Course Content: 2013 External exams:
2.1 Novel /other written text(s) study - 4 credits (Reading and Writing literacy)
2.2 Film/ Visual text study -4 credits (Writing literacy)
2.3 Unfamiliar texts - 4 credits Reading and Writing literacy) Internal Assessments
2.4 Writing Portfolio (at least two pieces completed and achieving) 6 credits (Writing literacy)
2.5 Construct an oral presentation 3 credits
2.9 Responses to Wide Reading 4 credits (Reading literacy)
WORLD WAR 1 POETRY SHORT TEXTS
2.1 Written text study Poetry of the First World War
Dulce et decorum est -
Questions given in class
Stanza 2 -
-what is the extended metaphor used?
Quote
-explain what this image adds to your understanding of this event
your emotional reaction to this event
Comment on the use of verbs - is there any reason why the -ing form is used?
Why mention dreams?
Discuss the effect of the last line - consider links to the rest of the stanza
Stanza 3
How does the first line link to the previous stanzas?
Why has the poet added the adjective 'smothering' to the word 'dreams'?
Comment on how he draws the reader in.
Discuss how he creates a sense of horror in the lines "And watch ---- froth corrupted lungs"
Consider the writer's choice of diction, imagery, sound, connotations.
What is his message/ Why has he used words like 'children' innocent'
Why has he used capitals?
What is the tone of the last piece of this poem.
Discuss with those who were there what they thought. PLAGIARISM - what it is and why it is not good!
Be careful of Plagiarism : reading articles and finding information is fine: re-writing that information in a way that suggests it is your idea is wrong ethically, legally and personally. You could be sued, you could be assumed to be more knowledgeable than you really are and that is plain embarrassing when people find out you have no original ideas of your own.
Click on the link below and see how blogger Kate Hart has explained what plagiarism looks like using Harry Potter to guide you through.
Below the first three files are the NZQA generic instructions for this standard. Then there are instructions for an essay on the theme of 'Dangerous Ideas ' and underneath that similar instructions but the theme idea is "Childhood". There are articles ( or links to articles or Youtube clips) loaded for each task that may spark some ideas so read through these
1. Pre-Crime Detection System Now Being Tested in the U.S. Megan Erickson on March 14, 2012, 4:30 PM
The Future Attribute Screening Technology project (FAST) was not dreamed up by Philip K. Dick, but it could have been. Led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the initiative aims to use sensor technology to detect cues "indicative of mal-intent," defined by the DHS as intent or desire to cause real harm -- "rapidly, reliably, and remotely." It would be used, they say, to fight terror. The FAST system has the capability to monitor physiological and behavioral cues without contact. That means capturing data like the heart rate and steadiness of gaze of passengers about to board a plane. The cues are then run through algorithms in real-time to compute the probability that an individual is planning to commit a crime. According to the science journal Nature, the first round of field tests for the program was completed in an undisclosed location in the northeast several months ago. In lab tests, the FAST has a reported 70% accuracy rate. Dystopian as that may sound, there is at least one clear improvement on the system we have now: the sensors are "culturally neutral," says the DHS, which may help eliminate the racial profiling which is allegedly allowed by the TSA screening process in American airports today. "It is encouraging to see an effort to develop a real empirical base for new technologies before any policy commitments are made," Tom Ormerod, a psychologist in the Investigative Expertise Unit at Lancaster University told Nature. For a nuanced discussion on the intuitive nature of crime and punishment, watch our interview with Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at University of Texas Austin, who argues that investigators solve crimes by developing sensitivity to "the residue of our acts that we leave inadvertently on our space." 2. Is War a Virus or a Gene?
John Horgan, author of the book //The End of War// argues that warring or violent behavior is not innate to human nature. Of the many people that Horgan has questioned, from war journalist Sebastian Junger to the students in his classes, most believe war is a part of human nature. War will always be with us they say. Perhaps that is true, but Horgan believes that war is a problem, just like cancer, that has a solution we haven’t found yet.
What’s the Big idea?
Horgan told Big Think that there is evidence to suggest that war is neither a biological impulse nor an economic imperative. So what are the other factors that can explain the emergence and recurrence of war? Horgan points to the work of anthropologist Margaret Mead. Horgan and Mead share the belief that war is a cultural innovation. Back in the 1930’s Mead suggested that war emerged sometime in human prehistory and began to spread. In an interview with Big Think, Horgan uses a very simple example to illustrate how war is a culturally infectious virus: Imagine your neighbor is a violent psychopath who is out for blood and land. You, on the other hand, are person who wants peace. You would have few options but to embrace the ways of war for defense. So essentially your neighbor has infected you with war.
