A Christian White Mans View On Immigration

A Christian White Mans View On Immigration Free Online Research Papers A couple years ago, I attended what were called The Rollins Lectures at Baptist University of the Americas. The topic was immigration. All but two of the panelists were basically rehashing the same old erroneous ‘open borders propaganda’ that has been spewed for years. Needless to say, the scales were tipped heavily to one set of beliefs on the issue. What is worse is that these panelists invoked GOD and HIS WORD in a poor attempt to back up their position. At best, this was done in pure ignorance of Biblical truth and reality in general, which ignorance is itself wrong in God’s eyes, at worst, this was outright heresy! I will address this improper use of the Bible a bit later in this paper. For now, I will address a few of the secular arguments used by the ‘open borders’ crowd†¦and specifically the panelists of this lecture series. A popular argument is that these illegal immigrants will do work Americans refuse to do. WHAT?! Before the incredible invasion of our borders, Americans WERE doing the same jobs! The difference was that Americans expected a decent wage for an honest day’s work. Illegals are willing to take a severe pay cut by American standards, though not by their own, just to be in America thus corporate and political America saw their greedy aspirations become a reality. By preventing illegal entry into our great nation, we are preventing the exploitation of human beings! Is that not a Christian way to act? If they were just willing to enter legally AND the bureaucratic process was actually one based in sanity, these same people could be making three and four times what they can get under the table due to being illegal. Isn’t that the more ideal way to provide for a family? In the last two years, I have had the opportunity to be in our nation’s capital three times. It is no surprise to me that the politicians there spout off about Americans refusing to do certain work. 98% of the whites in the metropolitan D.C. area are either in Congress, the White House or work for politically (power) oriented businesses. The cabbies, hotel bellhops and skycaps at the airport are primarily from African or Middle Eastern nations. Suffice it to say, the view from Capitol Hill is a tad skewed, to say the least. Let’s examine the impact of illegal immigration on the American economy for just a moment. When illegals come here looking for work, they send more of what they earn BACK to their home countries than they spend in America. This is not a help to America’s economic growth. Emergency rooms throughout the border states in particular fill up with illegals when they or their families that they have brought with them get sick. Who pays that bill? It is NOT them. Taxpayers foot the bill. Yes, some illegals pay taxes, but this is because of fraudulent use of someone else’s social security number, or a ‘legit’ social security number that is obtained because our government does not follow through properly in all its checks and balances. As noted in a KGTV report, Illegal Immigration Could Cost Taxpayers Trillions, The influx of illegal immigrants has effectively imported about 10 million high school dropouts into the United States, said Robert Rector, a senior research fellow in welfare and family issues for the Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Don’t we have enough of our own drop-outs in San Antonio (i.e. the Westside), much less the rest of America that we need to deal with? Just being poor or wanting to come here is not a valid reason to violate the national sovereignty of the United States. If so, most of the world would be here. While we already devote considerable resources to our resident poor, the USA does not have the resources for all the worlds poor. It is also important to note, God does not obligate us to fix the poverty of the entire planet anywhere in the Bible. While a smaller percentage than most countries, the US has our own resident poor and uneducated to take care of and, as rich as the country is, we simply cannot support all the poor and uneducated who want to come here. We are but one nation out of nearly 300 throughout the world. Are we being the best Christian stewards of our resources, which God requires us to be, when we continue to support those who violate our laws and sovereignty? As reported by Bruce Barton in Totalization Sell-Out: What You Dont Know will Cost You: the Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration (Jo Anne Barnhart) and her Mexican counterpart concluded the U.S.-Mexican Totalization Agreement. This agreement had to be in place prior to the administrations second term and its all-out offensive for Social Security reform. This agreement would allow illegal aliens working in the U.S. to qualify for Social Security benefits with as few as six coverage credits, as opposed to the 40 now required of American workers. Additionally, illegal workers could qualify for partial benefits after only 18 months (working illegally and with a false identity), while the American worker would still have to work 10 years in order to vest in the program. Lastly, families and dependents of illegal workers would be entitled to benefits as dependents and survivors, even if not residing in the U.S.† Sounds to me like I ought to cross the border into Mexico, and come BACK across the border without proper paperwork so I can get illegal status and have to do HALF the work of a citizen to get the same benefits! The report goes on to say â€Å" The Social Security Administrations estimate is that only about 50,000 Mexican workers (both legal and illegal) will enter the program in its first year at a cost of $78 million. This ignores the fact that presently there are an estimated 12 to 18 million undocumented Mexicans now in the American workforce. In 2004, the SSA did a study and determined that there were up to 800,000 mis-matched social security accounts, many of which were workers using non-work social security cards, or worse, using stolen social security numbers. Meanwhile, estimates of the SSA are that by 2050 only 300,000 Mexican workers in the U.S. would be in the system at a cost projection of $650 million annually.† There is another argument used, though not brought up in the dialogue on either day of the lecture. The argument has to do with those who break into our nation with NO paperwork†¦including paperwork proving their citizenship in their home country. Now, this may prove a delicate predicament for some. However, I do believe it is not something new to our government’s immigration enforcement agencies. Surely, if one looks hard enough, there is a way to determine where someone originally came from. If you have a real name for a person, surely you can trace it back to family or friends in the native land with a bit of work and willing participation under the right motivation. If you think about it, anyone could conveniently ‘lose their papers’ and use the aforementioned argument otherwise. During the final session of the Lecture’s first day, I addressed Dr. Daisy Machado’s mischaracterization of the Minuteman movement and other organizations in the fight for secure borders. In my addressing her I said that I hoped her words were the result of her ignorance of the true foundation for the current movement to secure our borders, and not just some misleading attempt to besmirch true patriots in favor of criminal trespassers. She made much about how arguments are ‘couched’†¦I called her on that point as she never refers to illegal immigrants as illegal immigrants, she only ever used the term immigrants. She did have to acquiesce to a degree when I stated that if you do not have the required paperwork to prove you belong somewhere that you are breaking the law! She claimed that the Minutemen were racists with violent tendencies who were against immigrants. She showed undocumented ‘evidence’ of violence and racist remarks by people supposedly part of the Minuteman movement. None of the things she displayed on the power point had ANY reference by which one can verify the claims made. Furthermore, â€Å"Minutemen† is more a nebulous term now, though there is the Minuteman Project and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the latter of which I am a part, and stated such to the entire body of students and staff who were present. The Minutemen I associate with are neither racist nor violent, though we will protect our borders by whatever legal means necessary. Dr. Machado was very careful to never mention the violence committed just in the last year or so by illegals who have invaded our nation, nor of the disproportionate amount of violent offender prison population who are illegals. No mention was made of the U.S. Border Patrol agents who have been murdered or who have nearly lost their lives, nor of the four officers in Laredo murdered by members of MS-13 who entered illegally. A fair and balanced portrayal of violence and illegal immigration? I think not. Dr. Machado stated that I could not speak any more for the whole movement than she could for all immigrants. Well, I am the Public Relations Director for American Freedom Riders – San Antonio Brigade, a group of motorcycle riders intent on securing our nation’s borders, something the federal government refuses to do! I am also President of the San Antonio Chapter of the US Border Watch organization based in Houston, Texas. I am a former San Antonio Director for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps., and former National Vetting officer for the same organization. I think I have a pretty solid grasp of the intent of the national security movement. Do some loose cannon folks do stupid things within some of these organizations? Yes! Does that mean you can tar and feather the whole organization for it, well, according to Dr. Machado, probably†¦but in reality, NO! Using her logic, I could simply say every illegal immigrant is a terrorist. I honestly do not believe that to be the case. The debate over illegal immigration and secure borders is, at its core, about national sovereignty. Ronald Reagan said it best, ‘A nation without borders is not a nation at all.’ This is especially true when two nations, who are vastly different in language and culture, share a large border as Mexico and the United States do. Let me now address this issue from a PROPER Scriptural basis as I promised to do earlier, which is not even close to what took place during the Rollins Lecture series. The notion of separate nations came from none other than God himself! We know this to be true simply by reading Genesis 11, as this is used as a judgment, though one could make a strong case that borders were created by God as early as the Garden of Eden. At the Tower of Babel God chose to confuse the languages of the people. We are told in Acts 17:26-27: That God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord. Scripture makes clear that the purpose of the creation of nation-states is to, in some measure restrain Satan’s ability to create his kingdom on earth until the Lord’s timing as discussed in Revelations 17:17: For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. But nation-states serve another purpose as well, to be Gods instruments on earth for meting out justice and providing protection for the people. (Deuteronomy 17:14-17) Let us now examine the following four passages from the Hebrew Bible a.k.a. the Old Testament: Leviticus 19:33-34: And if a stranger sojourns with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Exodus 22:21: Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:9: Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:19: Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Sadly, many Christians read no further than this and have decided this was the totality of the Christian response to illegal immigrants. People without respect for our nation’s borders believe THIS is how we are to treat the illegal immigrants who have willingly invaded our nation. The problem is, many Christians are sadly lacking in their exegetical skills, therefore do not ‘rightly divide the word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). In other words, they do not fully understand the context of the passages in terms of who is speaking and who is the audience being spoken to. If one is going to use Scripture to defend a position, it rather helps to know how to do it in a Godly manner. God requires us to use His word properly, without adding or taking away from it, even if only in our own sometimes fallible interpretations. A stranger that sojourns with you or lives with you does not have a single solitary thing to do with illegal immigrants. You can sojourn with strangers on a Greyhound bus. This does not make THEM or YOU illegal immigrants. The true correlation is that the children of Israel were strangers in Egypt. Thats why they were to treat their own strangers well, because they knew what it is like to be strangers in a foreign land. To be a â€Å"stranger† (The Hebrew word is Ger) is to be a foreigner. The children of Israel were invited into Egypt and, at first anyway, were honored guests. They of course were oppressed by later rulers who never knew Joseph, but they were certainly not in Egypt illegally. The Hebrews were not in any way violating Egyptian law. In fact, they were commanded not to offend their hosts in any way (Genesis 46:28-34). Clearly, stranger does not equal illegal immigrant from a Biblical perspective. Even when the term alien is used in the Bible, it seems to have the exact same meaning as stranger. God loves the stranger, were told. You should, too. They should be treated with respect and dignity. They should not be mistreated. These foreigners should be given food and clothing when they are in need. Thats the clear message of the Bible, treat law-abiding foreigners and immigrants with love and compassion. The immigrants and strangers of the Bible were expected to obey the Hebrew laws, though they were exempt from some. They were treated differently than the children of Israel in that they could not own property; they could be bought as slaves (though most slaves were more like indentured servants) and charged interest on loans. Only if these immigrants and strangers were fully converted as Jews, and that included circumcision, could they be landowners, partake of the Passover and be fully integrated into the nation of Israel. The strangers of the Bible were expected to fully assimilate into the Hebrew religion and culture before they could receive all the blessings and all the responsibility of full citizenship. These godly instructions were meant not just for the judges and kings of Israel, but, more importantly, for the citizenry. These instructions are still relevant today. If we want to be compassionate to the strangers and immigrants of our world today, those law-abiding foreigners who desperately want to come to America and are patiently waiting their turn, we need to be certain they dont get squeezed out unfairly by those who broke the law and pushed ahead of them in line. Certainly, we cannot mistreat or abuse lawbreakers. Many of these have broken the law with honorable intentions of bettering the lives of their families. We as Christians must remember they are human beings, and as such must be accorded proper dignity. Nevertheless, these lawbreakers are called illegal immigrants for a reason; they came across OUR borders uninvited! They have in essence committed breaking and entering into our great HOME land. They are not just strangers; they are trespassers. They need to go back home and get in line like everyone else waiting to enter our country lawfully. The mercy of the Christian faith is actually in allowing them the opportunity to come back legally in the first place after having made the attempt illegally. When we engage governments who are oppressing their people, we should verifiably ensure that basic human rights are protected. We cannot continue to say one thing and do another with regard to aid and sanctions in situations where we have chosen to be committed. While we are not able to save the planet from all its ills and fix every problem, we are under no obligation from God to meet the needs of everyone, nor give refuge to every victim of injustice, nor bring them into our homeland, nor make their own nation a democracy. God has allowed people to be born where they were. All may help others at will insofar as possible and desired, individually or corporately through the local church (the only institution ordained by God for the purpose of Christian work) as led by the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are obligated to spread the gospel, and compelled by the Holy Spirit to share the love of the Lord in many ways. God does NOT obligate Christians to balance the world’s population according to someone’s idea of equal opportunity for anything other than the gospel. That is God’s job and He alone will do exactly that in HIS time! 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The Gnostic Jesus

The Gnostic Jesus Free Online Research Papers Gnostic writings of Jesus portray him as a heavenly redeemer made less of flesh than of spirit. The emphasis of Jesus importance is not on his physical humanness but rather, on his ability to show people the way to the kingdom. Jesus put on flesh in order to give people gnosis and reveal to them where they come from and where they will eventually return. When it is time for Jesus to return to his heavenly home, he is crucified and resurrected before he finally ascends. His bodys lack of importance in some Gnostic texts gives this series of events a different connotation than other versions of the story more common today. The Gnostic understanding of Jesus gives us better knowledge of what will happen to us when we leave the body and world in which we are currently trapped. This understanding also gives us insights into the realm in which we belong. The lack of concern for the body is also connected with the Gnostic view that anything that happens on this earth or in this realm is irr elevant. I will argue that the issue of flesh is very significant in some Gnostic views of Jesus, citing examples from selected Gnostic texts including, the Gospel of Thomas, the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Hypostasis of the Archons, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Truth, the Treatise on the Resurrection and the Hymn of the Pearl. Most Gnostic books show Christ to be of heavenly origin. The books either explicitly say that he is from the father and heaven above or imply it by saying that he descended into earth. He is part of the †¦heavenly triad with the Father and the Mother†¦(Franzmann, 39). In the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, the author who is supposedly Christ says, I am from above the heavens (Ehrman, 231). He is also sometimes described as a heavenly light, I am the light which is above all of them: I am All. The All came forth from me and the All reached me (G of Th., v.77). Many people, however, look at Christs incarnation in different ways. According to some Gnostic thought Christ comes to our earth and puts on Jesus human body so that he may walk among us. I visited a bodily dwelling (Ehrman, 231). Some of the Gnostic writings show Jesus as an earthly being with a heavenly nature, while others show Jesus as a purely heavenly being with a lack of earthly context. In the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, Christs incarnation was into Jesus body in which he cast out the original occupier (Franzmann, 75). Christs arrival on earth in the Gospel of Thomas is described in a docetistic way, I stood in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh (G. of Th, v.28). He is said to appear to them in flesh only in outward appearance (Franzmann, 78). The Gospel of Truth describes Jesus as a fruit of knowledge that when eaten gives people gnosis (Ehrman, 161). This Gnostic text shows Christ as a revealer. He is referred to as the book or logos, which reveals to us all that is unknown (Ehrman, 162). He put on the book, was nailed to a tree and published the edict of the father on the cross (Ehrman, 162). These actions say that by dying on the cross, which in this text is not in flesh, he is helping people receive gnosis. Many Gnostic views have implied a hatred of the body. The body is what is keeping people from realizing their origin (G. of Thomas, v.29). For Christ to have a human body seems strange because he has gnosis. Woe to the flesh which depends on the soul; woe to the soul which depends on the flesh (G of Th, v.112). According to the Hypostasis of the Archons, the body is just a shell for the spirit. Locked within the material shell of the human race is the spark of this highest spiritual reality which (as one Gnostic theory held) the inept creator accidentally infused into humanity at the creation on the order of a drunken jeweler who accidentally mixes gold dust into junk metal (Groothuis). Our spirit is trapped in our bodies and the only way to free ourselves is through gnosis. After the spirit came forth from the Adamantine Land; it descended and came to swell within him, and that man became a living soul (Hyp of Arc, 164). Anything that happens in this realm of matter is insignificant only when we find the kingdom or when we finally have gnosis, will we actually begin to live (Hyp of Arc, 167-8). All matter is a veil over the truth (Hyp of Arc, 167). Jesus strips himself of his perishable rags or dirty clothes as he ascends back to heaven (Ehrman, 162, 186). Jesus purpose while on earth is to reveal to his people the true nature of their being. Jesus enlightens and imparts knowledge. His job is to give us gnosis so that we may return to our heavenly home. If woman or man truly came to gnosis of this spark, she understood that she was truly free: Not contingent, not a conception of sin, not a flawed crust of flesh, but the stuff of God, and the conduit of Gods immanent realization (Gnostic Society). Spirit is good and desirable; matter is evil and detestable. According to the Hypostasis of the Archons, there are two heavens, an outer realm and an inner realm. The creation of the earth and humans was fla wed. The god of the outer realm created the archons who did not have spirit, while the people created in the inner realm do have spirit, however they are unaware of the spirit within them. When we achieve gnosis we have the understanding that we are from the outer realm and that we have spirit, unlike Yaldabaoth, the god of the inner realm. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of Jesus sayings that are supposed to reveal to us the way to heaven or the outer realm. It shows Jesus to be a revealer of gnosis by clearing the fog or ignorance that surrounds us. The Archons want us to remain ignorant so that we do not enter the perfect outer realm (Hyp of Arc). He explains that the kingdom is a place with no poverty, where all is revealed and that it is already inside and around them but they must learn how to find it. According to the Hypostasis of the Archons, Jesus Christ is not essential for salvation but he is our bridge to it. He shows us that All who have become aquainted with this way exist deathless in the midst of a dying mankind (Hyp of Arc). To have gnosis is to understand where we come from. Gnosis, remember, is not a rational, propositional, logical understanding, but a knowing acquired by experience (Gnostic Society). The achievement of Gnosis is something that has to be done on a personal level and cannot be read or learned (Gnostic Society). Jesus shows us the way to the kingdom by awakening us from our drunkenness or blindness where we lost sight of God and heaven (G. of Thomas, v.28). Dependence on the body and earth will keep us in poverty (G. of Thomas, v.29), or without knowledge. Escape from this world comes with knowledge of our origins or the unknowing of beliefs we have that keep us from attaining gnosis. The beliefs that would keep us from attaining gnosis include the idea that Yaoldabaoth is our true god or that we are actually from this world. Until we realize that our bodies are not important and they everything in this realm is false we will not achieve gnosis. Christ reveals information about the kingdom to Mary Magdalene, telling her that where the mind is there is the treasure (G. of Mary). Christs crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension have great importance on Gnostic teachings. The events that take place at the end of Jesus life are perhaps the most important part of the Christian faith. When the flesh is not important, like in Gnosticism, the views on these events are changed. If the body is irrelevant then Jesus death is not as important to his followers. Is he able to suffer if he is not really in a body? What is resurrection if the body does not matter? When Christ is crucified in the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, he laughs at those who believe that they are hurting him because they are ignorant. I did not die in reality, but in appearance. Those in error and blindness.saw me; they punished me. It was ano ther, their father, who drank the gall and vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. I was rejoicing in the height over all.And I was laughing at their ignorance. This version of the story is very different from the one in the Bible. In the biblical account, Christ does not mock his crucifiers but he asks God for forgiveness of the worlds sins (Groothuis). Pagels says that rather than viewing Christs death as a sacrificial offering to atone for guilt and sin, the Gospel of Truth sees the crucifixion as the occasion for discovering the divine self within (Pagels, 95). In the Gospel of Mary, physical suffering has no reality because physicality has no reality (G. of Mary). Christs crucifixion has a different meaning when he is not suffering on the cross for our sins. This is because in Gnosticism a persons pure soul was made good and the earth and matter were corrupted, so there is no need for forgiveness. In canoni cal stories, a perfect God made the earth and the people corrupted it with sin, so Christ must come down and be crucified for the salvation of the people. Gnostics and Orthodox Christians view Resurrection very differently. In Christianity, Christs resurrection only occurs once. He dies on the cross and rises from the dead back into flesh. The first person to witness his resurrection is one of his disciples, Paul. For the forty days following his resurrection, he is seen by his disciples in the flesh and talks about the kingdom of God. He shows some of the disbelievers that he is real by having them touch him, or he even eats with them (Luke). After these forty days, Christ never appears on earth in flesh again. Tertuillian, a brilliant Christian author from about 190AD, stated that not believing in the literal interpretation of Christs resurrection was heresy (Ehrman, 218). His main argument is that Christ was born, therefore flesh. There is no evidence that he was not flesh and no reason to believe that he would not want to be flesh (Ehrman, 221). Some gnostics called the literal view of resurrection the faith of fools (Pagels, 11). In Gnostic thought, literally seeing Christ was not what was importan t but it was spiritual visions that were held in high esteem (Pagels, 11). For the Gnostic who abhors matter and seeks release from its grim grip, the physical resurrection of Jesus would be anticlimactic, if not absurd. A material resurrection would be counterproductive and only recapitulate the original problem (Groothuis). In the Gospel of Mary, Mary Magdalene was the first to see Christ after he was risen but he was not in a physical body. She saw him in visions and dreams. The visions are not cast aside as hallucinations but are respected as spiritual contact with God. This thought of resurrection is not finite. Christ does not appear for only forty days to just the chosen few. This allows Christ to be seen throughout history. Do not weep, and do not grieve, and do not doubt; for his grace will be with you completely, and will protect you (G. of Mary, v.5:2). Mary, representing the gnostic, claims to experience his continuing presence (Pagels, 13). Resurrection is viewed by many Gnostics as waking up from death, which is life on earth, and becoming alive in heaven, which is also death on earth. There was a trembling that overcame the chaos of the earth, for the souls which were in the sleep below were released, and they were resurrected (Ehrman, 232). Gaining gnosis is the way to resurrection for tho se who belong in the outer realm. Death, according to the Gospel of Thomas, is life and life is death (G. of Th, v.11). Treatise on the Resurrection refers to resurrection as almost a revelation. What, then, is resurrection? It is always the disclosure of those who have risen†¦It is no illusion, but the truth! (Ehrman, 184). The world is described as an illusion and resurrection is the revelation of what is true. Not all New Testament stories of Christs resurrection were interpreted literally. Some stories had Jesus appear to the disciples in a more spiritual way. Both the gospels of Luke and Mark say that Jesus appeared in another form (Pagels, 5). In some accounts, he is said to vanish just as quickly as he appears. In Orthodox Christian thought, forty days after Christs resurrection, he is ascended back into heaven. There he remains at the right hand of God. In Gnostic thought, he ascends into heaven but may return at anytime. Christ, according to Christian theology, comes only once. The Bible, is the final word on everything pertaining to life on earth and the world after. Gnostics differ bec ause there is room for more ideas, and Christ may return to the earth again whenever he wants. Why should Christ come to earth so long ago and then just stop? Why is everything in the Christian religion based only on things that happened so far in the past? Gnosticism allows for reinterpretations of all the old laws, new books may be added to the library. Whereas, in Christianity there is only the Bible which cannot be changed. All these interpretations of Jesus will reveal to us our own souls journey. They give us an idea or insight into what will happen to us when we receive gnosis. What is our ascension into heaven like? What is resurrection for us? Jesus comes to earth and takes on a human body. We, too, are from the perfect kingdom and we come here and take on flesh. So like Christ, we are not from this world, however, unlike Christ, we do not know this. Christ tries to help us remember that we belong with the father. When he is crucified, he reveals to us more about the kingdo m. His resurrection is like what we might experience as well. This Gnostic resurrection is one in which we will gain gnosis and then die from the earth in order to live in heaven. We are brought back to our original life on heaven, after being dead the entire time on earth. After gaining gnosis, we must ascend to heaven. Since the perfection of the totality is in the Father, it is necessary for the totality to ascend to him (G. of Truth). When we have gnosis, we will have the world revealed to us. All that is unknown will now be known. The Hymn of the Pearl tells a story of a young prince who is sent to Egypt by his parents to find a pearl and bring it back to the kingdom. During his journey the young prince forgets his mission and falls into a state of drunkenness. Some courtiers, who know why the prince was there, wrote him a letter to remind him. He immediately remembers his task and that he is not from this land but from the kingdom. He takes off his dirty clothes and is able to return back to his fathers kingdom (Ehrman, 185-7). This story has many parallels to the Gnostic theory of Jesus journey and our own. Christ is sent on a mission to earth by his father. He puts on his dirty clothes or flesh and descends to earth. After he completes his mission he takes off the flesh and returns home to the kingdom of his father. This is also similar to the gnostic view of our own journey. We are from the kingdom of the father and are sent down to complete a task, while on earth we forget where we are from and what we ar e supposed to be doing here. Jesus tries to remind us through his parables and sayings that we are not of this world. And if and when we finally remember this, we take off our dirty clothes and return to the kingdom of our father. Gnostic texts place an emphasis on the flesh of Christ. It is not the same emphasis that Orthodox Christians do but still flesh or the lack of flesh remains an important theme in many Gnostic writings. Some Gnostics have hatred for flesh based on the importance of the outer realm rather than the inner realm. The gods of the inner realm know that we have spirit and they want to keep us from understanding this. They are jealous of us and want to steal the spirit from us because it is the only thing in the inner realm that is worth anything. Having spirit is the only way to have access to the outer realm, which is perfect in every way. Our bodies keep us from realizing that we have something inside us that is more important. The world around us keeps us from looking inside ourselves. A docetic Christ, shows the importance of the word rather than earthly actions. By examining Christs journey, we can have a better idea of our own souls journey. When we achieve gnosis, we will gain entrance to the kingdom with God as well as Christ. Bibliography Ehrman, Bart D. After The New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Franzmann, Majella. Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Writings. Edinburgh: T T Clark, 1996. Groothuis, Douglas. Gnosticism And The Gnostic Jesus. Christian Research Journal. 1994. Online. URL: http://iclnet93.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/crj0040a.txt (20 April 2000) Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: Random House, 1979. The Gnostic Society Library. Introduction to the Nag Hammadi Library. 18 August 1997. Online. URL: http://home.sol.no/~noetic/nagham/nhlintro.html (10 April 2000). Research Papers on The Gnostic JesusAlbatross and Rimm of the Ancient MarinerThe Broken FamilyThe Rise and Fall of Napoleon BonaparteBooker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-BarnettGlobal Distributive Justice is UtopianThe Story of Beatrix PotterSexually Transmitted DiseasesHenderson the Rain KingMy Writing ExperienceIs the Use of Psychotropic Drugs in the Treatment of

The Paradoxes Entailed in America's Self-Evident Truths Essay

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Problems That Face Asians In English Pronunciation English Language Essay

