Malansang Isda by Rosalinda Olsen Essay Example for Free

Malansang Isda by Rosalinda Olsen Essay †Ang hindi nagmamahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa malansang isda† is one of the most often quoted of Rizal’s writings. Why, then, did he write his two novels, Noli me tangere and El Filibusterismo in Spanish? In his dedication of theNoli me Tangere, Rizal wrote, â€Å"I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully, without discriminations. † Surely, the national hero of the Philippines was not somebody who said one thing and did the opposite. Both novels portrayed the social and political conditions of the time through characters that represented a cross section of Philippine society—the natives who were called the Indios, the Peninsuslares or the Spanish who were born in Spain, and the Filipino or the Spanish who were born in the Philippine Islands—immortalized in the characters of Crisostomo Ibarra and his beloved Maria Clara, Elizas, Padre Damaso, Dona Victorina, and the sinister Padre Salvi. These characters represented the ideal and the despicable, the funny and the tragic, the truly comic and the merely ridiculous. There was enough in the novel to satisfy the Filipinos’ appetite for a good laugh and a love storythe more sentimental, the better—serving as a thin layer to hide the bitter satire. It can be said that Rizal’s two novels awoke the slumbering political passion of his countrymen so successfully that it quickened the birth of the Philippine Revolution. If this were Rizal’s aim, which most decidedly was not, he would have written the novels in Tagalog. Not only would this have been understandable to most people in Luzon, it would have hidden the revolutionary intent from the Spanish. As it was, the novels had to be distributed in secret among the Indios because the Spanish authorities banned those books. Which leads to the question of whom his target audience was in, order to answer the first question of why he wrote the Noli me tangere and theEl Filibusterismo in the language of the Spanish colonizers. So much has been written about Rizal’s extreme reluctance for revolution as the solution to the social cancer that was destroying his country, in contrast to his passionate advocacy of education and political reform. Evidently, the Spanish colonizers were Rizal’s primary target audience, hence, he wrote in their language. The Indio could have been a secondary target audience, perhaps in the hope that the ilustrados would fight for the socio-political reforms that were clearly indicated in the novels. There was no need to reproduce the social conditions of the time to the Indio who knew it only too well and constantly suffered from it. Rizal wrote the novels in Spanish because that was the appropriate language for his intent. Language is basically a tool, a means to express ideas and to communicate these, but before being a tool, language is first a reflection of one’s objective reality. Language is a symbol that represents the material objects in one’s environment. If an object does not exist in one’s material universe, one would have no word for it. For example, a person in search of gold in a certain area might show the natives a gold piece and ask what the natives call that metal and where he could find it. If there is no word for gold among the natives, it either means there is no gold in the area or the natives have not seen or heard of that metal before. When Rizal wrote the famous lines â€Å"Ang hindi nagmamahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa malansang isda†, he was not referring to language merely as a communication tool but as an expression of one’s identity, of one’s individual and social consciousness. In the novels, Dona Victorina represents the type of Filipino who rejects her identity as Indio and who would do everything to deny it in every form, particularly in mannerism and language. More than a hundred years have passed since Rizal wrote his two novels but the social and eco-political structures remain basically the same. Only the ruling class has been changed, Filipinos have replaced the colonial masters. At the tip of an inverted pyramid is the very small minority of the power class that consists of the affluent and the Catholic hierarchy. At the top of this pyramid is about 80% of the population that have been assessed by the World Bank-IMF as living below poverty level. Between these two main groups is the middle class that shows no sign of increasing in number. Only a miracle would keep this unnatural pyramid from toppling over, but that belongs to another article. Undoubtedly, Pilipino (supposedly the expanded and enriched form of Tagalog) is not the language of the power class. Most of them speak English and some prefer to speak Spanish. The masses can read and speak Pilipino, as it is a required subject in school, but chances are, they speak their cradle tongue among themselves and most of the time, which would be any of the major languages and the numerous dialects. The language of the middle class is an odd mix of English, Pilipino, and their radle tongue. Since language is a reflection of one’s identity, could we then say that the Filipinos have one national identity? Without a common identity, there could be no real sense of nationhood. This is what Rizal meant by that famous quotation that is often quoted but only the surface level. Pilipino is the national language but the preferred working language of government, business, and education as well as the mass media remains English. There would be nothing amiss with this if it were not for the great majority of the population whose knowledge of English is not functional. It is not surprising that government can get away shamelessly with graft and corruption because the masses have little understanding of what is going on. Clearly, language in Philippine contemporary society is the one big wall that divides the powerful from the masses of poor people, notwithstanding all the calls for people empowerment. One would think that the entertainment industry, specifically the movies and the television, might be a vehicle for uniting the people because the movies are still affordable and one could always go to the neighbor’s to watch television. Just take a quick look at the commercials; most of them are in English. Noontime and evening variety shows are probably the worst because the language used by the hosts and participants reflects the jargon of the â€Å"lost tribe† aka Manila people, which is a horrible porridge of English and Pilipino with an even more horrendous lack of grammar or logical syntax. So much for the local role models, let’s take a look at the school system. According to a DECS ruling, Pilipino should be the mode of classroom instruction. So far, this has worked, in some fashion, in the elementary grades and to a lesser extent, in the secondary and the tertiary levels. Textbooks in Pilipino have been published and used in the schools, but all the references remain English. In fact, teachers find it impossible to use Pilipino in teaching mathematics, algebra, chemistry, or physics, philosophy, etc. Not surprisingly, the pupil is subjected to a kind of mental lobotomy and eventually their soul is truncated, amputated, or dichotomised. Brave souls who perhaps wanted to â€Å"make a difference â€Å" in the academe, have attempted to write their undergraduate or graduate thesis in Pilipino. Some succeeded, but one can’t help wondering if their theses would ever be taken down from the library shelves to be read and enjoyed. Few would have the courage to admit that they would rather read Rizal’s novels in English, not just because it would be easier for them but because the Pilipino translations are so antiquated that one would read it only under duress, which is to say, only because the school requires it. The Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia got their independence from their colonial masters at about the same time. All three countries created a national language that would be the expression of the national soul and, thus, be a unifying element. Sadly, Pilipino has not succeeded in being the language of the government and the governed, in contrast to how Indonesia and Malaysia has used their respective national languages. Indonesia does not use Dutch as the language of government, education and commerce. Neither do the Malaysians use English as their working language. An anecdote would illustrate this. A friend was on holiday in Kuala Lumpur. One day, she took a cab and, naturally, spoke to the taxi driver in English. In polite but cold tones, the driver asked her, â€Å"Madam, why do you talk in English? We are all Malaysians. † Nonplussed, she said she was Filipino and the taxi driver apologized and explained that she looked Malaysian. It might be an excellent thing for Philippine politicians to have experienced this, but then