Imagery and Word Interplay in Linguistics - Essay Example

Imagery and Word Interplay in Linguistics (Student Name) (Course No.) (Lecturer) (University) (Date) 1. Interplay of words and imagery In many occasions narratives are commonly written in books are verbally communicated to the audience by storytellers. However, verbal communication of stories to the audience is sometimes not effective since the audience, especially if they are children, are likely to forget the stories they are told very quickly. This means, therefore, that a good narrative should be told in such a way that the audience can easily understand and remember. Pictorial storytelling is used to fill in the voids that occur in the normal verbal storytelling. One of the basic requirements in the development of effective pictorial narratives is simplicity. A good visual narrative uses simple pictures to explain an incident or a given situation. One characteristic of the human brain is its ability to process information well when it is accompanied by pictures or when the sentences used are short and memorable hence the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The use of several complicated images is not recommended because it makes it difficult for the audience to comprehend. The sequent key consideration that should be made when creating pictorial narratives is the culture of the audience to which the narrative is being presented. In presenting a narrative to a particular culture, it is important to consider that the culture of that group is adhered to in the images used. Also, a narrative being presented to a diverse group of people requires that the diversity of the audience is considered in the images used (Brockmeier, 2015, p. 78). Pictorial storytelling has long been used as an alternative medium of narration to provide the audience with a clear understanding of the themes in place. Today, comics, graphic novels as well as cartoons tell their own stories instead of explaining some texts used in a story. Currently, storytelling through images and pictures reach the entire human population through animated films while comic arts are placed in art galleries to be viewed by different people. Additionally, many graphic novelists are awarded great prizes in literary occasions for their outstanding works (Ender et al., 2012, p. 127). Pictorial storytelling is considered as an effective way of narration compared to verbal storytelling for several reasons. First, it creates knowledge among students of the world around them and influences their understanding of it. Through the use of images in storytelling, students are able to properly understand the kind of world they live in and the forces driving it. As a result, the students are likely to be successful, no matter their geographic locations through the manipulation of the artwork found in narratives (Painter et al., 2013, p.145). Another importance of the use of pictures in narratives as well as classroom lessons is the acquisition of vocabulary (Boers and Lindstromberg, 2008, p. 35-67). Understanding vocabulary is one of the major ways through which a person can learn a language. In several instances, it is done through a variety of ways such as the use of countless books such as dictionaries (Blom and Unsworth, 2010, p. 80). However, in classroom settings where pictures and gestures are used alongside the vocabularies as demonstrated by several picture dictionaries creates a better understanding of the subject being discussed. There is the revelation that multi-sensory learning using pictures and gestures is more effective compared to the conventional hearing and reading methods. The value of narration using images and pictures cannot also be underestimated as it increases the learners understanding and efficient use of grammar (Ross, 2014, p. 52). In most grammar books, for instance, there is the tendency of the writers to provide the learners with sentence structures as well as exercises to enable them master them. However, this kind of learning is not effective as the learners commonly spend a lot of time and energy trying to master these concepts in vain or with very little success. Providing the students with picture cues and challenging them to create stories out of the images is an important landmark towards improving their understanding of language and grammar. The story of the “Maus” found in the Funny Animals published by Apex Novelties in 1972 for instance, provides a perfect representation of narration using images to explain the enmity between the mice and the cat and the dishonesty among some of the mice which would be used by the enemy to snitch on the mice. The story begins by showing the pictures of caged mice, thus showing the readers that the mice lack freedom and prompting them to read further to understand what led to the caging of the mice. The story begins by showing a young mouse, called Mickey, sleeping on his father’s laps as the father narrates the story before he finally falls asleep. The pictorial narrative reveals that before Mickey’s father moved to Rego Park in New York, they lived in the old country before the break out of a war between them and the cats. The cat leader called Die Katzen made a decision to move all the mice into one part of the town. So, .the mice were moved into the ghetto where they were crowded. Fences were also made all over so that none of the mice would move out of the ghetto in search of food, water or medicines. Before long, another decision was made to clean the ghetto, and the mice were to be ferried to the prison camps. The requirement was that the ghetto be left with only the kitty litter factory and its workers. Having heard that the living conditions in the prisons were unbearable and the mice