What’s the Significance?
Modern society is a very civilized place. Survival violence is not at the front of everyone’s mind in, say, Beijing or Stockholm. Thus it would be reasonable to expect the propagation of the war virus to slow. Horgan argues exactly that point. Take Europe as an example. Today, it is unthinkable for France and Germany to go to war. However, in the first half of the 20th century Germany's expansionist ambitions and France's fear of her deadly neighbor led to two devastating world wars. Though only time will tell, it is possible that through cooperation and diplomacy France and Germany have cured their war virus permanently.
3. A History of Violence Andre Dubus III on March 16, 2012, 12:00 AM What's the Big Idea? When (if ever) is violence necessary? What (if anything) does it have to do with “manhood”? And what toll does a life of violence take on the human spirit? These questions writhe at the heart of Andre Dubus III’s profound new memoir, Townie. Forced at the age of 11 into the role of “man of the family,” Dubus became a fighter to defend his mother and siblings from predatory thugs in their poverty-stricken town of Lowell, Massachusetts. Now an accomplished novelist (House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days), Dubus reflects on the complicated nature of violence, and what exactly it does to the lives of those it touches.
Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) is one of those films that sticks with you. In you, maybe. Hard to shake the pathetic figure of David (played by Dustin Hoffman), a timid mathematician forced (and initially, significantly unable) to defend his wife against a hungry pack of less "civilized" men. Almost more disturbing than the violence itself is the nagging sense (which Peckinpah wants us to feel) that there's some crucial force of manhood lacking in the "modern male" Hoffman represents - that, to paraphrase Hamlet out of context, conscience has made cowards of us all. Coward or hero, Hoffman's character is outnumbered. Even Charles Bronson "wouldn't stand a chance against them odds". But what's at issue is something subtler: an internal readiness or reticence to do violence when necessary. Peckinpah wants us to believe that the readiness to do violence has something essential to do with "being a man." What's the Significance? Let's take gender out of the equation for a moment. This is the classic Kid on the Playground Dilemma. Every middle class parent knows that fighting's against the rules - not only of the school, but of civilized society. But there's something deeply unsatisfying about teaching your child to run from the bully and go tell the teacher. But this acculturated taboo against fistfighting has a rational foundation – the collective memory of how, in most instances, violence begets violence. How it kicks off a cycle which, once initiated, is hard to stop. And that it tends, ultimately, to destroy its practitioners and plenty of innocent civilians, too. This brings us to Townie, Andre Dubus III’s new memoir – a profound meditation on violence that only he could have written. Dubus, the acclaimed author of House of Sand and Fog, does not fit the stereotype of a sensitive novelist (lean, haunted, bespectacled). Nor is he a swaggering brawler like Hemingway or Norman Mailer. But Dubus has known violence intimately – mastered it, you might say – and lived to write about it . When Dubus was almost twelve, his parents divorced, leaving him, his overworked mother and his three siblings living in poverty in Lowell Massachusetts, a drug-ridden “town where the factory got closed down.” In order to defend himself and his family from predatory thugs, Dubus “got big” at the gym and learned to fight. He became a kind of self-appointed defender of the underdog – an avenging angel of the streets. But violence took a profound emotional toll on Dubus, and might very well have killed him, too, if he hadn’t decided to plunge his considerable energies into writing instead. In Townie, he attempts to untangle the intricate knots of his complicated past – and to decode the violence that gave birth to the man he is today.
4. Knowing the Power of Words - Thoughts and Quotes
Written or spoken, words are continuously propelling us through life. They lift us up, drag us down, wound us deeply or heal our hearts. Words have the power to break confidences, build life long alliances or start wars.
Words can make or break us, both as individuals and as a society. What have you been saying lately?
The words you speak can have a profound effect on the people they reach. Are you encouraging or discouraging? Are you building up your children, your spouse, your friend or even the stranger you pass on the street? Or are you tearing down your own family with words of criticism, bitterness and judgment? Are you causing the destruction of your self-esteem by speaking ill suited words over yourself, your health and prosperity?
