Multicultural Education Freedom or Oppression

Multicultural Education Freedom or Oppression Introduction Multicultural education is an emerging discipline in education that is designed to provide equal opportunities to students from diverse ethnic groups, nationality, social-class, and culture. The concept seeks to develop an education system that enables the students to learn in a pluralistic society that embraces their diversity.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Multicultural Education: Freedom or Oppression specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Over the past decade, scholars have reviewed the effectiveness of implementing multicultural education in different nations. There are emerging concerns about the effectiveness of the approach. While some scholars believe that multicultural education fosters oppression, others share the sentiment that is influencing the development of freedom. This paper looks into multicultural education with a focus on its effectiveness in fostering freedom or oppression. M erits of multicultural education The main goal of developing the multicultural education system in developed nations like the United States is to provide an environment that accommodates all the members of the society despite their differences. Multicultural education provides a unique opportunity for the minority in a society to access the same opportunities as the majority ethnic groups. With the current state of globalization, people from different nations, ethnic backgrounds, and cultural beliefs settle in the same areas, and they have to access the same social amenities. This has influenced the authorities in the areas to develop rules that accommodate the beliefs of the different people. Education facilities have pioneered the accommodation of cultural diversity through the elimination of discrimination and racism in their facilities. Curriculums are shaped in a manner that provides fairness in learning. The system focuses on curriculums and rules that influence reflection on positive social changes (Jay, 2003). Implementation Despite the many years that multicultural education has been theoretically present in the curriculum, there is yet to be substantial evidence of its implementation. Many institutions still have multicultural education in the planning process; thus, the intended goals of the concept are yet to be achieved (Jay, 2003).Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Part of the reason that has led to the slow development of multicultural education in institutions is the complication of transitional process from the traditional mainstream knowledge. It is apparent that the level of school dropouts in the education system is still affecting the minority in the society. This has specifically affected the Latino and Hispanic groups in the American society. Developing multicultural education does not solve the underlying issues in the society. This failure is one of the challenges that must be met to influence higher attendance of school by the minority ethnic groups. Social justice issues still prevail in the American education system. This problem hinders the implementation of the multicultural education ideas. It is apparent that equality in the education system is yet to be attained despite the claims that most of the institutions have already implemented multicultural education (Khan, 2008). Conclusion Multicultural education is a phenomenon developed to promote social equity in the education system. The goals of the concept are to influence equality in the access of education and the development of an environment that accommodates the entire society, regardless of the diversity of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, and cultural beliefs. The implementation of the concept is yet to be realized in the American nation because of the social challenges that still haunt the society. The rate of school dropout s in the society still remains high among the minority ethnic groups. The multicultural education concept aims at fostering freedom in the society, but it is yet to eliminate the social oppressions present in the society. The institutions that claim to have implemented the multicultural education still implement the oppressive values of the traditional mainstream education; hence, the multicultural education concept is oppressive. References Jay, M. (2003). Critical Race Theory, Multicultural Education, and the Hidden Curriculum of Hegemony. Multicultural Perspectives, 5(4), 1-9.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Multicultural Education: Freedom or Oppression specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Khan, M. (2008). Multicultural education in the United States: reflections. Intercultural education, 19(6), 527-536.

