Hi class:
I turned in grades on June 29th. If you have any concerns, let me know before July 29, as that is the day when I return to America.
You can always reach me at SMDA@aol.com or on Facebook. If I can help you in any way, let me know. I will occasionally post things on this site, things related to second language acquisition or simply things that interest me. Good luck to all of you.
Sean
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Topics
Here are some writings on some of the topics. You can read for practice. The italicized section is a set of questions or an assignment. You can complete the assignment or answer the question for you final exam paper. (Just choose one and write for 1.5-2 pages.) Remember this is just one option for the Final.
Who Am I? Identity and vocation
I identify myself in part as a teacher and as an intellectual (someone who thinks about things). A common cliche is that teaching is a "calling," not a profession--that is, one is born to teach; it's not just a job. It's difficult to identify yourself with a profession now, though, so although I identify myself as a teacher, it's hard for me to identify myself as a teacher at a certain place because of how difficult it is to settle down into a permanent job. (I was proud to be a teacher at this University, but my time here is almost over.) This isn't just a problem for teachers: it seems adults need to change jobs much more frequently now than in the past.
How do we identify ourselves with our vocation when it is more difficult to identify ourselves with our specific job?
Food My relationship to fast food and Taiwanese food.
The food here is very good. I don't eat at expensive restaurants, though. In part because I only eat at simple restaurants, I find myself missing some of the Chinese food and Taiwanese food restaurants in America. It's funny that I seem to prefer a simulation ("fake" ethnic food in America) of local food to the actual local food of where I live. I try now to eat things not readily available in the U.S., so I can miss it when I leave Taiwan.
I'm going to look at another topic as well: fast food and "taste" in food. I have read that childhood is the time when we develop our palette: the food we get used to then becomes our sense of what tastes good. The drawback is that, now that many children are raised on fast food, we identify fast food with good food, and our eating habits become worse while at the same time we lose our ability to enjoy more sophisticated food. I'm not sure I agree, though, because it wasn't until I was an adult that I started to enjoy many different types of food. I still like fast food, though, food I ate all the time in childhood.
Do you see taste in food getting more simple? Too simple?
Eating Habits My fear of eating and my daring
Like a lot of people, I have a love-hate relationship to food. I am often afraid to eat for fear of getting (more) fat. I'm especially afraid of getting fat again since I have lost a lot of weight in the last two years. I am quite daring, though, especially at eating spicy food. I think restaurants understand that a lot of people are daring when it comes to spicy food, for it seems that spicy food in restaurants isn't often spicy. I will eat the spiciest serving at some restaurants and not be bothered at all. Some restaurants do not cater to the stupidly daring customers, however: I will sometimes get food that is extremely spicy, and I pay for it.
What are some common fears about food? What sort of weird games do people play with food (trying spicy or unusual foods, etc.)
Remorse and Regret
Recently on CNN I saw an interview in English with Edison Chen, the Hong Kong celebrity involved in the photograph scandal. His apology and his sense of remorse seemed very self-serving. He says he has not talked to any of the women whose lives he hurt. I wonder how sorry he really is if he won't take the difficult step of trying to talk to them. (It will certainly not be a pleasant coversation.) Cecilial Cheung said that he is a liar: he is not trying to help the women, only himself. It seems true.
self-serving=behaving in a way that benefits you. This often applies to things that seem to be directed toward other people, like apologies, volunteer work, etc.
Why is real remorse so painful? How do we try to "get out of" apologies? Why are we fascinated with famous people and their public expressions of remorse?
Class
My class position is interesting because I am considered high class because of my education. However, my class is rather low in terms of money.
Our last movie, Yi Yi, seems entirely about middle class life. It has a lot to say about growing up, growing old, and how to face life's challenges, but all of the characters and all of the situations seem entirely "middle class" problems. (Maybe this isn't fair, though, because feelings like desire, passion, murderous rage, are all human feelings.)
How is class a complicated issue? Are some movies, etc., too class-bound (about one class) and/or not interested enough in how class affects our lives?
Humor and Jokes
I've always laughed at obnoxious and vulgar jokes. There's often a lot of clever use of wordplay, etc., in vulgar humor. My big problem with jokes, though, is that I laugh at inappropriately offensive jokes--not because they're funny, but because I can't believe that people are so full of hate and invested in stereotypes that someone would make such a joke. I'm laughing at the racism or hatred in the joke, but someone might think I'm laughing because I agree with the joke's hate.
Are jokes a good source for understanding language? Why is vulgarity so interesting? What do offensive jokes tell us about ourselves and our culture?
Health
When I became more focused about staying fit, I started to develop some bad habits. First, I started exercising too much. At times last year I went to the gym three times per day. Second, I stopped getting enough "fun" exercise, like basketball, and focused probably too much on weights and other workout methods. Third, I became obnoxious. It's hard to become interested in something without becoming an annoying person. You start telling people that they are doing something wrong, you talk about a subject with friends who don't care about the same subject, etc. You get so excited that you try to force your excitment on others.
What "positive" phenomena can we become addicted to (exercise, studying, etc.)? What are the drawbacks?
Cultural Metaphors and Cliches
I recall a book I read some time ago. It's central idea was to explore the "logic" of a metaphor by American poet Wallace Stevens: "Death is the mother of beauty." Why 'mother' and not 'father'? There's a good, complex explanation.
Write about a particularly intriguing metaphor without repeating your Paper 5 topic. For example, what does the metaphor "X is the mother of Y" do differently from "X is the father of Y". You could also look at some metaphors in art.
Trauma
People take others' trauma and use it for themselves. It's common to see people who take, say, the suffering that their grandparents faced and act as if they were the ones who suffered. It's good to have a sense of historical memory, but don't we sometimes go too far in our passion for the past and really "steal" the trauma of others? My fear is that it will affect how we see the world today. Certainly we don't want a world where traumas of the past will occur again, but we also want to understand how the world has changed, and how the manifesting of traumatic events also has changed.
What are some examples of people wrongly appropriating the trauma of others?
Stress and Frustration
Stress is bad and I don't want to write about it. :-) I do agree with the Blues music tradition in America, though: we can sing of the things that stress us as a way of making the stress go away.
Belonging and "Fitting In"
I have a sense that I belong here, but it's hard not to feel like an outsider. The main reason I fail to "fit in" is because I don't have the time or work ethic to improve my Mandarin: I work in English for a good part of the day, and I'm tired from my other responsibilities. I also feel that, in some situations, I am only allowed to 'fit in' in a certain way: there's a place prepared for foreigners here. But I really can't understand the complexity of the social system or the ways in which we can fit in until I have stronger skills in the languages spoken here.
Describe some phenomena related to the difficulties of 'fitting in,' or tell a personal story that you haven't already told related to the topic.
Technology and Evolution
In a lot of our presentations about technology, students talked about how technological developments have made things more "convenient." I wonder about the problems related to thinking too much in terms of convenience. Are there things that shouldn't be convenient? Do we develop bad habits because of our preferences for convenient things? Should we identify technology always as an 'advance' instead of a 'change'?
Write about a technological development and discuss it in terms other than "convenience." Or, talk about some of the problems about being too obsessed with (or "hung up on") convenience.
Who Am I? Identity and vocation
I identify myself in part as a teacher and as an intellectual (someone who thinks about things). A common cliche is that teaching is a "calling," not a profession--that is, one is born to teach; it's not just a job. It's difficult to identify yourself with a profession now, though, so although I identify myself as a teacher, it's hard for me to identify myself as a teacher at a certain place because of how difficult it is to settle down into a permanent job. (I was proud to be a teacher at this University, but my time here is almost over.) This isn't just a problem for teachers: it seems adults need to change jobs much more frequently now than in the past.
How do we identify ourselves with our vocation when it is more difficult to identify ourselves with our specific job?
Food My relationship to fast food and Taiwanese food.
The food here is very good. I don't eat at expensive restaurants, though. In part because I only eat at simple restaurants, I find myself missing some of the Chinese food and Taiwanese food restaurants in America. It's funny that I seem to prefer a simulation ("fake" ethnic food in America) of local food to the actual local food of where I live. I try now to eat things not readily available in the U.S., so I can miss it when I leave Taiwan.
I'm going to look at another topic as well: fast food and "taste" in food. I have read that childhood is the time when we develop our palette: the food we get used to then becomes our sense of what tastes good. The drawback is that, now that many children are raised on fast food, we identify fast food with good food, and our eating habits become worse while at the same time we lose our ability to enjoy more sophisticated food. I'm not sure I agree, though, because it wasn't until I was an adult that I started to enjoy many different types of food. I still like fast food, though, food I ate all the time in childhood.
Do you see taste in food getting more simple? Too simple?
Eating Habits My fear of eating and my daring
Like a lot of people, I have a love-hate relationship to food. I am often afraid to eat for fear of getting (more) fat. I'm especially afraid of getting fat again since I have lost a lot of weight in the last two years. I am quite daring, though, especially at eating spicy food. I think restaurants understand that a lot of people are daring when it comes to spicy food, for it seems that spicy food in restaurants isn't often spicy. I will eat the spiciest serving at some restaurants and not be bothered at all. Some restaurants do not cater to the stupidly daring customers, however: I will sometimes get food that is extremely spicy, and I pay for it.
What are some common fears about food? What sort of weird games do people play with food (trying spicy or unusual foods, etc.)