Problems That Face Asians In English Pronunciation English Language Essay Speaking regarded as the most important and difficult micro-skill of the four skills in foreign language learning. Most adult non-native students of English in the UK particularly Asian students face a lot of difficulties when they speak English and they sometimes get frustrated when they could not understand or be understand by native speakers of English. Therefore, they encounter the same problems that confront any students studying in a foreign culture, such as grammar, pronunciation, listening comprehension and different cultures. Also, it is difficult for them to adjust to the English language especially when they speak it. They may have difficulty understanding class lecture, making them feel reluctant to participate in class discussion, seminars and tutorials. This essay will first explain and evaluate only one issue that face adult Asian students in UK when they speak English which is English pronunciation. Therefore, pronunciation is a difficult aspect in language learning f or adult Asian students which lead to real barriers to communication and can contribute to motivation with native English speakers. This essay also will examine what are the most frequent difficulties encountered them in English pronunciation, the factors that affecting the pronunciation of non native students of English , some solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students and finally it will throw some light on the implications of language teaching. Literature review: Teachers of English as a FL or a L2 know so well how important pronunciation is. Nevertheless, sometimes it has been obvious that a teacher has been paid little attention to the students pronunciation in the process of second language learning and teaching. Celce Goodain(1991) states that over the past years, there have been different views about the value of teaching pronunciation in language teaching and they reported that the cognitive approach and grammar translation reading based method which used by teachers attach no importance to pronunciation. However, in the direct approach, pronunciation is considered important. In addition, Jack and William (2002) reported that pronunciation is no longer considered as an indispensable aspect in a foreign language teaching. According to Beebe (1984,51), `Most current textbooks in English as a second language either ignore the teaching of pronunciation or rely primarily on old stand-bys-to teach non-native learners to pronounce English accurately. Trammell (1993) also indicates that instruction in pronunciation has been deemphasised due to the new teaching methods like the Communicative Approach. Communication is an important need of in daily life and it should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching . Therefore, teaching English speaking to non-native students of English how to speak English accurately and fluently with native speakers of English is one of the general objectives of the foreign language teaching. According to Yule (2006: 33), language is primarily speech and it is more basic to language than the written form. Knowles (1987) argue that written language is permanent and looks imperfect version of the spoken language whereas spoken Language is more elusive. It is clear that we all speak and hear the sounds spoken in our environment first before we write or read. For instance, child before goes to school, he will speak before write because he will acquire his first Language from his family when he imitates what they said. It is seem that as long as one can communicate with others in the second language, everything is fine but the questions is ,how can communicate with people fluently if your pronunciation is incorrect? Beebe (1984) insists that pronunciation always affect what we communicate and how well we communicate it, and therefore it should be take seriously. Weeren Theunissen(1987: 109) pointed out: Firstly, good pronunciation allows one to be better understood. It gives the speakers oral production a certain redundancy. And this can help to get a message across more effectively as a learning objective because of it is high pay off. The number of sound, sound clusters and intonation pattern in a Language is finite, as is the alphabet. Once the system has been mastered, it can be used, thus giving it fundamentally an infinite scope. Thirdly, a deviant pronunciation means that one is immediately marked as non-native abroad. Harmer (2007) suggests that if students want to be able to speak fluently in English, they need to be able pronounce phonemes correctly and appropriate stress and intonation. Pronunciations of students need to be good enough to communicate the message so that it is understood by other speakers of English. Therefore, most Asian adult students have difficulties to pronounce words or sentences correctly which can be a major cause of misunderstandings. They have difficulties in recognize sound of English, word stress( which part of a word are more heavily stressed that is spoken louder and longer), sentence stress( which part of a sentence can be more heavily stressed), sounds in connected speech( how to link the sounds together in a sentence),and finally in intonation(how our voice rises and falls at a certain point of the sentence).From my own experience as a teacher in a secondary school, most students have potential pronunciation problems when they speak English. They have problem wi th stress and intonation that they unable to put the right emphasis on the right part of the word. Also they have problems with vowels bends and consonants blends as well. For example, sounds likeea and ou can be confusing them because when they listen to the audio recordings, it can be very difficult for them to pick up the subtle blends of two or more vowels. Additionally, In consonants blends, they have problem with th sound because they are not accustomed to putting t and h together to form th sound to reproduce. It is clear that pronunciation is so difficult to learn. The first language of most overseas students effect on learning the second language. Problems that face Asian students in English pronunciation: Most Asian adult students work and study hard to become very fluent in English. However, there are many different varieties of spoken English and non-native students may have achieved fluency such as knowing correct grammar and knowing a large numbers of vocabulary especially when they have been taught by non-native speakers but they have a non-standard accent which make the use of English difficult for native speakers of English to understand. Vowels Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (1996) states there are different types of vowel sounds in English pronunciation. Firstly, received pronunciation. It has twelve monophthongs (single or pure vowels).Secondly, eight diphthongs (double vowels) and two thriphthongs (triple vowels).therefore, some of in Asian students like Arabices , Japanese and Chinese have fewer vowels in their first Language which lead to have problems with hearing and pronouncing these distinctions of vowel sounds. For example, Japanese language has only 5 vowels /i/,/e/,/a/,/É‘/,/o/. According to, Kenworthy(1987) there are five vowels letters which are (a, e, i, o, u) .They map to 13 different sounds. For instance, the letter is pronounced differently in the words: boat, boot, out and hot. This is one of the problems that encountered by Asian adult students in pronunciation subject. They have problem with the /a/ sound (e.g. at) because it is not easy for them to hear and pronounce this sound. Also, they could not differentiate between the long sound/a/ and the sound/e/ (e.g. paper-pepper).They also have problems in differentiating between the long/e/ and the short /i/ (e.g. eat-it). Furthermore, diphthongs in English are difficult to learn and definitely tribal markers in English. .They are also very easy for native speakers of English to identify but not easy for non-native speakers of English. So, speech sounds which involve a slide from one vowel to another is the biggest problem which face Asian adult students when they speak English. For example, theou sound in the word out is a blend of /ah/ and /oo/. Several of diphthongs are quiet subtle .For instant the long /ee/ sound in the words feel and fear is a blend of /ee/ and /ah/ as (fee-ah). Celce-Murcia , Brinton and Goodwin ( 1996 ) 2- Consonants Kota(2006) stats that English consonants are less difficult than vowels. Most languages have the sounds which are represented by the letters d, t, s, and z .Nevertheless, some languages do not use certain consonants which can be difficult for non-native speakers of English. For examples, the r and l sounds are not used by Japanese and Korean native speakers. Then, the so- called ra-la distinction is especially difficult for them. They have also difficulty to distinguish between /b/ and /v/ sounds. The /th/ sound is not simply to use it in the naÃÆ' ¯ve language. It can be difficult for Vietnamese students. Therefore, they substitue a /zh/ instead of /th/ as in: /zh/ese problems may be caused by pollution. Also, he adds that there are more consonants in English than in Japanese language .Therefore, the /f/, /v/ /o/, A/, /s/,/3/,/ts/,/d3/ do not exist in the Japanese consonantal system. In addition, Munro((1993) states that some Arabic language do not make use of separate sounds for /b/ and/p/.then, they have difficulty to distinguishing and pronouncing b and p sounds as in : do not bark while I park the van. The difference is quite subtle. They may confuse z withj .These problems cause misunderstanding by native English speakers when they communicate with each other From my own experience as a Libyan student at Leicester University in the UK, I had a car accident in university road because the weather was slippery and snowing which cause that the brake of my car was out of the control. After that the police came to me and asked me some questions about the accident. I said to him I feel slippery. The problem here, the police wrote in the report driver feel asleep but he did not write what I said I feel slippery .I think that was a misunderstanding between the police and me because of my language. He misunderstand me because of his linguistic constraints particularly his heavily -accented English. Other problems which face Asian adult students, is dropping medical stopped consonants. Some of them tend o drop stopped consonants such as, sounds /p/ and /k/ from the middle of poly syllabic words. For example, Chinese students tend to drop the difficult c from the word of success. They say/ suhsess/.Also, some native speaker of English pronounce the word accessory as/ assess or ee/ instead of / ack-sess-or-ee/.(Dalton,1994) Syllable structure: According to Joanna Heather (2003), English allows for in syllable structure a cluster of up to three consonants before the vowel and four consonants after the vowel as in the words straw and glimpsed. Therefore, the structure of syllabus cause issues for speakers of many languages. For instance, Japanese students usually try to in between the consonants (e.g. desk-/desks/) becomes desukusu or in the word milk shake / mIlk ʃeIk/ becomes mirukushȆ¡ku.Kota(2006) there are two types of syllable in English which are open syllables( CV) and closed syllables( CCCVCC).On the other hand, Japanese only permit one type of syllable which is open syllable. For example, Word meaning syllable Ke hair CV Kare boyfriend CVCV So, Words in Japanese do not end with consonants and it Japanese does not allow both initial and final consonants. Knowles (1987) maintains that some Asian students who first languages end in vowels, they often tend to make all English words end in vowels. For example, they pronounce the word make as /meIkÉâ„ ¢ / instead of/ meIk/. Also, they sometimes find it is so complicated when native speakers of English may drop consonants in the more complex blends (e.g. the word months, they say /mɆ¦nÉ µs/ instead of / mɆ¦nos/. 4-Rhythm and Cadence: Brown (2001: 121) pointed out that cadence is the pattern of stresses within a sentence and rhythm refers to the beat syllabus. If each one were marked by tapping fingers on a desk: rat a-tat-tat-tat TAT of this. He adds that the main issue that trips up Asian adult students that British English are stress timed whereas most Asian languages are syllable timed. Stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time and they like the sound of the mechanical tat-tat-tat-tat of gun machine with equal length to each syllable. However, native English speakers stretch syllables at the same time like putting emphasis on some syllables and not others. For instance,hi. Wonderful to see u again .They say this sentence like this hiiiii woooood fl to seeeeeee yu agaiaiainn. This mean, won- see- gain is both emphasized and lengthened but other syllabuses in the sentence are so lightly and shortened spoken. According to Kota (2006), stress time in English is one of the problem that encounter Asian students particularly for Singaporeans students. They speak in the way which is very difficult for English speakers to understand. 