The Mother Tongue

Cultural Bias, Stereotypes, and discrimination. you may hear these words and think that they don't apply to you. but whether you admit it or not, we all either face them or use them. Think of a certain nationality or race - (Mexican, American, Asian). now think of their personality, how would they act? what would they look like? would they have an accent? If you answered any of these questions, then you have been stereotypical or culturally biased. This is because there is no true way of determining answers to such questions without actually meeting the person. Language has proven to be one of the major attributes of a personality that can cause people to be discriminated against.

"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan is a great example of how language can have an impact on how people may treat you if you travel to a foreign country. the story highlights and brings forth the suffering that Tan's mother had to endure living in the U.S speaking broken English. It was shocking to see the extent of the issues that arise as a result of this. It seems unfair to me that people all over the world - not only in the west - can be insulted, abused, refused essential services such as health care, and treated differently overall as a result of the tongue in which they speak. I tried once to picture any reasons as to why this occurs and kept asking myself questions such as Could they be perceived as less literate or intelligent due to the fact that they can't speak a certain language? Could they be misunderstood due to the language barrier? or does the accent or language in which they speak emphasize the stereotypes that are associated with their race? to me, those reasons didn't make sense and were definitely not significant enough to justify why people treat others in such ways. I also felt that this was not the main reason that caused people to discriminate against different people. then it hit me, the word different is always used when describing foreigners. It has been proven that humans are not the biggest fans of change due to the feeling os loss of control, concerns about competence and loss of face("why people hate change". Harvard Business Review. 2012. 2016). I feel that this is the most significant cause of the abuse towards the foreign population. In fact, the specific name for the hatred of foreigners is called Xenophobia or the unreasonable fear or prejudice against people from different countries (dictionary.com. 2016). However, the main word we should be focusing on here is "Unreasonable". That is the best way of describing such a strange phenomenon. the more i think about it the more i realize that the way this world functions when addressing this topic is wrong and that there is truly no reason for the injustice and prejudice that occurs all over the world. I hope that eventually, people will be able to accept and accommodate different people and live sided by side in a single community.

By the way, be sure to let me know if you or someone you know has had a similar experience, or talk to me about your concerns in general!!!

The Mother Tongue

Cultural Bias, Stereotypes, and discrimination. you may hear these words and think that they don't apply to you. but whether you admit it or not, we all either face them or use them. Think of a certain nationality or race - (Mexican, American, Asian). now think of their personality, how would they act? what would they look like? would they have an accent? If you answered any of these questions, then you have been stereotypical or culturally biased. This is because there is no true way of determining answers to such questions without actually meeting the person. Language has proven to be one of the major attributes of a personality that can cause people to be discriminated against.

"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan is a great example of how language can have an impact on how people may treat you if you travel to a foreign country. the story highlights and brings forth the suffering that Tan's mother had to endure living in the U.S speaking broken English. It was shocking to see the extent of the issues that arise as a result of this. It seems unfair to me that people all over the world - not only in the west - can be insulted, abused, refused essential services such as health care, and treated differently overall as a result of the tongue in which they speak. I tried once to picture any reasons as to why this occurs and kept asking myself questions such as Could they be perceived as less literate or intelligent due to the fact that they can't speak a certain language? Could they be misunderstood due to the language barrier? or does the accent or language in which they speak emphasize the stereotypes that are associated with their race? to me, those reasons didn't make sense and were definitely not significant enough to justify why people treat others in such ways. I also felt that this was not the main reason that caused people to discriminate against different people. then it hit me, the word different is always used when describing foreigners. It has been proven that humans are not the biggest fans of change due to the feeling os loss of control, concerns about competence and loss of face("why people hate change". Harvard Business Review. 2012. 2016). I feel that this is the most significant cause of the abuse towards the foreign population. In fact, the specific name for the hatred of foreigners is called Xenophobia or the unreasonable fear or prejudice against people from different countries (dictionary.com. 2016). However, the main word we should be focusing on here is "Unreasonable". That is the best way of describing such a strange phenomenon. the more i think about it the more i realize that the way this world functions when addressing this topic is wrong and that there is truly no reason for the injustice and prejudice that occurs all over the world. I hope that eventually, people will be able to accept and accommodate different people and live sided by side in a single community.

By the way, be sure to let me know if you or someone you know has ahad a similar experience or talk to me about your concerns in general!!!

The Name That Is 'Omar'

I never really thought much of my name and what it really means to me. I was indifferent to it. I liked it because it was the name my parents had given to me and that it was nice and simple - just 4 letters that were easy to pronounce. But today in English as we talked about identity and how names can possibly have influence over identity I decided to dig deeper into myself and begin to understand one of the essential parts of my master identity. 