could be made to chew wood, Mickey’s father, together with fourteen other mice decided to hide inside a bunker that he had made. They would sneak out at night in search of food. One night they saw a stranger and dragged him in their bunker to find out who he was, the mouse who disguised himself as one of them snitched on then upon release and many of them were killed. Mickey’s father had a cousin on the Maus police and was not killed but bribed a job for himself and his wife at the Kitty Factory. Since there was no food for them and Die Katzen was still on their necks, they decided to sneak to his wife’s hometown where the local cats did not welcome them. With his last money, Mickey’s father bribed one of the cats to help them leave the country only to find themselves in the hands of Die Katzen the next morning, who sent them to Mauschwitz. The above story indicates an understanding of the relationship between the images and the words in the story, thus enabling the reader to quickly form words in the mind to tell the story in a narrative form. It also gives the readers a clear understanding of the events taking place in the narrative as one can see how the mice are mistreated by locking them in the ghetto as well as in the prisons. Although the use of pictures to explain or narrate events is one of the best methods that is used to convey messages to the audiences and have them to properly understand the themes in place, it is not commonly used in many narratives. In addition, the images used in pictorial narratives should be able to evoke emotions in the readers to properly understand the topics in question which is also difficult for many writers. In the Maus story, for instance, the caging of the mice, as well as the imprisonment of the mice as shown by the pictures, evokes feelings in the readers, enabling them to share in the same suffering that the mice had during the war. In most instances, developing pictures that can easily capture the emotions of the readers is difficult hence most authors prefer pros stories to interplays of words and images. Another reason why the interplay between imagery and words is not commonly used in narratives is because developing pictures to explain a particular theme is time-consuming and tiresome. When narrating to people of a given culture, for instance, it is important that the choice of pictures used by the narrator meet the cultural requirements of the audience. In dealing with children, for instance, the choice of pictures that should be used are required to be very simple so that the kids can fully understand (Elc International Conference, 2014, p. 56). However, if the audience are adults, the writer is supposed to choose different pictures to explain the narrative to the audience which can be tiresome and time-consuming. 2. The American History The American History by Howard Zinn is one of the most fascinating books concerning the history of the people of America from the ancient times of Christopher Columbus, the man who discovered the United States of America. The book is separated into twenty four chapters each explaining the changes that took place in the development of the American history. The first chapter, entitled Columbus, the Indians and Human Progress, describes the entry of Christopher Columbus into the American territory and exposes the ignorance of the then natives of the region. The natives are also described in the book as hospitable as they offer the Columbus team water and food and are ready to trade what they have freely. The native Indian lived in communities that were governed by kings and practiced agriculture as a major source of livelihood. They were however dressed in gold ornaments which would later be a misgiving for them. Unaware that the main intention of Christopher Columbus and his crew was to find out the location of gold in the region so as to be rewarded by the Spanish government, the natives, who were hospitable and without any knowledge about arms were arrested and taken into captivity to provide him with information about the presence of gold in that region. Columbus and his team believed that the natives knew where they would find the gold as they used them as ornaments. Those that refused to collaborate with his team were killed with swords and arrows. At the same time, the women belonging to the native Indian community were treated so well that they liked the Spaniards (Zinn. 2009, p. 1-23). The Indians were given the huge task of looking for gold wherever they could find it, which was a tiresome job for them. Those who refused and escaped were hunted by the crew and dogs and killed. The search for gold was also done by children aged fourteen years who would collect some amount of gold every three months and would be given copper metals to hang on their neck. Those without the copper medals were killed by cutting off their hands and letting them bleed to death. The second chapter entitled “Drawing the colour line” discusses in details the onset of slavery and slave trade in the United States of America following the entrance of the Dutch in the American region. The onset of slavery in the North American region was one of the important developments in the American history as it created racism in the region. Although there were both white and black slaves in North America during this time, according to the author, there was a huge difference in the way in which they were treated. In the history of the world, there is no place where racial discrimination held much weight as the United States (Zinn, 2013, p. 24-37). The establishment of the English Kingdom in Virginia led to the coming of the whites into the region. However, due to unfavorable conditions, many of the whites died reducing their numbers from 