5- Intonation Roach, (2002: 50) defines intonation as the rising or falling pitch of the voice while pronouncing words or syllables. He believes that intonation enables speakers to express their emotions and attitudes when they speak. The most problematic area of pronunciation for most Asian students is intonation. They find it extremely difficult to hear tunes or identify the different patterns of rising and falling tones. Therefore, some Asian languages have less pitch variation than English especially Japanese language.They use pith changes to mark stress on the word level which result the so-called monotonous intonation. Wong(1987) suggests that English as a tonal language(not using tones).We can understand the words in isolation but if we put them together in sentences, the meaning of the sentence may change by a shift in tone. For example, Are you going to the library?(low-then-high on word library) but if u wondered which of two persons agreed to get the list of books, the same words would have a different emphasis Are you going to the library?, and the tone for you would be rather deep which is different from the first question. Jack and Willy (2002) introduce other problems in English pronunciation .Firstly, difference between spelling and sounds. There are lots of words in English language which have silent letters. Therefore, most Asian students specifically Pakistani students pronounce these silent letters unknowingly which make them mispronounce the words. For example, knowledge, kneel .These two word have k silent letter which they should not pronounce it at all. Secondly, multiple sounds of the same letters are also one of the issues that encounter Asian adult students. This mean there are many letters and combinations of letters which produce numerous sounds at different place. For instance, the letter c produces two sounds like s and k (e.g. circle, car) and also ch letter produce three sounds as ch,k andsh. Factors affecting the English pronunciation of Asian students: The effect of native language: Every language in the world has different accent and varsities is true that non native speakers speak the target language in a different way. Sometimes, they speak highly different than native speakers of English do. Avery Ehrlich (1987:9) calls the foreign accent the nature of which is determined to a large extended by a learners native language. Then, native language of speaker may influence on the pronunciation of the target language. Jack and Willy(2002: 184) states that the way we speak is a part of our identity ,that is, phonemic differences between language cause, a target language which will be spoken with a foreign language. Some Asian students specifically Turkish adult students have difficulty in some English sounds or words that are not exist in their first language. For example, the sounds/ÃÆ' °/ and / ÆÅ ¸/ are not exist in Turkish language which lead Turkish students to face difficulty to pronounce these sounds when they speak English. So they produce these sou nds under the influence of their first language. Then, the influence of native language is inevitable. 2-The factor of age: This is the most important factor in learning English pronunciation. If someone wants to pronounce a foreign language with a native like accent, he/she should start to learn it during his/her childhood. For example, children who start learn English language in foreign language speaking people environment. As a result, they have more advantage than the children who learn the second language in their motherlands. Krashen (1988) mentions that people who expose their second language during childhood, they achieve higher foreign language proficiency than those who beginning as adults. It seems that age is the main factor which effect on adults English pronunciation. They are difficult for them to learn English language after puberty. Therefore, it is better to learning it in short run and should be started in puberty. Phonetic Ability: According to Jack and Willy (2002) pointed out that some people who have a good ear, they have the ability to discriminate between the two sounds accurately. So, learners phonetics ability affects the development of their pronunciation. Kenworthy(1987) believes that the influence of age is an efficient factor for phonetics ability. Because it is so difficult for adult students to have more ability in pronunciation than immigrants children who start their learning process in a second language speaking environment. 3-The Amount Exposure: Many non native speakers have not opportunity to practice the English language in their motherlands. English also do not only used in the classroom. If the learners live in an English- speaking country, the learners will have opportunities to listen and speak with native speakers of English. Conversely, there will no advantage for learners if they live in a non English speaking country. Kenworthy (1987) insists that exposure can be a contributory factor but it is not necessary factor for developing adult learners pronunciation. Learners should make use of it is opportunities, if they are aware of the necessity of being exposed to the second language. If the learners do that, they will be more successful in case of improving their pronunciation. 5- Personality and Attitude This factor affect the pronunciation of most Asian adult students in a bad way if the learners have negative attitudes for the English environment .learners or they are introverted students. From my own experience as a student in the UK, I am one of the students who are introverted or shy. Therefore, I usually do not take part in classroom activities; seminars and tutorials .Whereas extrovert students have more chance to improve their pronunciation. Brown (2001) states attitude of the students toward the new language have an effective role in pronunciation learning. Also, if the learners have a good attitude for the target culture, they can develop their pronunciation accurately. If the learners have some prejudices on the second language and its society, this event will influence their approach to the language. It is clear that these above factors are effective in the learners pronunciation and also exert much influence on the adult learners. So, teachers play a significant role for helping adult learners to develop their English pronunciation. Also, they should pay attention to the students concern for pronunciation because they are not aware of the way that they speech. Therefore there are lots of methods and types of teaching English pronunciation which help Asian adult students to overcome the difficulties of it. They will also help them to acquire an accurate pronunciation and improve their speech. Solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students:- Teaching pronunciation:- Jigsaw: Pennington (1996) maintains that jigsaw is a form of information gap. Students work in pairs or small group to exchange their information. They try to combine words with each other to create sentences. These sentences consist of words that the learners have difficulty to pronounce these words. For example, in the word rise which has the letters s that they must pronounce it as z and producing /raIz/ e.g. I was surprised that the raisings rise! B-Tongue Twister: This kind of activity helps adult Asian students to say difficult words and phrases so quickly. Celce-Murcia (1987:55) stress that there is a little transfer from practice to natural information. But, if it is needed and necessary, they can be used. Example: Paul piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. 2-Drilling Techniques There are lots of drills which helps adult Asian students to improve their English pronunciation. They are very useful for teaching the correct pronunciation of the words and sentences. A- Saturation drill Wong (1987) proposed it is vey suitable for all position of the problematic sound. For instance, the sound /s/ as a problem sound. It can be drilled in its three positions Initial media final See leasing peace Seem clinic purse Substitution drill Dalton (1994) says that this drill can be applied by substituting any sound instead of other sound. For instance,/t/ sound instead of /ÃŽÂ ¸/ and /d/ in place of /ÃÆ' °/( e.g. this is thin/tin.) It is clear that there are other ways helps learners to overcome difficulties of pronunciation .First, media which give to the students positive advantage especially when they watch standard English news channel like BBC. Second, is practice. Students should practise English with native speaker or non native speakers of English to improve their English speaking Conclusion: To sum up, teaching pronunciation is one of the important areas of foreign language teaching. Most overseas students especially Asian adult students encounter troubles when they try to communicate with native speakers of English. Then, communication should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching. One crucial part of effective communication for Asian adult students to grasp is: comfortably intelligible pronunciation. They have certain difficulties such as produce correct sound and recognition of English sounds, understanding of stress and intonation, difference between spelling and sounds and other problems. Therefore, it should be studied in the early age (from puberty) to eliminate these problems and also to overcome the negative influence from the first language interference. Teachers must be a ware of the techniques which help students improve their pronunciation according to their age, ability, needs, attitudes and expectations. Count words (3200) Classroom Implications: Appendix I: Generally, pronunciation is really complicated process in foreign language teaching. There are some of sounds which have similar sounds but have different meanings. This can be causing much confusion to the learners. Therefore, most ESL students have problem with English pronunciation when they speak English. From my own experience as a teacher in Libyan secondary school, I used several ways to teach pronunciation which can be benefit all learners. Firstly, introducing phonemes .because the biggest problem that faces them is the distinguage between sounds. For example, in the words fat, mat, cat, sat, the letters /f/, /m/, /c/, /s/ are the phonemes which are the beginning letters of these words. Phoneme makes the distinct difference between similar words. After that, students listen and repeat these different sounds and then identify them. For the best result, I introduce phoneme in pairs. (e.g. the /f/ and/v/ sounds).They listen and speak them and also repeat simple words like( fat- vat)Secondly, practicing phonemes for making the sound accurately. I drew pronunciation diagrams on the blackboard because they help them to know how to hold the tongue and lips. For example, the sound /th/ in #the word this and thank. Anxiety is usually common among students when they lean pronunciation. Then, I usually use some verbal games such as, handclap rhythms and jazz charts which can help them to improve their speaking and relieve much of pressure. Appendix II: Students listen to audio recordings and they practice what they hear because recordings get them attuned to stress, intonation, pitch and phonological distinctions. For example: Listen and say what word you hear: is it from column (a) or column (b)? Some words are unusual. a b 1 Port Bought 2 Pack Back 3 True Drew 4 Fast Vast 5 Thank Than 6 East Easy 7 Please Pleasure 8 Ship Chip 9 Choke joke Appendix III Word stress and intonation Listen and mark the stressed syllable. Daughter- orbit-planet- computer- meaning- handle-homework- hospital derision. 2-Read these sentences and mark the pauses with / and mark the intonation pattern with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å". 1- People who look different from others in some way are interesting. 2- The one who looks bored is my sister. 3- The latest design, with CD player is very expensive. 4-A tidy, conventionally decorated room with everything in its place is boring.

