What would Mohammed Drive?

What would Mohammed Drive?

The Doug Marlette’s cartoon, depicting an Arab, driving nuclear weapons in a rental car, caused many controversies, and enraged the members of Islamic community in the USA. Controversial cartoon, according to the words of the author, was an allusion to the issue that arose among some Protestants over the morality of driving gas-guzzling SUV: “What would Jesus drive?”

Whatever was the motive for Marlette to draw this cartoon, its purpose was, undoubtedly, to provoke many, the Islamic community, as well as the Americans. Some aspects of this cartoon, both those visible, and the ones drawn from the context, serve to “jab and poke” Marlette’s target audience, the Islamic community in the States.

Of great significance certainly is the date when the cartoon was made, and appeared subsequently on the official site of the American newspapers. The cartoon appeared on-line immediatelly after 11^th September 2001, when the infamous terrorist attack occurred, and the planes crushed into the World Trade Center. The whole nation was still recovering, and the wounds were still fresh, so the cartoon additionally enraged and infuriated already frightened Islamic community that was labeled as terroristic after the attack.

Additionally to that, some details, like the portrait of the driver, only further enhanced the provocative effect. The driver appears to be angry, revengeful, the look of his face suggests that he is willing to accomplish his goal, and that he enjoys in it. Some may interpret him as a personification of Mohammed himself, but according to Marlette’s words, it is not Mohammed, but “generic Arab headless-wearing man”.

Another striking thing about the cartoon is the vehicle that the Arab is driving. The truck is a Ryder rental truck, the one that was used for the previously thwarted, terrorist attack. Analogy is very obvious here, suggesting the readers that the threat does not come from the air only, but that it can come from anywhere. In this way, the cartoon, deliberately, or not, spreads the fear and panic among already frightened non-Arabic Americans.

It is needless to say that the controversial drawing is more than persuasive. Due to its composition, analogy and symbolic, it leaves no one indifferent. The author’s goal was, undoubtely, to shock, and provoke a strong emotional reaction among the readership, which consists of both Islamic and non-Islamic people. The controversis and reactions that this cartoon provokes even today, proves that Marlette achieved his goal.

Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical analysis

            One of the fundamental human rights is the right to profess your own religion. The USA, comprising the wide range of both national and religious diversity, is the ultimate democratic country, the one that accepts all the people regardless of their nationality, religion, or who they believe in. It is a Promised Land, “A Land of Plenty”, where everyone is accepted for whom they are, or at least it is thought so…

However, neither Huntington’s text, nor Markstein’s cartoon deal with the issue of diversity of religion in the USA, on contrary, it deals with the atheism and atheists and their place in the American society.

Both the text and the cartoon are concerned with the arising problem of the Pledge of Allegiance’s text, which caused a number of controversies in the States. The Huntington’s text specifies the issue by stating that although American society practiced the politics of equality and freedom of every kind, for all the citizens, the atheists and unbelievers, opposed to the religious ones, have no right to impose atheism. They are on the margins of the society, “Atheists are outsiders in America, as he says”.

 Further on, Huntington looks back on Michael Newdow’s lawsuit against his daughter’s school district, pointing out that although it was argued as “a message to unbelievers that they are not full members of political community” in the Court of Appeals, it was nonetheless dismissed at the Supreme Court.

Additionally to that, Huntington points out that due to the fact that the Pledge of Allegiance is closely related to identity of the nation, the religion is an important aspect of lives of the Americans. Therefore, although having the right not to recite the pledge, at least not “under God” part, atheists do not have the right to impose atheism to those who defined America as a religious country.

On the other hand, the accent of Gary Markstein’s cartoon is not on the position of the atheists in the American society, but on the younger generations whose believes do not have such a strong foundation.

The cartoon represents a typical classroom in the America, the students, who being visibly unenthusiastic, are reciting the pledge in front of their teacher. Instead of saying “…one nation under God…”, they said “…one nation under nothing in particular…”, to the teacher’s astonishment. The students, who are approximately 6, clearly represent new generation of Americans who is not concerned with the religion, and it is not of a great significance to them. The flag looks almost like a cloth, indicating a lack of patriotism. However, the portrait of a teacher being repelled, almost disguised by what was said, shows us the attitude of a cartoonist towards this issue.

The cartoon can be interpreted as Markstein’s way of expressing his attitude towards the religion, and its omnipresence in American culture and society. Being an atheist, Markstein may be suggesting that times when religion was imposed to every citizen, times when religion was in every pore of the society, came to an end, with the new generation of Americans who will change the current situation.

