Blog #19: The Language Of Power & Politics
Due Monday by class time
In her essay, “The Language of Power,” bell hooks
quotes poet, Adrienne Rich: “This is the oppressor’s language yet I need it to
talk to you.”
And George Orwell claims, “If
thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
For this blog post, you have options! Choose just one! Identify the option you chose in your blog
post title.
Option 1: Choose lines
from each of the three texts (Fiasco, Rich, and Orwell). The lines could be from any part of the
texts. Create a “found” poem by
rearranging the lines, phrases, and words.
Our conversation on language, power, and politics should inspire your poem’s
content and themes. Then, include a
short reflection on your poem, its purpose and objectives, as well as some of
the stylistic choices you made as you composed it.
Option 2: Reread Lupe
Fiasco’s lyrics. Reflect on ways he
disrupts standard English and “forges a space for alternative cultural
production and alternative epistemologies- different ways of thinking and
knowing that are crucial to creating a counter-hegemonic worldview” (hooks).
Option 3: Create a
transcript for interview between two or three of the writers (Fiasco, Rich, and
Orwell). What questions do they ask each
other? How do they respond?
Option 4: Do a little
background knowledge on one or more of the writers (Fiasco, Rich, and
Orwell). Then, discuss the impact of the
writer’s background on his or her work and ideas. Include references to the texts we read in
class. Make sure to cite your research
sources in the your discussion.