Remorse and Regret
Recently on CNN I saw an interview in English with Edison Chen, the Hong Kong celebrity involved in the photograph scandal. His apology and his sense of remorse seemed very self-serving. He says he has not talked to any of the women whose lives he hurt. I wonder how sorry he really is if he won't take the difficult step of trying to talk to them. (It will certainly not be a pleasant coversation.) Cecilial Cheung said that he is a liar: he is not trying to help the women, only himself. It seems true.
self-serving=behaving in a way that benefits you. This often applies to things that seem to be directed toward other people, like apologies, volunteer work, etc.
Why is real remorse so painful? How do we try to "get out of" apologies? Why are we fascinated with famous people and their public expressions of remorse?
Class
My class position is interesting because I am considered high class because of my education. However, my class is rather low in terms of money.
Our last movie, Yi Yi, seems entirely about middle class life. It has a lot to say about growing up, growing old, and how to face life's challenges, but all of the characters and all of the situations seem entirely "middle class" problems. (Maybe this isn't fair, though, because feelings like desire, passion, murderous rage, are all human feelings.)
How is class a complicated issue? Are some movies, etc., too class-bound (about one class) and/or not interested enough in how class affects our lives?
Humor and Jokes
I've always laughed at obnoxious and vulgar jokes. There's often a lot of clever use of wordplay, etc., in vulgar humor. My big problem with jokes, though, is that I laugh at inappropriately offensive jokes--not because they're funny, but because I can't believe that people are so full of hate and invested in stereotypes that someone would make such a joke. I'm laughing at the racism or hatred in the joke, but someone might think I'm laughing because I agree with the joke's hate.
Are jokes a good source for understanding language? Why is vulgarity so interesting? What do offensive jokes tell us about ourselves and our culture?
Health
When I became more focused about staying fit, I started to develop some bad habits. First, I started exercising too much. At times last year I went to the gym three times per day. Second, I stopped getting enough "fun" exercise, like basketball, and focused probably too much on weights and other workout methods. Third, I became obnoxious. It's hard to become interested in something without becoming an annoying person. You start telling people that they are doing something wrong, you talk about a subject with friends who don't care about the same subject, etc. You get so excited that you try to force your excitment on others.
What "positive" phenomena can we become addicted to (exercise, studying, etc.)? What are the drawbacks?
Cultural Metaphors and Cliches
I recall a book I read some time ago. It's central idea was to explore the "logic" of a metaphor by American poet Wallace Stevens: "Death is the mother of beauty." Why 'mother' and not 'father'? There's a good, complex explanation.
Write about a particularly intriguing metaphor without repeating your Paper 5 topic. For example, what does the metaphor "X is the mother of Y" do differently from "X is the father of Y". You could also look at some metaphors in art.
Trauma
People take others' trauma and use it for themselves. It's common to see people who take, say, the suffering that their grandparents faced and act as if they were the ones who suffered. It's good to have a sense of historical memory, but don't we sometimes go too far in our passion for the past and really "steal" the trauma of others? My fear is that it will affect how we see the world today. Certainly we don't want a world where traumas of the past will occur again, but we also want to understand how the world has changed, and how the manifesting of traumatic events also has changed.
What are some examples of people wrongly appropriating the trauma of others?
Stress and Frustration
Stress is bad and I don't want to write about it. :-) I do agree with the Blues music tradition in America, though: we can sing of the things that stress us as a way of making the stress go away.
Belonging and "Fitting In"
I have a sense that I belong here, but it's hard not to feel like an outsider. The main reason I fail to "fit in" is because I don't have the time or work ethic to improve my Mandarin: I work in English for a good part of the day, and I'm tired from my other responsibilities. I also feel that, in some situations, I am only allowed to 'fit in' in a certain way: there's a place prepared for foreigners here. But I really can't understand the complexity of the social system or the ways in which we can fit in until I have stronger skills in the languages spoken here.
Describe some phenomena related to the difficulties of 'fitting in,' or tell a personal story that you haven't already told related to the topic.
Technology and Evolution
In a lot of our presentations about technology, students talked about how technological developments have made things more "convenient." I wonder about the problems related to thinking too much in terms of convenience. Are there things that shouldn't be convenient? Do we develop bad habits because of our preferences for convenient things? Should we identify technology always as an 'advance' instead of a 'change'?
Write about a technological development and discuss it in terms other than "convenience." Or, talk about some of the problems about being too obsessed with (or "hung up on") convenience.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
More English Rhetoric
More repetition examples
End a clause with one noun, begin the next clause with the same now.
"Work requires effort, effort requires energy, energy requires ample rest."
Climax
Make a list in order of importance.
"A woman should love her country, her family, and her God."
Repetition in Reverse Grammatical Order
This is a common trick to describe ideas in a way that helps people remember.
"A person should eat to live, not live to eat." <--We use the same words because people remember the idea better.
Compare: "Eat food that keeps you healthy. Food shouldn't be an important part of your life because you will start to enjoy a lot of unhealthy food, and consequently you will be unhealthy." It's harder either to understand or remember the idea.
Chiasmus
Reverse grammatical order, but do not repeat words.
"It's hard to save money, but to spend it is easy."
"By day hard work; fun at nighttime."
Rhetorical Question
Asking the reader a question is an effective way to state a problem. Don't ask too many questions, though.
"It behooves us to ask, Is college education properly designed for the needs of today's students?"
(Some people will use a comma, then capitalize the question; others will use a colon.)
End a clause with one noun, begin the next clause with the same now.
"Work requires effort, effort requires energy, energy requires ample rest."
Climax
Make a list in order of importance.
"A woman should love her country, her family, and her God."
Repetition in Reverse Grammatical Order
This is a common trick to describe ideas in a way that helps people remember.
"A person should eat to live, not live to eat." <--We use the same words because people remember the idea better.
Compare: "Eat food that keeps you healthy. Food shouldn't be an important part of your life because you will start to enjoy a lot of unhealthy food, and consequently you will be unhealthy." It's harder either to understand or remember the idea.
Chiasmus
Reverse grammatical order, but do not repeat words.
"It's hard to save money, but to spend it is easy."
"By day hard work; fun at nighttime."
Rhetorical Question
Asking the reader a question is an effective way to state a problem. Don't ask too many questions, though.
"It behooves us to ask, Is college education properly designed for the needs of today's students?"
(Some people will use a comma, then capitalize the question; others will use a colon.)
"The Exception that Proves the Rule"
This is a concept that explains things that might disprove someone's theory or observation. For example, a person might say, "Only skinny women can be popular in Asian culture." If someone mentions 沈殿霞, the person might respond, "Oh, she's the exception that proves the rule." (In other words, she is so unusual that, although she breaks the rule, she shows how accurate the rule seems to be. This case also explains the idea of "tokenism".)
Another example: "Only soccer players, baseball players, or basketball players can be famous all over the world." "What about Tiger Woods, the golfer?" "He is the exception that proves the rule."
Is this a useful idea? Explain how it works. Give some examples in addition to the examples that I provided.
Another example: "Only soccer players, baseball players, or basketball players can be famous all over the world." "What about Tiger Woods, the golfer?" "He is the exception that proves the rule."
Is this a useful idea? Explain how it works. Give some examples in addition to the examples that I provided.
Hypocrisy
I have an interesting story related to hypocrisy. When I taught a remedial English class in America, I loaned a movie to one of my students. The movie starred Shu Qi (舒淇) as one of the actresses. Another student, a female ABC from a Hong Kong family, saw the movie and loudly said, "Did you know she used to be a porn star!?" I said that I did, but she has moved into mainstream movies and sometimes is a good actress (although she usually makes bad movies). I also thought it was interesting that she was able to become a successful actress in a culture that's often unforgiving of women who are involved in any kind of sex scandal, etc. (e.g. the women involved in the Edison Chen [陳冠希] photo scandal).
While Shu Qi hasn't exactly helped the cause of women entertainers (because a lot of women have to use their bodies to become famous, and because many cultures are youth-obsessed to the point that an older woman can find it hard to be a successful entertainer), she was able to become successful after some embarrassing early work. Why should we continue to judge her for the past, and why should we care about her early work? No one forces us to look at it.
A year or so later I did what most bored Americans do: I went on Facebook and started to look up friends and former students I hadn't seen in a long time. I happened to check for my Shu Qi-hating student. I found her, and I saw that she posted a photo shoot that she participated in. They were common pictures one might take for fun or if a woman wanted to start a modeling career. They were provocative but not explicit, the type of picture of "spicy women" we often see in advertising. I found it very strange that this student was so judgmental of Shu Qi, yet she also would pose for pictures in a way that, like in Shu Qi's early work, are taken for people to admire the person's body. My student was proud of these pictures enough to put them online, so why did she care so much about an actress who did something similar (but much more extreme) in the past? It seemed like a type of hypocrisy.
I can think also of the many times I've criticized someone, only to find later that I was behaving in the same way. I'm most guilty of criticizing things like macho nonsense, then finding myself acting macho inappropriately. I'm also shy in many social situations, but I'll criticize someone for being too shy.
Is this a common problem? Do we often strongly judge famous people but don't think about what's important to us--how we should judge our selves and how we should judge other people?
While Shu Qi hasn't exactly helped the cause of women entertainers (because a lot of women have to use their bodies to become famous, and because many cultures are youth-obsessed to the point that an older woman can find it hard to be a successful entertainer), she was able to become successful after some embarrassing early work. Why should we continue to judge her for the past, and why should we care about her early work? No one forces us to look at it.