A Definition of the Literary Term, Cacophony

A Definition of the Literary Term, Cacophony Similar to its counterpart in music, a cacophony in literature is a combination of words or phrases that sound harsh, jarring, and generally unpleasant. Pronounced Kuh-koff-uh-nee, the noun cacophony and its adjective form cacophonous, refer to the â€Å"musicality† of writing- how it sounds to the reader when spoken aloud.     Ã‚   Coming from a Greek word literally meaning â€Å"bad sound,† cacophony as used in both prose and poetry typically  produces its desired unharmonious effect through the repeated use of â€Å"explosive† consonants, like T, P, or K. The word cacophony itself is cacophonous because of its repetition of the â€Å"K† sound. On the other hand, some words like â€Å"screeching,† â€Å"scratching,† or â€Å"oozing† are cacophonies simply because they are unpleasant to hear. The opposite of cacophony is â€Å"euphony,† a mixture of words that sound pleasant or melodious to the reader. A common misconception is that any tongue-twister, like â€Å"She sells seashells by the seashore† is an example of cacophony. While cacophonous phrases can be tricky to pronounce, not every tongue-twister is a cacophony. For example, â€Å"She sells seashells by the seashore† is actually an example of sibilance- the repeated use of soft consonants to produce hissing sounds- and is thus more euphony than cacophony. Explosive Consonants: A Key to Cacophony In many cases, â€Å"explosive† consonants are the key ingredient of cacophony. Explosive or â€Å"stop† consonants are those after which all sound abruptly stops, producing tiny verbal explosions or â€Å"pops† when spoken aloud. The consonants B, D, K, P, T, and G are the consonants most commonly used in creating a cacophony. For example, imagine writing about a metal pot falling down a stairway. The pot would ping, ting, bong, dong, clang, and bang before going whack against your head. Other explosive consonants  or stop sounds include C, CH, Q, and X. Individual words, sentences, paragraphs, or entire poems are considered cacophonous when they contain explosive consonants occurring in relatively close succession. For example, in his classic poem â€Å"The Raven,† Edgar Allan Poe uses the â€Å"G† sound in a cacophony when he writes, â€Å"What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore.†Or in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Macbeth,† the three witches’ chant of â€Å"Double, double toil and trouble,† repeats the â€Å"D† and â€Å"T† sounds to create a cacophony. However, this does not mean that every consonant must be explosive or that explosive sounds must come in rapid succession. Indeed, most cacophonies use other, non-explosive consonant sounds to add to the passage’s expression of uncomfortable discord. In contrast, euphony- the opposite of cacophony- uses soft consonant sounds, like â€Å"floral† or â€Å"euphoria,† or â€Å"cellar door,† which linguists consider the most pleasing combination of two words in the English language. Why Authors Use Cacophony In both prose and poetry, authors use cacophony to help bring life to their writing by making the sound of their words reflect or even mimic the subject, mood, or setting they are writing about. For example, cacophony might be used in writing about: The tolling of distant bells.The noise of a busy city street or classroom full of unruly children.The chaotic violence of a battleground.Dark emotions like guilt, regret, or sorrow.A world filled with fantasy and mysterious settings. By using cacophony and euphony- alone or together- authors can add tone and feeling to their writing in much the same way graphic artists use clashing and complementary colors to bring depth and emotion to their paintings.   Cacophony in Lewis Carroll’sâ€Å"Jabberwocky† In his 1871 novel, â€Å"Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There,† Lewis Carroll created perhaps the best-known example of cacophony by the inclusion of the classic poem, â€Å"Jabberwocky.† The poem, which at once fascinated and confounded the novel’s main character Alice, uses cacophony in the form of invented, unmelodious words spiked with the explosive constants T, B, K to paint  a picture of life in a fantastical world terrorized by a gang of menacing monsters. (Listen to Benedict Cumberbatch read the poem in this video.) Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the momeraths outgrabe.Beware the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and shunThe frumious Bandersnatch! Carroll’s cacophony of confusion clearly worked on the novel’s main character Alice, who after reading the poem, exclaimed: â€Å"Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas- only I don’t exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that’s clear, at any rate.† Contrast Carrolls use of cacophony in â€Å"Jabberwocky† with the pleasurable euphony used by John Keats in his pastoral ode, â€Å"To Autumn.† Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run. Cacophony in Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Cat’s Cradle† In his 1963 novel â€Å"Cat’s Cradle,† Kurt Vonnegut creates the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, the natives of which speak a vaguely recognizable dialect of English. The San Lorenzan dialect is dominated by the explosive consonant sounds of TSVs, Ks, and hard Ps and Bs.   At one point, Vonnegut translates the well-known nursery rhyme â€Å"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star† (albeit the version used in Alice in Wonderland) into Lorenzan: Tsvent-kiul, tsvent-kiul, lett-pool store,(Twinkle, twinkle, little star,)  Kojytsvantoor bat voo yore.(How I wonder what you are,)        Ã‚  Ã‚     Put-shinik on lo sheezobrath,(Shining in the sky so bright,)Kam oon teetron on lo nath,(Like a tea tray in the night,) Throughout the novel, Vonnegut  uses cacophony comically to illustrate the absurdities of subjects like science, technology, religion, and the arms race by creating characters like Zinka and Bokonon and invented words like sinookas and wampeters, which are decidedly cacophonic due to their use of explosive consonants. Cacophony in Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"Gullivers Travels† In his satirical novel on human nature â€Å"Gullivers Travels,† Jonathan Swift uses cacophony to  create a graphic mental image of the horrors of war. I could not forbear shaking my head, and smiling a little at his ignorance. And being no stranger to the art of war, I gave him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carbines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermines, countermines, bombardments, sea fights, ships sunk with a thousand men†¦ In similar passages, combining sharp sounds of the explosive consonants C and K add a nature of ruggedness and violence to words like â€Å"cannons† and â€Å"muskets, while P and B add to the discomfort felt while reading words like â€Å"pistols† and â€Å"bombardments.† But Does Cacophony Always Work?   While it can clearly add color and tone to writing, cacophony can sometimes do more harm than good.   If used for no good reason or too often, it can distract and even aggravate readers, making it hard for them to follow the work’s main plot or to understand its intent. Indeed, many authors strive to avoid injecting â€Å"accidental cacophony† into their works. As the noted literary critic M. H. Abrams points out in his book, â€Å"A Glossary of Literary Terms,† a cacophony may be written, â€Å"inadvertent, through a lapse in the writers attention or skill.† However, he stresses, â€Å"cacophony may also be deliberate and functional: for humor, or else for other purposes.† Key Points A cacophony in literature is a combination of words or phrases that sound harsh, jarring, and generally unpleasant.The opposite of cacophony is â€Å"euphony,† a mixture of pleasant or melodious words.The repeated use of â€Å"explosive† or â€Å"stop† consonants like B, D, K, P, T, and G are often used to create a cacophony.Cacophony is used in both poetry and prose.Writers use cacophony to help readers picture and feel the situations or conditions they are describing. Sources â€Å"Euphony and Cacophony.†Encyclopedia Britannica. Online.Bureman, Liz. â€Å"Euphony and Cacophony: A Writer’s Guide.† The Write Practice. Online.Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). â€Å"The Sounds of the Worlds Languages.†Oxford: Blackwell. p. 102. ISBN 0-631-19814-8.Abrams, M. H., â€Å"A Glossary of Literary Terms.†Wadsworth Publishing; 11 edition (January 1, 2014).   ISBN 978-1285465067