Words have set whole nations in motion…
Give me the right words and I will move the world.Joseph Conrad
“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. “Dorothy Nevill
5. I Was Only Joking!
Can’t you take a joke? Well now, that all depends. If we follow up a rude or insulting comment with the phrase “I was only joking” does it not count to the person we said it to? Does the sting of the words vanish, having no lasting effect? Are we therefore innocent, somehow not responsible for the rubbish spewing forth from our mouths? We may have the right to free speech, but speech is not entirely free. There are always consequences for what we say, whether or not we realize our impact. As a parent, I am always aware of how my words will shape my children’s lives in various ways. If they hear me being critical and judgmental of someone, they will learn to criticize and judge. If I apologize when I am wrong, they will learn to apologize with sincerity. If I speak to the without courtesy and respect, they will do the same to each other and the world at large. I know this because I have seen it. If I yell at them (as opposed to handling a crisis calmly), within five minutes they will be hammering each other with the same lovely words they heard from mommy. I don’t recall having a problem restraining myself before having children. As a mom of three, I hear myself saying all of the things I swore I would never say. I tell them lies (Santa, the tooth fairy, winning doesn’t matter ) and sometimes I hear the most absurd words coming from my mouth, such as “get your finger out of your sister's ear right now” or “dog food isn’t for children.” Choose With Care Now, I understand that not everyone has the same constant challenge with this that I have. Being with my children 24/7 allows me little time to think or breathe before I speak. I recognize that my tongue needs to be trained to handle the ups and downs of daily mothering with integrity. And the following words are those that inspire me. They represent the qualities I strive to achieve as a mother with my words and my actions.
“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, it rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:4
Words can inspire us to greatness; they enable us to share our deepest feelings with one another. Words can change us as individuals. When used with care, they can change the world around us. Choose to use your words to encourage and uplift. Choose them with wisdom and love. Susan Smalley, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA
The Power Of Words
"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I remember saying those words when young to try and convince myself of its truth in the face of painful words thrown my way. Unfortunately, it is far from true. Verbal insults, verbal abuse, and the power of words to affect your emotions and actions are well demonstrated in science. For example, scientists have found that just hearing sentences about elderly people led research subjects to walk more slowly. In other research, individuals read words of 'loving kindness' showed increases in self-compassion, improved mood, and reduced anxiety.
But words are not attended to equally by all. Studies reveal that we place our attention toward words differently depending on our own biological or personality traits. For example, individuals with eating disorders pay greater attention to words reflecting body parts or body image than others, and in other experiments 'taboo' words require more time to reach conscious awareness than words lacking taboo connotations. I notice among my own blogs, those with titles including words like "God" or "abortion" receive many more responses than less emotionally charged words.
As scientists uncover the power of words to effect behavioral change, the power of rhetoric has become a topic of the current election. Clearly we are all attending more to the power of words. I see the impact of words I choose on the world around me and my own biases, prejudices, and selective attention in the words I hear. Yesterday, my son detected an unknown prejudice when I was talking on the phone with an auto broker to ship a car from Michigan to LA. The broker's voice, likely of a different racial/ethnic group than mine and speaking with some slang and grammatical errors led me to quickly project an image of a man who might not be so legitimate in business. I dislike that I subconsciously had such a prejudicial view based on the words he used but I realized that biases run deep and likely reflect my 52 years of living (raised in the 50s and living before and after the civil and women's rights' movements). I was happy to see my son (age 22) free of such conditioning, capable of easily detecting it and possessing the courage to point it out to me.
I once read that a word is like a living organism, capable of growing, changing, spreading, and influencing the world in many ways, directly and indirectly through others. I never thought about a word being 'alive' but then I thought of words spoken 3,000 years ago, written down and passed through many generations, and they seem quite alive when read or spoken today, having lived 3,000 years. As I ponder the power of the word to incite and divide, to calm and connect, or to create and effect change, I am ever more cautious in what I say and how I listen to the words around me.
External exams:
2.1 Novel /other written text(s) study - 4 credits (Reading and Writing literacy)
2.2 Film/ Visual text study -4 credits (Writing literacy)
2.3 Unfamiliar texts - 4 credits Reading and Writing literacy)
Internal Assessments
2.4 Writing Portfolio (at least two pieces completed and achieving) 6 credits (Writing literacy)
2.5 Construct an oral presentation 3 credits
2.9 Responses to Wide Reading 4 credits (Reading literacy)
WORLD WAR 1 POETRY SHORT TEXTS
2.1 Written text study Poetry of the First World War
Dulce et decorum est -
Questions given in class
Stanza 2 -
-what is the extended metaphor used?
Quote
-explain what this image adds to your understanding of this event
your emotional reaction to this event
Comment on the use of verbs - is there any reason why the -ing form is used?