A year or so later I did what most bored Americans do: I went on Facebook and started to look up friends and former students I hadn't seen in a long time. I happened to check for my Shu Qi-hating student. I found her, and I saw that she posted a photo shoot that she participated in. They were common pictures one might take for fun or if a woman wanted to start a modeling career. They were provocative but not explicit, the type of picture of "spicy women" we often see in advertising. I found it very strange that this student was so judgmental of Shu Qi, yet she also would pose for pictures in a way that, like in Shu Qi's early work, are taken for people to admire the person's body. My student was proud of these pictures enough to put them online, so why did she care so much about an actress who did something similar (but much more extreme) in the past? It seemed like a type of hypocrisy.
I can think also of the many times I've criticized someone, only to find later that I was behaving in the same way. I'm most guilty of criticizing things like macho nonsense, then finding myself acting macho inappropriately. I'm also shy in many social situations, but I'll criticize someone for being too shy.
Is this a common problem? Do we often strongly judge famous people but don't think about what's important to us--how we should judge our selves and how we should judge other people?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Using Music in Movies: An Example from Yi Yi
When Ting-Ting plays the piano for her grandmother, she plays a George Gershwin composition called "Summertime." This is a well-known song written for a musical called Porgy and Bess. Porgy and Bess is about a group of African-Americans in South Carolina. The musical is infamous because it is written by a white composer in what the composer thinks is black English. Although some find Gershwin's compositions patronizing or ridiculous, many of the pieces--especially "Summertime"--were performed and recorded by African-American musicians.
Here are the lyrics:
Summertime, And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby Don't you cry
One of these mornings You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky
But till that morning There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime, And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
Given the lyrics, you might find the use of this song in the movie to be ironic. First, it's not the Summertime. Second, while the song plays, we see both some regular behavior--Yang-Yang doing his homework, etc.--and some behavior that shows that, beneath the ordinary boring life, there is a lot of conflict (Lili fighting with her boyfriend, Min-Min [the mom] upset about her mother and about Yang-Yang not talking to her, etc.) The lyrics are ironic in the musical in which it appears as well, for the plot is about the difficulties in life: a disabled man tries to rescue a woman from an abusive relationship. The lyrics are a bit odd because, although they say that the person being sung to "can't be harmed," there's also a sense of deferred freedom: the subject still hasn't "spread wings" to "fly" (i.e. "be free"). In a lot of ways Yi Yi is about people who live safe, normal lives but, for many reasons, cannot be free: NJ and his wife have long, unfulfilling jobs, Ting-Ting is overcome by guilt because she thinks she caused her grandmother's stroke, Ah-Di can never overcome his money problems, etc.
Think about some of the other songs you hear in this movie and other movies (for example, the Japanese video game designer playing a popular Japanese song, then playing "Moonlight Sonata," at a piano bar). How does music help make a movie more interesting and complicated?
It's common to use songs to teach language skills. You'll notice that I haven't done this. I have a few concerns (e.g. a lot of popular songs don't make sense; I might choose a song more to "look cool" than to help teach language skills; the lyrics are less important than the music accompaniment). If you'd like to write about some songs for your Final Exam paper, that's fine, as long as the paper is 1.5-2 pages long and sophisticated. You can write about the use of music in movies, analyze some English songs or songs in another language, or you can look at some adaptations of songs into other languages and see how changing the lyrics and the language of the lyrics affects the song, an interesting concept given that it seems melody and rhythm are more important than lyrical content.
(It would be very interesting to look at the use of American music in Taiwanese films. Edward Yang, the director of Yi Yi, once said that American music is very powerful in other countries because it "sounds like rebellion," a feeling that is very new to people, especially young people, in non-American cultures. Yang was thinking especially about the effect of American rock music on 1960s Taiwanese youth.)
Here's a performance of "Summertime" by the jazz singer Ellas Fitzgerald. Notice how, although the lyrics seem to have a carefree message, the song is sung as a lament, an expression of sadness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j6avX7ebkM
Here are the lyrics:
Summertime, And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby Don't you cry
One of these mornings You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky
But till that morning There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime, And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
Given the lyrics, you might find the use of this song in the movie to be ironic. First, it's not the Summertime. Second, while the song plays, we see both some regular behavior--Yang-Yang doing his homework, etc.--and some behavior that shows that, beneath the ordinary boring life, there is a lot of conflict (Lili fighting with her boyfriend, Min-Min [the mom] upset about her mother and about Yang-Yang not talking to her, etc.) The lyrics are ironic in the musical in which it appears as well, for the plot is about the difficulties in life: a disabled man tries to rescue a woman from an abusive relationship. The lyrics are a bit odd because, although they say that the person being sung to "can't be harmed," there's also a sense of deferred freedom: the subject still hasn't "spread wings" to "fly" (i.e. "be free"). In a lot of ways Yi Yi is about people who live safe, normal lives but, for many reasons, cannot be free: NJ and his wife have long, unfulfilling jobs, Ting-Ting is overcome by guilt because she thinks she caused her grandmother's stroke, Ah-Di can never overcome his money problems, etc.
Think about some of the other songs you hear in this movie and other movies (for example, the Japanese video game designer playing a popular Japanese song, then playing "Moonlight Sonata," at a piano bar). How does music help make a movie more interesting and complicated?
It's common to use songs to teach language skills. You'll notice that I haven't done this. I have a few concerns (e.g. a lot of popular songs don't make sense; I might choose a song more to "look cool" than to help teach language skills; the lyrics are less important than the music accompaniment). If you'd like to write about some songs for your Final Exam paper, that's fine, as long as the paper is 1.5-2 pages long and sophisticated. You can write about the use of music in movies, analyze some English songs or songs in another language, or you can look at some adaptations of songs into other languages and see how changing the lyrics and the language of the lyrics affects the song, an interesting concept given that it seems melody and rhythm are more important than lyrical content.
(It would be very interesting to look at the use of American music in Taiwanese films. Edward Yang, the director of Yi Yi, once said that American music is very powerful in other countries because it "sounds like rebellion," a feeling that is very new to people, especially young people, in non-American cultures. Yang was thinking especially about the effect of American rock music on 1960s Taiwanese youth.)
Here's a performance of "Summertime" by the jazz singer Ellas Fitzgerald. Notice how, although the lyrics seem to have a carefree message, the song is sung as a lament, an expression of sadness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j6avX7ebkM
Thursday, June 4, 2009
More English Rhetoric
Antithesis: This is the use of opposite ideas in parallel structure. It makes your description more interesting. You see antithesis in the dependent clause + independent clause structure "Although...,Independent clause." "Although he is handsome, he has never had a girlfriend."
Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations starts with a famous set of antitheses, the first of which is, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." (That line was parodied in The Simpsons episode we watched this week.)
Repetition for Effect
You can end several clauses with the same word for effect.
"No peace without independence. No freedom without independence. No justice without independence."
You can also repeat a word within a single clause for effect. (Often this uses homophones, words that spell and sound the same but have different meanings.)
"In computer science, one rule of coding is, 'Garbage in, garbage out.'"
"The light in the world will help us find the light in our hearts."
"We are so in love with things that we become possessed by our possessions."
Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations starts with a famous set of antitheses, the first of which is, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." (That line was parodied in The Simpsons episode we watched this week.)
Repetition for Effect
You can end several clauses with the same word for effect.
"No peace without independence. No freedom without independence. No justice without independence."
You can also repeat a word within a single clause for effect. (Often this uses homophones, words that spell and sound the same but have different meanings.)
"In computer science, one rule of coding is, 'Garbage in, garbage out.'"
"The light in the world will help us find the light in our hearts."
"We are so in love with things that we become possessed by our possessions."
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
English Style 1: Parallelism
"Parallelism" is both a grammatical term and a stylistic one.
Consider: "His wit will make you smile; his cruelty will make you cringe." <--This is a parallel expression because the sentence uses parallel descriptions of facial expressions, for "smiling" and "cringing" are opposites.
Descriptions in a list use parallel form: "There is a way he walks, a way he speaks, that attracts others to him."
--use equivalent things to express ideas
"All of his tests were either frustratingly easy or exhaustingly difficult." <--I'm not sure that this is a good sentence, but you see how the parallelism works: both descriptions use an adverb and an adjective.
Ideas do not have to connect as directly as above to be expressed in parallel form.
Neil Armstrong's moon walk quote: "It's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." (i.e. I have done a small thing, but it has large significance).
More examples:
There were many couples at the Beitou Station McDonald's. Some were lovers, and some were spouses. Some were newlyweds, and some had been together for a long time. Some were flashy in their affection toward one another, and some were quietly happy with each other's company.
[Here you'll note that the second sentence sounds odd because it isn't parallel like the first and third sentence. You might also find the third sentence too wordy.]
The nightmarkets are visited by the rich and the poor, the local and the tourist, the quiet and the gregarious.
Consider: "His wit will make you smile; his cruelty will make you cringe." <--This is a parallel expression because the sentence uses parallel descriptions of facial expressions, for "smiling" and "cringing" are opposites.
Descriptions in a list use parallel form: "There is a way he walks, a way he speaks, that attracts others to him."
