HallSpring19_1101

Hadeel Abuhamda

March 10, 2019

English 1101

 

In the Muslim community, if you would like to know if someone is lying or telling the truth, all you have to do is ask them to say “wallah”. Wallah is an Arabic word and expression which is used to make a promise by god. It holds such great credibility in the Islamic religion. Whether you speak Arabic or not, if you are in an Arabic household, the word wallah will come up quite a bit in just one day. Arabic speakers most commonly use this phrase to swear by something. Arabic speaking Muslims consider it as the most divine way to confirm something without the need of actual proof. Despite this, Arab Muslims use it quite often, even if the matter is true or not. Non-Muslim Arabs also use it often, even though they lack the belief in Allah. Every Arab knows that feeling when a Muslim says “Wallah” after every sentence and the more they say “Wallah” the more you DONT trust them? Depending on the Arabic dialect you use in your daily life, it is also pronounced “wallahee”, but for the sake of this essay, I will be using “wallah”.

Despite it being considered disrespectful to use the word “wallah” and not be truthful, it is used quite a lot. This is where religion and culture come into play. In the Islamic religion the word “wallah” has such a strong powerful meaning behind it. Misuse of this expression will be considered profane. It is as if you are lying in the name of god. Religiously, this word is only used when it absolutely has to be used, to let the other person know that you are telling the truth. It is a way to make a point of yours, valid. It is a sin to use the phase and follow it up with a lie. Sometimes this word can be intensified by using it on yourself. For example, “wallah on my soul”.

Now, using the word culturally is a different story. The word “wallah” will be in almost every single sentence when speaking to another Arabic speaker. Even non-Arabic speakers use this word. Sometimes it could be used in the beginning of a sentence to start it off and also at the end of a sentence to end it. It can also be used in different ways depending on the tone you say it in. People nowadays can use wallah and mean, “I promise.” or “are you serious!?”  And of course, “I swear to god”.

When I was younger I took the word “wallah” seriously. Don’t get me wrong I still do but overtime I guess one could say that it lost its meaning a little.

When I was little, around 3rd grade, I was taught about curse words by my teacher scolding me for yelling “chopped up monkey dicks” after a student dared me. I didn’t know what I said was bad, it just felt nice to say, and as a kid i wasn’t worried about the meaning of a word, only the feeling it gave me when I said it. So I continued to said it, loudly, repetitively, and in all the wrong time and places. Fast forward to last year, a friend of mine Katherine and I are leaving Comic-Con, exhausted and reminiscing over the fun experience. On our way out, a crowd was formed, blocking our only way out. Screams and chants of “God hates fags” “Faggots go to hell” and “A faggot is a sinner” was all we heard from the small group blocking the way, surrounded by police officers probably there to stop anything from getting physical. As we were slowly moving through the crowd, the chants got louder, the preachings were closer, and we can see more and more signs bearing that same disgusting word. I’m already exhausted and trying to keep my focus off the preaching and cursing, while Katherine was just about ready to fight the next asshole to call us a bunch of faggots one more fucking time, and I would have been completely behind it in any other case, but we both know it wouldn’t do any good to shut them up. It was definitely a shit stain on our experience, and was a hard reminder of how much hatefulness and disgust a single word can carry.
It’s not clear where the rodent term really came from directly, befor it became the slur used today it was commonly used for a bundle of sticks tied together for fuel. The word was then used as a slur for older women, used as a shorten from “faggot-gatherer” since older women would often make a living from gathering and selling wood. Its first apparent use as a gay slur was apparently in England, private school boys would call each others fags, which in ment doing a favor for an older classmate, in most cases sexual. Regardless of the origins of the actual word, the history of the word is where the real issue stems from. From offensive picket signs around pride rallies, to random casual conversations about a coworker’s friend, to the butt of an untasteful joke, the word has had a conflicting but overall negative connotation to it. From a term to describe a very ‘feminine’ guy, it’s become more of a blanket term for homosexuality and different gender identities in general; similar to the word gay. However, unlike the word gay, it’s more commonly used as a derogatory term rather than a general description. Coming out in any way like gay to a close friend is suppose to be a great experience, but being called a faggot by the same friend can leave a harsher and more painful taste.
Similar words like ‘bitch’ and ‘nigga’ had been shaped through pop culture and communities normalizing the word to be more ‘positive’ from its original meaning. However, it’s hard to say whether faggot has had its edges completely shaved the same way. In schools, kids would call each other fags as a joke for not being manly enough, or just a bit too close to another guy. Go to a pride rally, or some cosplay convention like comic con and you’ll definitely find a similar small group of westboro baptist church members holding up picket signs that read “god hates fags” and “faggots go to hell” while screaming and cursing the words at random passersby like it’ll change a fucking thing. It’s been used to justify events such as stonewall, the arresting and killing of members of the LGBT+ in other countries, the murder of Mark Carson in Greenwich Village, and the attack on an Orlando nightclub. A quick google search can give you thousands of results for small but just as deadly attacks on innocent and unfortunate people. “The fags had it coming” or “wouldn’t have been so bad if they weren’t a bunch of faggots” littering online news article comments and posts about a recent murder, ridiculing or beating of another member of the LGBT+, using the word as a label for subhuman people whose lives are of less important than another based on their orientation.
There’s always the occasional party loving gay guy walking around pride with a sign that say “just a faggot with a tambourine” starting a crowd of people singing “Toxic” by Britney Spears while playing his heart out on that little tambourine. But besides those few and gone cases, there’s not enough “faggot with a tambourine” in the world to outweigh the years of abuse and innocent deaths tied to the word. Maybe when times are different and people aren’t kicked out of their houses or verbally lashed at for liking who they love, would it be easier to shape the word to fit with a more fitting time. In the meantime though, it’s best to use the word in small and considerate means. Pride might not be the same without “faggot with a tambourine” guy, but it might just be for the best that he gets a change.

