What Distingishes Human and Animal Communication

1. Briefly comment on the features that distinguish human language from the animal system of communication. Both human beings and animals communicate with one another. Animal communicate through their communication systems called languages of animals Example: language of dolphins, language of bees. What distinguish human language from the animal system of communication? 1.1 Physical Predisposition Humans produce sounds by the organs of speech (teeth, lips, larynx, mouth, and pharynx). No other species except apes and monkeys have been endowed with this gift. But over year’s human beings’ vocal tract reconstructed. Human larynx differs significantly in position from monkeys and primate. Humans are more flexible to produce sounds unlike monkeys. 1.2 Genetics The communication systems of animals are instinctive. They are inborn with them genetically. On the other hand, human language is non-instinctive. Humans can inherit and learn any language through social interaction. 1.3 Langauge adaptation to situations Human language can extend and change. The symbol or linguistic sign used in a language a hundred years ago may be modified and even may no longer be used. A human being can even in a most unknown situation say a sentence which has never been said before and if can still be understood. On contrary animal communication cannot be changed. It lacks creativity and multiplicity to produce new sounds to suit the situations. Over the years they would use the same language.

Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered - 2099 Words

When thinking of alcohol, individuals may associate this substance with fun, partying, friends, and the feeling of being invincible. Although there are a legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age in various countries, it is easily accessible to those who are underage. Alcohol is a monitored and controlled substance that can be purchased legally, yet there are many concerns that surround the substance. There are pros, cons, and different patterns regarding alcohol and the legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age. As a result of alcohol use, there have been many fatalities and injuries due to impaired driving, while also being linked to patterns of violence, dependence, and aggression. Current debates surrounding Minimum Legal Drinking Ages (MLDA) state that the legal purchasing and drinking age should be lowered. The legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age should not be lowered as it could result in more fatalities and injuries among young adults, an increase in alcohol dependence, and increase acts of aggression and violence within society. There are many factors to consider when studying current legal alcohol age debates such as factors of Public Health and Safety, factors of addiction, and socio-economic factors. There have been many studies surrounding this issue in many places of the world such as various parts of the world, such as Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. These studies take the various factors and differing drinking ages into consideration. ThereShow MoreRelatedThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered973 Words   |  4 Pages The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol Should Not Be Lowered To 18 In the United States. Every state has the right to set its own legal drinking age. However, according to George Will in an article he wrote in the Washington Post about the legal drinking age, â€Å"drinking age paradox† â€Å"lowering the drinking age will cost the state ten percent of its federal highway funds and cause a significant uproar from contractors and construction unions.† It is therefore in the best interest of every citizenRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1732 Words   |  7 PagesThe definition of the word adult is: â€Å"a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law†(Dictionary.com). If this is so, then why is it that in the United States 18 year olds are legally considered adults in our society, but they can’t legally buy or consume alcohol? Yet at this age they are able to vote in an election, get married, serve on a jury, live on their own, purchase cigarettes, adopt a child, and defend our country. These are not easy tasks for one to take on, yet our governmentRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered955 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States of America, the National Government requires the states to enforce a legal drinking age of twenty-one. Where as the world average drinking age is eighteen, and in some Countries it is even lower where it is possible to get a beer at sixteen years of age. Taking that into consideration, there is a great deal of controversy in the United States on what the legal age should be to purchase and consume an alcoholic beverage. The largest issue being that you are considered to be anRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1170 Words   |  5 PagesFor a majority of the 20th century, the United States drinking age has been a big issue. After prohibition had concluded in 1933, twenty- one was the new legal drinking age. Meanwhile, during the Vietnam War, eighteen became the new legal drinking age. Finally in 1984, Congress pa ssed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (MLDA). Since then, twenty-one years old has been the legal age to drink in the United States. There are several ways alcohol has been a reason for death such as, alcohol poisoningRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1553 Words   |  7 Pagesold male who lives in Oregon. To celebrate his 18th birthday, he decided to go out with some friends and have a few drinks. He knows that the legal drinking age is 21, but he thinks what is the harm? I am 18 and in other countries, you are allowed to drink before you turn 21. Later that night as John gets in the car with his friends after a few hours of drinking, everything seems to be going well as they are driving down the freeway on their way over to his friend Dan’s house that is just a few milesRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered988 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision toRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered1117 Words   |  5 Pagesto the legal age of alcohol consumption have been going on for many years. While some feel that 21 should remain as the legal minimum consumption age, others disagree. By examining different aspects of alcohol consumption such as social motives and health related concerns one is more able to fully grasp the role that alcohol plays in our society. Through research and analyzation one can come to the conclusion that a lowered legal drinking age is not the answe r. The legal drinking age should not beRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesIn the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. In all fifty states, however, there are exceptions for underaged drinking at home, under adult supervision, or for medical purposes (â€Å"Drinking Age†). Overall, the legal opportunities for any person under twenty-one to legally drink alcohol are very scarce. There are many different points, made by people from both sides of the issue about whether or not to lower the drinking age to eighteen, or leave it where it currently stands at twenty-oneRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1481 Words   |  6 Pagesthe century, underage drinking happens every day in the United States and for some this might seem unacceptable but for most this is all because an unfair law put up by the government. The legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 because, among other things; 18 is the age of adulthood in America and adults should have the right to make their own decisions, also traffic accidents and fatalities are most common among newly-legal drinkers regardless of their drinking age; and, this law has notRead MoreShould the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered?2541 Words   |  11 Pagesabysmal failure. It hasnt reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors, into the most risky and least manageable of settings,(Debate) said John McCardell of â€Å"Choose Responsibility†. Choose Responsibility is a non-profit organization that is for lowering the drinking age to 18. Young adults can vote, fight and die for their country overseas, and purchase tobacco at age 18, but why cannot they have a beer? Drinking among the youth in the United States has escalated

