Women and the Civil Rights Movement

Today I am wondering about women's rights and the civil rights movement. Is the struggle similar to what Richen explores here?

As a member of both the African American and LGBT communities, filmmaker Yoruba Richen is fascinated with the overlaps and tensions between the gay rights and the civil rights movements. She explores how the two struggles intertwine and propel each other forward — and, in an unmissable argument, she dispels a myth about their points of conflict. A powerful reminder that we all have a stake in equality.

Homographs: Contemplations of a Writer

I'm not sure where I found this excerpt originally but I had this saved on my computer and found it while cleaning out my files. It deserves reading . . . I hope you find it as interesting as I do!

Homographs are words that look exactly the same (as do homonyms) yet are PRONOUNCED differently, depending on the context. It makes you wonder: How did we ever learn how to read these words?

I have such a fit
When these words don’t fit!
Like when all through the spring
All the deer jump and spring,
And the lions feel they might
Want to show their strength and might,

When the monkeys swing
From a vine like a swing,
And the roar of the bear
Is too loud for me to bear,
And I can’t try to pet
One, since it’s not a pet!
I’m not trying to be mean,
But what do these words mean?

For example, how to you pronounce “bow”? Well, that depends if you are taking a bow (rhymes with “cow” or “now”) after a performance, or putting a bow (rhymes with “no”) on your dress.

Without actually hearing the sentence, you can’t know what each should be (unless, of course, you KNOW, or you look up each one in the dictionary).

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass (fish) was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Below are homographs used in sentences. They were sent to me in an email. I have never really thought about how hard the English language must be to learn until I was reading through these the other day. I know they have nothing to do with home remodeling, but I thought they were interesting.

As you may already know, a homograph is a group of words that share the same spelling, but have different meanings. When they are spoken, the meanings may be distinguished by different pronunciations.

Okay, enough explanation. Here are some homographs.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it homographs and the English language are crazy. There is no egg in eggplant, nor pine or apple in pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England nor French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which are not sweet, are meat. We take English for granted.

But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers do not fing, grocers do not groce and hammers do not ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the  lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick?"

Homographs - Food for thought!

From A School Principal's Speech on Graduation Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout my years of teaching I have learned that money is not the most effective motivator. I have discovered that making a difference, living a meaningful life will always be more powerful and will make people more successful. My students have taught me that success is about leaving a mark, making a difference, and living life with a purpose--much like the point of an effective piece of writing.

This post reminds me of my purpose as a teacher; my students make me a better teacher, a better person, and I hope I have in some way reciprocated this notion in their lives as they move on from my classroom.

A former student sent this to me and it rings true to my heart, so I am sharing it here.

To all of my students--past, present and future--I thank you for teaching me this important lesson that, unfortunately most people do not realize until their lives are nearing the end . . . I challenge you and everyone reading this to realize this truth early in life and to pass it on.

From A School Principal's Speech on Graduation Day

 

A principal of a grammar school tells a story about a dinner party discussion. The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One guest says: "The Doctor wants his child to become a doctor.........
the engineer wants his child to become an engineer......
The businessman wants his ward to become CEO.....
BUT a teacher also wants his child to become one of them, as well..!!!!
Nobody wants to become a teacher BY CHOICE" ....Very sad but that's the truth.....!!!

 One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become only a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest;
"You're a teacher, Mrs. Singh. Be honest. What do you make?"

Mrs. Singh, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make kids sit through 1 hr of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 min. without an I-Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write.

I make them read, read, read.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about India while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they
were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Mrs. Singh paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make..??

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES, EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO's, AND DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS..........

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped; he went silent.

What Do Professors Want?



"Professor, what, exactly, do you want?"

This is a question I often hear from students, especially before a critical assignment or essay is due in the class. I often cringe when I hear a student ask this, because to me, it either means I am not being clear, or it means that a student just wants an answer.

As writers it is our job to ask questions, to investigate, explore the reasons, not particularly to give answers. I believe it's my job, as a writing teacher to illicit questions, not to give answers;  so, I try to get the student to come up with their own answer.  Most students are just annoyed by this response. Then, I discovered that I am not the only teacher that recognizes this dilemma. Roanoke English Professor, Paul Hanstedt finally does answer the question, and it deserves repeating. So, in the words of Professor Hanstedt and to all of my students:

You want to know what I want? Here's what I want:

• I want you to come to class. 
• I want you to come to class on time.
• When you don't come to class, I want you to be honest with me about why you weren't there.  Please note:  a lot of grandparents tend to die around midterms.  I've noticed this trend.  Just saying.
• I want you to accept responsibility for any work you've missed.  Whatever you do, I don't want you to ask me if you "missed anything important."  I want you to understand how insulting that question is.
• I want you to do the reading.
• What's more, I want you to think about the reading.  How does it relate to everything else we've read and discussed in class?  What do you find intriguing?  Why? What startles you?  Why?  What challenges you?  Why? 
• I want you to ask why.  I want you to ask this of yourself, of your classmates, and yes, of me. 
• I want you to be gracious as you do this.  Because being gracious is rare these days, and I want you to be a rare person.
• I want you to have some fun.  I really do.  I want you to go to parties and fall in love and indulge in some of the things that college students have indulged in since the beginning of time-or at least since the late 1960s.
• And I want you to come to class on time, have I mentioned that?  Even when class is at, say, 8:30 on a Friday morning.
• I want you to take some risks.  Raise your hand even if you're not entirely sure you're right.  Ask the questions that get us all thinking.
• I want you to fail. 
• I want you to not give up when you fail.  I want you to step back, reconsider, think about what happened. 
• Then I want you to try again, more thoughtfully this time.
• I want you to study abroad.  I want you to wake up in a foreign country and be confused and have to learn your way.  I want you to learn that you are capable of doing this.
• I want you to push yourself. 
• I want you to push the world.
• I want you to look at what's not right and change it.
• I want you to push me to do the same.  Years ago, I was at a workshop when someone said, "Well, obviously we don't want our students to be line workers:  we want them to be line managers."  I didn't say anything at the time, but what I thought was, "No:  I want my students to walk into the room, look at the line workers and the line managers and say, 'There's got to be a better way.'  And I want them to have the courage to act." 
• I want to see you walk across the stage at graduation. I want to barely recognize you, because there's a light in your eyes that changes the way you look, a light that tells me that you've found something-a poem, a social issue, a question in the sciences-that keeps you awake at night, that tells you who you are, what you value, what really matters in life.  I want to see that light, and I want to see your face, and I want to shake your hand. 
• That's what I want. 
• But in the meantime, I want you to write that damn paper and turn it in.  Preferably on time.  

Example of Strong Content--Weak Design



The sample post below could be more appealing to an audience with relevant graphics to make reading online easier and more inviting. Also, the use of color and bullets should enhance the text rather than distract from it.

What Can/Should A Person Do?

I was standing in line at the grocery store yesterday and wondered what I could do right then to help.  I decided to chat with the next person in line. I simply tuned to the person and said, "Hi! Darn, I forgot my reuseable bags today. Did you know . . .

An estimated one million birds and 100,000 turtles and other sea animals die of starvation each year after ingesting discarded plastic bags which block their digestive tracks.

A person uses a plastic carrier bag on average for only 12 minutes; in contrast, a plastic bag can take between 500 to 1000 years to break down in the environment.

There is now six times more plastic debris in parts of the North Pacific Ocean
than zooplankton.www.acfnewsource.org/environment/plastic_plankton.html


At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement
or ingestion of plastic marine debris.www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

Instead of using a bag I asked the checker to simply put everything back in the cart since I have bags in the car. Then, I bagged my own groceries when I got to the parking lot.

My next few blog posts will focus on a series of suggestions, litlle changes that anyone can and should make in their dailiy lives that will have great impact in our community and in our world.

Here's a list so far:

1. Talk to people and convince at least one person to refuse a plastic and paper bag today.
2. Convince that one person to convince at lieast one other person and pass it on . . 

What simple things can you do?

Example of Strong Design

 

What Can/Should a Person Do?

I was standing in line at the grocery store yesterday and wondered what I could do right then to help.  I decided to chat with the next person in line. I simply turned to the person and said, "Hi! Darn, I forgot my reuseable bags today. Did you know . . .

• An estimated one million birds and 100,000 turtles and other sea animals die of starvation each year after ingesting discarded plastic bags which block their digestive tracks.

• A person uses a plastic carrier bag on average for only 12 minutes; in contrast, a plastic bag can take between 500 to 1000 years to break down in the environment.

• There is now six times more plastic debris in parts of the North Pacific Ocean than zooplankton.www.acfnewsource.org/environment/plastic_plankton.html

• At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of plastic marine debris.www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

• Instead of using a bag I asked the checker to simply put everything back in the cart since I have bags in the car. Then, I bagged my own groceries when I got to the parking lot.

• My next few blog posts will focus on a series of suggestions, litlle changes that anyone can and should make in their dailiy lives that will have great impact in our community and in our world.

Here's a list so far:

1. Talk to people and convince at least one person to refuse a plastic and paper bag today.
2. Convince that one person to convince at lieast one other person and pass it on . . .

What simple things can you do?

Creating Writing Assignments with a Real Purpose

As an English teacher and writer, I often wonder how I can use writing with my students as a vehicle for change. Each semester I try to create writing assignments that evoke interest in my students and that also serve a larger purpose. Last semester I created a writing assignment, a research paper, about the use of plastic bottles in our community. I wondered: "Why do people buy water in plastic bottles when they can get water for free?  What impact does the plastic water bottle craze have on our community?"  I have similar questions about the use of plastic bags.  Europe has been using their own bags for over a decade, but Americans are still stuck on using the plastic bag or paper bag in stores.

Here's a link to a mockumentary video on the topic of plastic bags that effectively advocates for change:



I asked my students to research this topic and to inspire people to make a change. The purpose of the research paper was to change the habits of the average American consumer. This topic worked well, for some, but others were not inspired by these issues.

I need more ideas. What other research paper topics might work to inspire change in our community? Let me know what you think!

Writing for Social Change

The power of words can inspire people to change the world. This blog serves to inspire writers to write for social change. The blog is based on the concept of using writing as a tool for social critique, as a means of calling for social change and justice, and as a tool for social transformation. The blog combines traditional methods of literary and cultural analysis with creative, personal writing, exploring  the ways writers impact communities, and examining the role of writers in addressing pressing social issues.