Busy, Busy Writers

In response to the only email I could find, an email to The New Republic, I got an automatic response. To sum it up, it said that they would probably not get back to me and my email would be discarded, but thanks for showing an interest in the magazine. That is why I will only be posting my original email in this post:

Dear John McWhorter at The New Republic,

I am a student at Roncalli High School in an AP Language and Composition class. For a blog assignment, we were assigned an op ed writer to analyze the writings of and reflect on them. For a specific blog, we were assigned to read a recent article and state the claim sentence, the concession, three support points to the writer's claim, and a list of examples used by the writer. I also had to state whether I agreed or disagreed with the article's argument. For this assignment, I used your articled named "Which Languages Should Liberal Arts Be About in 2010?" The reason for this email is to ask for related issues to this article that I blogged about. I would love to learn more and hear about issues that relate. I would also like to know what articles you recommend me reading of yours. Thank you for your time, and I love reading your articles and opinions.

Link to the article: http://www.tnr.com/blog/john-mcwhorter/79843/which-languages-should-liberal-arts-be-about-in-2010
Link to my blog: http://paigebippus.blogspot.com/

Thanks,
Paige Bippus

Oh, foreign languages...

In John McWhorter's most recent article, he talks about the importance of languages in universities. His claim is that languages other than French, German, and Italian are more important to the changing world of linguistics and language and that learning the other languages would be more beneficial for the future.

The concession, or counterargument, is:
"Should students be able to take French, German and Italian if they want to? Of course. But should it be expected that any university worth its salt have majors in those languages? I doubt it."

The writer makes three points to support his claim. First, he says that the small European countries are too small to be significant in the growing world. Second, a solid education in other languages besides these three will expose people to the differences in language in culture. The third support he uses is that other languages, such as Chinese, would benefit the future generations more. For support on this example, McWhorter states:

• China and other economies are going to surpass the United States' economy in the future.
• Technologies we create are/will be tested in China.
• China is simply happening. Italy, on the other hand, is not.

I agree with McWhorter's arguement because I believe since the world is changing, so should the standard of language. China and Japan are the centers of technology today. In order for us to keep up and for the world to communicate, we need to be open to other languages. German culture isn't as prominent in America as it used to be, and neither is French. Therefore, adapting to today's culture is a crucial component of cultural awareness and technology.

Hip Hop is Music.

When you turn on a hip hop song, what goes through your head? If nothing goes through your head, then you agree with John McWhorter, as well as most of America.

McWhorter writes about a topic I strongly agree with-- hip hop is music, not politics. While some might think that hip hop has a true, legitimate message, McWhorter argues that there is no message. Hip hop is simply for entertainment. A personal friend of mine tries to argue that Tupac has changed the world. In reality, what has his music potentially done to positively influence the world? I've seen no positive change since his existence. McWhorter fully agrees. He argues:

• Since when has the idea that music, rather than effort, can change things politically?
• Hip hop creates no legislation, only a cool beat one can move to.
• Politics take work. Hip hop is just music.
• It is in the DNA of rap and hip hop to be confrontational (politics, women, social pecking order, authority, etc.). Rap about solutions would not be plausible.

You might be thinking, "Why should I care about this?"

Well, if you turn on the radio today, you're bound to hear the newest and coolest rap or hip hop song. McWhorter acknowledges that music, as well as politics, is constantly changing. However, they aren't changing synchronically. Leaders in the industry of music production search for a new way to relate current events to hip hop. McWhorter stresses the impossibility of relating these two matters. He seeks to let the small population of believers know that rapping to change the world is highly implausible.

As for rhetorical strategies, McWhorter uses architypal language and universal similies. For example, "Rap about solutions...would be about as plausible as opera about physical fitness." The general population knows that an opera about physical fitness would be too exhausting to perform. This successfully juxtaposes the two impossibilities for us to better understand.

Simply put--a confrontational genre of music will not change the world in a positive way. Here's a prime example why you shouldn't intertwine politics and rap:

The first of many...

This man pictured to your left is not only very outspoken, but he is one of the most prestigious colored writers to grace the pages of The New Republic magazine. His name is John McWhorter, and I will be dedicating this entire blog to his writings and reflections.

John McWhorter currently writes for The New Republic. However, his most famous views have been distributed through his books. Some of his most famous include Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America, The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language, and Authentically Black. McWhorter is a senior professor at the Manhattan Institute and a lecturer at Columbia University. He specializes in language change and language contact. Many of his books reflect his studies in linguistics and teachings in these fields. Separate from his academic life, he writes passionately about race and racism.

I wouldn't call John McWhorter prestigious without a reason.
Awards received by McWhorter include the Walker Scholarship from New York University, Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship from Stanford University, Whiting Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities from Stanford University, Hellman Family Faculty Fund from University of California, and the Presidential Fellowship from the University of California.

In his free time, McWhorter enjoys spending time with his family at his home. His interests stay focused on his heritage, culture, and background, as well as universal language.