Admissions Essay: We Must Fight to Preserve Our Community

Admissions Essay: We Must Fight to Preserve Our Community When I was a little girl, I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I got older. Back then growing up seemed like centuries away, but the years have flown by like minutes. Now I am a month away from being a legal adult and on the brink of discovery. Opportunities are around every corner. This year I have asked myself what I want to have as my profession. The answer came without delay; I want to be a pediatrician. I have always loved people, especially children and the elderly, and I love going out in the community and getting my hands dirty. The area where I was born and raised, is in dire straights as far as the medical field goes. Good health care is hard to come by, and physicians have strayed from the values of kin...

Instability, Ambiguity and Errors in the Communication Process Essay

Subjectivity and duality are linked pitfalls of the communication process. Limitations in the power of expression, constraints imposed by circumstances, social conventions and the desire to keep intentions covert, all contribute to people saying, writing and signaling thoughts and ideas that may be at variance from the whole truth. The effects of such shortcomings are magnified by matching limitations on the part of the individual or the group which is the object of communication. Since context is fluid, communication may cease to be relevant, even when conveyed and received with great clarity and accuracy. Thus the communication process can be no more durable than inevitable changes in perceptions, situations and aims. Mayhew (2002, p 3) has emphasized the essential nature of communication as a means of maintaining dialogue in modern society, and in order to resolve various shades of opinion that evolve on all issues of common concern. The element of instability may not arise from the communication process alone, but may be integral to the environment in which communication takes place (Windahl, Signitzer and Olson, 1992, p219). We cannot always blame communication for the instability in which it is forced to operate). An element of instability is almost inevitable in any communication that is not static. Communication instability can have roots in changing agenda of the encoder, media, noise and the through the intellectual evolution of the decoder as well. The term instability should be seen in communication terms without any necessarily negative connotation. The aspect of instability should also serve to warn encoders that their rivals as well ass noise may undermine their influence at any time. Communicators, for this reason, can never rest! High issue turnover sustain audience interest; excess stability can lead to boredom and even annoyed changes of perception. Errors may arise not just from encoding and decoding, but from noise. Noise may even add to the value and merits of information compared to the original transmission. Noise is an important source of errors in communication, whether perceived as beneficial or harmful (Shannon and Weaver, 1963, p19). Communication free of errors is utopian, and should be accepted in a positive spirit. Sensitivity to feedback and the ability to respond appropriately in terms of speed and modification are meaningful defenses against the inevitable and even at times useful errors that are part of the communication process. Windahl, Signitzer and Olson (1992, p205) also give the ambiguity of communication a utilitarian hue, by referring to the effect of political and other campaigns in the media, that spur people to search for additional information and even to action, based on the questions and curiosity that such ambiguity can arouse. Ambiguity can be used with good effect by skilled communicators. Many advertising campaigns, for example, may fail to meet set marketing objectives, if they present comprehensive and defined information in pedantic manner: intended targets may receive such communication and respond with inaction. Ambiguity can also help to attract attention in a situation full of noise. The onerous task of acquiring effective communication skills can be a thankless one, for its benefits and effects may be muddied by a lack of matching abilities on the part of the intended audience. A productive approach may be to study, mimic and adapt to the communication foibles of the other party, many disadvantages of language and customs as this may imply. Difficulties and obstacles to effective communication do nothing to undermine the importance and the value of related skills, difficult as they are to practice and to use. Communication ability, on the contrary, often becomes the deciding vote between success and failure, between victory and defeat, and between peaceful resolution and destructive violence, in all kind of transactions between individuals and groups. It is a means of intellectual distinction and of influence over the affairs of people at large. Signaling, Signification and the Code Model Signaling serves many important purposes in communication. A signal succinctly conveys a notion that may take many words and a long time to explain in normal language. A signal also bears the stamp of independent certification, thus endorsing a person or a view with the stamp of authentic authority. Finally, signals support obvious communication, supporting the overt message in subtle manner. An educational qualification, a professional or a social association and employment with an illustrious organization, are examples of signals and their benefits. We may presume to think that Mayhew is uncharitable in declaring that signaling is born in the assumption that others may not be honest during the communication process (2002, p 124). It would not be possible for any meaningful dialogue to take place within a reasonable period, if we had to communicate without signals. Signaling is also a valid response to the manner in which human minds function and form opinions. Signaling adds to the retention of communication, and thereby serves to fight competing communication and noise as well. Signification is a more basic aspect of communication than signaling, and one that is free of any implied criticism as we find with Mayhew. Signification relates to meaning. It has a valid base, since professional linguists can decide for us, the label value of each term. This does not mean that signification is elementary of free of controversy. Syntax and poor language ability can easily and commonly results in signification errors. The latter are especially common in verbal communication, especially in hasty situations when people cannot think as quickly and completely as they may be instigated to communicate. Signification capability improves with practice, and the most accomplished of people from all fields other than communication, may use spokespeople and writers to communicate better than their own powers of signification may allow. Artful changes of signification add to the elegance of communication (Silva Rhetoricae, 2002). Tropes and figures of speech are examples of some desirable changes in signification that may be used to enhance the value of communication. Signification is inseparable from the Code Model. Signification gives form and valid substance to the Code. However, all people may not be familiar with the formal dictionary meanings of words, which lead to communication errors in coding and decoding. Communication as a Means of Social Representation and Extension It is critical to the integrity of communication that practitioners distinguish between engaging others in dialogue, and the unethical tendency to exert overpowering influence on others. Differences in language abilities can become tools to impose on passive subjects in a manner that destroys individual freedom, and undermines development. Freire has recognized the power of literacy as a means of social development. Extension is not limited to mere transmission of messages, but maintenance of society over time; it has played key roles in impart and use of modern technologies and in achieving major changes in social behavior (Windahl, Signitzer and Olson 1992, pps 7 and 130). However, there are a number of casual settings in which extension objectives may degrade in to efforts to wield undue influence on the thought processes of others. It is therefore important to restrict extension efforts to facts that have strong foundations in evidence, though many communicators are not bound by such ethics. Mayhew has acknowledged the power of communication as used by people who seek to wield influence over others with whom they have affiliation and ties (2002, p 74). The communication process has the potential to induce desirable social change, but this should be through the path of developing strong conceptual abilities on an egalitarian basis. Social objectives can be undermined when education is either restricted or restrictive, thus giving some individuals superior signification abilities. This can prove to be especially manipulative when individuals with positional and resources strengths arm themselves with communication skills as well. The dangers of abuse of communication skills are as potentially deleterious in extension activities as they are in social representation within closely-knit groups of peers. However, the element of trust is likely to be much higher in an extension context, because of which the manipulation potential is also magnified. Widespread and uniform literacy with the ability for unrestrained critical thought is the only stable and durable way of preventing socially harmful and exploitative use of communication. This is the core value of Freire’s contribution to oppressed people everywhere. Pitfalls of Coding and Decoding The conversion of thoughts in to words and signs, and their translation by an audience, relate to the core and very delicate part of communication. The formation of words and signs to denote thoughts is the process of encoding, whereas the reverse by an audience is called decoding. Many of the processes of semiotics lie outside the conscious realm; they are also limited by the degree of literacy and facility with language. The processes of encoding and decoding are therefore fraught with dangers of errors and manipulation as well. The transport model of communication postulates the existence of a medium to convey thoughts from one individual to another, or between groups. Such a medium may vary in its degree of transparency, and can affect the veracity of decoding encoded messages. Distortion is also possible at the stage of encoding itself. The preferred meanings that we may wish to attach to words and signals are major instruments of errors in signal engineering. Such changes may also be intentional as in situations of propaganda. Judicious and deliberate encoding, as well as reflective and literate decoding, are some essential features for constructive dialogue, free of transport deficiencies. This is somewhat utopian in semiotic terms, and recognized as inevitable distortion, though it may vary widely