Can you help me understand this English question?
Discussion prompt
Watch the video Be Curious by Karissa Drye on TedXTalks.
Prompt #1:
Hello Students, it is important to watch the video first and then answer the questions in discussion prompt.
Remember to fully answer each question.
Take care and do your best.
Prompt #2:
Discuss the role of language in cultural and ethnic diversity.
Hello Students, it is important to watch the video first and then answer the questions in the discussion prompt.
Remember to fully answer each question.
What role does language have in our Cultural and Ethnic Diversity? Also, think of what influences our language and how it changes in time.
Thanks,
prompt 1 comment 1
Growing up in a traditional Armenian family, I found myself always wondering why there are certain traditions and celebrations that other cultures do not celebrate, but we do. As I have grown in age, I find myself looking forward to these customs and hopefully one day teaching them to my children. At one point, I wouldn’t really explain these customs or traditions to my friends because I didn’t want to be “different” or “weird”.
My ethnic background/culture is different from others, which is why I have grown curious to other cultures and their customs, and began embracing my own background. What intrigues me the most about my culture would be the history behind it. Some people may not know this, but in 1915 there was a genocide directed towards my race. Although my family wasn’t directly impacted by it, I believe that in many ways, my life could have been different if it never occurred.
What intrigues me behind this awful event would be how my ancestors may have had a different life if that never occurred. My mother’s great grandparents had fled to Syria to start a life for themselves since their old one was ruined, and I cannot help but think what could have been if it never occurred. Which brings me to my family lineage and my curiosity behind it. I am an Armenian female, born and raised in Los Angeles. However, I have family all around the world, some of whom I have never met.
I am curious to see how my bloodline has evolved, and if over the course of the years there have been subtle changes to it, or relatives I have that don’t even know I exist. I am proud of my ethnicity, the language, the food, and the religion. I didn’t fully understand until I went to Armenia and saw the history for myself. I am proud of my country, even though I was not raised in Armenia, I will forever cherish the knowledge and the history I gained from visiting there.
prompt 1 comment 2
Hi, I’m Iris and I’m Korean (both South and North). I grew up in a blended Korean and American culture, so a lot of Korean customs intrigue me because I wasn’t always exposed to them. Some examples of customs that I still practice with my family are: having rice cake soup (tteok guk) on the first day of the new year to bring luck, celebrating an infant’s 100th day of life (baek il), eating seaweed soup (miyeok guk) on birthdays, and bowing out of respect to elders. Another part of my cultural background that intrigues me are superstitions that my family upholds, like not sleeping with a fan on in an enclosed space because it’ll cause death. While I don’t actually believe this, I still make sure to keep a window open and I turn the fan to the wall so it’s not directly pointing at me while I sleep.
My grandfather was from North Korea, which is what I am most curious about in my family lineage. As I’m sure most know, North Korean citizens are not able to travel abroad. My grandfather was able to escape to the South during the war and met my grandmother there. Because of the language barrier, I was unable to learn much from my grandfather, other than he came with his older brother, whom I have never met. I have also never met his side of the family and I imagine that he must have been lonely because of limited family in Korea.
What makes me most proud is the resiliency of both my father and mother’s families when they emigrated to the US. Both their families moved here in the 70s to create a better life and haven’t been back to South Korea since. I imagine that it was a difficult journey, leaving loved ones behind, but knowing that what was ahead would be better.
prompt 2 comment 1
I grew up in a really homogenous city where I was pretty much the same as everyone else so I can’t relate to the struggles that Karissa Drye speaks of in her TedxTalks. I don’t really recall any offensive terms and/or phrases that were considered “acceptable” when I was younger, or maybe I was generally unaware of discriminating terms because I conformed to the norm. But I do know phrases that were used because children don’t know any better and need adult guidance. One that I recall children using (and they still do to this day) is “that’s gay”, when they refer to something they find lame or are uncomfortable with an action of another. When I was a teacher, I would have to educate my students about how using that phrase was offensive. Most children were not aware that it was not a nice things to say so we would discuss other ways to express discomfort. Language is very powerful and while we teach kids to be resilient, words can have a lasting impact. It’s important to teach children that words can be hurtful and to model how to be a good person. I would always tell my students that they should be nice to each other. And while some laughed at me when I would say that, I hope that by me setting an example, it would be a value that they remember. Teaching children different ways to express themselves is always for the better, so I agree that this change (teaching children that they are being insensitive) is also for the better.
Koppelman, K. L. (2017). Understanding human differences: Multicultural education for a diverse America (5th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
prompt 2 comment 2
Language and its use play a major role in cultural and ethnic diversity. I really liked how our book described it. “Confusing or ambiguous language is like a smudge on the lens of a microscope; it prevents us from having a clear understanding of our subject” (Koppelman, 2020). This resonated with me. By labeling groups of people, we make it that much harder to fully understand everyone. Although observing and evaluating the behavior of people is essential to understanding, we have to make an effort to dive deeper by interacting and truly listening to everyone.
When I was younger, terms such as “retard” weren’t as looked down upon as they are today. It was a joke to many kids, and no one saw it as offensive because it didn’t personally affect anyone who used it. It made them feel better to put others down and that was where the big problem was. By creating this label for those who weren’t “the same” as everyone else, no one ever knew these kids personally. A division was made. Because kids started using derogatory terms more frequently without punishment, boundaries were created, and that bullied child’s individuality was taken from them. They were now a part of a group that was looked at in a negative way, all because these boundaries were made by someone who wanted to oppress those who were different than them.
Schools are stricter these days. If a child uses the word “retard” or any other defaming term, action will usually be taken immediately. Of course, every school is different and some words may be taken more seriously than others, but the point is that action is taken to try and erase those dividing lines. In my high school bullying was never an issue and I truly believe that is because we had teachers who taught us that everyone was different, and understanding those differences helped make the world better and brighter. They taught us that we all had something important to contribute to the world. Just like our book states, teachers are some of the most influential people in a person’s life. They lead by example knowing that their students watch them and repeat the behavior and words they are exposed to. By teaching this type of acceptance and giving the opportunity for students to ask questions, we can create a more accepting environment and work towards eliminating derogatory terms that create boundaries.
References:
Koppelman, K. L. (2020). Understanding human differences: multicultural education for a diverse America (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.
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