Finally, to conclude, I would like to add that regardless of who we are: atheists, believers or non-believers, we should all have the right to express or opinions or attitudes towards the religion. The religion itself should not be imposed to those who do not believe in God, nor should they be condemned by others, just as the atheists should not criticize believers, not just in American society, but elsewhere.              

Creative practice

Creative Practice

Early in the morning, as I was rushing, getting late for my classes, when I encountered a man dressed up as a chicken. The bright, yellow color of his costume immediately caught my attention. While passing by me, this huge chicken offered me a flyer, on which it was written “Gomex, popravljamo raspolozenje”. The man didn’t tell me anything, but the costume and the chicken walk immediately draw my attention, and it surely was a very smart move, to advertise discounts of the certain products in the neighborhood. It’s slogan :”Popravljamo raspolozenje” is an interesting persuasive technique, since it suggests that if you shop there, you will be happier due to low prices.

  I was still running late for my classes, so after a while, I turned around the corner, to take a shortcut, and there was, in front of me, a huge billboard advertising a hotel “Stari krovovi”. The poster on the billboard shows an exclusive suite furnished with the stylistic furniture in red, creating the feeling of comfort and luxury at the same time. Additionally to that, the logo of the hotel written in calligraphy is almost royal like and gives an impression of sophistication and can certainly attract people who can afford it, to enjoy its facilities.

The wind was blowing so much, and I was really glad when I entered in SPENS to warm up a little bit. Wherever I turned my head, there were signs of persuasive advertising. During the year, there are held all sorts of sports and cultural events, so naturally, advertisements were everywhere. From words such as SALE!!!, EXTRA VEEELIKI POPUST, that jumped up from shop windows, to posters advertising exclusive concerts of famous singers for 8^th March. But, while I was going out, I saw the advertisement that I had seen myriad times before, and it still, caught my attention every time. The well known bakery “Žeki”, that bakes really tasty rolls, pizzas and many other products, has opened, a few months ago, a restaurant of home cooked meals. The entire outer wall of the bakery was covered with the poster of what looked like a large plate full of pasta and tomato sauce. I go this way at least once every day, and still, every time I look at this poster, I get hungry.

When I finally reached the building of the faculty, both hungry and tired at the same time, and entered inside, Suddenly, I realized that almost every wall and the notice board were smeared with all kinds of advertisements. The most striking ones were those printed in the bright colors, with big letters suggesting you to travel to interesting destinations for a small price, which is what we, as students, need the most. In most of the cases, posters of this kind, depict young people of our age that we can identify with, in front of some famous destination, smiling and having fun. On the top of all, there is usually a big slogan that subtly suggests: „U Prag za 80€!“ In my opinion, this kind of advertising is the most persuasive, at least for the students and my peers. We all yearn to travel and meet different cultures, people, explore the world and enrich our experience in every way, but the economic factor is always the one standing in our way.     

When my lecture was finally over, and I started thinking about the impact of the adds and its constant presence in our everyday life. Wherever we go of look, whether we just walk along the street like I did, or turn on the computer, of even our cell phones, we are bombarded with all kinds of advertisements which can be more or less persuasive. Whether we are annoyed, or pleased by it, we certainly can not remain indifferent.        

Invention procedures

Invention procedures

Definition

Early foreign language learning is:

·         Essential in 21st century

·         Beneficial for employement potential

·         Increasing native language ability

·         Sharping cognitive and life skills

Exemplification

·         The globalization and the impact of mass media as well as avaliability of different information brings different parts of the world even more together, so it is the need for every future global citizen to be competent in other languages.

·         The knoledge of different languages will certainly increase future enployment possibilities for those children

·         Language learning at the early age is improving child’s cognitive skills due to a variety of language skills that improve mental flexibility, creativity, problem solving, and other thinking skills.

·         Some pshychologist, as well as some parents think that learning foreign language can slow down a progress of learning mother tongue in an early age.

Comparison

Which are the benefits of learning foreign language in an early age?

Children	Adults
Possesses unique capacity for language learning which makes acquisition easier	Language is difficult to learn, but are highly motivated
Acquire the second language naturally, with the proficiency in pronunciation	Possess wide knowledge about the grammar, and the vocabulary
Being exposed to the second language(through songs, books...) at home and school is essential	If having hearing or vision problems, adults can not learn second language by listening

Causality

The research shows that learning other languages allows children to use their native language more efficiently and increases their understanding of languages in general. This does not only refer to a specific language skills, but overall linguistic skills, as well.