The story of my name begins in 579 A.D with the birth of Omar Ibn Al Khattab, a tall physically powerful man renowned for his skills in horse riding, swordsmanship, wrestling, and literacy. Once strongly opposed to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, - he came close to assassinating him - Ibn Al Khattab eventually became one of the closest friends of the Prophet and was the one who inspired the Muslims to practice their religion openly. On the day of his conversion he stood in front of his polytheist tribe and prayed openly and dared anyone to stop him or other Muslims from doing so, his power was so great such that not a single person dared to come closer. He went on to become the second leader or caliph of the Islamic world after the death of the Prophet and came to be known for his kindness, intelligence but most of all his bravery. He led his army all the way to the far reaches of Spain spreading the religion of Islam peacefully. In fact, he ordered his army to leave the natives of the land in peace and allowed them their freedom of religion. Before becoming Caliph, Ibn Al-Khattab was the master architect of the Islamic world and built many cities to form the caliphate. It was no doubt that Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was a great man, listed #52 on the list of the 100 most influential men in history it is impossible to negate his legacy amongst the Arab world. 

Now to find a connection between the name and my personality. Personally, I feel that I have a strong connection between my personality and my name based on some of Omar Ibn Al Khattab's Characteristics and ideas. I believe that I embody some important aspects of his personality such as intelligence and kindness and dedication to culture and religion. 

Cultural Markers

Cultural Markers are certain facets of our society that can indicate some of our cultural norms that may only be understood by that culture. These cultural markers are used extensively in many aspects of our lives such as advertising to target or reach out to a specific group or population of people. One of the best examples of cultural markers is Mcdonalds Ads or - to be more specific - the diversity that can be observed in Mcdonald's Ads depending on the country targeted. Each country responds differently to different things. For example, in China people may respond well to cute animated animals in Mcdonald's advertisements. However, this would receive a completely different response in the west as people like to dissolve the connection between the animals and the meat in the burgers. 

In Egypt, cultural markers play a major role in society: in our jokes, tv shows, advertisements and much more. one of the most important cultural markers has to do with the Holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month of prosperity, forgiveness, generosity and patience in the Muslim world and is a major event in Egypt. Muslims fast from sunrise till sunset showing patience and commitment to God. One of the symbols directly connected to this month and has become a cultural marker in Egypt is the Cannon. Every day in Ramadan as the sun dips below the horizon and gives way to the stars. The great boom of the cannon echoes through the city, ricocheting off of the tall buildings. The firing of the cannon triggers the breaking of the fast and allows people to finally indulge in the lavish feasts that await them. This tradition began during the reign of the Ottoman empire to announce that it was time to break their fast. This was essential at the time as people did not wear watches and there were no clocks hung up in people's homes. Before cannons were available people would use the shade cast off of a stick to determine the time but this causes some variation between when people were breaking their fast, so the cannon was a way to unify the people and have one specific time to break the fast. 

This cultural marker can be misunderstood or misinterpreted by other cultures in many ways due to the true nature of a cannon. Our belief is contrary to popular belief that the cannon is a symbol of power, destruction, war, and intimidation. Instead, it represents Ramadan - a holy time - and prosperity, generosity and an end to a struggle. This, however, is what makes this cultural marker specific and unique to my culture. The use of this symbol is seen in various forms of pop culture, media and advertisements so the understanding of this symbol will allow for you to become involved socially with the culture and recognize that the firing of the canon signals a specific event. 

I would be interested to hear some of your cultural markers so don't forget to comment below!!!

Intro to The Blog

Language and Literature, aren't they the same thing? the answer is simply no.... but then again it's not that simple. This blog will hopefully clear this up in addition to critically analyzing, investigating, and help in understanding the inner workings and complexities involved with the use of language and literature not only in Shakespearean and classical texts but also in our everyday life. But before I continue I find that I should seize this opportunity to talk a bit about myself. My name is Omar Ismail and I'm a student studying in the United Arab Emirates. I moved here from Egypt - my home country - at the age of 3 and have been here ever since. My main interests include cooking, tennis, swimming, applied arts and being with friends and family. I have always had big dreams - most proving to be overwhelming - although the ones that I achieved never ceased to provide me with the feeling of satisfaction, this is why I never gave up on the concept of dreaming big. The main goal I wish to accomplish in the future is to become a product designer and eventually open a large scale business that can have a lasting impact on the world. Like I said sometimes my ideas become slightly ridiculous. At this point you may be thinking that this is all great, but what does any of this have to do with the blog? and I can assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with it. Well, that may be a bit of a lie, I believe that to begin to understand the way an author writes the reader must first become acquainted with their style of writing and some basic information that can make the conversation slightly more personal.

So let's continue with our little talk about language and literature. Language has always played a major role in my life, I use it every day to communicate, learn, collect information and also to be entertained. Ever since I was a young boy I was fascinated with fictional books and would spend hours upon hours absorbing pages and pages of stories and adventures. I would find myself delving into the depths of books such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. However, books are not the only example of Language in entertainment; movies, tv shows and film are also perfect examples. Think of a time you had to watch a movie in a language you couldn't understand with no subtitles; almost all the fun of the movie is lost, you feel miserable, and become a confused and unhappy soul. Also, many forms of persuasive language are also utilized in commercials and advertisements everywhere we look. Communication would also be close to impossible without language. An example of this can be observed when two people that speak different languages try and interact, the communication is no more than a frantic exchange of misunderstood words and waving of hands. So I think it is safe to say that Language serves a major purpose in our lives. 
So now that I have talked a little bit, i want to hear from you, yes you, what role does language have in your life?. Why do you think its important to study language? and finally, have you ever felt excluded due to language barriers. Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks.