Farewell the tranquil mind, farewell content!\ Farewell the plumed troops and the big wars\ That makes ambition virtue...\ Farewell: Othello's occupation gone".
From this point in the play, it is indeed farewell: farewell to the "Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war" in Othello's language; farewell to heaven which is now made of "marble" and farewell to his "music”. Earlier in the play, Othello ironically states "when I love thee not/ Chaos is come again". As Othello's love is so absolute it is unsurprising that when he no longer loves Desdemona the chaos, in both his life and language, is also absolute. Imagery of heaven is replaced by imagery of "hollow hell" and "sweating devil[s]" and his language becomes more sexual: "Hot, hot moist". His speech on the importance of the handkerchief in Act 3 Scene 4 shows how his origins colour his language. He states that "there's magic in the web of it" and that his mother received it from a "charmer" who "could almost read/ The thoughts of people". The speech is designed to make Desdemona realise the importance of the handkerchief and it undoubtedly does this, however it also prevents either of them escaping from the situation they are in. Whether Othello actually believes in the superstition or is exaggerating to impress the importance of it on Desdemona is unclear but again it is an example of the dramatic nature of his language. With such a powerful story Desdemona has little chance of revealing the truth, especially after his rejection of her in the previous scene. After this Othello's language rapidly disintegrates. In Act 4 Scene 1 he has lost all sense of reason stating "first to be hanged and then to confess". His language breaks up further as he stops talking in verse and finally is no longer able to communicate even in sentences: "Noses, ears, lips. Is't possible? Confess! handkerchief! O devil!". Desdemona is now the "devil" who is as "false as hell". Equally he has adopted the animal imagery of Iago: "Goats and monkeys!" For Othello the accumulative nature of the brutality and ugliness which he is surrounded by has undermined his language. Othello's world, and his language, has been untuned by an "eternal villain" and his own nature.
Once Othello's language has traversed the spectrum of being exquisite to blatantly ridiculous it again begins to regain its former structure. By Act 4 Scene 2 his rhetoric has returned, even if it is only to justify his motives: "Was this fair paper, this most goodly book/ Made to write 'whore' upon?" He is still using mixed metaphors however: "rose-lipped cherubin/ Ay, here look, grim as hell!" As in Act 3 Scene 4 Othello uses repetition, this time with the word "committed", highlighting how, to Othello, his actions are "justice". Act 5 Scene 2 however opens with a soliloquy that is filled sensuous imagery of Desdemona's "whiter skin...than snow"..."smooth as monumental alabaster" and her "balmy breath". She is no longer the "devil" having regained her former status of the "light" which Othello will put out. Othello still sees the murder as being a "sacrifice" and this is another of his attempts to justify what he is doing. Once he has murdered her however Othello recognises the impact of what he has done: "Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse/ Of sun and moon". This may well be over dramatic but for once Othello's dramatisation of his life seems appropriate. Even in Othello's world of extremes Desdemona's death makes its impact on him. His conversation with Emilia after the murder is characterised by the repetition of the word "husband" as realisation begins to dawn on Othello. His final speech, which is effectively his epitaph, shows a return to his "music" of the opening Act. It contains a list of similes to describe his condition, in which we encounter the "base Indian" and the "Arabian trees". This again shows how his language is coloured by his origins. After the first-person opening however Othello stands back from himself and speaks in the third person of "one" who has done all these things. His judgement on himself is "Of one that loved not wisely, but too well", which may suggest that even at this point our tragic hero is deceiving himself. It also has to be noted that Othello is conscious that this is his epitaph and it is therefore worded accordingly. Othello is a highly introspective character who creates images of beauty and elegance in a way which none of the other characters do and yet, his final speech gives a clue to the problem of such a style of language. It is not only his language which is coloured by his dramatisation but his life as well and this undoubtedly leaves him open to having his poetic talents used for negative effect on both his life and language.
Trapped Inside a Metaphor
Trapped inside a Metaphor by Salman Rushie conveys the way in which simple language techniques help the author persuade and convince the audience into making the situation seem more realistic and life like.
In the first sentence a strong use of descriptive language “a hot air balloon, drifts slowly over a bottomless chasm…” helps the author convey his thoughts and feelings to the audience. His flowery words and descriptive language differ from Shakespeare’s language in a way which changes the audiences view upon the text. Shakespeare uses more abrupt to the point language while still being able to with hold a means of mystery and enables your mind to runaway with the plot. Salman Rushdie helps the audience by painting a vivid image in your mind. The text which was presented in Wear the Pants was only an extract of a speech made by Salman Rushdie from when he made an unexpected appearance in America. Salman wrote a book entitled “The Satanic Verses” and was condemned to death by Islam’s Ayatollah Khomeini for blasphemy. The speech uses language to help the Author push forward a feeling of emotion and sympathy on the audience, “Surely now the balloon will drop safely towards some nearby haven, and I, too will be reunited with my life? Surely, it’s my turn now?”
The whole speech’s tone colour differs to most other pieces of writing. It is factual and interesting while still obtaining a clear perspective outlook on the matter. It uses different language techniques such as repetition (constant repetition of I’ve, I and I’m) and the repetition of certain words and phrases to put forth the authors point. Salman also uses onomatopoeias “...and then one day- pop!” a strong use of metaphors for imagery, the use of rhetorical questions “...who should die? And who could make such a choice?” Alliteration is also used in the excerpt “Bullet-proof Bubbles” and “persecuted people.”
During the speech/expert the varied sentence structure allows the audience to anticipate the climax but still allow an element of shock when the outcome is told.
By studying Salman's way of writing I have seen the different ways that authors use the power of language to make there text more appealing to the preposed audience.
Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People.
George W Bush’s speech to a nation regarding terrorism uses many different techniques to entrance the listener and keep them interested. This speech focuses on the language technique of “appealing the senses.” The sense which is most appealed to in this speech is emotion. Bush uses words to manipulate the audience, to sway there perception to his point. He appeals to the senses and tries to reach every single patriotic nerve in each Americans body. He does this by talking to the audience as if he was an equal “Me fellow citizens, for the last nine days...” He extended use of we and our help him achieve his purpose.
The use of emotive language not only helps George W. Bush push forward a sense of unity and respect, but also lets those who aren’t directly affected by the situation see into the problem and allow sympathy. Words such as “loving and giving…strangers” helps him do this.
Whilst still appealing to the senses, facts are introduced making the statement believable “You can be jailed for owning a television,” in remark to the situation in Afghanistan.
In this speech there is also the use of rhetorical questions “Americans are asking, why do they hate us?” This language technique involves the listener and lets the question the situation being presented which makes the points being put forward seem that much stronger. There are other powerful language techniques used in the text such as repetition “…must act, and act immediately.”
He also uses personification to help push forward the point that America is being hurt like a human rather than an im-mortal object “Together we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom.”
To finish up this heart wrenching speech he recalls from a true story that he knows will reach out to even the coldest heart.
“And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. This is my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does no end.”
Bush’s powerful use of empathetic language is successful in swaying public opinion to create an untied front against terrorism not only in America but in the whole world.
Tune in, turn on, drop off.
Language in this feature article differs from that in Othello, Trapped inside a Metaphor and Address to a joint Session of Congress and the American People because it is a review giving information so people can choose one product over another based on performance and features.
The article uses plain, sometimes technical language, and factual words to help inform the reader into about the product which is being reviewed. “Rolling off the frequency response above 20kz, Harman’s ultra wide band circuit extends beyond100kz.” There is no imagery, or techniques used to involve the reader, as it can be presumed that if you are reading the article you are looking for product information. not entertainment. The sentence structure is not involved allowing the reader to assimilate the information easily.
Unlike an advertisement both good and negative points are raised with reference to the usefulness and functioning of the product. Positive words such as “wonderful, best features, useful, instantly and confident,”are found as well as negative words, “not so great, no practical use, serious omission,” appear to give a balanced viewpoint.
The summation of the article uses words that easily convey the overall tone of the review, “performed faultlessly…..more power,” The power of language has the ability to form opinions and allows decisions to be made.
This is why the power of language is so important.
Right on Cue- Maggie Alderson
Humour, quirky recalls of incidents and short bouncy sentences all make this article by Maggie Alderson an interesting read. It also provides you with information and facts whilst being funny, looking on certain aspects in a hairdressers work life. Maggie uses colloquial language in her piece of writing to hold the listeners attention and to make it seem more like an everyday conversation rather than a recall from someone. Humour is used in the very first sentence “My hair dresser Larry (name changed to protect his identity)” this is a play on seriousness. From the beginning of the article you can tell that it isn’t looking at a serious issue, so you can tell that “identity protection” is just a joke.
The use of alliteration “thrilling tittle-tattle,” provides the reader with an entertaining look on the matter whilst creating images in the audiences mind.
She uses quotes and recalls from what really happened. This is a powerful language technique as it allows the reader to find the story much more believable.
The short sentences maintain the reader’s interest and make the article seem much more detailed.
All these powerful techniques are used very effectively and help Maggie’s article be funny and entertaining, which is the purpose of the read.
My understanding of the way the power of language has been shaped by various authors can be seen by looking at all five of these texts. Each texts purpose is different and uses a different style of language to achieve the desired response from the audience. When writing for myself I also have to think the style writing I am using and then asses whether or not this type of language is the most suitable for the purpose.
Danielle Kirchen.