--use equivalent things to express ideas
"All of his tests were either frustratingly easy or exhaustingly difficult." <--I'm not sure that this is a good sentence, but you see how the parallelism works: both descriptions use an adverb and an adjective.
Ideas do not have to connect as directly as above to be expressed in parallel form.
Neil Armstrong's moon walk quote: "It's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." (i.e. I have done a small thing, but it has large significance).
More examples:
There were many couples at the Beitou Station McDonald's. Some were lovers, and some were spouses. Some were newlyweds, and some had been together for a long time. Some were flashy in their affection toward one another, and some were quietly happy with each other's company.
[Here you'll note that the second sentence sounds odd because it isn't parallel like the first and third sentence. You might also find the third sentence too wordy.]
The nightmarkets are visited by the rich and the poor, the local and the tourist, the quiet and the gregarious.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Common Argument Mistakes
These mistakes are called "logical fallacies." Often a person will make an argument that is, in fact, not an argument an all. These fallacies help to identify these fake arguments.
1. Post hoc ergo propter hoc ("after this, therefore because of this"): In this logical fallacy, you assume that a later event was caused by a prior event. You have to prove that the two events are connected; you can't just say that they are. "I started to lose weight after I began to eat all of my meals at 7-11. Therefore, 7-11 food makes you lose weight." <--This is perhaps true, but what if you started running five miles a day the same day that you start to eat at 7-11.
2. Begging the question: Question begging is an assertion disguised as an argument. If I say, "Abortion is wrong because it is murder," you are begging the question because there is no argument. You have a prove that abortion is killing someone; this sounds like an argument, but you are simply stating, instead of proving, the key idea (in this case, murder). The statement simply means, "Abortion is wrong because it is wrong."
3. False dichotomy: If an argument assumes that only A or B can be the correct answer, but it's possibile that C or D is also a correct answer, you are creating a false dichotomy. (Another problem could be that both A and B can be correct at the same time.) For example, regarding the condition of Taiwanese sovereignty, if a person says, "Taiwan can only be a country or a province," one might say this is a false dichotomy because the current state of Taiwan is something else. You could, however, argue that a dichotomy that people assume to be false is in fact real. You could say, "the country/province issue is not a false dichotomy, we must choose one or the other because..." and then make an argument. (You might think of the recent popular song as well, which sets up a false dichotomy of 'types of men': you can either be a "boyfriend" or a "real man." This is a false dichotomy, of course. [All the real men are married English teachers.])
4. Straw man: This is a common tactic in argument. You give a false impression of your opponent's beliefs. This false impression is easy to argue against, so you argue against the "fake" argument, or "straw man," because it is easier to dismiss than your opponent's real argument.
5. Argument ad hominem. Instead of arguing with your opponent, call him or her names, then pretend that the name calling means that you won the argument. It works depressingly well.
What to do with these fallacies:
Look for them in arguments; avoid using them yourself.
1. Post hoc ergo propter hoc ("after this, therefore because of this"): In this logical fallacy, you assume that a later event was caused by a prior event. You have to prove that the two events are connected; you can't just say that they are. "I started to lose weight after I began to eat all of my meals at 7-11. Therefore, 7-11 food makes you lose weight." <--This is perhaps true, but what if you started running five miles a day the same day that you start to eat at 7-11.
2. Begging the question: Question begging is an assertion disguised as an argument. If I say, "Abortion is wrong because it is murder," you are begging the question because there is no argument. You have a prove that abortion is killing someone; this sounds like an argument, but you are simply stating, instead of proving, the key idea (in this case, murder). The statement simply means, "Abortion is wrong because it is wrong."
3. False dichotomy: If an argument assumes that only A or B can be the correct answer, but it's possibile that C or D is also a correct answer, you are creating a false dichotomy. (Another problem could be that both A and B can be correct at the same time.) For example, regarding the condition of Taiwanese sovereignty, if a person says, "Taiwan can only be a country or a province," one might say this is a false dichotomy because the current state of Taiwan is something else. You could, however, argue that a dichotomy that people assume to be false is in fact real. You could say, "the country/province issue is not a false dichotomy, we must choose one or the other because..." and then make an argument. (You might think of the recent popular song as well, which sets up a false dichotomy of 'types of men': you can either be a "boyfriend" or a "real man." This is a false dichotomy, of course. [All the real men are married English teachers.])
4. Straw man: This is a common tactic in argument. You give a false impression of your opponent's beliefs. This false impression is easy to argue against, so you argue against the "fake" argument, or "straw man," because it is easier to dismiss than your opponent's real argument.
5. Argument ad hominem. Instead of arguing with your opponent, call him or her names, then pretend that the name calling means that you won the argument. It works depressingly well.
What to do with these fallacies:
Look for them in arguments; avoid using them yourself.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Mistakes Corrected
Things may be different as you thought.
--Should be, "Things may be different from what you thought" (or "from what you expected")
My brother has married and they have two children so far.
--"My brother" is the subject; you can't change the subject to "my brother and his wife," so to be correct, "they have" should be replaced with "he has". You can make it into two sentences, too: "My brother is married. So far, he and his wife have two children." (Notice we use "to be" for "married," not "to have".)
To my expect,...
--Should be, "According to my expectations..." or (and better), "As I would expect..."
--Note the difference between brave/bravery
personality of humor
--should be, "humorous personality"
Most of them are abuse.
--Should be, "Most of them are abused," or you could write, "Most of them have been abused." The latter is probably better.
--Note the difference between universal/universality
The article elicits three studies...
--This should be, "The article mentions" or "The article delineates...."
--Note the difference between stressful/stressed
It is Lisa who takes over the housework when Margie is hospitalized. However, Homer and Bart do nothing but lying on the couch watching television.
--"However" is not needed here because there's no conflict. Compare: "He studied hard. However, he still failed the test." <--In this example, there's conflict between expectation and result.
to be "American born Chinese" is inevitable to face the problem of racial discrimination
--The quote marks are fine because the author is quoting the idea of a Chinese person born in America; he isn't talking about the book title (which should be underlined). However, it should be, "if one is 'American born Chinese,' one inevitably has to face the problem of racial discrimination".
--Should be, "Things may be different from what you thought" (or "from what you expected")
My brother has married and they have two children so far.
--"My brother" is the subject; you can't change the subject to "my brother and his wife," so to be correct, "they have" should be replaced with "he has". You can make it into two sentences, too: "My brother is married. So far, he and his wife have two children." (Notice we use "to be" for "married," not "to have".)
To my expect,...
--Should be, "According to my expectations..." or (and better), "As I would expect..."
--Note the difference between brave/bravery
personality of humor
--should be, "humorous personality"
Most of them are abuse.
--Should be, "Most of them are abused," or you could write, "Most of them have been abused." The latter is probably better.
--Note the difference between universal/universality
The article elicits three studies...
--This should be, "The article mentions" or "The article delineates...."
--Note the difference between stressful/stressed
It is Lisa who takes over the housework when Margie is hospitalized. However, Homer and Bart do nothing but lying on the couch watching television.
--"However" is not needed here because there's no conflict. Compare: "He studied hard. However, he still failed the test." <--In this example, there's conflict between expectation and result.
to be "American born Chinese" is inevitable to face the problem of racial discrimination
--The quote marks are fine because the author is quoting the idea of a Chinese person born in America; he isn't talking about the book title (which should be underlined). However, it should be, "if one is 'American born Chinese,' one inevitably has to face the problem of racial discrimination".
Monday, May 25, 2009
Some More Sentence Structures
Object-First pattern:
Down the street walked the depressed student.
Even more significant have been the vocabulary words studied from the Simpsons episodes.
Paired Constructions
Not only..., but also.
[Don't mistake a dependent clause-independent clause construction for a paired construction. It's a common mistake among my students.]
Kerry Wood and Greg Maddux are the favorite pitchers. The former is a power pitcher, the latter is a precise pitcher.
Contrast Pairs
Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.
Dependent Clause as Part of an Independent-Clause Sentence
--The DC can be a subject or object
How he got into TaiDa is a mystery. (Subject=DC "How he got into Taida")
I don't understand why baseball players make so much money. (Object="why baseball players...")
Absolute Construction
Compare an "absolute construction" to a dependent clause.
Dependent clause in italics:
"Because she failed to make the volleyball team, she was sad for the rest of the day."
Absolute Construction in italics:
"Her efforts to make the volleyball team a failure, she was sad for the rest of the day."
DC in italics:
Because her swimming goggles fell to the bottom of the pool, she cried out to her teacher.
AC in italics:
Her goggles having fallen to the bottom of the pool, she cried out to her teacher.
Other AC examples:
Ralph, his attempt to publish a novel a total failure, decided to give up writing.
Down the street walked the depressed student.
Even more significant have been the vocabulary words studied from the Simpsons episodes.
Paired Constructions
Not only..., but also.
[Don't mistake a dependent clause-independent clause construction for a paired construction. It's a common mistake among my students.]
Kerry Wood and Greg Maddux are the favorite pitchers. The former is a power pitcher, the latter is a precise pitcher.
Contrast Pairs
Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.
Dependent Clause as Part of an Independent-Clause Sentence
--The DC can be a subject or object
How he got into TaiDa is a mystery. (Subject=DC "How he got into Taida")
I don't understand why baseball players make so much money. (Object="why baseball players...")
Absolute Construction
Compare an "absolute construction" to a dependent clause.