Ralph Ellison was an African American Free Essays

Ralph Ellison was an African American writer and literary critic who was most recognized for the book â€Å"Invisible Man† in 1952, which is written in an adaptation of the Afro-American folk and cultural tradition. In her paper â€Å"Ritual and Rationalization: Black Folklore in the Works of Ralph Ellison† Susan Blake posited that â€Å"the predominant theme in this story is the quest for cultural identity [†¦] as unbeknownst to the main character, he seeks identity as a black man in a white society† (p. 121). We will write a custom essay sample on Ralph Ellison was an African American or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is evident as Battle Royal opens with a seemingly young and confused black boy on the cusp of manhood, who desperately wants to belong but is unsure of how to establish himself in a world where life is stacked against him. This is an issue which can be identified in today’s society particularly among the black youth. For the purpose of this essay we shall analyse the events in â€Å"Battle Royal† in an effort to identify parallels which exist between present day society and that of the protagonist’s society in â€Å"Battle Royal†. The chapter is an account of inequality and racial injustices in a small town down south in the post -colonial era, where segregation was alive. It begins with the protagonist narrating a childhood memory of his grandfather’s death and his final words in passing. The grandfather had admonished the protagonist’s parents to teach him and the other young ones to be a traitor as he, the grandfather had been, so he can get ahead in a white society. These were appalling words to the family and the children, including the narrator had been rushed from the room. The boy grew, always thinking the grandfather had imparted a curse and spent his life trying to escape the clutches of the curse, for who would want to be known as a traitorous coward? The parallels which exist between our society and that of the story are embedded in the symbolism that Ellison employed as a tool in his treatment of the issues of the black society in the 1950s. The story is rife with symbolism for issues which may easily be identified in modern day society. First we see the dying grandfather and his last words, symbolic of the hopes and dreams of ancestors passed on to the next generation. He has little else left to leave behind as a legacy, all he has is his wisdom. We see a confused black boy, symbolic of much of the black society, wandering aimlessly as they haven’t a true sense of who they were before slavery and they struggle to figure out how to begin to carve out a place in this world. The gathering at the Battle Royal, comprising of the most influential and affluent whites in the society represents the hierarchy that governs the system we live under. It also represents black perception of opportunities for a seat at the table or at the very least, crumbs from the table; a chance to win the approval of whites for social and economic advancement. Such opportunities are often used as a lure, they keep blacks hopeful, paint a picture of all we could accomplish but beneath the surface can be the trap that leads to destruction. The white stripper represents the fantasies of blacks, something that is often not attainable; something that would often serve as a source of embarrassment to us if they were to be known, yet they make us vulnerable. The animosity the nine boys have towards the main character symbolizes the helplessness and frustration of the black community (Blake, p.122). The protagonist represents to the boys, a constant reminder of the scourge of their lowly estate as slaves, the physical and sexual exploitation that had to have occurred to make his existence possible, for he was a ginger coloured boy, indicative of lighter complexion which is testament to a black ancestor being raped by a white master. He was tainted by this for it made him appear to be a house nigger as opposed to darker hued boys who would have been regarded as field