Feeling Vs Technique

The academic world has gradually come to understand that pragmatics prevail over rules. In arts, this has been acknowledged, as art is widely known for bending, flouting and even breaking the rules; in my opinion, going beyond them for a higher purpose. This is true for literature, as well, given that it is a form of art that uses language to express ideas, feelings, opinions in a creative way. It implies a manipulation of the conventional use of the language to create new arrangements that produce an impact on the audience, but that is yet understandable. Some authors on language teaching, such as Bright and Mc Gregor (1970) as they mention in their chapter on 'Poetry', believe one must be careful in the selection of written material, particularly poems, making sure that the audience understands the content. Feeling is stressed as the most important aspect to take into account, and it is closely connected to the understanding of texts. These authors deal with the use of such material in language teaching, never disregarding what they believe is the purpose of reading poetry: to enjoy it! Hence, poetry seems to be intended for a purpose other than its very valid use in language and literature teaching.
Any use of the language is intended to communicate and it definitely has a particular intention; such is the case of literature. Reception theory acknowledges that the context in which a literary text is decoded accounts for multiple interpretations. The audience is not to be forced to interpret exactly what the author intended to communicate. However, in order for a text to be effective, specially poetry, the author has to get in touch with his or her own feelings and use the language to express them in a way others can understand. Appealing to feelings, which are common to every human being, authors may widen their audience to the point of reaching universality, which could be considered one of the most important aims of literature and a full proof of effectiveness in the conveyance of a message.
Many contemporary poets are use colloquial language in their work, appealing to a wider audience than other former poets. Rules of spelling and punctuation and capitalization are tampered with to accomplish a desired effect. Although the topics they deal with are of a parochial nature, the feelings discussed are universal. Such is the case of the poems discussed this past week in our seminar, Jean Binta Breeze's third world views and Marc Matthews's Language. To get a better understanding of the process these authors have to go through in order to accomplish a condensed expression of feelings in a creative and aesthetic way, an exercise on poetry writing was carried out in our last seminar session and this is what I came up with... after being reminded that it was not a rational exercise, but rather one to get in touch with my feelings! I hope you can enjoy it...

Funnel of Fun?

So many colors
for maybe just once
making uneasy
dry winds of desserts,
wild herds around
no one to guide me
so unfulfilled
flavor is too.

Sounds are just crazy
Who is it?
It’s you…

Know that it’s last time
Feel it’s not true
Ask for a bad one
It’s just for you.

The information presented in the chapter “Poetry” by Bright is intended to serve as guidance for teachers of English as a foreign language. Along the chapter, there are several examples of the use of literary texts in class.
It is important to remark that this material is just a guidance that can or cannot be useful depending on the purpose of the class. It is then, the role of the teacher to decide whether this information may be of help to accomplish the objectives of the course or not.
The poem “language” by Marc Matthews seems to prioritize the use of language for the sake of communication. The dramatic personae in this poem explains, in a very particular way, that his necessities overcome the way in which he uses the language. The use of informal language transcribing words as they sound, so typical from the Caribbean English, accompanies his argument: communication prevails over language purism.

knsnsus

Semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics… These are all aspects that Gloria Naylor deals with in her essay “MOMMY, WHAT DOES ‘NIGGER’ MEAN?” Questioning meaning and concluding that it is nothing (or something else, something unknown) beyond consensus makes one wonder if the set of definitions we come across on a daily basis is only valid within a particular context. She favors oral communication for its suprasegmental aspects and their involvement in the conveyance of meaning; an inflection, a pause, an intonation in a specific situation, may be more engaged with the actual meaning of the message than the words themselves. However, the importance of context is emphasized and with it the idea of audience, intended reader, actual reader and even reception theory may come to mind. It is the choice the word user makes and the exposure to such constructions in the ongoing situation that will be responsible for the effectiveness of communication, focusing particularly on the decoding process. Contemporary writers are compelled to take these aspects into account, whether intuitively or conscientiously to succeed in their task of getting their message across.

Among the aspects that determine meaning, gender, race and social status are highlighted in Naylor’s discussion, as she points out that her factory, laundry and shipyard working family would use the word “nigger” in different situations and with different meaning. As she was called a “nigger” when she was in the third grade, gender had been most predominant, since she had never heard the word addressed to a female ever before, finally that being what confused her and made her feel somehow insulted, sparking her curiosity into finally asking her mother about the meaning of the word. This confusion is a consequence of the multiple meaning interpretation possibilities that a text, be it spoken or written, may have. The relevance of such possibilities for anyone who is interested in contemporary writing lies on the fact that a text may be decoded in multiple levels and the mastering of conveying a cohesive message in all of these levels is what will utterly make the author’s work effective.

"Mommy what does Nigger mean?"

Gloria Naylor´s essay "Mommy what does Nigger mean?" Explains indirectly the complex phenomenom known as language, and how language, in this case a simple word, can have certain meanings in ceratin contexts. The author emphasizes this quite well when she mentions, "... words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power." Although Gloria Naylor claims that she is not going to go deep on the studies of language, she realizes, and, of course by her essay the reader can also realize, that she has known the word before, but the way the word has been said has changed her life for ever.

"Mommy, what does 'nigger' mean?"

The Naylor's essay is an explanation about the meaning of nigger for some communities, in this case for black and white people. But in a serious tone, the main aim of the essay is to examine the ways in which words can take on meaning depending on who uses them and to what purpose. She states the importance of language as oral as written one in social contexts. Words in isolation are "innouous", it means, they do not have any effect or meaning until they are produced and the consensus gives them true power. As the consensus governs our society because of the power it holds and states what it is right or wrong. The oral language depends on the tone of voice, the intention which words are said and the who. Gloria Naylor shows that African-American minorities can reclaim the power of the consensus and give new, equal meanings to words that have plagued African Americans for ages.
The author's thesis is explained later on when she narrates her experiences at school. Although she had heard the word "nigger" many times, in her family context, she was shocked for the first time when the white boy told her "nigger". Maybe the white boy had learned the word nigger as a mode of humiliation, probably from his parents, showing how white America views the meaning of the word nigger. The oral language is powerfull because of the malicious manner in which the words are used, in this case, nigger. On the other hand, the author establishes an implicit comparison between how black community gives the word nigger another meaning; a positive view of the meaning of the word.
Instead of using nigger as a term of humiliation, her family uses the word as a term of distinction. It is clearly exemplified when she explains her family origins and some other examples
The age, social groups and the rules imposed by the majority are crucial elements that build the meaning of the words in certain contexts.
Degrading words can have a profound impact, but the true power comes from a person that can withstand such remarks and render them worthless.