Dependent clause in italics:
"Because she failed to make the volleyball team, she was sad for the rest of the day."
Absolute Construction in italics:
"Her efforts to make the volleyball team a failure, she was sad for the rest of the day."
DC in italics:
Because her swimming goggles fell to the bottom of the pool, she cried out to her teacher.
AC in italics:
Her goggles having fallen to the bottom of the pool, she cried out to her teacher.
Other AC examples:
Ralph, his attempt to publish a novel a total failure, decided to give up writing.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Mistakes Corrected
working class; universality
--If we are talking about a group with characteristics that are the same everywhere, we would use "universal". "There are universal characteristics of the working class all over the world."
The life of university
--Should be, "University life" if you mean what it is like to be a college student. "The life of the University" means the way that a school functions as a school.
It is thought that it is a fairly proud act to actively saying words to teacher and classmates.
--Could be more clear. Perhaps, "People believe that speaking to teachers and classmates requires a great deal of pride." The problem here is that "pride" can sometimes be a positive and sometimes be a negative characteristic. We can't tell if this observation reflects a stereotype that those who speak are good people or bad people.
However, Andy Warhol has ever said 'In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.' It is important to express ourselves or we may be easily neglected.
--Should be, "Andy Warhol said"; also, there's no connection between what Warhol said and our need to express ourselves. Warhold is talking about celebrity culture; he's not talking about our need to assert ourselves.
Note the difference between: resolute/resolve
Note the difference between: stressful/stressed
The article elicits three studies
--"elicits" isn't used correctly. "The article mentions three studies." "examines" also works.
...To my expect...
--Should be, "In accordance with my expectations" (e.g., "Things happened the way I thought they would happen")
This kind of stereotype implies that women should do the housework....
--Could be more clear with, "This stereotype implies that housework is women's work."
However, Homer and Bart do nothin but lying on the couch....
--Should be, "do nothing be lie on the couch"; watch for misused -ing verbs
Easy as words on the surface, they might mean deeply with the use of metaphors.
--Hard to understand. Perhaps this means, "Words have simple meanings, but they can have deeper meanings through the use of metaphors.
Note the difference between: easy/easily
There were three papers researched about...
--Should be, "There were three research papers..." "researched about" is unnecessary: "researched" is fine.
So, it is necessary [for me] to adjust my lifestyle.
--Note that I add "for me" to the sentence, "it is necessary to adjust my lifestyle".
Note the differences between: serious/seriously; lesser/fewer
The only thing we assure is that
--Should be, "The only thing we can be assured of..." This means, "The only thing we can know for certain."
...put my shoes in theirs
--Should be, "Put myself is their shoes." 'Shoes' are a metaphor for 'perspective'. The mistake is that we are putting shoes inside other shoes, which is a bit confusing (and often difficult).
Having the shadow of fearing be hurt, Jin avoided expressing himself...
--The metaphor of "shadow" is confusingly used here. We can eliminate the metaphor, "Fearing that he will be hurt, Jin avoids expressing himself..." (Remember, when summarizing a story, we can use the present tense--"avoids" instead of "avoided")
Note the difference between: acceptations/expectations ("acceptations" not a word)
Because he bumped into they, when they were closing. However, Bart eventually propagated it.
--This is a response to "Grade School Confidential". I think it means, "Bart bumped into them when they were kissing." The next problem is a "However" problem. "However" sets up a contrast between expectation and result. Example: "She seemed to like him. However, she rejected his request to become his girlfriend." There's no contrast between these two sentences; it just describes two events in sequence: "Bart sees Skinner and Krabbapel kiss. Eventually, he tells everyone about it." There's no need for "however".
The topic talks about a serious topic--to fit in.
--"fitting in" works better as a subject because the "ing" ending makes it more clearly a verbal (a verb turned into a noun). Also, there's no need to use "topic" twice; in fact, it looks strange. "The novel examines a serious topic: fitting in." Some might object to the idea of a book "talking".
"As far as I'm concered"
--This is a phrase used in speech; there's no need to use it in writing. It's also used unnecessarily. If you state an opinion, you can just state it correctly; the introductory phrase, "As far as I'm concerned" really doesn't add anything to the sentence.
--If we are talking about a group with characteristics that are the same everywhere, we would use "universal". "There are universal characteristics of the working class all over the world."
The life of university
--Should be, "University life" if you mean what it is like to be a college student. "The life of the University" means the way that a school functions as a school.
It is thought that it is a fairly proud act to actively saying words to teacher and classmates.
--Could be more clear. Perhaps, "People believe that speaking to teachers and classmates requires a great deal of pride." The problem here is that "pride" can sometimes be a positive and sometimes be a negative characteristic. We can't tell if this observation reflects a stereotype that those who speak are good people or bad people.
However, Andy Warhol has ever said 'In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.' It is important to express ourselves or we may be easily neglected.
--Should be, "Andy Warhol said"; also, there's no connection between what Warhol said and our need to express ourselves. Warhold is talking about celebrity culture; he's not talking about our need to assert ourselves.
Note the difference between: resolute/resolve
Note the difference between: stressful/stressed
The article elicits three studies
--"elicits" isn't used correctly. "The article mentions three studies." "examines" also works.
...To my expect...
--Should be, "In accordance with my expectations" (e.g., "Things happened the way I thought they would happen")
This kind of stereotype implies that women should do the housework....
--Could be more clear with, "This stereotype implies that housework is women's work."
However, Homer and Bart do nothin but lying on the couch....
--Should be, "do nothing be lie on the couch"; watch for misused -ing verbs
Easy as words on the surface, they might mean deeply with the use of metaphors.
--Hard to understand. Perhaps this means, "Words have simple meanings, but they can have deeper meanings through the use of metaphors.
Note the difference between: easy/easily
There were three papers researched about...
--Should be, "There were three research papers..." "researched about" is unnecessary: "researched" is fine.
So, it is necessary [for me] to adjust my lifestyle.
--Note that I add "for me" to the sentence, "it is necessary to adjust my lifestyle".
Note the differences between: serious/seriously; lesser/fewer
The only thing we assure is that
--Should be, "The only thing we can be assured of..." This means, "The only thing we can know for certain."
...put my shoes in theirs
--Should be, "Put myself is their shoes." 'Shoes' are a metaphor for 'perspective'. The mistake is that we are putting shoes inside other shoes, which is a bit confusing (and often difficult).
Having the shadow of fearing be hurt, Jin avoided expressing himself...
--The metaphor of "shadow" is confusingly used here. We can eliminate the metaphor, "Fearing that he will be hurt, Jin avoids expressing himself..." (Remember, when summarizing a story, we can use the present tense--"avoids" instead of "avoided")
Note the difference between: acceptations/expectations ("acceptations" not a word)
Because he bumped into they, when they were closing. However, Bart eventually propagated it.
--This is a response to "Grade School Confidential". I think it means, "Bart bumped into them when they were kissing." The next problem is a "However" problem. "However" sets up a contrast between expectation and result. Example: "She seemed to like him. However, she rejected his request to become his girlfriend." There's no contrast between these two sentences; it just describes two events in sequence: "Bart sees Skinner and Krabbapel kiss. Eventually, he tells everyone about it." There's no need for "however".
The topic talks about a serious topic--to fit in.
--"fitting in" works better as a subject because the "ing" ending makes it more clearly a verbal (a verb turned into a noun). Also, there's no need to use "topic" twice; in fact, it looks strange. "The novel examines a serious topic: fitting in." Some might object to the idea of a book "talking".
"As far as I'm concered"
--This is a phrase used in speech; there's no need to use it in writing. It's also used unnecessarily. If you state an opinion, you can just state it correctly; the introductory phrase, "As far as I'm concerned" really doesn't add anything to the sentence.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Corrections
As to inflatable swimming tube I mentioned, is a metaphor with viewing image.
--Should be, "The inflatable swimming tube metaphor is a visual image."
So the usage of metaphors must be worthy of being highly looked at.
--Should be, "The use of metaphors is highly worth looking at."
Even though it is only a general cleaning we do have a good time toghether and has an impressive memory.
--Should be, "Even though it is only a general cleaning, we do have a good time together. I remember these cleanings fondly."
Japanese one is always with the tragedy opeining and being optimistic and finally succeeds to attach the goal.
--Should be, "Japanese soap opera always have tragic openings. The tragic character is always optimistic, however. Eventually, the tragic character succeeds."
Note the difference between characterize/characterization
Time magagement is my stress where came from, too.
--Should be, "Time management is where my stress comes from, too."
Looked like me to say that why the game appeal to people.
--I'm not sure what this means. Perhaps, "This is my observation as to why the game appeals to people."
Note the difference between emphasis/emphasizing
To manage stress wisely can avoid the feeling of frustration.
--Should be, "Managing stress wisely can help us avoid the feeling of frustration."
(Turn the verb "to manage" into the verbal [noun] "managing".)
We live in rich lives, which indirectluy causes us have less ability to finish the hard work by ourselves because most of us still rely on our parents too much, including me.
--Should be, "We live comfortable lives. This indirectly causes us to have less ability to finish hard work by ourselves because most of us still rely on our parents too much, myself included."
("rich" sometimes means "fulfilling"; "we live rich lives" means "we live good lives," not "we are rich". Also, note the usage "myself incuded": this means, "I include myself in this observation.")
Using animals as metaphors are intuitively.
--Should be, "The use of animal metaphors is intuitive."