500 to merely 60. The number was so insignificant that they could not conquer and defeat the native Indians and make them work for them because they were defiant. As a result, slaves were sought from the African continent and carried in ships to the Americas. This was majorly as a result of the impossibility of enslaving the Indians and the trouble using the whites as slaves. According to Zinn, racial discrimination in America was not as a result of natural causes but was falsely created for the proper administration of the economic system. Initially, both the white and black servants faced the same problems, their common enemy being their cruel masters. In some instance, both the white and black slaves would organize escapes from their masters, something that had to be controlled. As a result, the first law was established in 1661, forbidding the whites from running away with the Negroes suggesting that they would be forced to provide extra services to the masters of the Negroes. In 1691, another law was passed in Virginia making intermarriages between blacks, whites and the Indians a taboo, hence creating a rift between these groups of people. Chapter three of the book discusses the “Persons of mean and vile condition” where the established white colonialism in Virginia faced a strong rebellion from the white frontiersmen, joined by both the slaves and the servants. The Bacon’s Rebellion, spearheaded by Nathaniel Bacon was so threatening that the governor of the European colony in Virginia fled. According to the author, the main agenda of the rebellion was the opposition of poverty among the colonies (Zinn, 2009, p. 59). However, the insurgency did not last long as Bacon and his team were caught and assassinated. The end of the rebellion led to the heightening of racial discrimination in America. In chapter four of the book called Tyranny is Tyranny discusses the move by the people to advocate for economic equality and the development of the American Revolution. According to this chapter, some of the powerful Englishmen discovered that they could conquer land and secure political power from the preferences of the British Empire by creating a nation, a symbol and a legal unity called the United States. This chapter also acknowledges the efforts of the founding fathers who created a system of national control through encouraging both command and paternalism. By distracting the people from their economic problems, the founding fathers were able to stop movements, a strategy used by governments even today (Zinn et al., 2008, p. 56) This is followed by “A Kind of Revolution” which covers the defeat of the British colony by the American people. This was, however not easy as the British population were armed and had the ability to shoot, and the revolutionary movement also had no trust in both the Indians and the Blacks as revolution had no significance to them. Seizing of the land of the pioneers of the revolution war for the failure of paying taxes led to the rebellion against the government. In concluding the chapter, Zinn argues that all governments are not neutral, and they purpose to serve their own interests. The next chapter known as “the intimately oppressed” describes the status of women in the American culture during this time. During this time, women were inferior to men and thus became their subjects. According to, the author, during this time, the explorers, military figures, political leaders as well as the landholders were all men, making the women invisible hence their submerged status. However, some women such as Lucy Stone, Polly Baker, and Dorothea Dix among others resisted the status quo. The next chapter described as “As long as grass grows or water runs” discusses the conflicts between the government of the United States and the Native Americans including the Indian Revol. The administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren were especially affected by the rebellions from the Indians as they considered the Indian as not needed in the American community and treated them with shrewdness. In chapter eight, “We take nothing by conquest, thank God”, describes the war between the American people and the Mexican people under the rule of President James Polk. Zinn describes the war as facilitated by the pursuit of imperialism and indicates that the war was unpopular although it was misinterpreted by the media as popular. Next, the author addresses slavery and slave rebellions, the abolition movements and the effects of such rebellions on the slaves. These revolutions led to the abolition of slavery by the American government, a decision which was so hard to make. According to Zinn, for the capitalist system to be retained, the large scale war had to be used on the people to end slavery. The “other Civil War describes the rebellions by different classes of people with the aim of addressing the struggles of the 19thcentury. The chapter is mainly concern with the misuse of power by enterprises and the rebellion of the workers. In the next chapter entitled “Robber Barons and Rebels”, describes the emergence of corporations such as the banking industry, railroads as well as the transformation of the major institutions of the government. As a result, there was the development of a vice called corruption in both the government and industry with many activists rising up against corruption such as the Populist Party, the Socialist Labour Party and the Knights of Labour (Zinn, Konopacki, and Buhler, 2008, p.308). The United States of America went to war with many countries and the next chapter, termed as “The Empire and the People”, and describes the domination of the United States of America during their wars against countries such as