Modern Times v/s Contemporary Times. Where are we in?

Modern Times, a nice ironic film, which shows the effects of the Industrialization in people's lives.

The Industrial Revolution causes a strong impact with the substitution of machines for hand labour, beginning a new working class. Therefore, there are more jobs and more factories where people can work; what not necessary brings social equity, an improvement either.

Charles Chaplin is the protagonist of the film and he shows exactly the atmosphere part of those times. Indeed, the film refers to the Industrial Revolution; it is not a matter of how much machines there are, but how much pressure workers have.

Although, there are no voices and no colours, because it is a silent film made only with white and black colours, it is very catchy and makes you laugh most of time. Moreover, it makes you reflect and ask yourself diverse questions such us: are we really living in Contemporary Times, or, are we in the middle?

Even if, it tends to flow in a slow way; it is a very well done film. The main characters are played with extraordinary passion and subtlety, especially the one performed by Charles Chaplin, who is still well known because of his talent.

In short, it is an interesting view of the past that smartly catches the viewers' attention, making them reflect about their own cultural reality.

In other words, it really works as a mirror... Why does it?

Because...

... You have to figure out the reason!

How has cultural reality changed the way we use language?

It is a fact that, the way we use language has evolved through times, especially with the movement to the information age. Thus, we have changed our ways of communication, because our cultural reality has been changing at the same time. We have developed a number of new and different media to express what we want to say. The contents of communication have increased with the creation of multiple and complex ways to send and receive information. Nowadays, ways of interaction have changed, becoming more artificial and materialistic through the years. The ways we see each others or the ways we see the world have completely changed. Now, we can transform and play with reality using the different devices which have been invented; what influences and affects us in terms of the way we interpretate and name our own cultural reality.

First, with the age of information most of people have had access to the new technological devices which have simplified their social lives. For example, with the invention of internet, we do not have to spend so much time writing a letter, neither waiting for a response, because just sending an e-mail we can have an answer instantaneously. In other words, now communication is not a matter of distance.

Then, with the creations of technological devices we have modified the way we speak to each other. For instance, every time with the use of chat we tend to cut the words and use a lot of slang in order to make the “conversation” flows. But, do you think it opens our cultural reality, or in some way, do these devices make it more closed?
Indeed, the different communicational changes in our cultural reality have advantages and disadvantages as well. Every time communication is being more impersonal; we have replaced the real communication and social interaction with artificial ways of interacting and expressing ourselves. For example, speaking on the phone, sending an e-mail, and chatting has changed the way we see communication, because we have forgotten about face to face interaction.

On the other hand, although the direct personal interaction has decreased; we might consider language is still extremely alive. In this sense, it would be the main advantage of our cultural reality invaded with a lot of diverse information. Indeed, we count with a lot of new different terms and words with which we can express facts, ideas, or events. Thus, every word we use is related to the information that the media provides us; we use each word or add new words that refer to the times we are living in, and the context where we are involved. For example, if we re in a conference about Applied Linguistic, we can hear a lot of terminology related to this specific field such us, cross-cultural, cross-linguistic, language ego, and so forth. So the way we use words depends necessarily on the context.
In addition, another advantage of this information age is the opening to the new different realities to which people can have access through the media. For instance, people from rural places now, have access to the city and what is more; everybody can be aware of the current events around the world. In fact, nowadays, there are no information’s boundaries so that we have the right to be informed and at the same time; the right to be critics in terms of the diverse contents we are always facing and dealing with.

Claire Kramsh asserts that there is an evident relationship between language and culture, being the second one the most relevant factor in terms of its influence into the society, because culture determines, regulates and shapes people behaviour and consequently the language they use. Thus, language is the tool which symbolizes our cultural reality, attitudes and values(3). In other words: “Words also reflect their authors’ attitudes and beliefs, their point of view, that are also those of others. In both cases, language expresses cultural reality” (Kramsch 3).

To conclude, I strongly believed that as cultural reality is changing, then the use of language does it as well. What is more, I already know that both evolve through the years, especially with the broad areas that are being discovered and studied by hundreds of people. For that reason, all languages should always be taught in context and not in an isolated way. In the case of teaching a foreign language, we as teacher have to figure out the way to make the contents catchy for the students, and not to pretend that they get caught with topics which are completely disconnected with their realities, for example, the contents present in most of student’s books that are being used at schools right now. I other words, teachers and students must be aware of national current events first, being able to discuss about them using English. Then, we must to make students get closer to the cultural reality of the foreign language which is being taught in order to make them realise the diversity in terms of cultural realities, and avoid the creation of stereotypes against to American or British people.

Does progress necessary mean a social welfare state?

Comparing the articles "The Victorian Age" and “The Age of Reform", they both are based on The Industrial Revolution and its effects on people's lives.

First, in the article about “Victorian Age”, the main criticisms made to the Industrial Revolution and the substitution of machines with hand labor, refer to the bad condition of working class, describing it with certain facts. For instance, the article talks about the suffering of children in mines and factories, because of the exploitation of them by the wealthiest capitalists. In addition, the extremely low salary, their work’ schedule consists in about fourteen hours a day, or even more, and the insanity conditions of the places where they live in. So the article criticizes the abuse that employers have with the working class.

On the other hand, in article called “The Age of Reform”, the main criticisms made to the Industrial Revolution, are related to the need of new laws that regulate the employment of women and children in factories and mines and finish the exploitation and abuse against working class.