One way that you could understand my corrections more easily is to identify the sentence structures (subject, verb, object, dependent clause(s) and independent clause(s)) and the parts of speech for each word. You can look at my corrections as examples of idiomatic English; perhaps noticing the mistakes made in the original sentences will help your understanding as well. Notice in some examples that the writer tries to express too many ideas in one independent clause or sentence.
--Should be, "The inflatable swimming tube metaphor is a visual image."
So the usage of metaphors must be worthy of being highly looked at.
--Should be, "The use of metaphors is highly worth looking at."
Even though it is only a general cleaning we do have a good time toghether and has an impressive memory.
--Should be, "Even though it is only a general cleaning, we do have a good time together. I remember these cleanings fondly."
Japanese one is always with the tragedy opeining and being optimistic and finally succeeds to attach the goal.
--Should be, "Japanese soap opera always have tragic openings. The tragic character is always optimistic, however. Eventually, the tragic character succeeds."
Note the difference between characterize/characterization
Time magagement is my stress where came from, too.
--Should be, "Time management is where my stress comes from, too."
Looked like me to say that why the game appeal to people.
--I'm not sure what this means. Perhaps, "This is my observation as to why the game appeals to people."
Note the difference between emphasis/emphasizing
To manage stress wisely can avoid the feeling of frustration.
--Should be, "Managing stress wisely can help us avoid the feeling of frustration."
(Turn the verb "to manage" into the verbal [noun] "managing".)
We live in rich lives, which indirectluy causes us have less ability to finish the hard work by ourselves because most of us still rely on our parents too much, including me.
--Should be, "We live comfortable lives. This indirectly causes us to have less ability to finish hard work by ourselves because most of us still rely on our parents too much, myself included."
("rich" sometimes means "fulfilling"; "we live rich lives" means "we live good lives," not "we are rich". Also, note the usage "myself incuded": this means, "I include myself in this observation.")
Using animals as metaphors are intuitively.
--Should be, "The use of animal metaphors is intuitive."
One way that you could understand my corrections more easily is to identify the sentence structures (subject, verb, object, dependent clause(s) and independent clause(s)) and the parts of speech for each word. You can look at my corrections as examples of idiomatic English; perhaps noticing the mistakes made in the original sentences will help your understanding as well. Notice in some examples that the writer tries to express too many ideas in one independent clause or sentence.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
I Love Lucy clip parodied in This Week's Episode
The opening Itchy and Scratchy sketch is a parody of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Some Mistakes In Your Papers, With Corrections
"But people don't understand is that he used to be a strong and powerful soldier."
--"is" is unnecessary because the "that" clause makes "he used to be a strong and powerful soldier" into a dependent clause.
hided
--The past tense of "hide" is "hid"
"As this, maybe the the relationship between we and our grandparents will be more closer."
--"closer" means "more close"; we don't need to say "more closer"
--should be "us and our grandparents"
--'As this' does not work as an introductory phrase. "Given this" might work, and "If this happens," might be better because its meaning is more obvious.
"So you need to know when and why you're hungry, what your body really needs, and the best diet snacks for each situation."
--This is a parallelism problem. Everything listed has to have the same form, so "and the best diet snacks..." doesn't work. "why you're hungry, what your body really needs, and what the best snacks for each situation are" works.
advice, not advices: "advice" does not take a plural.
"In Taiwan, the old generation was living in turmoil. The only thing they could do is to keep themselves alive. They are usually frugal and pure. However, our generation is living in peace and safety....We don't believe their stories and follow their advices."
--other than "advice," we probably also need to say "lived in turmoil" to make the verb tense less confusing.
--We also should write, "Consequently, they are usually frugal and poor" to make it clear that the old generation's personality is the result of the difficult past.
touched/touching
"This episode is really touched."
--Should be "The episode is really touching."
Two correct examples:
--"The movie was touching."
--"I was touched by the movie."
frustrated/frustrating
"I was frustrated by the exam."
"The exam was frustrating."
"We can also learn some strengthens from other ages. Therefore, I think the gap between different ages, for example, the gap between Bart and Abe, is not too wide to cross."
--We need to use dashes: "--for example, the gap between Bart and Abe--" because of the introductory phrase "for example"
--use "strengths," noth "strengthens" (which is a verb). Also, the "therefore" doesn't seem necessary.
This week, the Simpson episode tells us about that Bart's grandfather and he went to find the treasure.
--We need to add a "how" or the sentence will be a run-on sentence. "and how he went to find the treasure."
As a result, we should not stay up late and take a nap in evening.
--This is a bad sentence because it's not clear what "take a nap in the evening" means. We shouldn't take naps? Or we should instead of staying up late?
I have read the new book a half already.
--Should be, "I have read half of the book already."
This episode uses a very motif ending!
--Should be, "This episode uses an interesting motif at the end."
The content at the back was not as funny as the front, however, it was much more dramatic!
--Should be, "The content at the end of the show was not as funny as the content at the beginning; however, the end was much more dramatic at the beginning." <--Notice how I explain everything to make sure the reader understands. I use 'end' and 'beginning' again.
I think that our health world is destroying by the large numbers of fast food shops, specialy the kids'.
--Should be, "I think that our health is being destroyed by the large number of fast food shops, especially the kids' health." ("numbers" is okay, but personally I prefer "number")
"health world" seems like a confusing metaphor to me; it's common practice to say "our health" to mean "everyone's health."
--"is" is unnecessary because the "that" clause makes "he used to be a strong and powerful soldier" into a dependent clause.
hided
--The past tense of "hide" is "hid"
"As this, maybe the the relationship between we and our grandparents will be more closer."
--"closer" means "more close"; we don't need to say "more closer"
--should be "us and our grandparents"
--'As this' does not work as an introductory phrase. "Given this" might work, and "If this happens," might be better because its meaning is more obvious.
"So you need to know when and why you're hungry, what your body really needs, and the best diet snacks for each situation."
--This is a parallelism problem. Everything listed has to have the same form, so "and the best diet snacks..." doesn't work. "why you're hungry, what your body really needs, and what the best snacks for each situation are" works.
advice, not advices: "advice" does not take a plural.
"In Taiwan, the old generation was living in turmoil. The only thing they could do is to keep themselves alive. They are usually frugal and pure. However, our generation is living in peace and safety....We don't believe their stories and follow their advices."
--other than "advice," we probably also need to say "lived in turmoil" to make the verb tense less confusing.
--We also should write, "Consequently, they are usually frugal and poor" to make it clear that the old generation's personality is the result of the difficult past.
touched/touching
"This episode is really touched."
--Should be "The episode is really touching."
Two correct examples:
--"The movie was touching."
--"I was touched by the movie."
frustrated/frustrating
"I was frustrated by the exam."
"The exam was frustrating."
"We can also learn some strengthens from other ages. Therefore, I think the gap between different ages, for example, the gap between Bart and Abe, is not too wide to cross."
--We need to use dashes: "--for example, the gap between Bart and Abe--" because of the introductory phrase "for example"
--use "strengths," noth "strengthens" (which is a verb). Also, the "therefore" doesn't seem necessary.
This week, the Simpson episode tells us about that Bart's grandfather and he went to find the treasure.
--We need to add a "how" or the sentence will be a run-on sentence. "and how he went to find the treasure."
As a result, we should not stay up late and take a nap in evening.
--This is a bad sentence because it's not clear what "take a nap in the evening" means. We shouldn't take naps? Or we should instead of staying up late?
I have read the new book a half already.
--Should be, "I have read half of the book already."
This episode uses a very motif ending!
--Should be, "This episode uses an interesting motif at the end."
The content at the back was not as funny as the front, however, it was much more dramatic!
--Should be, "The content at the end of the show was not as funny as the content at the beginning; however, the end was much more dramatic at the beginning." <--Notice how I explain everything to make sure the reader understands. I use 'end' and 'beginning' again.
I think that our health world is destroying by the large numbers of fast food shops, specialy the kids'.
--Should be, "I think that our health is being destroyed by the large number of fast food shops, especially the kids' health." ("numbers" is okay, but personally I prefer "number")
"health world" seems like a confusing metaphor to me; it's common practice to say "our health" to mean "everyone's health."
Friday, April 24, 2009
Common Mistakes and Some Sentence Corrections
embarrassed/embarrassing
--When my boyfriend came to the party drunk, I was embarrassed.
--During the performance, I fell down. It was embarrassing.
health/healthy
--Smoking is bad for your health.
--Communication is important to any healthy relationship.
brave/bravery
--It was brave of you to tell the boss that he was making us work too hard.
--Bravery is an important quality in every facet of life.
society/societal
--The police force is an important part of society. (Notice it isn't "the society")
--Traffic lights contribute to societal order.
A sentence with mistakes
"We can hear much news talking about old people died for many days, and their family don't care."
How to correct it: "We have heard many news stories about a family not caring that an older family member has been dead for many days." [If you want to stress both the elder and the family, you probably need to use more than one sentence because of how complicated the situation is.]
"Money can change one's attitude and causes jealousy and tragedy may occur."
How to correct it: "Money can change one's attitude and cause jealousy, and tragedy may occur." (We need the verb tense to stay the same.)
Problem:
"it caused the person who does it [to be] hurt. In my opinion every kinds of training, if did properly, should never cause you injury."