again, they would be more likely to hire a limousine (at Filipino taxpayer’s expense, of course) and lose the chance of being told to speak the national language by a lowly taxi driver. Is the Filipino then a â€Å"malansang isda†? Using the â€Å"isda† analogy, the Filipino might well be like a fish out of water, in the sense that Filipinos are supposed to be living in one country—the big sea—that has become an alien territory to citizens whose ties have remained regional or tribal rather than national. A fish out of its natural habitat would quickly die and stink. Rizal did not have all the answers to Philippine problems, but he has practically said it all. For the young, he collected folk stories and legends. For the more mature, he wrote the novels, Noli me tangereand El Filibusterismo, the two long essays â€Å"The Indolence of the Filipino† and â€Å"The Philippines a Century Hence† as well as poetry and countless articles. Jose Rizal is the national hero and his portrait is in the lowest denomination of Philippine paper money. Every Filipino knows Rizal, but do they understand him? Those who have read his novels remember only the love story of Ibarra and Maria Clara, the antics of Dona Victorina, and the pathetic Sisa. High School and college graduates are obliged to take the Rizal course as a requirement for graduation, but how many of them understand the two long essays relative to what is happening in the Philippines today, if they read it at all? Rizal has been iconized and even idolized by a sect that calls themselves â€Å"Rizalistas†, but the Filipino has yet to realize and actualise his relevance.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict communication

Israeli-Palestinian conflict communication CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Definition of Communication Although communication is omnipresent, it appears nonetheless difficult to define. Different individuals define communication in different ways depending upon their interests. Ruben (1984) says that communication is any â€Å"information related behaviour† while Dale (1969) says it is the â€Å"sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality.† Other definitions emphasise the significance of symbols, as in Berelson and Steiner (1964): â€Å"The transmission of information, ideas, emotions and skill by the use of symbols,† and Theodorson (1969): â€Å"the transmission of information, ideas, attitudes, or emotion from one person or group to another, primarily through symbols.† The Universal Law of Communication states that all living entities communicate. Through movement, sounds, reactions, gestures, language and among others (S. F, Scudder, 1900. In his research, Prof. Albert Mehrabian (UCLA, 1967) identified three major parts that convey meaning in human face to face communication: body language, voice tonality, and words. He determined how people make meaning when a speaker says one thing but means another. If the speaker is sending a mixed message the listener will rely on the following cues to determine true meaning. He found that 55% of impact is determined by body language-postures, gestures, and eye contact, 38% by the tone of voice, and 7% by the content or the words spoken. Although the exact percentage of influence may differ due to variables such as the perceptions or biases of the listener and the speaker, communication as a whole is meant to convey meaning and thus, in some cases, can be universal. Hence, communication can be classified into three types: Non-Verbal Communication which includes sending and receiving messages through gestures, body language, facial expression and eye contacts. Visual Communication is through using visual aids that can be read and look upon such as signs, typography, drawing, graphic design and illustration. Verbal or Oral Communication is anyinformation that is transferred from a sender to receiver usually by a verbal means but visual aid can support the process and it includes speeches, presentations and discussions. 2.1 Effective Communication Effective communication is very important for working successfully with other people, groups or countries. It enables us to maintain relationships and accomplish tasks with them. The effectiveness of any communication is judged by how closely the receivers understanding matches the senders intent. In the final analysis, the only message that matters is the one the other person receives (Dave Sharpe, 1991, Circular 1291). The two ways flow of communication is commonly addressed in interpersonal communication with two elaborations of Shannons model which is often labelled as the action model of communication; the interactive model and the trans-active model. (Weiner, 1948, 1986). This can be illustrated in the following diagram: The key concept associated with this elaboration is that destinations provide feedback on the messages they receive such that the information sources can adapt their messages, in real time. This is an important elaboration, and as generally depicted, a radically oversimplified one. Feedback is a message (or a set of messages). The source of feedback is an information source. The consumer of feedback is a destination. Feedback is transmitted, received, and potentially disrupted via noise sources. None of this is visible in the typical depiction of the interactive model. This doesnt diminish the importance of feedback or the usefulness of elaborating Shannons model to include it. People really do adapt their messages based on the feedback they receive. It is useful, however, to notice that the interactive model depicts feedback at a much higher level of abstraction than it does messages (Davis Foulger, 2004). This difference in the level of abstraction is addressed in the transactional model of communication. This can be shown in table 2 which depicts the Transactional Model of Communication: This model acknowledges neither creators nor consumers of messages, preferring to label the people associated with the model as communicators who both create and consume messages. The model presumes additional symmetries as well, with each participant creating messages that are received by the other communicator. This is, in many ways, an excellent model of the face-to-face interactive process which extends readily to any interactive medium that provides users with symmetrical interfaces for creation and consumption of messages. It is, however, a distinctly interpersonal model that implies equality between communicators that often doesnt exist, even in interpersonal contexts (Hopper, 1992). In case of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the one that is more powerful may tend to lead the communication and thus, creating more barriers to communication to solve the conflicting issues. 2.2 Definition of Conflict Most conflicts result as a state of disagreement stemming from perceived values, beliefs, interests, goals and motives. It can be between individuals, groups or between two countries. Research carried out on peace and conflict assumes that conflicts are the expression of opposing interests, that they are characteristic for modern societies and that they are endemic in modern societies. â€Å"A conflict exists when two people wish to carry out acts which are mutually inconsistent. It is resolved when some mutually compatible set of actions is worked out. The definition of conflict can be extended from individuals to groups (such as states or nations), and more than two parties can be involved in the conflict. The principles remain the same.† (M. Nicholson 1992:11) 2.3 Defining the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict History created divisive issues between both Israelis and Palestinians. The land of Judea[1], was conquered by the Roman Empire and named Palestine and it was further conquered and inhabited by Arabs for a thousand years. Before Britain conquered Jerusalem and the surrounding area known to be Palestine, in November 1917, the â€Å"Balfour Declaration[2]† was issued. This declaration stated that Britain support the creation of a National Homeland of the Jewish People in Mandated Palestine without violating the rights of the existing Arab population. This eventually led to rioting and pogroms against Jews creating a history of enmity between Jews and Arabs. Following the World War II (1939-1945), in which more than six million Jews were killed by the Nazis, pressure increased for the creation of a Jewish State. The United Nations Special Commission on Palestine (UNSCOP) held that Palestine be partitioned into an Arab State and a Jewish State. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the partition plan (UN Resolution GA 181) and the modern state of Israel (Medinat Yisrael) was created and independence was declared on 14 May 1948 and David Ben Gurion become the first Prime Minister. The Arabs rejected the partitioned plan and refused to recognise Israel and wars broke out in 1948 known as ‘War of Independence and the Jews won decisively expanding their State territories. The conflict continued to deepen without any concrete solutions to the problems. In 1956, the second war broke out with Egypt (Sinai War) and in 1967 another war occurred (Six-day War) followed by ‘War of Attrition in 1968 making the conflict worse. In 1973, the Arabs Countries tried to invade and attack Israel (Yom Kippur War) but failed as Israel retaliated strategically to defend herself. There were many terror raids and Israeli reprisals. In 1982 and 2006 war broke out between Israel and Lebanon making hundreds of victims on both sides. Two â€Å"Intifadas†[3] in broke out in 1983 and 2000 and the violence continued to increased and thus reducing the prospect of peace. In December 2008 Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Gaza Strip (Cast Lead Operation) to stop the firing of short range missiles (rockets) leading to the Israeli Palestinian peace talk to collapse. Each side believes different versions of the same history and views the conflict as wholly the fault of the other (Ami Isseroff June 2009). 2.4 Rethinking the Two-State Solution (Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, 2008) The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Though all conflicts have their own distinctive features, the Israeli Palestinian conflict is singular in various aspects. In the first place, it not a territorial dispute involving two parties but also a situation on which one nation is under occupation by another (Focus Policy 88, 2008). In the work ‘Rethinking the Two-State Solution the problem this conflict creates has implication beyond the specific interest of the disputing parties (Griora Eiland Al, 2008). However, it is believed that this conflict dilemma is at the root of the Middle East unrest link to the Iranian nuclear threat and other global challenges. There appears to be a clear international interest to resolve the conflict ranging from the ‘Oslo Accords[4] to the ‘Annapolis Conference[5] to support the general approach of the two-state solution. Yet, the ‘Oslo Accord created an illusion that the situation was changing and though after its collapse, it maybe possible to reach a political agreement. Many Israelis are concerned that pursuing such an agreement is a lose-lose situation as Palestinians will not meet their end of bargain (Yehuda Ben Meir and Dafna Shaked, 2007) The paradox for the moment between the conflicting parties is that they truly do not desire the conventional two state approach and the Arab World specially Jordan and Egypt are not supportive to it as the success is slim and the political risk is high for both leaders. Today, the conflict has surpassed the classical view and has become a conflict against the rise of extremist in the region (Tzipi Livni, 2008). However, the problems still remains regarding the settlement issues in the land that Palestinians claim for their future state, Jerusalem where both nationalists and religions are intertwined, security arrangements, the refugees status and their rights of returns and the smuggling of weapons by terrorist groups through their armed allies like Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian regime that calls for the destruction of Israel (Natasha Gill, 2008). 2.5 Intercultural or Cross- Cultural Communication, Dialogue and Perception Change Intercultural communication involves the investigation of culture and the difficulties of communicating across cultural boundaries. Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message produced in one culture must be processed in another culture (Samovar Porter, 1982). Since all aspects of communication are both, a response to and a function of our culture, socialisation in a culture determines what communicative behaviours are perceived as appropriate or desirable within a given context (Samovar Porter, 1982). In addition to the use of verbal messages, during face-to-face interaction a great deal of information about personality, beliefs, values, and social status are transmitted and interpreted, often subconsciously, through non-verbal channels (Birdwhistell,1970; Burgeon et al., 1989; Mehrabian, 1969, 1972). The meaning of both verbal and nonverbal messages is drawn upon past experiences, personal knowledge of language and word meaning, and the social context in which a communicative event occurs. In intercultural encounters, observed behaviours may be interpreted by applying cultural frameworks that are inappropriate to the context in which the communication takes place, thus resulting in misinterpretation and misunderstanding, and even in negative stereotyping (Brislin, Cushner, Cherrie Young, 1982).While stereotyping responds to a human tendency towards categorisation and simplification of highly complex realities, negative stereotypes and prejudice are definite obstacles to successful intercultural communication and mutual understanding. In order for these barriers to be lowered, learners need to develop awareness and understanding of their own, as well as of their interactants, cultural universe, including â€Å"beliefs, values, customs, habits or life styles† (Samovar Proter, 1982) At the International Association For Conflict Management Annual Convention held in Spain in 1999, two basic questions were raised which concerned the role of culture and particularly religious culture and the impact of dialogue and contact in improving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict (Dr Mollov Dr Laive,1999). In his seminal realist theory of international relations, Hans J. Morgenthau gave little importance to cultural discourse between nations but instead he laid emphasis on the clash of power and interest. Therefore, there is a need to reach stability by attaining viable balances of power and the exercise of responsible diplomacy (Morgenthau, 1969). Recent researchers have emphasised that the importance of the cultural variables can either help to move forward or backward understandings between nations (Cohen, 1990). Inter-civilisation conflict like the Israeli- Palestinian conflict has put forward that international stability can advance by nations by discovering and developing intercultural understanding and appreciation with each other (Huntington, 1996) and recent research in the field of political psychology showed the importance of culture and psychological perceptions in politics (Pye, 1997). The research carried out by the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Science of Bar Ilan University, Israel, concentrated on evaluating the impact of inter-group and inter-personal communication based on mutual perception change between Israelis and Palestinians. According to the Social Scientist Karl Deutsch, there is a need to investigate the foundations of community building between nations in the form of amalgamated or pluralistic security communities where there is need of interpersonal ties and the intensity of social communication in the creation and upholding of such communities (Deutsch, 1957). The work of peace building is much affected by perception change and the quality of interpersonal interactions. The investigation of the numerous aspects of inter-group communication emphasise the decisive elements and conditions for effective encounters including ‘equal status contacts that should also be intimate rather than casual encounters for building efforts of cooperation, relations and institutional (Amir, 1969). In a series of dialogue held between a group of Palestinian students and Israeli students which lasted for four years, from 1994 to 1999, focused on commonalities between Islam and Judaism and this led to a spin off cooperative efforts and increased cooperation and interactions between the two groups of students from both sides. There were reports of warm atmosphere during face to face meetings and this attributed that achievement to the discovery of commonalities in the others religious culture (Mollov and Barhoum, 1998). Approximately 90 students had participated in this initiative and at the end of it, there was positive development of family visitation and strong friendships that developed during the process and hence in wake of violent events both issued condemnation and condolences. 