Language drives the world around us. It is the premise of communication and lack thereof. Whether it be latin, french, spanish, music, literature, or art, language, in any of its various forms, gives one the freedom to communicate with and understand others. Those who can effectively exercise multiple languages are highly sought after and those who can not are often misunderstood. In many ways the manipulation of language can make those who hear, read, or see it think a specific way. Because of the power language holds, it is often used as a mobilizing device for war. In the literary works “Dulce et Decorum Est”, “next to of course god america i”, and “Hills Like White Elephants” their respective authors, Wilfred Owen, E.E. Cummings, and Ernest Hemingway, reveal the immense power language has on a person’s thoughts, especially in a time of war or controversy.
Wilfred Owen, author of “Dulce et Decorum Est”, utilized his own experiences as a soldier in World War I to empower those around him. Throughout
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Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” exemplifies the importance language has in everyday disputes between ordinary people. Hemingway’s characters Jig and the American have a lack of language skills and little communication between them. Although the American often speaks in spanish to the waitress such as in his statement, “Dos cervezas”, this is not the biggest language barrier between the couple (“Hills” 5). A better representation is the American’s response, “It’s pretty hot” to Jig’s question, “What should we drink?” (“Hills” 1,3). Much like their entire conversation, the American skirts Jig’s question and answers non-committedly. Hemingway has shaped language to be a barrier between the couple that impedes their ability to be happy. In this manipulation of language the characters feel lonely and misunderstood, because they fail to express their
‘Fly Away Peter’ is a novella written by David Malouf in 1982, set in 1914 in Queensland, Australia. Three very different people were brought together by their location, and share a love of birds and the natural environment, where the Queensland coast in 1914 is a timeless and idyllic world of sandpipers, ibises, and kingfishers. The two young men, Jim Sandler and Ashley Crowther enlist in the army when the Australian Government joins the allied forces in WWI. They soon experience the mud and horror of the trenches of Armentieres. Malouf’s use of narrative techniques such as third person perspective and contrast serve to explore the dangers of patriotism in relation to war.
Language is the most favoured way of communication to other human beings. It is the fuel used to emancipate our passions. Language has colossal power and its effect solely relies on how we control and use it. Because words are frequently used subconsciously, people never realise how big of an impact words can be. This excellent novel, Don’t call me Ishmael, narrates a story about a boy, named Ishmael, who builds up both emotionally and physically as many barriers, trials and temptations come his way.
At the end of the story, the reader is left with two main questions: will the girl go through with the abortion and will the couple remain together? The American and Jig are fundamentally incompatible. At the basis of this conclusion lies their lack of communication, or rather, their personal styles of speaking which are so different that communication becomes near impossible. Every attempt either of them makes at leading a pleasant conversation is either ignored or swept aside with a comment about a different subject.
Throughout the short story (1), “Hills Like White Elephants,” Ernest Hemingway is speaking about a seemingly unwanted pregnancy and a woman’s uneasiness with going through an abortion. However, Hemingway never explicitly says in this work of fiction (2) that it is about abortion or that the woman, Jig, is uncomfortable with it, but uses symbolism (3) to present this to the audience. At the time “Hills like White Elephants” was published, in 1927, abortion was illegal in most places and a very taboo subject that wasn’t to be openly discussed in public. Thus, Hemingway relied greatly upon the use of symbolism to get his message across for this reason as well as the third person narrator (4) that did not give insight into the character’s thoughts within this piece of literature (5) . He uses symbols such as the train station, white hills, the baggage, and the drinks to point towards the underlying internal conflict (6) of Jig’s decision that is being heavily influenced by the American man, who wants Jig to get the abortion.
The poem entitled “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, display an emphasis on the girl. However, the girl is the person who sat at a table outdoors near the train station with the man named the American. Although the two people having an unplanned conversation waiting for the train; therefore, the train station is the stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid. In the poem, the girl’s name is Jig who is the girlfriend of the American.
Nevertheless, Ernest Hemingway soon shows that this relationship contains a rift. This becomes apparent once they try conversing to one another. The girl attempts to spark a conversation by mentioning that the hills look like white elephants, but this topic soon turns hostile with the American’s replies. How this conversation is handled already shows that the couple “are trapped in a state of imbalance and disagreement” from the beginning (Link). The problem with the conversation is that the American’s personality of being simple and serious.
(Tan 84). Peoples' communicating leads to the spread of different ideas. Language connects societies figuratively and literally. Culture and language influence people extensively which allow people to be susceptible to miscommunication when a barrier is too vast. Familial relationships disrupt from language barriers.
in the essay " hills like White Elephant " the author uses a hesitant and confused tone to express and reaveal the complexities of loss. Earnest Hemingway show the primarily conversation between the American man and his girlfriend, neither of the speakers truly communicates with the other in agreement avoiding responsibility or blame . Both talk, but neither listens or understands the other’s point of view. Hemingway also used figurative languages and context clues that we can infer from the stories that jig the female has a very low self esteem when she said in page 477 "and if i do it you'll be happy and things will go back to like they were before " this show she is very insecure about her self she is less assertive and persuasive.
Many people die in war. Sometimes a death is a horrific experience for everyone involved, other times it is twisted into a beautiful sacrifice. In the poem, “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, the cruel truths of war are revealed. Through the use of diction, imagery, and figurative language, Owen conveys a disgusted and angry tone that describes his attitude about dying for one’s country.
They each bring up different points as to why throughout the story. In Earnest Hemingway’s short story Hills like White Elephants written in 1927 he uses the hills themselves, the scenery that the couple is surrounded by, and the beaded curtain as symbols to describe the situation that the couple faces. In this short story, the hills that the train station overlook are compared to white elephants. This is because the conversation Jig is wanting to have with the American consists of whether or not to keep the
The dialogue in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” reveals a man’s and a woman’s incongruent conflict on abortion, and the author’s fundamentally feminist position is visible in the portrayal of the woman’s independent choice of whether or not to keep the baby she is carrying. The plot is very simple in the story which is less than 1500 words long. A woman and a man spend less than an hour on a hot summers day at a Spanish train station in the valley of Ebro as they are waiting for a train heading for Madrid. Their dialogue takes up most of the space and only few major actions take place.
Even though it is not said directly, it is still easy for the audience to understand that what Jig and her boyfriend are talking about is a woman’s matter. In “Hills Like White Elephants,” Hemingway does not reveal the underlying meaning, but rather uses symbolism in his story through Jig’s attitude towards her boyfriend, the station in which the couple is at, and the absinthe drink she tries. Jig has an attitude about her that makes seem childish. She repeats her words as if she were a young child would when they want something they cannot have.
Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” revolves around a couple in a train station that is seemingly in a discussion over sensitive topics – pregnancy and abortion. The story starts with a description of the setting, the girl and the American man sitting on a table outside the bar of a train station looking over the hills. It is in this first paragraph of description that we can visualize the difference between the male and the female character. The male character was stated as “the American”
Languages are essential forms of communication that are used on a day-to-day basis. Whether its at home, school, work, or at a restaurant, we use language to interact with one another. Languages change over time as different phrases or words change meanings. There are controversial languages that to some are outdated or no longer recognized as a common source of communication. One of those controversial languages is Latin, a language that has been around for a numerous amount of years.
How Languages Shape Lives Learning new languages may shape our ways of talking and thinking. Also every language to another has many different ways in how we treat with other people who speak the language we have learned. In “How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think?” Lera Boroditsky explains how a new language can affects the way we are thinking. The new language (second language) is one of the most important points that can change the way of thinking.