Why mention dreams?
Discuss the effect of the last line - consider links to the rest of the stanza
Stanza 3
How does the first line link to the previous stanzas?
Why has the poet added the adjective 'smothering' to the word 'dreams'?
Comment on how he draws the reader in.
Discuss how he creates a sense of horror in the lines "And watch ---- froth corrupted lungs"
Consider the writer's choice of diction, imagery, sound, connotations.
What is his message/ Why has he used words like 'children' innocent'
Why has he used capitals?
What is the tone of the last piece of this poem.
Discuss with those who were there what they thought.
PLAGIARISM - what it is and why it is not good!
Be careful of Plagiarism : reading articles and finding information is fine: re-writing that information in a way that suggests it is your idea is wrong ethically, legally and personally. You could be sued, you could be assumed to be more knowledgeable than you really are and that is plain embarrassing when people find out you have no original ideas of your own.
Click on the link below and see how blogger Kate Hart has explained what plagiarism looks like using Harry Potter to guide you through.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l50/kdhart226/2012/plagiarisminfographic2copy-1.jpg
THE BOOK THIEF - references
Some Slide share presentations
Background to the era
Website with information
http://www.ushmm.org/learn/and video clip that sets the scene
http://www.ushmm.org/learn/introduction-to-the-holocaust/path-to-nazi-genocidehttp://www.slideshare.net/angleesa/the-book-thief-1
Zusak talks about the writing process
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_lIpugbLB8 The writing process Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sWDy6X8p_o Questions from the audience Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHawgX9e99E Reading extract from The Book Thief book
2.9 Wide Reading Achievement Standard
Places to go for material
1) Try this website for poetryhttp://www.poetryarchive.org
2) Suggested films as well as some poetry suggestions
3) These articles from the web may be of interest
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Formal writing Level 2 Writing task : Term 3
Below the first three files are the NZQA generic instructions for this standard. Then there are instructions for an essay on the theme of 'Dangerous Ideas ' and underneath that similar instructions but the theme idea is "Childhood". There are articles ( or links to articles or Youtube clips) loaded for each task that may spark some ideas so read through theseTask : Instructions for students
Resources:
Material for 'Beyond the Text' task - Focus on Theme: Dangerous words, Dangerous ideas.
The Power of Words - utube video - blind man on the street
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hzgzim5m7oU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Words can do anything - Utube video- Amnesty International
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9_tCtvmAm4M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
VARIOUS ARTICLES LINKED TO THEME:
The Walking Dead
The books parents most ask to be removed from libraries
A visual attempt to explain the maddeningly complex plot/dream threads of Inception
Books vs Ebooks
Evil and ugly to good and pretty - vampire continuum. I love the pairing of attractiveness to moral fibre here.
ARTICLES TO READ
1. Pre-Crime Detection System Now Being Tested in the U.S.Megan Erickson on March 14, 2012, 4:30 PM
The Future Attribute Screening Technology project (FAST) was not dreamed up by Philip K. Dick, but it could have been. Led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the initiative aims to use sensor technology to detect cues "indicative of mal-intent," defined by the DHS as intent or desire to cause real harm -- "rapidly, reliably, and remotely." It would be used, they say, to fight terror.
The FAST system has the capability to monitor physiological and behavioral cues without contact. That means capturing data like the heart rate and steadiness of gaze of passengers about to board a plane. The cues are then run through algorithms in real-time to compute the probability that an individual is planning to commit a crime. According to the science journal Nature, the first round of field tests for the program was completed in an undisclosed location in the northeast several months ago. In lab tests, the FAST has a reported 70% accuracy rate.
Dystopian as that may sound, there is at least one clear improvement on the system we have now: the sensors are "culturally neutral," says the DHS, which may help eliminate the racial profiling which is allegedly allowed by the TSA screening process in American airports today.
"It is encouraging to see an effort to develop a real empirical base for new technologies before any policy commitments are made," Tom Ormerod, a psychologist in the Investigative Expertise Unit at Lancaster University told Nature.
For a nuanced discussion on the intuitive nature of crime and punishment, watch our interview with Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at University of Texas Austin, who argues that investigators solve crimes by developing sensitivity to "the residue of our acts that we leave inadvertently on our space."
2. Is War a Virus or a Gene?
Mark Cheney on March 16, 2012, 12:00 AM
John Horgan, author of the book //The End of War// argues that warring or violent behavior is not innate to human nature. Of the many people that Horgan has questioned, from war journalist Sebastian Junger to the students in his classes, most believe war is a part of human nature. War will always be with us they say. Perhaps that is true, but Horgan believes that war is a problem, just like cancer, that has a solution we haven’t found yet.