2.6 The Israeli- Egyptian conflict resolution as a reference Scholar Raymond Cohen has written about how miscommunication can occur when even elite specialists and diplomats must negotiate across cultural boundaries. One of his examples focuses on the Egyptian-Israeli conflict through the 1970s. He questions why, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Israeli deterrence based on large-scale use of force against Egypt for terrorist attacks emanating out of Egypt against Israel, failed to actually deter attacks. A cultural analysis revealed deep differences between Israeli and Egyptian understandings relating to violence, vengeance, and vendetta. He concluded that Israels use of massive force violated Egyptian understandings about culturally â€Å"appropriate† vengeance and retribution. In particular, Israelis misunderstood Egyptian conventions of appropriate â€Å"proportionality† in these matters. The â€Å"cultural logic† of Israeli deterrence was that the more disproportionate the punishment the greater the compliance. But Egyptians understood matters differently. What they regarded as highly disproportionate vengeance on Israels part had the effect of shaming and humiliating them, leading to a serious loss of honor in a culture where honor is deeply valued. To erase the shame and regain the lost honor, Egypt supported further attacks against Israel. The effect Israelis hoped to achieve, Egyptian compliance in stopping cross-border attacks to avoid mounting reprisals , was not achieved. Israeli action produced the opposite effect, providing Egyptians with strong reasons to ensure their support of incursions into Israel. In this case cultural misunderstandings led to an intensification of the conflict, producing what is sometimes called a â€Å"conflict spiral.† Ultimately, this cost many lives on both sides (Kevin Avruch CROSS-CULTURAL CONFLICT, 2004). The former President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, made an unprecedented gesture by visiting Israel though there were no ties between Israel and Egypt, to reinforce a positive cultural and perception and change to the negative cross cultural differences between the two nations. This led both countries to emerge out of the hatred and miscommunication and together, not only Israelis and Egyptians understood each others but also their Leaders Former Israeli Prime Minister, Shamir and Former Egyptian President Sadat signed peace agreements (Camp David Treaty) under the ageis of the United States in the 1970s. All these were possible because both sides made unprecedented moves to understand their cultural differences for peace in the region, eliminating their barriers of communication like language, religion, hatred, wrong communication channels, stereotyping and perception and also avoiding confrontation. The same happened with Jordan in 1994 leading to full diplomatic relationship with the sec ond Arab/Muslim country after Egypt and later followed by Azerbaijan. 2.7 The Palestinians Unilateral â€Å"Kosovo Strategy† Implications for the PA and Israel Dan Diker (Jan 2010) Article No. 575- Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas new precondition that the international community recognise the 1967 lines in the West Bank as the new Palestinian border bolsters the assessment that the Palestinians have largely abandoned a negotiated settlement and instead are actively pursuing a unilateral approach to statehood. Senior Palestinian officials note that Palestinian unilateralism is modelled after Kosovos February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. European and U.S. support for Kosovos unilateral declaration has led the Palestinian leadership to determine that geopolitical conditions are ripe to seek international endorsement of its unilateral statehood bid, despite the fact that leading international jurists have suggested that the cases of Kosovo and thePalestinian Authorityare historically and legally different. The Palestinians are legally bound to negotiate a bilateral solution with Israel. Unilateral Palestinian threats to declare statehoo d have been rebuffed thus far by the European powers and the United States. The Palestinian â€Å"Kosovo strategy† includes a campaign of delegitimisation of Israel, seeking to isolate Israel as a pariah state, while driving a wedge between Israel and the United States. The unilateral Palestinian bid for sovereignty will also likely turn the Palestinians into the leading petitioner against the State of Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Although the Palestinian Authority is not a state and therefore should have no legal standing before the court, the petition it submitted to the court after theGazawar (Cast lead Operation) was not rejected by the ICC. Finally, a unilateral Palestinian quest for the 1947 lines may well continue even if the 1967 lines are endorsed by the United Nations. The Palestinian Liberation Organisations (PLO) 1988 declaration of independence was based on UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which recognises the 1947 partition plan for Palestine, not the 1967 lines, as the basis for the borders of Israel and an Arabstate. 2.8 Cooperation and Conflict in Negotiation Negotiation refers to a process in which conflicting parties work together to formulate an agreement over the disputes affecting them (Rubin Brown, 1975). The process of negotiation assumes that the disputing parties are willing to communicate and to generate offers, counter-offers, or both. Agreement occurs if and only if the offers made are accepted by both of the parties. Negotiation is comprised of several key components like the disputing parties interests, alternatives, process and the negotiated outcomes that are likely to come in the phases of negotiation during preparation, debating and proposing, bargaining and finalising legal aspects and follow-up (Neale Northcraft, 1991). In his research, Morton Deutsch concluded that most conflicts involve a mix of cooperative and competitive motives. His theory of cooperation and competition serves as a guideline to understand conflict processes and resolutions (Deutsch, 2000). Accordingly, a key element to understand this is to find out the goal interdependence between the conflicting parties. It may also be that the goals are negative leading to a win-lose situation. The disputing parties goals being positively interdependent will yield cooperative relationship for a win-win situation. Deutschs research suggests that constructive processes of conflict resolution are similar to cooperative processes of problem solving and the destructive processes of conflict resolution are similar to competitive processes. A friendly gesture tends to suggest cooperative responses and for competitive responses stir up suspicious and domineering attitudes (Deutsch, 2000). The theory of cooperation and competition implies one to understand conflict, the practice of conflict management, and conflict resolution. A cooperative orientation on the part of the disputing parties will tend to facilitate constructive resolution of the conflict. Deutsch highlights that social support is very important to create and maintain such cooperative orientation (Deutsch, 2000). Constructive resolution is more likely to take place when the conflicting parties would be able to reframe their understanding of their goal and conflict. This will help to adhere to norms, values, respect, honesty and seeking common grounds to find resolutions. Additionally, effective conflict management requires skills and knowledge to establish and maintain effective working relationships leading to problem solving and decision making (Deutsch, 2000) 2.9 Irish Pact Is Mixed Model for Middle-East Article: Newsday (1998, April 1) -Washington Near East Institute Author: Robert Satloff The Israelis and Palestinians have to learn a lot from the Northern Ireland peace accord that solved the conflict in 1998. Both had a common legacy of terrorism with thousands victims. The two conflicts are fundamentally different and the solutions reached are very different, too but the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians does have an important lesson for Northern Ireland: The tough part is implementing an agreement, not reaching it. The conflict has involved the threat of war and neighbouring countries fought five wars during the last 50 years and most Arabs insisted that settlement terms would require the dismantling of the Jewish state and sent most Israelis to their country of origin. The nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict has calmed over the past two decades, with Israels signing of peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and this lead to reconciliation with the Palestinians in the Oslo accords. Since Ireland gained its independence, the idea of war between the Irish and the British has been unthinkable. In contrast, few Middle Easterners doubt that the moderation of most, which have come to terms with Israel, is only a function of the balance of power. If the Arabs were stronger, Israel weaker and America indifferent, the chorus of â€Å"throw the Jews into the sea† would almost surely be as popular in official Arab circles as, sadly, it is today. If one is able to convince the Israelis that Arab intentions have changed irrevocably, peace would be at hand. In the Palestinian-Israeli context, this would translate into an expansion of the current bilateral negotiation into a trilateral process that includes