Milly's Lang and Lit Blog

In the speech “ I have a dream” written by Martin Luther King, metaphors and hyperboles are used to evoke a sense of empathy and support from all Americans. Conveying a message that his dream of racial justice and freedom is for both blacks and whites. Luther compares the massive suffering of the African American community more relatable hardships such as "being bound in chains", "sweltering heat" and "a lonely island of poverty". These metaphors intertwined with hyperboles are far more easy to picture than racial oppression and police brutality.  Furthermore, Luther uses repetition to emphasize on his message of freedom. With every point he tries to make Luther uses  repetition  to  genuinely  impact his audience. Such as " But  one hundred years later , the Negro still is not free.  One hundred years later , the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.  One hundred years l...

A response to the editor of “Twtr? It’s majorly bad!”: I am writing this to express my concern, I am sorry to say I disagree with the arguments made in your article.  Throughout the text you claim that a “generation of children are leaving school without a proper grasp of spelling and grammar because of the impact of so-called textspeak” as well as ‘“the correct use of spelling and grammar is important but there is going to be a whole generation which is not necessarily able to do that”. Your article simply claims that children are unable to spell correctly because of new technologies, this however is not a valid argument. Yes, there is an increase in the use of colloquialisms and abbreviations but this is not a sign that the youth of today’s society is falling down a dark path. The English language has always evolved and will continue to evolve, not accepting that fact will only make it more difficult for everyone. Blaming ‘text speak’ is not a valid argument for the fac...

Michael Jackson; Known as the King of Pop, is the first African-American singer to sell over two-hundred and fifty records. He has had 29 songs hit the top 100 in the US and has become the most loved pop, rock and soul artist of his time. Here at Radio 105 Los Angeles we have had the honor of   having Michael Jackson in the studio being interviews by our very own Alissa Wroth.  They are discussing Michael Jacksons new hit song “Man in the Mirror”. In the song Jackson discusses many social and political issues that are very real in our society today. The song released this 1888 last month has already hit number one. Please welcome to the studio the King of Pop: Michael Jackson.  Allisa Wroth: “Hello Michael, what an honor it is to have you here in the studio, thankyou so much for speaking with us today!” Michael Jackson: “Oh no thank you it is a pleasure” Alissa Wroth: “So we heard your new song, it is quite the hit already.” Michael Jackson: “It’s be...

  In the song “My Block”, Tupac Shakur discusses many social and political dilemmas such as racism, violence and inner city problems.  He starts off his rap with a worrying and desperate tone by stating that, “ My life is stressed, and no rest forever weary”, showing that he is anxious about his life and the community he lives in. The rap is a cry for help as he is trying to advocate for his community. Furthermore, in Tupac’s style of writing it is evident that he is rapping about the issues that he is passionate about as he had experienced those hardships. Tupac goes on the describe the racism that he faced and many now still face today. The problems with African-Americans being far more subject to violence from the authorities because of the prevalent racism in the US. He uses his African American vernacular English to stand by his community while advocating for them. 

I remember arriving in Canada after living my whole life in the Netherlands. It wasn’t unfamiliar as we went there every summer. This time however was different, just six months ago I had turned twelve and the prospect of moving to a different country was quite scary.  It was soon to be a reality.  As a child my parents always talked about moving back to the small town outside of Vancouver where they came from, but I never truly believed it until we packed up our stuff, got on an airplane and stayed. When I moved to Canada I found it very difficult. Since we hadn’t found a proper house yet, we moved into a small two bedroom apartment in the middle of a drug-infested neighbourhood called Langley City. I can’t emphasize enough how much that sucked. Being cramped into a tiny room with my little brother that just fit a bunkbed was difficult enough.  We were just settling in and I had no space to myself.  My parents had enrolled us two kids in a private school and i...

What were your first thoughts when you read the article? Personally, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards both the mother and the daughter.  Reading Amy Tans article, most people would be shocked  of the ridiculous American-view towards non-native English speakers. The discrimination towards people with different backgrounds is very real in the “land of the free”.  For example, in the text Tan states “When I was growing up, my mother’s ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her.” This is a common and standard reaction, as the americanized daughter thought her mother was the equivalent of an uneducated person based solely on how she spoke English.   People assume that the way people speak reflects their intelligence, thus giving the people the right to undermine her thoughts and identity in the world. Most do not understand that this is not a true reflection of these individuals and no matter their limited English, everyone should be treated equally...

 In the article “ How To Pay for a Baby”, Kool A.D uses colloquialism, slang and regional diction to bring the message of how difficult it is to finance a child.   Throughout the text the author explores the topic of having a baby and informs young parents that it is not an easy thing to take on. Colloquilalism is a less than informal way of speaking. Throughout the article it is clear that his background has an affect on his speech. When the author says “I’mma keep it 100 with y’all. This is a use of regional diction as the audience can assume from reading the text that he is American and from the south. Other slang words such as “yaper” are used in order to bring his point across of how much it cost for a baby. His use of strange words and curses are there to keep the reader intrigued with the topic. How to pay for a baby is generally not interesting topic unless you are looking for desperate ways to finance a child, Kool A.D is very smart in using language to intrigue. ...