in degree and differ by way of intent. A full understanding of the processes of encoding, decoding and use of media is crucial for the understanding of many contemporary phenomena in the worlds of social development, political evolution and industrial psychology. Mayhew has recognized its integral role in modern politics (2002, p 249). Accurate encoding and semantic decoding hold the keys to errors that even redundancy cannot substitute (Shannon and Weaver, 1963, pps 26, 71). They are therefore instrumental in effective communication, and in preventing both unintended misunderstandings and intentional noise that may be interjected in the system. Discourse and Miscommunication Sustained communication, as in a discourse, naturally multiplies encoding and decoding errors. Such a process lays the basis for basic and seemingly insurmountable misunderstandings. Edward Said has used the perception of the Orient (or the Middle East, which was his principal concern,) as an example of a misconception being perpetuated by a process of sustained discourse. Distortions that arise from discourse arise principally because individuals and groups have designated sources of information on which they depend, to decode information about entities and subjects of which they have no first-hand experience. Style is not an optional feature of discourse, because ideas cannot be communicated effectively without a degree of ornamentation (Silva Rhetoricae, 2002). Differences in styles used by encoders on the one hand, and styles to which decoders are accustomed on the other, may affect the integrity of the communications process. Mayhew has presented the same concepts as Said in the business light of Advertising, Market Research and Public Relations (2002, p206). Here, style variations may be used intentionally in discourse to affect perceptions and basic decoding processes. The manipulation of public opinion on a variety of matters through structured communication is a significant weapon of both politicians and business people. It is an important industrial application of communication skills. Commentators such as Edward Said have lamented the abuse of communication potential to create misrepresentations and distortions of public perception. Some parties may be excluded from parts of a discourse, which leads to misunderstandings, as they are not privy to the same facts, opinions and other inputs (Windahl, Signitzer and Olson1992, p 149). This is another insidious aspect of the potential for discourse to affect the realization of truth by large numbers of people with no direct access to undistorted facts. Literacy, common facility with language, equal access to transparent media and the ability for critical appraisal of issues, are certain safeguards against misrepresentation and unintentional errors in discourse and other forms of communication. Primary education and literacy for deprived adults are therefore essential tools for those who aim for egalitarianism and justice in the field of communication. Propaganda and more Ethical Forms of Influence Propaganda is marked by a unitary objective to encode and transmit, over-riding noise, feedback and any other form of influence on the transmission process (Windahl, Signitzer and Olson, 1992, p 91). It is a feature of many attempts at the business function of public relations by large organizations. Propaganda sees the decoder as a virtually passive object, who seems to have no rights to their own opinions, much less the universal access to factual information! Propaganda is ineffective in literate circumstances, and can prove to be counter-productive, through loss of trust. Propaganda favors mass media such as television that can deliver quick results and which traditionally discourage or disable feedback mechanisms in the short-term (Windahl, Signitzer and Olson, 1992, p 154). Exhibitions and exchanges are examples of relatively ‘slow’ media that do not lend themselves to propaganda aims. National aims are often touted as justification for propaganda. Though propaganda has some negative decoding in the public mind, it is in essence putting forward an idea with a certain agenda. Mayhew seems to acknowledge the authenticity of using eloquence to reinforce some ideas (2002, p 47). Professionally therefore, propaganda should not be seen as less or different than the related processes of propagation and diffusion, though the latter operates more at the informal and individual level. Much of Edward Said’s problems with the Occidental perception of Palestine could be seen in retrospect, as degrees of propaganda, propagation and diffusion. Rumors stand apart, for they lack the foundations in facts, and they often generate from sources that lack authority. Rumors always remain below the surface, and do not appear in official and open forms of communication. This does not mean that rumors lack potency; rather they can be even more damaging than propaganda in shaping public opinion. The insidious circulation of rumors is especially effective when overt communication transactions are lacking. Diffusion is one of the most professional means available for sanguine communicators ((Windahl, Signitzer and Olson, 1992, p 57). Though it is a slow process, it has the benefit of durability and leads to long-term credibility of the best communicators. Diffusion uses a two-step process as a model and networking. Diffusion can produce revolutionary changes in opinions and habits, albeit in very phased and gradual manner. Diffusion suits those with long-term communication goals. It is a valid counterfoil to the bluster of propaganda. How Trust Fosters Successful Communication There can be no effective communication without degrees of faith and reliance. Decoding errors are more likely if the degree of trust in an encoder is low. Trust may be born in authority, but communication is more durable if the dependence is based on shared values and good experiences. Encoders have therefore to bear in mind that a single reason for loss of trust can very quickly result in a breakdown of communication that has been built over a long period. The most enduring communication campaigns, both in politics and commerce, are born in consistent support of espoused causes. Mayhew has said that even rhetoric is based on trust (2002, p 14). Mayhew is critical of some nuances of trust in communications, as it can be abused by encoders to prevent full discourse and to evade accountability. Social development depends in large measure on the trust that people have in communication from agents of change. This is a major challenge for state media and also for international agencies that wish to make impacts on communities in emerging nations, and in the aftermath of natural disasters and after times of distress. Support for new developments in technology may also be hampered by the lack of trust in the minds of lay public for sources of such information that are viewed as being biased. The aspect of trust presents special challenges in the new field of Internet communication, where the intended audience may have no direct experience with the sources of such information. We may conclude by stressing the invaluable role of trust in communication. As Mayhew has observed, solidarity depends on interdependence rather than uniformity; people will look for alternate encoders if they lose trust in established sources of information (2002, p 16). Windahl, Signitzer and Olson have repeatedly stressed the vital role of trust in various phases of the communication process (1992, pps 55, 62, 88, 103). The Motivating Force of Communication in Social Influence We learn from history that the force of communication is more sustained and influential than the use of force. The latter may produce some transient compliance, but only consistent advocacy can succeed in shaping and changing opinion. This concept applies in equal measures for both individual thought and for group action. The quality of signification in terms of its suitability for the intended audience, the peripheral support of signals and the consistent of transport across all available media, contribute to the motivating power of communication. People are known to undertake the most heroic and other forms of extreme action, under the influence of effective communication. Mayhew draws our attention to how governments use professionals from the world of advertising to try and wield influence over banks of voters (2002, p 7). Communication backed by appropriate media, can steer people towards forceful and aimed action. However, Mayhew warns that the persuasive power of communication can be misleading (2002, p 129). There is the important distinction at this stage, between factual statements, which are neutral, statements of identification that promote solidarity, and thereby appeal to irrational reaches of the decoding mind. Mayhew stresses the creative use of rhetoric to move people to action (2002, 129). The communication process may use inventive sentences with the intention to deceive. The influential power of communication may therefore be devoid of ethical merit. This cannot, unfortunately, detract from its efficacy! The power of communication campaigns to move large groups towards concerted action is a dangerous weapon amongst people who are unable to decode messages accurately, and who cannot reflect critically on the inputs to which they are subject. Such distortions are often more clear in retrospect than during the heat of a campaign. Motivation on issues beyond rational thought, such as related to religion, and on matters for which common people have no way of unbiased validation, as before war, are especially harmful in their immense powers. Contradictory Balances of Deception and Cooperation in Communication Models Communication models trace the flow of interaction between two entities. They serve both to understand the process and to determine strategies. All models must have the three universal components of sender, receiver and medium or channel. Early communication models depicted the process in linear manner from source and encoder to a receiver through a channel and a decoding procedure. Sources of noise were the only sides to this simplistic straight line. We know now that communication involves feedback, and is therefore a complex and non-linear process. The relative roles of deception and cooperation will not change depending upon the chosen model, for the latter is only a conceptual representation of a unitary reality. The game begins with the initiator of a communication. He or she has the discretion to use a valid source, or to pretend to have one. This person must be both skilled and committed to accurate encoding, and should know which channels and how many to use at each point in time. The initiator has also to be sensitive to feedback and to adapt subsequent transactions accordingly. Cooperation lies largely in the domain of the recipient, decoding as best as he or she can, and reflecting critically on inputs, with meaningful feedback and requests for supporting evidence. Mayhew has noted the role of deception