Jordan, which ruled the West Bank before Israel. Indeed, there is general recognition in the region that while there may be a bilateral contractual solution for the West Bank, there will, in the end, be a trilateral arrangement governing many of its political, economic and military aspects. â€Å"An equally important lesson is dont ever try to dictate terms of an agreement† (President Clinton, 1998). As history has shown, American engagement in diplomacy is necessary for its success, but not sufficient. The Israelis and Palestinians dont need a distinguished ex-senator such as George Mitchell to help them achieve their own solution; they already made their own deal, without direct U.S. assistance, at Oslo. Therefore, to further research on how the Israeli Palestinian conflict can be solved through effective communication, there is a need to adopt a new approach that of using effective communication. In this regards, there is a need to provide solutions to the exiting on-going problems that lead to peace agreements and where two people can live side by side in harmony, strategic cooperation and trust without being affected by extremist ideologies that would ruin the peace prospect. University of Technology, Mauritius The Ancient Kingdom of Judah of the Israelite A letter issued to Lord Rothschild by the Zionist Movement of Great Britain The uprising of the Palestinians against Israelis through waves of Violence Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles A conference held in 2007 to produce a substantive document on resolving theIsraeli-Palestinian conflictalong the lines of President George W. BushsRoadmap For Peace

Free Essays - Anklyosing Spondylitis Will Not Dictate My Life :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Anklyosing Spondylitis Will Not Dictate My Life Anklyosing Spondylitis. When I first heard these words, I was tempted to say "God bless you," because I had never heard of such a disease. I could not appreciate that I would be living with it for the rest of my life. Anklyosing Spondylitis (AS) is a form of arthritis that affects the peripheral joints of the body, including the spine, bowels, and even the eyes (iritis). It causes the joints and ligaments that allow the back to move to become inflamed. It often begins in the late teens or early 20's and if it is not treated correctly, it can cause the spine, hips, and ribs to become rigid, which will make bending, turning, flexing, and breathing difficult. The actual severity of these symptoms vary a great deal from person to person. An early diagnosis along with proper treatment can help pain and stiffness be controlled and reduce or stop major deformity. It is important for all those afflicted with this disease, their families, and their friends, to fully understand the causes and effects of this arthritis and the ways to manage it throughout life. The exact cause of AS is still unknown. Over 90 percent of people with AS possess a genetic marker called BLA-B27. This gene is involved in the body's defense against infection. It has been confirmed that other genes are involved in this disease as well, but they have yet to be identified. A person can have this gene and not have AS. There also exists an environmental factor in the onset of AS. It appears to be normal bacteria in the bowel. I was diagnosed with AS after several occurrences. I suffered a head injury during a wrestling match. My skull was cracked and I was put on an antibiotic to fight off any possible infection. This drug caused my bowels to become infected by another disease called C-Difficile bacteria. After that was cured, I became afflicted with a Septic Hip. My hip was filled with infectious fluid. During this time I developed iritis, an inflammation of the eye. I had suffered iritis before. To make sure the infections would not come back, I had to stay on a home IV for six weeks. I was also identified as a carrier of the gene BLA-B27. During this time my doctors simply put the pieces together.

The Devil’s Playground :: Devil Religious Beliefs Creative Writing Essays

The Devil’s Playground Slowly the snow drifted along the sidewalks and streets as he strolled down his own path. Following no particular way but his own, he traveled. Knowing not his destination but only his outcome. His ideas were changed, his beliefs were diminished to that of nothing and his perception of reality was turned upside down. All he knew now was himself and that of his tendencies. His own nature was the only real and raw thing that he was able to hang on to. A life of mistreatment and abuse, his last actions displayed his true feelings. "I should have stopped you in the womb. When I had the chance I should have taken it. YOU, were my worst mistake." "LEAVE! Nobody here wants you nobody here cares for you and there is no place for you. Hide yourself somewhere and do the world a favor." His mother screamed constantly, shaming him to that of nothing but guilt of being alive. It was a common ritual in his OLD household. Then tonight, with the quick flick of a wrist and the glisten of rose red, the shaming ended. The guilt stopped. Then with two more quick and swift movements he finished off what was left to remind him of his past. What would have been witnesses were nothing more than cold and bludgeoned heaps. Ryan lived on the outskirts of the city. Wandering from house to house throughout his childhood he knew not much of the meaning of family. His parents were constantly sending him to foster families for a few weeks at a time then taking him back, only to get a few more pleasurable meetings with him. He was unwanted by all but himself and ignorant to the idea of remorse. He always knew one day, he alone, could stop all his pain and all his suffering but he wasn’t concerned with that right now. In fact, the only things that crossed his mind were, "Right foot, Left foot." It was all he thought of and it was all he spoke of as he walked. He carried the rose red razor in his right hand and his left was clenched tight. His knuckles as white as the snow that surrounded him. His pajama pants and white tee shirt were all he wore. No shoes to protect his feet from the harsh winter cold and snow and no hat to warm his freezing head.

First Paper: “The House on Mango Street” -- Literature Review

First Paper: â€Å"The House on Mango Street† In The House of Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros depicts the character of Esperanza as a coming-of-age female who dreams about having a house of her own. The house will bring for her the personal and family stability that she needs; as evidenced by the way the author uses the house to represent Esperanza’s search for what she wants to be as an artist and as a woman. This is significant because it speaks about how people may use their imagination as a means to reinvent themselves. Socially speaking, the concept of property is related to the possession of tangible and intangible things by an individual or a particular group. This idea of property brings benefits for some people: it gives the feeling of having accomplished something in their lives, along with the stability that allow individuals to develop new ideas and projects as a result of having more confidence. More important, this idea of property brings for people a sense of belonging that is a fundamental part of their success in any community. In The House of Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros starts the story with a main character who describes her family journey to a new house, the House on Mango Street. Despite describing a history of constant moving from different places that has ultimately constituted the girl’s family, the author implies in this description a sense of family unity that is based on the premise of acquiring property: â€Å"†¦we were six—Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me (†¦) The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 3). However, when what people accomplish in their lives do not meet their expectations, frustration and disappointment may come alone. This is Esperanza... ...that defines her personality in terms of who she is away from her family heritage. Rather than assuming a name simply because it was given at birth, Esperanza is looking to create her own history away from her parents and her sister; consequently, changing her name will be for Esperanza a very important part of her process toward finding an identity. â€Å"In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.† For the first time, Esperanza mentions her name, but she implies a negative connotation in it. Her complaint about having a name with so many letters might express her discomfort when trying to be part of a community, because her name has a longer, harder and foreign pronunciation in comparison to the names of her siblings: Carlos, Kiki and Nenny, which are more suitable into the sounds of the English language.