niggers. This mentality is prolonged in present day society as colorism is an issue among blacks, who feel that the lighter skinned blacks have better odds as they may have lighter skin tones and finer hair textures that may afford them more opportunities than darkies. This frustration feeds into the symbol of the blindfolded fight serving as blacks being played against each other. We lash out, not knowing why we are fighting against each other, not recognizing that the differences in each other that we pick at make no difference to whites, who still see us all as blacks. We are conditioned to adopt the philosophy of every man for himself. In essence we forsake the principle of community and abandon team work. It sets us up for the money rug, which is symbolic of the whites dangling the proverbial carrot, a part of a sordid game that further divides us and allows them the upper hand. It relegates us to a position of grovelling, total degradation. It represents the economic struggles of blacks , who must bear unspeakable humiliation and undergo excruciating pain and sacrifice to make a dollar. Finally, the note in the main character’s dream symbolizes the ever shifting goal post; the reality that the rules of the game will always keep changing. Ellison uses the Battle Royal as a ritual rooted in slavery in which both sides accept their status and assumes their role (â€Å"Art† p. 175) Other writers used some variation of the Battle royal in their stories as it appears to have been a fixture of slavery in which slave owners pitted their strongest slaves against their neighbor’s with the plantation as the ultimate stake. In order to understand the underbelly of the basis of the symbolism in the grandfather’s statement on his death bed, one must know the differences between the Sambo and John characters in African American folklore. Sambo represents the docile, subservient slave who accepts degradation while John represents the unbroken defiant slave who continually defies master. The parting words of the protagonist’s grandfather serve as nuggets of wisdom for though youth and pride would have many aspiring to be a John, for longevity sake it would serve him better to be a Sambo or Samfie; for though this appears to be Sambo’s nature, it is his greatest source of power. We see the protagonist rejecting the Sambo nature out of pride. This is still the attitude of many blacks today, for they cannot see how playing Sambo will benefit them and think it further extends the white man’s narrative, that they can be no more than grovelling idiots who suck up and worship the ground that whites walk on. They refuse to accept the grandfather’s philosophy that it can be harnessed and used as a tool that can pacify the whites to some degree and help blacks to eke out a living for themselves. By virtue of the staunch opposition to the Sambo stereotype, some blacks are regarded as traitors because they choose the path of least resistance to survive a prejudicial society. Those who would try to walk the path of Sambo are called coons, Massa’s boy as a label that shows disdain for their decision to travel the path of least resistance; an indictment that they have somehow sold out the black race or relinquished their black card. This may result in alienation, as both whites and blacks reject such a one.By the end of the chapter the grandfather’s words take on new meaning for he only wished to let the next generation know that to get ahead blacks must outsmart the white man by playing the white man’s game of black subservience, but know at all times that you won’t win on their terms. Take footsteps of Sambo, for Sambo can fly under the radar but John will draw heat from Massa and they will always seek to break John. The takeaway then, is that we sho uld continue to go to the schools, take the scholarships, seek to accomplish by the white man’s standards but know that for him this is entertainment and so the game of â€Å"send the fool a little further† will always be part of the black man’s reality. How to cite Ralph Ellison was an African American, Papers