is religiously respectful” as you wrote in your article. Personally I saw her actions as disappointing and extremely inappropriate not only to myself but also to my nation, as our father his royal highness Sheikh Zayed 's( may peace be upon him) graveyard remains there, not only that, a mosque holds a special place in everyones heart as it is a place that holds respect and value and is not a place for someone to hold their own photo shoot for vanity, personal gain and press coverage. Let me ask you a question, would you to the same to someone else'e place of worship? I am pretty sure your answer would be no, so why is it okay for Rihanna to do so...

J-17 Interview

J-17

Overnight sensations - The story about how two young teenagers shared their message with the world

It was only 5 months ago when these two boys took to the stage on the hit television show ' Britain’s Got Talent' and amazed the world with their powerful original song “Hopeful”. The British singing/rapping duo comprises of fourteen year old Leondre Devries, and sixteen year old Charlie Lenehan, better known as Bars and Melody. They literally became overnight sensations and were seen as courageous to the general public, because they shared such a personal story that held such a powerful message. I had the fortunate opportunity to sit down with these two extraordinary boys this summer and interview them, getting the scoop on their journey and everything that has happened over the past 5 months.

So boys, firstly I must begin by telling you both that I think you are amazing, your song made me feel very emotional the first time I heard it, the lyrics, your voices, simply incredible. Please explain your motivation for writing this song...

Well since I was in primary school I was always being bullied heavily , I used to always get beat up walking home from school and it just seemed that I always kept moving schools and I felt like everywhere I went I seemed to get bullied, and I felt so trapped. I didn't know how to break free of it all, so I just started writing poems and my emotions out on paper, and one day I just heard this beat and I thought to myself wow this is a good beat and so I just started writing the poem to it and it eventually turned into a song. I also started rapping around that time and I always used to and still do listen to a lot of Tupac Shakur, so that basically was my motivation behind the song “ Hopeful”. ( Leondre)

Wow, you have come such a long way from then. The other day I read that after singing your song that a lot of bullies actually apologised to their victims, what's your take on that ?

Well to see that we could leave such a positive impact after singing our song is just completely insane. To actually see and know that a lot of people are actually owning up to what they have done and are apologising is just amazing, I mean no one should ever go through such a horrible experience and feel like they are constantly needing to look over their shoulder or not attend school because they are afraid. So knowing that it is all slowly fading away is remarkable. ( Charlie)

Coming from personal experience I am so thrilled that this has actually begun to happen. The fact that people are realizing that their actions are actually hurtful and can cause someone a lot of pain and suffering and are owning up to it as Charlie said, is just mind blowing. It also means that people are starting to get the message of ant-bullying and are beginning to take this matter seriously just makes me want to continue on spreading such positivity and enlightenment around the world. ( Leondre)

This is the last question for today and before I say it I just want to thank you two for taking the time to sit down with me, and that I am such a fan and can not wait till you boys release your first album. How did you feel after being able to share your song with the world?

Thank you for having us it's been great. I just feel so privileged and blessed that I was able to go up on stage and just share my story with the world , and to know that it created such a positive effect on many is just spectacular. ( Leondre)

First off thank you for having us today, I am just so happy that I am able to share awareness of anti-bullying and that whilst doing that I am also being given the opportunity to fulfil my dreams and it's just an enormous blessing. ( Charlie)

"Hopeful"

Oh-oh-oh

Check it out

Oh, no

Here we go

Please help me God, I feel so alone

I'm just a kid, how can I take it on my own?

I've cried too many tears, yeah, writing this song

Trying to fit in. Where do I belong?

I wake up every day, don't wanna leave my home

My mamma's askin' me why I'm always alone

Too scared to say, too scared to holler

I'm walking to school with sweat around my collar

I'm just a kid, I don't want no stress

My nerves are bad, my life's a mess

The names you call me, they hurt real bad

I want to tell my Mom

She's havin' trouble with my Dad

I feel so trapped, there's nowhere to turn

Come to school

Don't wanna fight I wanna learn

So please mister Bully

Tell me what I've done

You know I have no Dad

I'm livin' with my Mom

Just be hopeful, yes, I am

Hopeful for today

Take this music and use it

Let it take you away

And be hopeful, hopeful

And He'll make a way

I know it ain't easy but that's okay

Just be hopeful

Why do you trip every single day?