What’s the Big idea?
Horgan told Big Think that there is evidence to suggest that war is neither a biological impulse nor an economic imperative. So what are the other factors that can explain the emergence and recurrence of war? Horgan points to the work of anthropologist Margaret Mead. Horgan and Mead share the belief that war is a cultural innovation. Back in the 1930’s Mead suggested that war emerged sometime in human prehistory and began to spread. In an interview with Big Think, Horgan uses a very simple example to illustrate how war is a culturally infectious virus: Imagine your neighbor is a violent psychopath who is out for blood and land. You, on the other hand, are person who wants peace. You would have few options but to embrace the ways of war for defense. So essentially your neighbor has infected you with war.
What’s the Significance?
Modern society is a very civilized place. Survival violence is not at the front of everyone’s mind in, say, Beijing or Stockholm. Thus it would be reasonable to expect the propagation of the war virus to slow. Horgan argues exactly that point. Take Europe as an example. Today, it is unthinkable for France and Germany to go to war. However, in the first half of the 20th century Germany's expansionist ambitions and France's fear of her deadly neighbor led to two devastating world wars. Though only time will tell, it is possible that through cooperation and diplomacy France and Germany have cured their war virus permanently.
3. A History of Violence
Andre Dubus III on March 16, 2012, 12:00 AM
What's the Big Idea?
When (if ever) is violence necessary? What (if anything) does it have to do with “manhood”? And what toll does a life of violence take on the human spirit?
These questions writhe at the heart of Andre Dubus III’s profound new memoir, Townie. Forced at the age of 11 into the role of “man of the family,” Dubus became a fighter to defend his mother and siblings from predatory thugs in their poverty-stricken town of Lowell, Massachusetts. Now an accomplished novelist (House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days), Dubus reflects on the complicated nature of violence, and what exactly it does to the lives of those it touches.
Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) is one of those films that sticks with you. In you, maybe. Hard to shake the pathetic figure of David (played by Dustin Hoffman), a timid mathematician forced (and initially, significantly unable) to defend his wife against a hungry pack of less "civilized" men. Almost more disturbing than the violence itself is the nagging sense (which Peckinpah wants us to feel) that there's some crucial force of manhood lacking in the "modern male" Hoffman represents - that, to paraphrase Hamlet out of context, conscience has made cowards of us all.
Coward or hero, Hoffman's character is outnumbered. Even Charles Bronson "wouldn't stand a chance against them odds". But what's at issue is something subtler: an internal readiness or reticence to do violence when necessary. Peckinpah wants us to believe that the readiness to do violence has something essential to do with "being a man."
What's the Significance?
Let's take gender out of the equation for a moment. This is the classic Kid on the Playground Dilemma. Every middle class parent knows that fighting's against the rules - not only of the school, but of civilized society. But there's something deeply unsatisfying about teaching your child to run from the bully and go tell the teacher.
But this acculturated taboo against fistfighting has a rational foundation – the collective memory of how, in most instances, violence begets violence. How it kicks off a cycle which, once initiated, is hard to stop. And that it tends, ultimately, to destroy its practitioners and plenty of innocent civilians, too.
This brings us to Townie, Andre Dubus III’s new memoir – a profound meditation on violence that only he could have written. Dubus, the acclaimed author of House of Sand and Fog, does not fit the stereotype of a sensitive novelist (lean, haunted, bespectacled). Nor is he a swaggering brawler like Hemingway or Norman Mailer. But Dubus has known violence intimately – mastered it, you might say – and lived to write about it .
When Dubus was almost twelve, his parents divorced, leaving him, his overworked mother and his three siblings living in poverty in Lowell Massachusetts, a drug-ridden “town where the factory got closed down.” In order to defend himself and his family from predatory thugs, Dubus “got big” at the gym and learned to fight. He became a kind of self-appointed defender of the underdog – an avenging angel of the streets. But violence took a profound emotional toll on Dubus, and might very well have killed him, too, if he hadn’t decided to plunge his considerable energies into writing instead. In Townie, he attempts to untangle the intricate knots of his complicated past – and to decode the violence that gave birth to the man he is today.
4. Knowing the Power of Words - Thoughts and Quotes
By amy jane
Written or spoken, words are continuously propelling us through life. They lift us up, drag us down, wound us deeply or heal our hearts. Words have the power to break confidences, build life long alliances or start wars.
