Since it seems uncertain whether everyone will have purchased The River Reader by next week, I'm posting a link to the first essay we'll be discussing.
You can get a full-text version here.
And since your first essay assignment will be to write a definition essay, here, here and here are some valuable links.
Ryan ,thank you so much :)
ReplyDeletethe links are every, every very useful, thank you prof. Ryan
ReplyDeleteit's excellent topic and might be extended into other different subject wroth to be discuss,as in the second paragraph, when the writer mentioned the relationship between language and reality.
ReplyDeleteDoes language shapes reality or vice versa ?
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've been asked this question before !
In my opinion they equally related,and most likely they both effect each others some.
What do u think guys???????
I hope we could extend this topic more !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we don't start a debate about this topic here, we can always bring it to class for Monday.
ReplyDeleteWell, allow me to grace this poorly designed but very intriguing blog-spot with my presence. Good day to you Zina , Good day to you Prof. Daley! I couldn't help but notice that Zina here pointed out the initial question in the passage to have my mind racing like sea-biscuit in his last ho-rah! So it was without a doubt that I put my two cents in. Okay; So does language shape reality or vice versa you ask? The answer is super simple , I'm surprised you couldn't see it all on your own. But If I must , Allow me to map things out for ya!
DeleteI believe it is language that shapes reality , & not the other way around. I believe so because when we learn language , we learn to describe things in their simplest of forms. This skill is the very foundation to individuality , & individual perspectives we acquire! I can firmly say no two realities are alike! Reality however, Already being present before we picked up the skill of speech , writing , & description does not further help shape the way we see things. Although it does determine what it is we see. So with that said reality can hardly be considered reality due to the simple fact that at this point it is not our own! It is not until we learn to maneuver freely in our own language that we shape our own reality!
Thanks for your fine post and points. As for the blog design, you'll have to take that up with Blogger, which, for the time being, is setting the confines of our reality.
ReplyDeleteAs to your comment, the only clear cut point is that reality vs. language isn't so clear cut. We are constantly inventing language that best defines our realities (whether these be collective or individual). This is why each cities and even boroughs have unique slang. Of course this works both ways: language shapes experience, and our experience shapes the words we need to describe it. This is evident to anyone who speaks two (or more) languages: there are just *some* things you can express in one that you can't in another.
So, on this fine Sunday afternoon, I'm posting my two cents, and I'd encourage anyone else to join in and post theirs.
Agreed! I'm definitely interested in hearing other standpoints on this increasingly interesting matter, It gets the brain juices flowing (it's pure bliss I tell you). This is exactly the kind of discussion that makes me appreciate being a college kid , & being in professor daley's 10 am Eng. Comp class!
ReplyDeleteOh , & about the web page design - If you're interested in making a few supervised alterations, I can more than gladly be of assistance!
I might have to take you up on that design offer. We'll talk about that as the semester progresses.
ReplyDelete