Word Power

The power of word and language has been with humans for about 100,000 years, and it has facilitated some remarkable achievements for mankind. Before this period, the hominid’s vocal tract wasn’t developed enough to produce the range of speech sounds that people can today. This is not to say that language did not appear at all before 100,000 years ago. In reality, the combination of physical changes and an increased complexity of communication from the early humans created language in a series of stages.
The more fascinating aspect is how language has progressed over the thousands of years and how it has come to control and dominate society. However, it controls society in both positive and negative ways. For example, speeches are the best example for how word has true power over people. Two names clearly explain the matter: Martin Luther King Jr. and Adolf Hitler.
     King was famous for his civil rights movement, and the single most important element in his movement was peace. He did not believe in violence, and instead of promoting violence, he advocated for peaceful protest in his speeches, the most famous being I Have a Dream. His words called people to action, they called for a realization that something needed to be done about equality in America.
King would represent the bright side of the word’s impact on society. Sadly, there is a dark side, Hitler being the example. Known for his emotional, powerful, and nationalistic speeches, he used the power of his language to influence the masses of Germany into a fever that led to World War II. One terrifying account by Alfons Heck explains how Hitler took control of people while giving his speech: “We erupted into a frenzy of nationalistic pride that bordered on hysteria. For minutes on end, we shouted at the top of our lungs, with tears streaming down our faces: Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil! From that moment on, I belonged to Adolf Hitler body and soul.”
The power of word and language is many-sided. It can be used with the purpose of evil, but also with the purpose of love and kindness. Speech can rally people up in a wild frenzy, or it can assemble them peacefully to a state of realization.  Having power isn’t all about strength. Having power means having the ability to control language and influence the surrounding people.

Pet Peeves

Everyday, I go to school and talk with my friends in English. The previous sentence may sound unusual, because in a way it is. Nobody specifies that they speak English at school in America, but this is an important part of my daily life. Why? Well, English wasn't my first language and, therefore, I have an accent. My parents grew up in Poland, and moved to America about one year before I was born. Since, this blog is to be all about pet peeves, here is my first.
It bothers me when people don't understand. I get the question a lot about how could I have an accent when I was born here. Even though I tell people that Polish was my first language, they still continue to believe that it isn't possible. When you grow up in a country like this, English surrounds you everywhere. It isn't like I live in Chicago or New York either, where there might be ethnic neighborhoods. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and ethnic communities do not really exist here. Possibly, this is why people do not understand how it is that I could have an accent. The answer: 24/7 Polish at home. Even today, we never use English at home.
Since I have an accent, it affects my pronunciation of words as well. In the Polish language, all the letters in a word are pronounced. However, this is tremendously different when it comes to English. I am ok when people correct me on long and complex words, but when it comes to the word “the” I tend to get mad sometimes. First of all, the letter “h” is placed with the letter “t”, which changes the sound. The sound change is perfectly exemplified in the difference between “though” and “tough”. The change is significant because one word evokes a strong and harsh pronunciation of “t”, while the other softens the letter and makes it sound smoother. This first part of the word “the” is easy. The problem I have is with the second part and my biggest pet peeve is when people try to correct me on my pronunciation of it. I say the “e” with the soft sound, like in the word “phenomenal”. Most people say it with the strong “e” sound, like in the word “seek”. Some people say that my pronunciation is wrong, yet I have no idea how.
In afterthought, my pet peeve with the English language is not grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes. The problem resides in pronunciation. This is why it is probably a hard language to learn. Similarly to French, many letters become silent. Others change sounds when they are in different combinations. I have my own English, and when others are correcting me, maybe they should realize that I am bilingual and learning two other languages, instead of laughing at the matter.

To Call Celebrity: Dial 007

In the beginning, the elite consisted of military and political leaders, statesmen, and religious authority. Poets, pianists, composers, and painters were considered celebrities. The differentiation between the two was that one side held a ruling power over the people, while the other side wowed the crowds with its production of masterpieces and talent. As history started unraveling itself, the transformation began: a new group of people were going to emerge wielding power in one hand and talent in the other. This talented elite came to settle one area of the country, Hollywood, and revolutionized pop culture.
These people are known as celebrities. Although the most prominent and most famous are actors, actresses, and singers, others have become celebrities through other careers in the entertainment industry, like show-hosts. Society has demanded and still is demanding a lot from these stars. They must look beautiful, be fit, have the proper clothes, always do the right thing, set an example for others, and so on, and so on. It is no surprise that if the celebrities have to do so much for society and deal with personal problems, mistakes will happen. Sadly, people do not understand that nobody can be perfect. Therefore, they will always find some way to reveal a scandal, or terrorize a celebrity for a bad decision.
Yet, some celebrities are able to keep up with societal demands and morally right decisions. They can also go above and beyond. One of these celebrities is one of my favorite actors: Pierce Brosnan. Many know him as the all-time best spy, James Bond, and his acting career has made him into a very well-known personality. He gives the public what they want, a handsome face, thrilling action movies, and a sort of obsession to be like him. However, he goes above and beyond this as a generous and kind person.
Born in Ireland, Pierce Brosnan has come to fulfill the position of the Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Along with Liam Neeson, he founded the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign. Brosnan is known for being an environmentalists and financially supporting environmental groups like Greenpeace. Being an artists as well, he makes and sells paintings as part of fundraisers for other organizations.
Brosnan can be considered the stereotypical celebrity society has demanded: a talented beautiful person that holds power as well as kindness and a sense of public service. This stereotype isn’t a bad thing at all, but sometimes the pressure builds up from so many demands, and certain celebrities cannot handle it. Others are so fed up with their popularity that they become terrible role models, like Justin Bieber. But not Pierce Brosnan! He is an excellent celebrity example.