Spain, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico. The “Socialist Challenge” discusses the development of communism and lawlessness as the major political systems in the United States. This led to the formation of unions such as the American Federation Labour and the Industrial Workers of the World. “War is the health of the State” describes the engagement of the United States of America in the First World War and the anti-war movement that was formed during that time. In his description about the American place in the war, Zinn argues that America participated in the war with the main aim of increasing its foreign markets (Johnson, 2009, p. 237). The attempt by the government to destroy the Industrial Workers of the World and the causal factors of the Great Depression are described in the next chapter termed as the “Self-help in hard times”. According to Zinn, the Great Depression was a hard time for the American people and was fuelled by the problems of the poor. “A people’s war describes the second world war and its effect on the American population.” However according to the author, the main aim of the fight was not against racial discrimination hence leading to opposition of the war by African- Americans. The author also opposes the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki since the Japanese were ready to surrender. Chapter 17 covers the civil rights movements while chapter 18 discusses the Vietnam War and its resistance. Zinn states that the American government, in an attempt to improve its international image, established transformations to curb racial discrimination with no laws to that effect. The Vietnam War, on the other hand, saw the Americans lose as the soldiers’ morale lessened due to the violence they were forced to participate in, and the Vietnamese population was also in favour of their government. Chapter 19, “Surprises”, covers the movements that emerged in the United States of America during the 1960s such as the prison reform movement and the second wave feminism. In Chapter 20, the “Seventies under control”, reveals the dissatisfaction of the American government by the American people and the corruption in the government during this decade. The author reveals that the crimes committed by the government bodies during this time were an attempt by the government to regain the support of the American people. Both chapters 21 and 22 describe the Carter-Reagan and Bush administrations in the United States and the rebellions that took place during these regimes as well as the effects of the administrations on the American people. In his argument, Zinn declares that all these governments, whether democratic or republican, served the interests of the corporations rather than those of the people. However, chapter 22 deals primarily with the revolutions that took place during these regimes that went unrecorded. In the “Coming of the Revolt Guards”, Howard Zinn predicts theoretically that following the developments in the American history, there is likely to be another revolution in the future opposing inequality in America. In his explanation, Zinn suggests that this radical movement is likely to use demonstrations, strikes and marches to reconstruct institutions and distribute wealth. The second last chapter called “The Clinton Presidency”, covers the events in the administration of Bill Clinton and its effects on America and the world at large. According to Zinn, although the Clinton administration promised to bring changes to the country, status quo was maintained. The last chapter, also known as “The 2000 Elections and the War on Terrorism”, covers the presidential elections of 2000 in America and the terrorist attacks that occurred on the American land (Cote and Zinn, 2012, p. 25-41). As opposed to the remarks of the president that the attacks were due to detestation the American freedom by the Arab countries, the author argues that the terrorist attacks resulted from the American foreign policies that did not augur well with the Arab countries such as the sanctions against Iraq and sending the Unites States military troops to Saudi Arabia. References Blom, E., & Unsworth, S. (2010). Experimental methods in language acquisition research. Philadelphia, John Benjamin’s Pub. Company, p. 80. Boers, F., & Lindstromberg, S. (2008). Cognitive Linguistic Approaches to Teaching Vocabulary and Phraseology. Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, p.35-67, Brockmeier, J. (2015). Beyond the archive: memory, narrative, and the autobiographical process, p. 78. Cote, M., & Zinn, H. (2012). Howard Zinn's A people's history of the United States, p. 25-40. Elc International Postgraduate Conference on Language and Cognition, & Rodríguez-Puente, P. (2014). Current research in applied linguistics: issues on language and cognition, p. 56. Ender, A., Leemann, A., & Wälchli, B. (2012). Methods in contemporary linguistics. Berlin [etc.], De Gruyter Mouton, p. 127. Johnson, P. (2009). A history of the American people. Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins e-books, p. 237. Painter, C., Martin, J. R., & Unsworth, L. (2013). Reading visual narratives: image analysis of children's picture books. Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Equinox Pub, p. 145. Ross, L. (2014). Language in the visual arts: the interplay of text and imagery, p. 52. Zinn, H., Konopacki, M., & Buhle, P. (2008). A people's history of American empire: a graphic adaptation. New York, Metropolitan Books, p. 1-622. Zinn, H. (2009). A people's history of the United States, 1492-present. Pymble, NSW. P. 59. Zinn, H. (2013). A people's history of the United States: 1492-present, p. 24-37 Zinn, H. (2009). Young people's history of the United States. New York, Seven Stories Press, p. 1-23. Read More