Growing Up

What does it mean to grow up? Does it mean washing your car, paying your bills, getting a job? Does it mean getting married, having kids, and sprouting gray hair? Is it necessary? Is everyone capable of it? Is it going to be hard and will it be worth the effort? All of these questions are probably what made Peter Pan decide to never leave Neverland. Growing up means a lot of different things to many different people. If we look at the words â€Å"growing up†, we simply think of the physical aspect of ageing, growing tall and wide.But for most people, growing up means something deeper involving a change in the approach that an individual has to life and the actions that are taken with it. In this essay, we will look at why people have difficulty growing up, why it does or does not matter that they do, and what growing up truly entails. In M. Scott Peck’s book The Road Less Traveled, he suggested four rules of discipline that lead to maturity and growth in a human being. These four pathways are the delay of gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing.Although he claims that most people have learned to use these four tools by the age of ten, I do not believe that everyone learns to grow up by the age of ten. In reality, I can see a level of understanding that children this age have for â€Å"growing up† and being mature, but they choose not to. I think in order for human beings to put these devices to use, they must gain experience. With experience comes failure and success. This is how we learn. In order to act like a grown up, it’s necessary for us to learn to make the right decisions by trial and error.It is nearly impossible to be taught to live a certain way and never stray from it as a child. Children have higher tendencies to give in to their desires right away because they have not learned of serious consequences. With life experiences, that knowledge is instilled in us all. Along with experie nce usually comes a sense of morals. Morality is learned in tough situations, or it is taught. But typically, humans have to actually learn to do the right thing. They can’t just be told.Mistakes are made and we are held accountable. Such mistakes could include simple things when we are young like hitting your younger sibling, or they could be as adults like not paying your bills. Sometimes, we have to make the mistake in order to be able to correct it. We look at the mistake we made, for example, cheating on a test. We are pleased with the score. However, we see that we did not receive the grade that was deserved. The other students all put in long hours of studying and in turn earned their good grades.When something like this happens an immature person would not think much of it and move on, but a person who has grown spiritually into a person with morals will not feel comfortable with this result, and probably not do it again. That is one form of growing up. It is importan t to feel responsibility for the actions that have been taken. The next step is reacting in a productive way to that responsibility. In order to assume responsibility, we have to have a sense of right and wrong which is only naturally learned by living life. When responsibility is accepted, we have begun to see the truth and reality of our situation, as Peck describes.Dedication to truth is heavily involved with the concept of accepting responsibility because for people to see blame in themselves, they have to have a clear plane of reality that shows the necessity of a solution from them. The eyes have to be opened to the truth of a problem to assume honest responsibility. Taking responsibility just because it has been ordered from us is not useful unless we are able to sit back and look at the dilemma and genuinely see where action from ourselves is necessary. If this isn’t realized, then the growing up part of responsibility is not being activated.Some people never learn to take responsibility because they aren’t willing to hold blame for anything. These people have not grown up. They may have learned morals, but their experiences have not taught them consequences serious enough for them to change into adults. People with money often get away with this because they do not face the common struggle most people face which is providing themselves with necessities to survive. Affluent people are sometimes just given things without earning them, which results in them never having to take responsibility for themselves.The withholding of gratification is a rough subject. Why would any human want to reject themselves of pleasure to get work done? As crazy as it sounds, it does in fact make sense. Delaying gratification in order to complete necessary tasks is an important part of becoming a mature adult. The idea of waiting for the good until the bad is finished is taught to us from childhood. We are told to eat our vegetables before dessert, and to do o ur homework before we can play outside. There are reasons that I will mention that may explain why many young people do not agree with this part of growing up.I realized this when I was discussing the issue with my mother. She made a clear point that she agreed with Peck’s delaying gratification. In her generation, you worked hard, went to college, and got a job. Your hard work paid off inevitably, no exceptions. The people she knew who didn’t work hard, who just hung around and wasted their time playing at bars or other frivolous activities, did not get far and those are the people who are pressed for hard times now. This is where one generation misses the next. In my life, I have not grown up seeing stability in the future.Neither have my peers. We see a lot of people who work hard and in turn are being laid off of work. We see people who strive for their goals, but do not come out with happiness or the things they intended. This distrust in the future causes many pe ople to be confused. They ask why I would spend the best years of my life doing things I don’t enjoy to have nothing in return. Consequently, many people my age and even ages across the board are coming to the conclusion to gratify themselves while they can and hope for the best later on because it looks dubious to begin with.I relate to the experience of feeling pessimistic about the future. My parents were divorced and my father died when I was young. That makes an incredible and difficult impact on the effort it takes to see a stable time ahead. The divorce rate in the country could have a large impact on this feeling in people my age. However, the â€Å"mature† adult is always around the corner making sure the young people will do the right thing. So the uncertainty of the tomorrow makes a lot of people question whether to put in the hard work now because the opportunity for gratification may not be there afterwards.Although Peck mentions this point in his book, he does not discuss why this is an invalid argument. This leads me to believe that delaying gratification is a flexible tool of discipline. It may work well for some people and it may not work well for others. With experience comes knowledge and it’s very hard to retract what’s been learned. I believe that it’s a lifestyle choice. Some people chose to live life on the edge and go day to day because their judgment has told them to live that way and it’s been honestly beneficial to them.In other people, working hard has paid off to amazing gratification in their lives and given them much to be thankful for. I think that it’s about being happy and taking responsibility for the way that you create your happiness. Growing up really requires a lot of effort although it is a natural process. If the parents do not show signs of maturity, then the child will not unless he learns it from his peers. That in itself is a rare case though. Growing up and becoming a mature adult is a part of life that has to be experienced and learned in order to enjoy all aspects of life.If a person does not go through the harsh world of work and responsibility, then they may never know the true worth of happiness and bliss and freedom. In the bigger picture of the world and the universe, if we do not grow up and become hard working adults, it may not matter. The strong will survive inevitably and the immature and weak will not. People may get away with not following Peck’s rules of discipline throughout their lives and they may be happy, but they will not know the meaning of a hard day’s work which is one of the best feelings of accomplishment a human can have. Growing Up Adulthood comes in various stages. Early and middle adulthood brings changes to the body and mind, as well as personality and social timing. Relationships and roles change throughout the growth of a person, and habits continue to grow. Early adulthood, otherwise known as emerging adulthood, can be considered another developmental stage (Berger K. S. (2010). Because there are more changes happening during this time, and a person is continuing to figure out himself and who he is becoming, could be the reason behind this term.The personality changes that occur during early adulthood can be drastic in nature. Often times the newly found adult ventures off into the world anxious and excited for a change, and as a result his personality reflects this new attitude towards life. Social and intimate relationships during early adulthood and adulthood vary distinctly. The young adult will seek sexual gratitude or intimacy but not necessarily make a commitment. The older adult craves the commitm ent and emotional satisfaction of another person to share his life with (Berger K. S.  (2010).As a person ages the social aspect differs greatly from a younger adult. It is common for a younger adult to enjoy the nightlife and have plenty of friends. An older adult generally does not have as much in common with the younger adult since he may have small children and seeks friendships that have the same family situations. A midlife crisis can also occur during middle adulthood. This generally is between the ages of 40 and 50 for men and women and is a result of a freer lifestyle without children and a reevaluation of one’s life (Feldman).During the middle of an adult’s life, a person becomes more introspective and has changed to become more accepting of himself, and begins to see the positive side of difficult situations rather than focusing on the negative. During a person’s middle adulthood his parents may begin to require more attention and help. The roles re verse as the parent begins to age and the child often times needs to care for his parents due to various ailments. This is not uncommon for the middle adult, and is called the sandwich generation since he is caring for his parents as well as his own children.The financial struggles and emotional distress can cause a mild depression because of this new responsibility (Troll, 1976). The parent needing care may also feel as they are becoming a burden on their family because they can see the added stress and responsibility it is creating to care for them. The early adult also experiences role changes. He is beginning to see the world in a new way and starting to take responsibility for himself. It is almost as though the young adult is thrown into the new world without much thought or knowledge of where to go from here.Beginning college and trying to decide what career path to begin is a challenge many face during this time. Usually by the time he graduates college and is in his mid-twe nties, he will have a grasp on being an adult and will begin to welcome new challenges. Health is a constant battle for both the early and middle adult. Although the younger adult does not realize the habits he is creating or the choices he makes will greatly affect his health at a later age. Generally a young adult is healthy and will begin a family when the time is right.There are always cases of bad habits that will begin in early adulthood and cause issues for an older adult. Not taking care of one’s body properly by eating fatty foods or being careless will take its toll as a person ages (Berger K. S. (2010). The choices a young adult makes at a certain point in life and is thought to be fun and exciting will eventually catch up to him in later adulthood. The repercussions could possibly be frowned upon by himself because of some pain or suffering he is caused because of earlier actions.Early and middle adulthood brings various changes and similarities to a person. From finding what career path a person wants to follow and marrying and starting a family, to the roles being reversed and caring for an aging parent, the adult will face many challenges throughout life. Social status and relationships grow and change as a person does also. This time could be thought to be the most challenging and rewarding time of a person’s life because of the fluctuations it creates. Growing Up What does it mean to grow up? Does it mean washing your car, paying your bills, getting a job? Does it mean getting married, having kids, and sprouting gray hair? Is it necessary? Is everyone capable of it? Is it going to be hard and will it be worth the effort? All of these questions are probably what made Peter Pan decide to never leave Neverland. Growing up means a lot of different things to many different people. If we look at the words â€Å"growing up†, we simply think of the physical aspect of ageing, growing tall and wide.But for most people, growing up means something deeper involving a change in the approach that an individual has to life and the actions that are taken with it. In this essay, we will look at why people have difficulty growing up, why it does or does not matter that they do, and what growing up truly entails. In M. Scott Peck’s book The Road Less Traveled, he suggested four rules of discipline that lead to maturity and growth in a human being. These four pathways are the delay of gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing.Although he claims that most people have learned to use these four tools by the age of ten, I do not believe that everyone learns to grow up by the age of ten. In reality, I can see a level of understanding that children this age have for â€Å"growing up† and being mature, but they choose not to. I think in order for human beings to put these devices to use, they must gain experience. With experience comes failure and success. This is how we learn. In order to act like a grown up, it’s necessary for us to learn to make the right decisions by trial and error.It is nearly impossible to be taught to live a certain way and never stray from it as a child. Children have higher tendencies to give in to their desires right away because they have not learned of serious consequences. With life experiences, that knowledge is instilled in us all. Along with experie nce usually comes a sense of morals. Morality is learned in tough situations, or it is taught. But typically, humans have to actually learn to do the right thing. They can’t just be told.Mistakes are made and we are held accountable. Such mistakes could include simple things when we are young like hitting your younger sibling, or they could be as adults like not paying your bills. Sometimes, we have to make the mistake in order to be able to correct it. We look at the mistake we made, for example, cheating on a test. We are pleased with the score. However, we see that we did not receive the grade that was deserved. The other students all put in long hours of studying and in turn earned their good grades.When something like this happens an immature person would not think much of it and move on, but a person who has grown spiritually into a person with morals will not feel comfortable with this result, and probably not do it again. That is one form of growing up. It is importan t to feel responsibility for the actions that have been taken. The next step is reacting in a productive way to that responsibility. In order to assume responsibility, we have to have a sense of right and wrong which is only naturally learned by living life. When responsibility is accepted, we have begun to see the truth and reality of our situation, as Peck describes.Dedication to truth is heavily involved with the concept of accepting responsibility because for people to see blame in themselves, they have to have a clear plane of reality that shows the necessity of a solution from them. The eyes have to be opened to the truth of a problem to assume honest responsibility. Taking responsibility just because it has been ordered from us is not useful unless we are able to sit back and look at the dilemma and genuinely see where action from ourselves is necessary. If this isn’t realized, then the growing up part of responsibility is not being activated.Some people never learn to take responsibility because they aren’t willing to hold blame for anything. These people have not grown up. They may have learned morals, but their experiences have not taught them consequences serious enough for them to change into adults. People with money often get away with this because they do not face the common struggle most people face which is providing themselves with necessities to survive. Affluent people are sometimes just given things without earning them, which results in them never having to take responsibility for themselves.The withholding of gratification is a rough subject. Why would any human want to reject themselves of pleasure to get work done? As crazy as it sounds, it does in fact make sense. Delaying gratification in order to complete necessary tasks is an important part of becoming a mature adult. The idea of waiting for the good until the bad is finished is taught to us from childhood. We are told to eat our vegetables before dessert, and to do o ur homework before we can play outside. There are reasons that I will mention that may explain why many young people do not agree with this part of growing up.I realized this when I was discussing the issue with my mother. She made a clear point that she agreed with Peck’s delaying gratification. In her generation, you worked hard, went to college, and got a job. Your hard work paid off inevitably, no exceptions. The people she knew who didn’t work hard, who just hung around and wasted their time playing at bars or other frivolous activities, did not get far and those are the people who are pressed for hard times now. This is where one generation misses the next. In my life, I have not grown up seeing stability in the future.Neither have my peers. We see a lot of people who work hard and in turn are being laid off of work. We see people who strive for their goals, but do not come out with happiness or the things they intended. This distrust in the future causes many pe ople to be confused. They ask why I would spend the best years of my life doing things I don’t enjoy to have nothing in return. Consequently, many people my age and even ages across the board are coming to the conclusion to gratify themselves while they can and hope for the best later on because it looks dubious to begin with.I relate to the experience of feeling pessimistic about the future. My parents were divorced and my father died when I was young. That makes an incredible and difficult impact on the effort it takes to see a stable time ahead. The divorce rate in the country could have a large impact on this feeling in people my age. However, the â€Å"mature† adult is always around the corner making sure the young people will do the right thing. So the uncertainty of the tomorrow makes a lot of people question whether to put in the hard work now because the opportunity for gratification may not be there afterwards.Although Peck mentions this point in his book, he does not discuss why this is an invalid argument. This leads me to believe that delaying gratification is a flexible tool of discipline. It may work well for some people and it may not work well for others. With experience comes knowledge and it’s very hard to retract what’s been learned. I believe that it’s a lifestyle choice. Some people chose to live life on the edge and go day to day because their judgment has told them to live that way and it’s been honestly beneficial to them.In other people, working hard has paid off to amazing gratification in their lives and given them much to be thankful for. I think that it’s about being happy and taking responsibility for the way that you create your happiness. Growing up really requires a lot of effort although it is a natural process. If the parents do not show signs of maturity, then the child will not unless he learns it from his peers. That in itself is a rare case though. Growing up and becoming a mature adult is a part of life that has to be experienced and learned in order to enjoy all aspects of life.If a person does not go through the harsh world of work and responsibility, then they may never know the true worth of happiness and bliss and freedom. In the bigger picture of the world and the universe, if we do not grow up and become hard working adults, it may not matter. The strong will survive inevitably and the immature and weak will not. People may get away with not following Peck’s rules of discipline throughout their lives and they may be happy, but they will not know the meaning of a hard day’s work which is one of the best feelings of accomplishment a human can have.