I didn't ask to be born but now I have to pay

I ain't got no money, you take all I have

When I give it to you, I search through my bags

I feel so scared when you shut me down

You kick me, punch me, throw me to the ground

When I ask you, yo, what have I done?

You hit me again, and make fun of my Mom!

I'm hopeful, yes, I am

Hopeful for today

Take this music and use it

Let it take you away

And be hopeful, hopeful

And He'll make a way

I know it ain't easy, but that's okay

Just be hopeful

What I wear is all I have

We lost our home, I'm livin' from a bag

Yo mister Bully, help me please

I'm flesh and blood, accept me please

Hey mister Bully, I don't know what to do

My mind, it can't explain what I did to you

Mister Bully, take in all my please

Every single day you bring me to my knees

Hopeful, yes, I am

Hopeful for today

Take this music and use it

Let it take you away

And be hopeful, hopeful

And He'll make a way

I know it ain't easy, but, that's okay

Just be hopeful.

To watch Bars and Melody's new single click the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT3RhIJZu4k

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

 I recently read an essay called ' Mother Tongue' by Amy Tan, Tan wrote about the discrimination of “broken english” compared to standard english, specifically referring to her mother. Throughout the text, Tan explains that her mother has been discriminated numerous times based on the english that she speaks which is seen as “broken english”. In the essay, her mothers quoted words were not only confusing but also they contained grammatical mistakes, yet Tan shared that although it seemed like her mother was incapable of communicating her words and thoughts. She was one to not underestimate, as her mother read high levelled sophisticated writings which Tan states in her essay “She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books with ease - all kinds of things I can’t begin to understand”.

An event that took place that displayed the discrimination of Tan's mother was when she went to the hospital to receive her diagnosis, as she had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumour. When the hospital had said that they lost the CAT scan no one offered her an apology or even saw the urgency in her needing the exact diagnosis as she had lost both her husband and son due to brain tumour, Tan's mother said that she had used her best english with no mistakes. Even after everything no one at the hospital sympathised with her mother , they just told her to make a new appointment up until Tan herself stepped in and dealt with the whole matter using standard english, then the matter was resolved, everyone at the hospital was far more polite and cooperative. The situation that her mother was placed in at the hospital just gave people the idea that her mother was not quite bright or was not worth their time, especially with the english that she used to communicate. After reading the essay and evaluating the different aspects of the essay, I came to the conclusion that just because someone does not speak standard english does not give anyone else the right to downgrade them and make them feel unimportant. I personally believe that if you are placed in a situation with someone that speaks limited english, then there are ways that you can work around what they are saying and find a solution that works for both of you.

Who would have thought it grade 11 how did I get here? More importantly where will I go from here! Let me introduce myself, my name is Dana Farah, I was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi to be specific. As I have grown my interests have changed quite a bit, I mean don’t get me wrong, I still love watching cartoons and old disney movies, however, I have gone from playing with dolls and having tea parties to beginning to think of my future and what universities I would like to attend. My main goal for grade 11 is to balance fun, and when to get serious and stick my head into some books, and most importantly to passing grade 11 and moving swiftly on to grade 12! I care about the fact that people no matter what race, culture, religion, shape or size anyone is, they should never be judged for being who they are, I really believe in that. The main two languages that I speak are English and Arabic, they play huge roles in my life as they allow me to communicate with my friends and family which I find very important as they are the main people in my life that I can always rely and depend on to always be there for me. Our various cultures display the appropriate qualities within our community, personally I identify through both the arab and english culture. I identify through the arab culture through family traditions where as I identify to the english culture through television, fashion, and liberal thinking.