Then, the similarities that both articles have are related to the positive social change this revolution brings. For example, during the Victorian period a lot of workers migrate to industrial towns, what means in some way: the opening to a new world for all the rural population. At the same time, during the Age of Reform, the railroads started a new era that change the English life style and landscape. Therefore, people can have access to the places they have never visited before, because they live in enclosed communities.

In short, if we see progress as a whole it always brings inequality, because unfortunately everything is a matter of power and consequently: a matter of money.

How has cultural reality changed the way we use language?

It is a fact that, the way we use language has evolved through times, especially with the movement to the information age. Thus, we have changed our ways of communication, because our cultural reality has been changing. We have developed a number of new and different media to express what we want to say.

First, with the age of information most of people have had access to the new technological devices which have simplified their social lives. For example, with the invention of internet, we do not have to spend so much time writing a letter, neither waiting for a response, because just sending an e-mail we can have an answer instantaneously. In other words, now communication is not a matter of distance.

Then, with the creations of technological devices we have modified the way we speak to each other. For instance, every time with the use of chat we tend to cut the words and use a lot of slang in order to make the “conversation” flows. But, do you thing it opens our cultural reality, or in some way, do these devices make it more closed?

Indeed, the different communicational changes in our cultural reality have advantages and disadvantages as well. Every time communication is being more impersonal; we have replaced the real communication and social interaction with artificial ways of interacting and expressing ourselves. For example, speaking on the phone, sending an e-mail, and chatting has changed the way we see communication, because we have forgotten about face to face interaction.

Who's the best? (Elizabeth Film Review)

Elizabeth is an intense wartime drama based on the great religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

In 1585 the powerful Spanish Empire was represented by King Philip (an extremist catholic devout) who had dragged Europe down into the Saint War; only England rebelled against him governed by a Protestant Queen.

Philip was the head of the famous Enterprise (the main catholic goal to become the unique dominant religion which would be able to finish with all Protestants).

On the other hand, Queen Elizabeth had to deal with many other issues such as, to find a husband, to become pregnant for leaving an heir of the crown, and so on. In fact, she did not care about people’s opinions, she was aware of their speculations about her virginity or possible infertility. Therefore, Spanish town strongly believed that Mary Stuart was the best queen for England, because she was a devoutly Roman Catholic and she also had a son which made her worthy of the throne.

While giving emphasis to the historical issues, the film shows the other side of the reign explaining the difficult part of being powerful and venerable (how can a Queen be appraised or loved because of being herself and not because her possessions?). But, as a result, the film gives more emphasis to the comedy and the mischievous love stories of Queen Elizabeth.

In terms of the characters, there is a reasonable number of them and it is very clear which are the important ones (Queen Elizabeth, Philip of Spain, Mary Stuart, Mr.Walsingham, Mr. Raleigh and Miss Elizabeth Throckmorton).

For the above reasons, I think it is a good film that makes you realise that power have two faces (the good one and the bad one) and how always religion has been a matter of power. But, sometimes you can get sort of confused with the other details related to the private like of Queen Elizabeth which make the film more catching for the audience (of course).

The Ages of English

Related to The Ages of English, it is interesting to realise how the process of social people interactions exerts such inmense influence in the way a language can be developed and changed beyond the times.
According to this part of the course, I can confirm that historical events have a meaningful place into the use of language. In this case the evidence is in the Vikings Raids and how the fact of being a 'nomade tribe' affects the language people used to speak, in this case their influence on Old English.
On the other hand, the way that tribes behave means something interesting to be considered. The Vikings were violent and wherever they arrived they left significant marks, because they used to storm and assault the places they invaded.
To sum up, I think that the power of a tribe is going to state the influence they can have in a society. In this case, we can see that Vikings are the powerful ones in terms of their behaviour and how this can make the difference across language.

Suppositions about Stonehenge (the article).

According to the article, some experts believed Stonehenge was the original equivalent of Lourdes because one of them claimed that people used to come to the Stonehenge monument when they were in a state of distress, so that was the reason why people used to assign it such healing properties.
On the other hand, there were others who believed that Stonehenge could be a temple or a healing center as well, because of the two skulls which were found near it that showed evidence of primitive surgery.
Finally, when I was reading the article some ideas about what Stonehenge was came to my mind. I thought it was a place where primitive people were tortured and for that reason the experts had found skeletons, skulls, and so on. But, when I finished I thought that it was more related to the "folklore interest" which Darvill described, mentioning the lingering memory people had in modern times about the bluestones and their supposed healing powers.

*To conclude, I do not thing everything is said. I really thing that there is something hidden about this place...

Ways of seeing (Chapter one).

This chapter put into discussion the function of words in the way we see things. Moreover, it tells us how knowledge and beliefs can have an influence, in this sense; it shows us that everyone has his or her own ways of seeing.

First, we always use words to describe or explain what we are seeing but sometimes we notice that words are not enough or we can mean something totally different. For instance, when someone is in love; the sight of the beloved cannot be covered by words.

Afterwards, there are a lot of elements which influence our interpretations such us, knowledge, beliefs, previous experiences, imagination, history and so on. As a result, all this background determines how we perceive or appreciate images.

To conclude, it is a fact that interpretation varies according every single mind and not according every single word that describe the images.