How to correct it:
--"it hurts the person who does it. In my opinion no kind of training, if done properly, should ever cause you injuy."
(Notice where to put the negative: "no kind" We use positive forms from then on: "ever cause you." Also, note the verb tense: "done correctly" instead of "did correctly".)
--When my boyfriend came to the party drunk, I was embarrassed.
--During the performance, I fell down. It was embarrassing.
health/healthy
--Smoking is bad for your health.
--Communication is important to any healthy relationship.
brave/bravery
--It was brave of you to tell the boss that he was making us work too hard.
--Bravery is an important quality in every facet of life.
society/societal
--The police force is an important part of society. (Notice it isn't "the society")
--Traffic lights contribute to societal order.
A sentence with mistakes
"We can hear much news talking about old people died for many days, and their family don't care."
How to correct it: "We have heard many news stories about a family not caring that an older family member has been dead for many days." [If you want to stress both the elder and the family, you probably need to use more than one sentence because of how complicated the situation is.]
"Money can change one's attitude and causes jealousy and tragedy may occur."
How to correct it: "Money can change one's attitude and cause jealousy, and tragedy may occur." (We need the verb tense to stay the same.)
Problem:
"it caused the person who does it [to be] hurt. In my opinion every kinds of training, if did properly, should never cause you injury."
How to correct it:
--"it hurts the person who does it. In my opinion no kind of training, if done properly, should ever cause you injuy."
(Notice where to put the negative: "no kind" We use positive forms from then on: "ever cause you." Also, note the verb tense: "done correctly" instead of "did correctly".)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Still Some Trouble with Parts of Speech
Check your use of subject complements (adjectives or description words that follow a verb). Given your language background, you are prone to mistakes like, "I feel boring" when you mean "I feel bored."
Take the time to check for mistakes like this. If I circle a word on one of your papers, there's a good chance that you've used the wrong word form. I'll try to keep notes and include some popular word form mistakes.
On a related note (related to misused words), note that some concepts use "to be" verbs instead of "to have verbs." One concept that confuses ESL students is "fear." Fear takes a "to be" verb. "He is afraid." We don't say, "He has fear." We can use "to have" for specific fears, but we need to use "a".
"He has a fear of heights."
You'll occasionally make a mistake--I've heard this in speech--in which you say something like, "He doesn't afraid." You want to say, "He isn't afraid" or "He doesn't have fear of [anything or anybody]."
Take the time to check for mistakes like this. If I circle a word on one of your papers, there's a good chance that you've used the wrong word form. I'll try to keep notes and include some popular word form mistakes.
On a related note (related to misused words), note that some concepts use "to be" verbs instead of "to have verbs." One concept that confuses ESL students is "fear." Fear takes a "to be" verb. "He is afraid." We don't say, "He has fear." We can use "to have" for specific fears, but we need to use "a".
"He has a fear of heights."
You'll occasionally make a mistake--I've heard this in speech--in which you say something like, "He doesn't afraid." You want to say, "He isn't afraid" or "He doesn't have fear of [anything or anybody]."
Conjunction "Despite"
"Despite" is an interesting dependent clause conjunction that roughly has the same meaning as "although". We often use it to describe a positive attribute that did not lead to success or a negative attribute that is overcome on the way to success.
Examples:
"Despite his hard work, he failed to gain admission to NTU."
"Despite his lack of athletic ability, he became an excellent basketball player."
--Notice that I use the possessive; with "although," I would have written "Although he worked hard..." and "Although he lacks athletic ability...."
Examples:
"Despite his hard work, he failed to gain admission to NTU."
"Despite his lack of athletic ability, he became an excellent basketball player."
--Notice that I use the possessive; with "although," I would have written "Although he worked hard..." and "Although he lacks athletic ability...."
Question Structures
I am still getting papers in which students forget to add the "do" to the question format.
Example: "Why do birds sing?"
I get a lot of "Why birds sing?"
Please be diligent about checking for this kind of mistake.
Example: "Why do birds sing?"
I get a lot of "Why birds sing?"
Please be diligent about checking for this kind of mistake.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Idea of "Original"
--The Syllabus post can be found after this one.--
--If this post interests you, there are some assignments at the end of the post that you can complete. You can replace two or three assignments from the syllabus with this assignment if you think this assignment is better. If this post doesn't interest you, you can go back to chatting with your friends on MSN.
As I explained in class, the idea of "original" in popular culture can be very serious for some people. When a musician makes a new version of an old song, some people will insist that the original version of the song has to be the best. Some people get very upset when a new movie is a remake of an old movie because it is disrespectful to the old movie.
One argument is that the remake is a form of "stealing" from the original. Here is the original version of the song "Hound Dog," by Big Mama Thornton. This song is in a rhythm and blues style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y5SPFDMQ_I
The more famous version of the song is by Elvis Presley. This song is in a rock and roll style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU4i5gyFK1s
Perhaps the most important reason why people argue that the original is better than the Elvis version is because Elvis sings in a "black" style of music. Often in the past, when white musicians remade songs originally sung by black musicians, music companies did not make it clear that the song was a remake.
Here is another Elvis example. "Blue Suede Shoes" is a song originally written by Carl Perkins and recorded in a country music style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is4lWYGM6rM
The song was remade by Elvis and is now the more famous version. It is, again, sung in a rock and roll style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrjbwVhQOAw
Elvis was friends with Carl Perkins, and he recorded the song after Perkins was injured in a car accident as a tribute to Perkins. Still, some people will argue that it was wrong for Elvis to remake and will argue that Perkins' version is better because it is the original one.
Writing Topics (Do not pick more than two)
--Why do you think people are obsessed with originality? Why are new ideas important? Why is the original version of something supposed to be better than a new version?
--Write about some examples you know where people argue about "original" versions and "new" versions of something. This could be music, movies, technology, television, advertising, food, or even household items （日常用品）.
--What version of "Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes" do you prefer? Why? Do you understand why someone would argue that the other version is better?
--If this post interests you, there are some assignments at the end of the post that you can complete. You can replace two or three assignments from the syllabus with this assignment if you think this assignment is better. If this post doesn't interest you, you can go back to chatting with your friends on MSN.
As I explained in class, the idea of "original" in popular culture can be very serious for some people. When a musician makes a new version of an old song, some people will insist that the original version of the song has to be the best. Some people get very upset when a new movie is a remake of an old movie because it is disrespectful to the old movie.
One argument is that the remake is a form of "stealing" from the original. Here is the original version of the song "Hound Dog," by Big Mama Thornton. This song is in a rhythm and blues style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y5SPFDMQ_I
The more famous version of the song is by Elvis Presley. This song is in a rock and roll style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU4i5gyFK1s
Perhaps the most important reason why people argue that the original is better than the Elvis version is because Elvis sings in a "black" style of music. Often in the past, when white musicians remade songs originally sung by black musicians, music companies did not make it clear that the song was a remake.
Here is another Elvis example. "Blue Suede Shoes" is a song originally written by Carl Perkins and recorded in a country music style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is4lWYGM6rM
The song was remade by Elvis and is now the more famous version. It is, again, sung in a rock and roll style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrjbwVhQOAw
Elvis was friends with Carl Perkins, and he recorded the song after Perkins was injured in a car accident as a tribute to Perkins. Still, some people will argue that it was wrong for Elvis to remake and will argue that Perkins' version is better because it is the original one.
Writing Topics (Do not pick more than two)
--Why do you think people are obsessed with originality? Why are new ideas important? Why is the original version of something supposed to be better than a new version?
--Write about some examples you know where people argue about "original" versions and "new" versions of something. This could be music, movies, technology, television, advertising, food, or even household items （日常用品）.
--What version of "Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes" do you prefer? Why? Do you understand why someone would argue that the other version is better?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Preliminary Syllabus and Week One Assignments
Sean Allan
English for Non-Majors
Spring 2009
This is a continuation of the Fall 2008 course. However, you can still take the course if you were not my student in the Fall. The course goals for the Spring are the same as for the Fall, but we will spend more time on writing style and less time on grammar and usage review.
Grade Breakdown
Weekly Assignments: 60% (includes three papers)
Oral Exams and in-class oral/aural practice: 20%
Exams and Participation: 20%
The professor reserves the right to fail a student who misses too many class meetings. More than three missed classes is grounds for failure if a student does not have reasons for his or her absences.
Weekly Assignments: You will have a short assignment almost every day of the week. These assignments will provide reading, writing, and listening practice. You will turn in all of the short assignments for the week at each class meeting. We will write three papers; usually a section of a paper will be part of the weekly assignments. You will receive a single score for all of the assignments for that week, so make sure to complete all of the assignments. (Don’t write a great paper and then complete the other assignments lazily: it could severely affect your grade.)
Because you will have more written work than last semester, your papers can be shorter. Two pages instead of 2-3 pages is fine, with some leeway if you write a really good 1.5 page paper.
Materials for the assignments will be provided for you, or I will let you know where to find them on the Internet.
Assigned text: In April, you will need to purchase and read a graphic novel called American Born Chinese. I will tell you when the book is available.
Oral exams: You will have three oral exams this semester. When you don’t have an exam, you practice speaking and listening in a group setting. When you have an exam, you should listen to the other examinees and turn in a short description of what a few of them said as part of the next week’s assignments.