Effects

 Young language learners enrich their lives by having expanded world view. The language learning helps them also having a greater intercultural appreciation and sensitivity in the future. 

Literacy assingment

Literacy assingment

            I took my First Certificate course test in December 2007, after I spent a year going to the private classes with my group and a few months preparing for this exam. When I started the course, I didn’t take it too seriously, in fact I didn’t take it seriously, at all. After all, I was the one who was the best in English in primary school and the one of the best in the secondary school, I, and the few others were those students who would help others with their homework, we were those who knew the answers to teacher’s questions. Therefore, I was very confident in my knowledge and saw attendance to the course classes and doing homework as sufficient. I certainly didn’t need to prepare and study for the exam! Well, at least I thought so…

            The examination was held in the edifice of BK University, at 9:00, in Novi Sad. The test consisted of several parts: reading, writing and listening, so it would take the whole day to complete it all. I remember waking up that day, at around 6:30 with the strangest feeling in my stomach. I was nervous, anxious and tired, since I hadn’t slept well the previous night. I hardly ate my breakfast, a slice of bread with a plum jam, and was ready to hit the road. It was cold and windy day, and while my friends, who were also taking the course and sitting the exam, and I, were standing outside of building of BK University, I could feel a cold wind go through my bones. Fear and panic were rising with every minute among all of them. I decided not to listen to their bursts of anxiety while they were revising the grammatical rules. After all I was the strongest link there, I didn’t need the revision, I knew everything.

            The exam started at 9 am sharp. I easily got through reading part, multiple choice questions, and the writing as well. Only occasional whisper of my friend, who was sitting next to me, would interrupt a complete silence in the room. She was trying to copy the answers from me, and the guy sitting next to her. She was comparing our answers: “You have completely different answers in the third!” Completely confident, I said to her: “I think mine are good”. She: “Great, just bloody great!”

            In the early afternoon, right after the listening part, which was not difficult, at all, came the speaking, and it shook my confidence a little bit. The fact that we were to speak in front of a native speaker, terrified me, so both my friend, who was my speaking couple, and I haven’t done our best. I was slightly disappointed, but even bigger disappointment was waiting for me when I saw, few weeks later, the results of the exam!

            Big, fat FAILED popped out in front of my eyes next to my name on the computer screen. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I failed FCE exam, the one that everyone says is so easy that even those who speak English poorly can pass it, with no effort. I was devastated. Of course, there is no need to mention that all my other fellow students passed it, even my friend who copied the answers from me, and she was positive that she would fail. I started crying. For the first time in my life, I truly felt like a failure. I let down my parents, the ones that truly believed in me, and I let down myself. Teaching English, reading, and translating were my passions, since 6^th grade in primary school, I wanted to become a teacher, and study English, I took part in competitions there, and won prizes…But I was no longer in the 6^th grade, and I didn’t know what I want any more. I originally started the FCE course to upgrade my knowledge, and prepare myself for the entrance exam on the Department of English language. I was constantly asking myself if that was a sign. “Should I give up, now while I still have time, or should I pursue my dream?”

            After a lot of thinking, I had realized that I could turn this bad experience into something positive. I decided to follow my dream and take the entrance exam in English, the next year. Since I learned my mistake in the hard way, I studied really hard for my entrance exam for a few months. Unlike with FCE exam, this time all the effort paid off. This time, the feelings of fulfillment, joy and happiness overwhelmed me. I was proud of my accomplishment, of the fruit of my hard work. In one brief moment, my confidence and all my dreams, were crushed, but, life had taught me to rise and never give up on anything.      

            That day, when I saw the results and the word FAILED next to my name, I faced the reality. Although this experience was beneficial for my emotional and psychological growth as a person, it was still very painful to see your dreams crushed and see a completely different reality from the one you perceived. It is always very difficult to be objective to yourself, or at least close to it. Back then, it was a complete shock, but today I see it as a wake up call. I had realized that I should pursuit my dream, and work on it harder than ever! And so I did.

       

I truly can not imagine my life without this white, spongy, rectangular thing. I spend my nights and sometimes even days on its soft surface, dreaming and sleeping tightly. I just love my pillow. It moved in with me about a year ago, when my mum saw the commercial on the TV, and ordered it, by phone, the very next moment. Yes, my pillow is a dormeo. At first, I didn’t like it very much. I couldn’t get use to its unusual structure, which caused me a lack of sleep. However, after a while, I started sleeping better and soon fell in love with it. Since then, we are inseparable, and sometimes, after a long day, I can’t wait the night to come, to lay down my head on it.