in advertising campaigns as a 20th century phenomenon (2002, p 193). The endorsement of cigarettes by celebrities has been cited as the most powerful and terrifying of all deceptions used by the media. Interpersonal cooperation, on the other hand is a way of establishing relevance (2002, p 12). We may conclude that cooperation is a key factor in intimate communication between individuals, whereas deception works most effectively in campaigns conducted through the media. Brevity and Verbosity Feedback often instigates verbosity. Redundancy may be rooted in assumptions about the conceptual and decoding capabilities of an audience, or in excessive enthusiasm in a point of view. Propaganda aims may require repetition beyond the requirements of more neutral and virtuous communication. However, feedback may provide a justifiable reason for verbosity. They is a natural tendency to repeat oneself, as in a selling situation in which the customer appears unconvinced or even distracted. Verbosity also serves to allay anxieties of encoders and communicators. The imperative to succeed as when seeking financial succor or support, for example may bring forth a torrent of words far more voluminous than an audience may desire. Begging is an extreme form of communication in which brevity can be counter-productive! A more serious limitation of brevity is its ability to serve a multiplicity of communication objectives. Professional advertisers would love for their industrial clients to limit the number of points they want to convey; paying clients may be greedy and so involved with their brands, that they require a unitary buying benefit to be presented in as many ways as possible! We may conclude that verbosity is a failing of amateurs; it is shunned by the best communicators, who treasure the transport of concepts with as few signals as possible. However, amplification may be considered as a good reason for a degree of the stylistic vice that is verbosity (Silva Rhetoricae, 2002). Semiotics can reduce the tendency to be verbose, especially between homogenous groups which are accustomed to communicating with each other. The development of trust is also efficacious in keeping communication as brief as possible, without sacrificing completeness. Verbosity can therefore be an indicator of the lack of trust and of wide chasms between the cultural and linguistic preferences of people. This could be a reason for the long-windedness from which bodies such as the General Assembly of the United Nations seem to suffer! A Pragmatic Approach to Semiotics Communication Science, Semiotics and other Cognitive Processes cannot be seen in isolation of each others. Professional communicators and professional enthusiasts of the process have been accused by many commentators of exaggeration to the point of exclusion of necessary attendants (Windahl, Signitzer, Olson, 1992, p 18). Semiotics has always had a major role in communication theory, and modern users of mass media have heaped increasing loads of importance of this branch of insight in to human minds). Semiotics is an exact and an exacting field of endeavor, and its rigors can easily prove irrelevant to some sections of a heterogeneous audience. Focused targeting on sharply defined segments can make better sense of semiotics in communication, but real life often demands that a single transaction of a communications process necessarily reaches out to a diverse audience. The Chairman of a business Corporation has to bear in mind that the public use of semiotics may lead to varying degrees of decoding errors by categories of stakeholders with contradictory goals. Employees, vendors, regulators, investors and competitors will respond to a set of semiotics in different ways. The effect of semiotics on the enemy places an even greater burden on spokespeople of the warring sides and on political leaders of all shades of opinion. Pragmatism must often dominate semiotics in real life, especially when unitary signification is within the reach of diverse decoders, each with their own needs and objectives. Effective communication is rare if the social and cultural nuances of linguistics are discarded in the interests of semiotic perfection. The latter does not have many universal manifestations in any case. Pragmatic perlocution is often the result of a communicative action, though other forms of decoding could be considered as valid (Eco, 1978, p 65). Such pragmatism may be born out of the exigencies of a situation, apart from cultural distinctiveness of decoding. Communicative Action and Perlocution Locution refers to the uttered word, illocution to the intention behind the communication, and perlocution refers to the effect of locution in terms of producing action (Cutting, 2003, p 16). Speech Act theory refers to the relationships between and the sequences of illocution, locution and perlocution. Locution, illocution and perlocution are integral parts of communication. Illocution is the first step, as we cannot have any communicative action shorn of some intention. Locution can reflect illocution only to the extent that the encoder is literate and careful in signaling. Perlocution skills are similar to those of locution, except that they relate to the decoder, rather than to the originator of the communicative action. Communicative action and perlocution are therefore only the signification of the communicative process in codes that are not widely understood! Nevertheless, they serve to display the communication process in analytical light for the professional and for the enthusiast as well. Adianoeta are examples of signification in which signification can have authentic differences in perlocution (Silva Rhetoricae, 2002). Allegory and irony are related techniques of transmitting ideas and of attracting attention and exerting influence over perceptions. However stylistic vices are also inherent in many aspects of communicative action. Most communicative action will suffer from some bias or even error due to illocution on the part of encoders, their locative powers and the perlocution abilities of individual members of a diverse audience. Speech acts are limited by culture (Cutting, 2003, p 21). The use of words and their meanings have major differences across countries, and sometimes between ethnic groups in a single nation. A compliment within the confines of a community may be taken as insulting in another! This is a drawback of the Speech Act theory. Â  Colloquialisms and figures of speech that gradually creep in to everyday language as used by the laity can render the Speech Act irrelevant to some extent. The pedantic meanings of words can vary from common perceptions that evolve over time. Most communities prefer to accord precedence to such conventions over original root meanings. Therefore the use of the Speech Act to analyze real life communication processes may be prone to debilitating errors. Many expressions of feedback also fall outside the purview of the Speech Act, because decoding is at variance from the purist line. Finally, the Speech Act is deficient to analyze precisely communication that includes incomplete sentences. The latter are normal reactions to feedback that communicators receive during the course of discourse and dialogue. Incomplete sentences may also be used to create drama, humor, sarcasm and intimacy. Communicators have to be sensitive to the perlocution results of target audiences, and to adapt their locative techniques accordingly. Some errors may be due to the medium, and it takes long years of experience, with consummate instinct to distinguish between various possible sources of error that lead to unplanned communicative action. Similarly, perlocuters have to be wary of differences between expressed locution, distortions of media and noise and the true illocution of an encoder. Such potential errors are easier to manage over time and with repeated communicative transactions. Concluding Remarks Communication is a complex but universal and essential part of human life as a social species. It is shared by people with many earlier forms of life, but probably most evolved and certainly best understood within the context of our own cognitive abilities. Variations of signification lie at the deepest root of many communication errors. A universal lexicon, as used to some extent in the enunciation of law, serves to improve the accuracy of communication to an extent where independent and binding resolution of differences is possible. Opacity of media and environmental noise are common and highly significant sources of distortions and errors in the communication process. They are often clearer in review mode than during actual operation, whereas hidden aspects of illocution are more difficult to uncover without ambiguity. Linear models of communication are as ineffective as they are archaic. The roles of feedback and noise are essential elements of any template of productive and desirable communication. However the linear force of propaganda can be stunning when used with unbalanced force on groups of people with low literacy levels. Politics, relationships between nations and branding of industrial goods and professional services are the most powerful and remunerative applications of communication theories, though the process is relevant to all interaction between individuals. Communications have been used to subjugate people, imposing pervasive influence over perceptions and opinions of large groups of people with inferior literacy, comprehension and analytical skills. Equal access to quality primary education is therefore a primary weapon of mass empowerment. Communication skills, not just for encoders, but for decoders as well, are potent though non-violent shields against pernicious propaganda by vested interests of the elite. There is a need for more widespread appreciation of the role and nature of communication. The validity of some key theories and the efficacy of painstakingly developed techniques are adversely affected by imbalances between parties in a communication process. Pragmatism often wins the day against the elegance of semiotics and related disciplines. Diffusion based on valid and factual inputs, respectful of feedback, is a certain and virtuous, if slow means to eminent communication. Cultural and linguistic differences between people are the most important obstacles to utopian states of communication; the development, maintenance and reinforcement of mutual trust are amongst the most reliable facilitators of ideal communication between individuals and between groups as well. References Cutting, J 2003, Pragmatiics and Discourse, Routledge (UK) Eco, U 1978, A Theory of Semiotics, p 65, Indiana University Press Mayhew, LH 2002, The New Public: Professional Communication and the Means of Social Influence, Cambridge University Press Windahl, S, Signitzer, B, and Olson JT, 1992, Using Communication Theory, Sage Publications Incorporated Shannon, CE and Weaver, W, 1963, Mathematical Theory of Communication, pps 26, 71, University of Illinois Press Silva Rhetoricae, 2002, retrieved January 2006 from