Itinerary
Your assignments are given from “Day 1,” which is the day that we meet for class, to “Day 7,” the day before we meet for the next class. If you have extenuating circumstances, you can make up assignments later in the week, or you can talk to me if you don’t have time to complete everything. Actually, you can complete assignments any day that you want, but you should complete assignments regularly instead of at the end of the week. Don’t turn in late work: your weekly assignments should come all at once. No daily assignment (except paper writing) should take more than thirty minutes. If you struggle with reading or listening, simply record what you are able to do in thirty minutes and note that you worked for thirty minutes. On occasion, I might ask you to write down how much time it took you to complete an assignment.
If for any reason you can’t complete a daily assignment because you cannot access the Internet, because a link is dead, etc., you may create your own assignment. If you had a reading assignment, read something else. If you had a writing assignment, write about something else. Simply tell me what you did and provide either a description of what you read or a writing response.
I assume your other English “practice” will come from other classes that need you to read in English. It’s probably a good idea to get about an hour a day of “work” in English. If you need any advice on how to improve in addition to the coursework, just ask.
If you are preparing for an English exam, you should get study materials for that exam. I can answer questions for you, but the coursework is for improving practical English skills, not for acing the TOEFL, IELTS, etc.
Tests: Tests will concern vocabulary learned, sentence patterns studied, and topics we’ve discussed in class. Test dates will be announced.
Week One: Introduction to the course.
General topic: Vacation, The Importance of Chinese New Year
In-class work: Say hello to everyone. Share our vacation experiences. Watch an episode of The Simpsons.
Assignments
Day One: Write a one-paragraph response to The Simpsons episode. What did you like or dislike? What didn’t you understand? If it takes less than twenty minutes to write your paragraph, put the paragraph away for awhile, then pick it up again and try to correct or improve it. For a bigger challenge, try to include some new vocabulary words.
Day Two: Write for twenty minutes (one paragraph) about school vacations. Are they beneficial? Are they too long? Are you scared of graduating because after you get a job, your vacations will only be two weeks long?
Day Three: Write five sentences using vocabulary from The Simpsons.
Day Four: Read stress.about.com/od/workplacestress/a/vacations.htm. Write a few sentences showing that you read it.
Day Five: Read www.scanews.com/fcc/2002/february/0214.html. Write a few sentences showing that you read it. Do you think the author understands the culture he writes about?
Day Six: Read www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/festivals/0296_Lunar.html Has the meaning of the Lunar New Year changed since this was written? Do you recognize the things discussed in this article?
Day Seven: Write for twenty minutes about a meaningful family vacation.
English for Non-Majors
Spring 2009
This is a continuation of the Fall 2008 course. However, you can still take the course if you were not my student in the Fall. The course goals for the Spring are the same as for the Fall, but we will spend more time on writing style and less time on grammar and usage review.
Grade Breakdown
Weekly Assignments: 60% (includes three papers)
Oral Exams and in-class oral/aural practice: 20%
Exams and Participation: 20%
The professor reserves the right to fail a student who misses too many class meetings. More than three missed classes is grounds for failure if a student does not have reasons for his or her absences.
Weekly Assignments: You will have a short assignment almost every day of the week. These assignments will provide reading, writing, and listening practice. You will turn in all of the short assignments for the week at each class meeting. We will write three papers; usually a section of a paper will be part of the weekly assignments. You will receive a single score for all of the assignments for that week, so make sure to complete all of the assignments. (Don’t write a great paper and then complete the other assignments lazily: it could severely affect your grade.)
Because you will have more written work than last semester, your papers can be shorter. Two pages instead of 2-3 pages is fine, with some leeway if you write a really good 1.5 page paper.
Materials for the assignments will be provided for you, or I will let you know where to find them on the Internet.
Assigned text: In April, you will need to purchase and read a graphic novel called American Born Chinese. I will tell you when the book is available.
Oral exams: You will have three oral exams this semester. When you don’t have an exam, you practice speaking and listening in a group setting. When you have an exam, you should listen to the other examinees and turn in a short description of what a few of them said as part of the next week’s assignments.
Itinerary
Your assignments are given from “Day 1,” which is the day that we meet for class, to “Day 7,” the day before we meet for the next class. If you have extenuating circumstances, you can make up assignments later in the week, or you can talk to me if you don’t have time to complete everything. Actually, you can complete assignments any day that you want, but you should complete assignments regularly instead of at the end of the week. Don’t turn in late work: your weekly assignments should come all at once. No daily assignment (except paper writing) should take more than thirty minutes. If you struggle with reading or listening, simply record what you are able to do in thirty minutes and note that you worked for thirty minutes. On occasion, I might ask you to write down how much time it took you to complete an assignment.
If for any reason you can’t complete a daily assignment because you cannot access the Internet, because a link is dead, etc., you may create your own assignment. If you had a reading assignment, read something else. If you had a writing assignment, write about something else. Simply tell me what you did and provide either a description of what you read or a writing response.
I assume your other English “practice” will come from other classes that need you to read in English. It’s probably a good idea to get about an hour a day of “work” in English. If you need any advice on how to improve in addition to the coursework, just ask.
If you are preparing for an English exam, you should get study materials for that exam. I can answer questions for you, but the coursework is for improving practical English skills, not for acing the TOEFL, IELTS, etc.
Tests: Tests will concern vocabulary learned, sentence patterns studied, and topics we’ve discussed in class. Test dates will be announced.
Week One: Introduction to the course.
General topic: Vacation, The Importance of Chinese New Year
In-class work: Say hello to everyone. Share our vacation experiences. Watch an episode of The Simpsons.
Assignments
Day One: Write a one-paragraph response to The Simpsons episode. What did you like or dislike? What didn’t you understand? If it takes less than twenty minutes to write your paragraph, put the paragraph away for awhile, then pick it up again and try to correct or improve it. For a bigger challenge, try to include some new vocabulary words.
Day Two: Write for twenty minutes (one paragraph) about school vacations. Are they beneficial? Are they too long? Are you scared of graduating because after you get a job, your vacations will only be two weeks long?
Day Three: Write five sentences using vocabulary from The Simpsons.
Day Four: Read stress.about.com/od/workplacestress/a/vacations.htm. Write a few sentences showing that you read it.
Day Five: Read www.scanews.com/fcc/2002/february/0214.html. Write a few sentences showing that you read it. Do you think the author understands the culture he writes about?
Day Six: Read www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/festivals/0296_Lunar.html Has the meaning of the Lunar New Year changed since this was written? Do you recognize the things discussed in this article?
Day Seven: Write for twenty minutes about a meaningful family vacation.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tokenism
The concept of "tokenism" will help us understand discrimination better. A "Token + Noun" is something that is present or an action that is done only because of a sense that it has to be there or has to be done. For example, a "token gesture of kindness" would be an act of kindness that doesn't mean very much but is made just out of a sense that someone has to look nice.
With regard to prejudice, consider this example. A business owner doesn't like to hire women to work for him, but he doesn't want to be accused of sexism. So the owner hires one woman, but he doesn't give her any meaningful work, and he doesn't respect her. One might call this woman the "token woman employee." If someone were to accuse the owner of sexism, he would reply that, because he hired a woman, he can't be sexist.
Tokenism is very common in popular culture. For example, people in America often talk about "token black characters" in TV shows and movies. A movie or TV show will give a very small role to a black actor so that the show will appear more diverse.
I was on the bus a few weeks ago to go buy some airplane tickets. The woman in front of me started to talk to me; she thought I looked worried. I told her I was just worried about missing my bus stop. We talked for some time, and then she got up and talked to a woman in the back of the bus. When the girl came back, she asked me, "Do you know who that is? She's a TV star!" The woman to whom she spoke was getting off the bus; she was a large woman. After the woman got off the bus, I said to the girl, "So is she the Fei Fei of Taiwan?"* My question was a little rude, but my idea was that, because Taiwan strongly values thin women, I thought that this large female TV star would be the "token fat person" on Taiwan television. Having this woman on television might reflect a desire not to be thought of as discriminatory toward fat people.
*Fei Fei was a very famous female Hong Kong celebrity. She recently died. You probably know who she is.
http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/20/movies/20377715&sec=movies
With regard to prejudice, consider this example. A business owner doesn't like to hire women to work for him, but he doesn't want to be accused of sexism. So the owner hires one woman, but he doesn't give her any meaningful work, and he doesn't respect her. One might call this woman the "token woman employee." If someone were to accuse the owner of sexism, he would reply that, because he hired a woman, he can't be sexist.
Tokenism is very common in popular culture. For example, people in America often talk about "token black characters" in TV shows and movies. A movie or TV show will give a very small role to a black actor so that the show will appear more diverse.
I was on the bus a few weeks ago to go buy some airplane tickets. The woman in front of me started to talk to me; she thought I looked worried. I told her I was just worried about missing my bus stop. We talked for some time, and then she got up and talked to a woman in the back of the bus. When the girl came back, she asked me, "Do you know who that is? She's a TV star!" The woman to whom she spoke was getting off the bus; she was a large woman. After the woman got off the bus, I said to the girl, "So is she the Fei Fei of Taiwan?"* My question was a little rude, but my idea was that, because Taiwan strongly values thin women, I thought that this large female TV star would be the "token fat person" on Taiwan television. Having this woman on television might reflect a desire not to be thought of as discriminatory toward fat people.
*Fei Fei was a very famous female Hong Kong celebrity. She recently died. You probably know who she is.
http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/20/movies/20377715&sec=movies
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