Words can make or break us, both as individuals and as a society. What have you been saying lately?
The words you speak can have a profound effect on the people they reach. Are you encouraging or discouraging? Are you building up your children, your spouse, your friend or even the stranger you pass on the street? Or are you tearing down your own family with words of criticism, bitterness and judgment? Are you causing the destruction of your self-esteem by speaking ill suited words over yourself, your health and prosperity?
Words have set whole nations in motion…
Give me the right words and I will move the world. Joseph Conrad
“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. “Dorothy Nevill
5. I Was Only Joking!
Can’t you take a joke? Well now, that all depends. If we follow up a rude or insulting comment with the phrase “I was only joking” does it not count to the person we said it to? Does the sting of the words vanish, having no lasting effect? Are we therefore innocent, somehow not responsible for the rubbish spewing forth from our mouths? We may have the right to free speech, but speech is not entirely free. There are always consequences for what we say, whether or not we realize our impact.
As a parent, I am always aware of how my words will shape my children’s lives in various ways. If they hear me being critical and judgmental of someone, they will learn to criticize and judge. If I apologize when I am wrong, they will learn to apologize with sincerity. If I speak to the without courtesy and respect, they will do the same to each other and the world at large. I know this because I have seen it. If I yell at them (as opposed to handling a crisis calmly), within five minutes they will be hammering each other with the same lovely words they heard from mommy.
I don’t recall having a problem restraining myself before having children. As a mom of three, I hear myself saying all of the things I swore I would never say. I tell them lies (Santa, the tooth fairy, winning doesn’t matter ) and sometimes I hear the most absurd words coming from my mouth, such as “get your finger out of your sister's ear right now” or “dog food isn’t for children.”
Choose With Care
Now, I understand that not everyone has the same constant challenge with this that I have. Being with my children 24/7 allows me little time to think or breathe before I speak. I recognize that my tongue needs to be trained to handle the ups and downs of daily mothering with integrity.
And the following words are those that inspire me. They represent the qualities I strive to achieve as a mother with my words and my actions.
“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, it rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:4
Words can inspire us to greatness; they enable us to share our deepest feelings with one another. Words can change us as individuals. When used with care, they can change the world around us.
Choose to use your words to encourage and uplift. Choose them with wisdom and love.
Susan Smalley, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA
The Power Of Words
"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I remember saying those words when young to try and convince myself of its truth in the face of painful words thrown my way. Unfortunately, it is far from true. Verbal insults, verbal abuse, and the power of words to affect your emotions and actions are well demonstrated in science. For example, scientists have found that just hearing sentences about elderly people led research subjects to walk more slowly. In other research, individuals read words of 'loving kindness' showed increases in self-compassion, improved mood, and reduced anxiety.
But words are not attended to equally by all. Studies reveal that we place our attention toward words differently depending on our own biological or personality traits. For example, individuals with eating disorders pay greater attention to words reflecting body parts or body image than others, and in other experiments 'taboo' words require more time to reach conscious awareness than words lacking taboo connotations. I notice among my own blogs, those with titles including words like "God" or "abortion" receive many more responses than less emotionally charged words.
As scientists uncover the power of words to effect behavioral change, the power of rhetoric has become a topic of the current election. Clearly we are all attending more to the power of words. I see the impact of words I choose on the world around me and my own biases, prejudices, and selective attention in the words I hear. Yesterday, my son detected an unknown prejudice when I was talking on the phone with an auto broker to ship a car from Michigan to LA. The broker's voice, likely of a different racial/ethnic group than mine and speaking with some slang and grammatical errors led me to quickly project an image of a man who might not be so legitimate in business. I dislike that I subconsciously had such a prejudicial view based on the words he used but I realized that biases run deep and likely reflect my 52 years of living (raised in the 50s and living before and after the civil and women's rights' movements). I was happy to see my son (age 22) free of such conditioning, capable of easily detecting it and possessing the courage to point it out to me.
I once read that a word is like a living organism, capable of growing, changing, spreading, and influencing the world in many ways, directly and indirectly through others. I never thought about a word being 'alive' but then I thought of words spoken 3,000 years ago, written down and passed through many generations, and they seem quite alive when read or spoken today, having lived 3,000 years. As I ponder the power of the word to incite and divide, to calm and connect, or to create and effect change, I am ever more cautious in what I say and how I listen to the words around me.
Follow Susan Smalley, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/suesmalley