Poetry Essay

Poetry is a form of literary art and uses particular forms and conventions to suggest alternative meaning in the words and to evoke some emotional responses. There are sound patterns in poetry which create further meaning, such as assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia. These sound effects have a particular function in a poem. Poems often make heavy use of imagery and word association to quickly convey emotions. [1] Poetry is distinguished from prose because are used some techniques such as rhyme, meter and repetition. The same sounds can convey different meanings and it depends on the context of a poem. Sound patterns can be also discovered in some advertising slogans. In advertisement we have the freedom to change the natural order of the language. It depends on the product and the target group of consumers. The advertising text has to capture the reader’s or listener’s attention. Therefore the natural order of the language is modified, shaped and stylized. One of the most frequently used devices in slogans, catchphrases and article titles is alliteration: Don’t Live a Little, Live a Lotto! 2] The advertising slogans are the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of the product. In this text we can spot an example of foregrounding. ‘Deviation, which is a linguistic phenomenon, has an important psychological effect on readers (and hearers). If a part of a poem is deviant, it becomes especially noticeable, or perceptually prominent. We call this psychological effect foregrounding’. [3] Most of the writers use the sound of words in such a way that the readers’ attention is immediately engaged. The most common mean which is involved by the writers is repetition. Our attention is captivated and we start analysing the reasons why the writers use it. We can recognise play of sounds : little/lotto. There is also alliteration- the repetition of ‘l’ and ‘t’ sounds. Alliteration refers to tbe repetition of the same or similar consonants. /t/ is a voiceless, alveolar, plosive sound. It is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords, by obstructing the airflow in the vocal tract. /l/ is a voiced, bilateral, retroflex and approximant sound. The vocal cords are vibrating during the articulation and the airstream flows over the both sides of the tongue. When poets construct a poem they carefully choose words for their meanings, connotation and sounds. According to Paul Simpson ‘we make connections between, on the one hand, the physical properties of the sound represented within a text and, on the other, the non- linguistic phenomena situated outside a text to which these sounds relate’[4]. The sound effects of the poetic text are basic to the interpretation of poetry. When a relationship between sound and meaning is obvious, then it can reinforce the significance of a word for speaker and hearer. ‘The way people ‘sound’ their language can, certainly, be an indication of their individual or cultural personalities†¦ Speakers of a different language, from a different culture, might associate different implications with such sounds’. [5] The most critics are interested in the form of the poem and its meaning, and the poet’s message. According to Paul Fussell ‘Poetic forms are like that: they tend to say things even if words are not at the moment fitted to their patterns. As Louis MacNeice has said, â€Å"In any poet’s poem the shape is half the meaning. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. [6] Poetic forms refer to different sets of rules followed by poems. The rules describe such ascpects as the meter or rhythm of the poem, the rhyme scheme or the use of alliteration. One of the basic ways in which poetry can be distinguished from prose is the possession of metre. Some critics maintain the idea that the rhythm and metre are the same thing. The difference between both is in the way in which they relate to the whole. The metre is ‘an extra layer of rhythmic structuring’. 7] The rhythm is ‘the apprehension of a series of events as a regularly repeated pulse of energy, an experience which has a muscular as well as a mental dimension’. [8] The following lines aim to discuss the relationship between sound patterns, their function and their contribution towards the meaning a certain poem generates. Attention will be paid to the poem ‘My Last Duchess’, written by Robert Browning. He was an English poet and playwright whose verses of dramatic monologues made him one of the most renowned Victorian poets today. The poem is anthologised as an example of the dramatic monologue, ‘in which an identified character, or person, is the sole speaker: that is, the voice in the poem is ‘playing’ a role as in drama’. [9] The structure and the style of this poem play a significant role. It contains three formal elements – an occasion, a speaker, and a hearer. The words in dramatic monologues not only convey setting and action but also reveal the speaker’s character. The comments which he makes reveal information about his personality and psyche, knowingly or unknowingly. The main focus of a dramatic monologue is the personal information, not the topic which the speaker happens to be discussing. ‘We can see the personality of both poet and speaker in dramatic monologue, and can be aware of them operating as a reflex in the elements of action which is constant picture and vice versa’. [10] Browning defined the poem as a dramatic lyric. It is dramatic because there is an actor in it and performs a scene. However, at the same time it can’t be said that it is a typical lyric poem. The poem appears as one half of a conversation. He is not speaking his thoughts aloud to himself while he is alone. In general poems are written with the ‘full body’ of words and have their own meaning. ‘Meaning is something the reader intuits through the distorting influence of ‘form’, something the writer may choose, but does not necessarily control. ’[11] The goal of Browning is to illustrate a scene. There is a relation between sounds and meanings, the reality which language may represent. In his piece of work Robert Browning uses many techniques – enjambment, a simple rhyme scheme and caesura to convey various characteristics and qualities about the speaker and the situation. Mick Short claims that ‘The basic idea was that poems should enact what they described: ‘the sound must seem an echo to the sense’ (Alexander Pope, ‘An Essay on Criticism’, line 365). Musicality revolves around phonetic and rhythmic effects in particular, and it is thus necessary to be able to do metrical analysis in order to be able to explain important effects in many poems’. [12] ‘My last Duchess’ is written in iambic pentameter in order to imitate natural speech so that the poet is not confused with the persona. Browning’s intention is to imitate natural speech could be to distance himself from the Duke, who is the speaker in the poem.