I’m going to go back and see if I can pull at little more from research early on. I want to highlight why my audience in particular needs help.
I also need to refocus the letter. Instead of focusing on convincing the reader on a program I need to convince them on why my advertisement is the one to kick-start the project. I goal needs to be to get hired to make the ad that will push the program, not develop the program it self
Who is literate? Everyone. Everyone is literature. Each country has a standard language. There’s nothing special about the language that is chosen to represent what that land defines as standard. Groups form dialects that are considered improper because they deviate from the norm. These dialects are often just as sophisticated as the standard language. For this reason, it can be said that everyone is literate within their native dialect.
How is literacy achieved? Fundamental instruction paired with repeated exposure. For the purpose of this proposal, literacies will be defined based on acceptance within the small group outside of the standard. A person becomes literate through basic instruction that is then paired with repeat exposure.
How can literacy be improved? Improvement will only come as the result of fundamental teachings and regular exposure.
A study initially conducted by Hart and Risley (and tested by many since) listed vocabulary as the most important variable in a child’s early academic performance. Vocabulary here is defined as the number of words a child has heard from an adult in sustained conversation. During sustained conversation children get past the immediate and have to use language to communicate experiences, emotions, and thoughts about things other than the now. This type of conversation helps develop the kind of language and associated skills needed for higher level thinking. Hart and Risley also note that on average versus an upper-middle-class child poor children enters school with 30,000 fewer words.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis has been debated by members of the linguistic community since it’s conception; one part that is generally accepted is the idea that language has an effect on our thoughts and behavior.
“We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages-We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way – an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language.” -Whorf (1940:213-14)
I’d like to propose a program that teaches students inside the New York City public school system what I will call the “language of power.” The program will partner The New York Times and CUNY. English and Journalism majors who currently attend a CUNY will host guided sessions that teach students from grades 8-12 (in the NYC public school system) the “language of power.” A session will be comprised of learning exercises, practical application, simulations, and “sustained conversation.” Student instructors will also meet with teachers to talk about how the ideas communicated in each session can be reinforced in the classroom. Each student instructor will be paired with a donor, who will sponsor their research and work in the school. The instructors will be asked to write an article at the conclusion of their course (semester) that is meant to be informative, entertaining, and instructional. Each article will be apart of a series published by The New York Times. The series will bring the program publicity, hopefully resulting in donations. The articles will also highlight the donor’s contribution (serving egos and good hearts). The instructors in addition to possibly receiving college credit will enter their careers with a wealthy connection and a piece published in The New York Times.
Target Audience? The target audience for this advertisement is wealthy people. People with big net worths and big hearts (or the desire to have their name printed in the New York Times). The super-rich brings with them aside from money, a rich network, money, publicity, money, and perspective, and money, all things that help advance the program.
Purpose? The purpose of this program is of is to improve poor students chances at upward mobility. Learning the “language of power” opens students minds up to ideas and possibilities they couldn’t imagine before. Enhancing their understanding of how those in the professional world talk and inherently think allows students to enter rooms they otherwise would not have been granted admittance.
What is it trying to persuade the audience to do? The purpose of this ad is to solicit large donations from rich people; it’s effective because it’s short, plain, and communicates how the reader might benefit.
What publication? I’ve selected the Town and Country. Town and Country is a magazine for people who’s net-worths make you wonder if the decimal is in the right place. In addition to various lifestyle aspects of the wealthy Town and Country is heavily focused on philanthropy; the magazine hosts a philanthropic summit every year. The summit celebrates those who have found themselves with large amounts of wealth and now wish to use some of it to make the world a better place.
“Words” is an episode of an educational podcast series. It features two hosts both of whom help guide the listener through a conversation about the importance of language and how it is related to mental ability. The two host “Robert and Jedd” speak with guests who have experience with or are studied in areas related to this episode theme. The host’s job is to organize and at times short the information provided by the guest. Jedd and Robert accomplish this by dividing each point into segments or sub-segments. This is all done in an effort to answer the question “how important is language.”
The podcast is similar to an advertisement in that it has actual plugs from companies that help finance the show. It also lists the speaker’s qualifications and/or accomplishments to give their words more authority, however just because the speaker is educated does not automatically mean they are correct. This is a common fallacy used in advertisements.
Segment 1:
I believe the experiments or “facts” do a good job in trying to get the listener to understand the importance of language in regards to overall cognition. Alfanso’s story is interesting, it grabs the listener’s attention. The blue wall experiment shows how context and the ability to combine pieces of information allow you to relate things to other things and how that helps a person gain an understanding of the system as a whole. The Shakspere piece although engaging doesn’t offer much.
Segment 2:
Most of Jill Bolte’s story is…a nice story. However, we do gain some insight as to how important language might be when she discusses her struggles to understand sentences and her process of searching for pictures in her mind to make meaning of things that words explain in seconds.
Segment 3:
The Nicaraguan student’s case was used effectively. It is the first time we can see a language being created. The test given to the younger and older Nicaraguan students seem to show how a deeper connection to language and ability to understand and attach symbols to ideas and concepts (especially about thinking) enhances a persons ability to understand the world and problem solve.
Music and sound effects help enhance the listening experience. When describing a child’s brain as a series of “islands” each representative of an idea simple music plays that relax the listener so they can better understand what this might mean. When Jill Bolte discuss what it was like for her to have a stroke, it switches back and forth from her speaking to a ringing tone. The tone helps the listener understand the difference between life with a language and the emptiness and mental clarity that comes without it.
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If my advertisement were a radio/podcast ad, I would advertise it on VICE. Radio. It would begin with…
George Bush Jr.
There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.
Narrator
Truly poetic, this master of the English language would someday rise to become the president of the United States of America.
Cornell West
Nihilism is a natural consequence of a culture (or civilization) ruled and regulated by categories that mask manipulation, mastery, and domination of peoples and nature.
Narrator
We thought this guy was homeless until he opened his mouth.
Narrator’
Wealthy students graduate with an average of 30,000 more words. Not everyone who talks like a president ends up in the White House.
I believe this ad (after being developed more) shines a light on the importance of literacy, especially those who come from humble beginnings.
I did learn that it’s possible we might not have the ability to relate different pieces of information to one another until age six and that Shakspere treated words like sections of code and sentences like algorithms which lead the creation of many phrases used today.
I thought this show was interesting. The most enjoyable parts for me where the discussion about “the silence” that we trade for language. As someone who’s brain is continuously going this silence sounds kind of nice. It would be nice to relieve my mind for an hour a day and just experience the present. But that’s the sacrifice you make to not live in huts made of sticks and dung I guess.
Explicit: DON’T BE DUMB.
Implicit: People assume that those who come from lower class families are less intelligent than those who come from more. This includes those living in poverty. If we can change their perception of themselves it will have a positive effect on their ability and willingness to make an effort to advance. It might also change other people perception of them.
Extended: Education is the key to erasing class lines or at the very least evening the playing field a little bit. Knowledge gives people the confidence and ability to do more for themselves. If people who are under-resourced and feel marginalized get the confidence and motivation to become lifetime learners it will do nothing but good for their communities.
Figure out ways to incorporate original imagery.
Think about different ways to format text.
SHOCK!
Beggar: Create a sense of pity in passers
Politician: Election day just pasted and for an entire month people where trying to hand me flyers before it got on the LIRR. Representatives also came to my door.
Religious Group: The First that come to mind are Jehovah’s witness because everyone has had them come to their door at one point or another.
Subway Performers: There is this band that performs on the R going uptown and the lead singer is really aggressive. He says “the appropriate thing to do after a musical performance is clap” to which I respond “…” I hope everyone makes it minus him.
Manipulation is when your not aware of what your truly being convinced of. The speakers true attentions are not easily identifiable Persuasion is makes the goal of the speaker known and uses tools to effect the listeners reasoning. Both aim to effect judgement but in different ways. Persuasion allows the listen to be aware of the majority of the variables involved in making decisions, it changes the perception of how these maybe viewed.
In the United States language is used to produce ideas that are key in the formation of “individual” opinions. Beliefs are reinforced through constant exposure. The public is conditioned to adopt values that promote class separation; as well as accept the criteria for which each of these separations is based on.
It is my opinion, rigid class divisions exist to benefit the institutions currently in place that allow 1% of the U.S. Population to control the majority (around 65%) of the wealth. Language is used to support the U.S. financial hierarchy, and protect the positions of those already empowered (the wealthiest’s) within it. “Financial Classism” makes upward mobility difficult by separating the rich from everyone else, and then separating everyone else from everyone else.
Noam Chomsky provides some insight as to how and why the systems mentioned above exist.
Economics teaches us that markets are based on informed consumers making informed rational decision. Advertising creates uninformed or misinformed consumers who in turn make irrational decisions. The public relations is a billion dollar industry, predicated on swaying public opinion. PR firms are in charge of running most of today’s political campaigns. They create uninformed voters who in turn make uninformed decisions undermining what is suppose to be the world “best democracy.”
Chomsky points out the PR industry developed in the “freest countries in the world” namely England and the U.S. Business understand it is getting more difficult to control people by force. The next step is control over ideas. He believes government and businesses do this in collision through policies and practices that “inform” people of where they rank and what that identity means for them individually and relation to the other groups. Attacks on education, propaganda marketing, and ideas perpetuated about peoples value and values based on inaccurate superficial indicators, determine their limitations. Thus the poor are exposed to fewer opportunities.
Lack of opportunity and little focus academic enrichment in historically marginalized communities make it difficult for members to envision themselves breaking this cycle (unless it’s through sports or entertainment)
Wealthy students graduate high school with an average of 30,000 more worlds than poor students, the message communicated to them with these 30,000 is one of endless possibility. Unfortunately, it is also one that induces a sense of entitlement and superiority. While interviewing Chomsky student Michael Dranove notes a discussion between him and his father. Dranove points out that wages in the U.S. are much lower compared to other industrialized countries, to which his father who is a professor of health economics at North Western University responded: “it’s not my fault people decide to blow their paycheck on a big screen T.V.”…