Kristopher Baptiste

English 1101

Professor Carrie Hall

“The origins of the slang word valid”

The word valid means having a sound basis in logic or fact; reasonable or but it also has different meanings. In today society the word valid is being used as a slang and have many different meaning and is being used in many different ways. The slang originated in Brooklyn and had spread across the state at a fast rate. The word had spread so fast because people started using the word around there friends or saying it around random people and then they started using the word there friends and that cycle continued. But the big question is how did some people know exactly what the slang word valid actually was used for. Some would listen to how others used the word and they would use that for reference. Others would use there own terminology to come up with a meaning and that is why there are different varieties of meaning for the slang valid. 

According to urban dictionary it shows the many different meanings of the slang valid. For example some of the meaning it showed are “if your agreeing with someone, saying your okay, checking up on someone to see if that person is okay, something that is very cool, something that is exciting or of a high standard, judging someone appearance, judging clothes or an outfit you have seen, something that you think is awesome or expressed in admiration, and also saying if a person is cute, attractive or not cut at all”.(urban dictionary). Over time there will be even more meaning for the slang word valid appearing from other people.

Most people just end up making up meanings along the way then other people just started to use the word in the same way as them.For example I asked one of my classmates from high school how did he know about the slang word valid and he said “when he went to play in a basketball tournament he overheard one of his teammates asking someone do they think the sneakers they saw someone was wearing was valid because he was thinking about buying them then when he was in the game someone fouled him and his teammate came up to him and asked was he valid”. So from then on my classmate just assumed that the word valid could be used to ask if someone is okay and also can be to decide if clothes or sneakers look good enough to buy. Additionally from that moment he started using the slang word and also he is one of the reasons I use the word up to today because he used to say it so much throughout high school. As I started to use the word myself my friend had asked me what does the word valid means because he said he the way I used it was different from the way he heard someone using so he wanted to know if there were multiple meanings to the slang word valid.

According to urban dictionary here are some examples people use the word valid for, yo do you think the weather will be valid because im tryna play ball, do you think these sneakers is valid enough to buy, yo my eyes valid cause I was just finished smoking, you valid cause you look sick, do you think my outfit is valid, yo you think she look valid cause I was thinking about talking to her, yo that party last night was valid, She As Valid As Sam Jabra. People use the word valid is in many different ways. The word is very easy to understand and interpret especially if its someone first time hearing it, they can easily assume the meaning by the way its used.

Additionally here are some ways people use it in conversations brandon: Damn you see that girl over there, Jake: Yeah she’s valid. Keith: Yo that party last night was valid, Mathew: Yeah but those shoes I had on were valid too. Akeem: bro these sneaker to you, Anthony: yea bro they seem valid to cop.  Raul: yo bro you valid cause you look sick, Marcus: nah bro I feel terrible my head hurt and I feel light headed. No matter how people use the word everyone seemed to get used to it. There is even people from different states and even countries trying to talk like us New Yorkers by using our slang in their vocabulary. There are videos all over facebook of kids outside of the United states using the slang from America to talk to there friends even though they don’t really know all the different meanings the slang word valid holds. If foreigners were to come to America and tried to talk to like us it would sound different because of there accent and also because there not very fluent in English as yet. Additionally most people won’t know what exactly they are trying to say especially if they try to implement a slang in there sentence or vocabulary.

Therefore in conclusion the word valid means having a sound basis in logic or fact and the slang version of valid got different varieties of meanings such as if your agreeing with someone, saying your okay, checking up on someone to see if that person is okay, something that is very cool,  judging clothes or an outfit you have seen and there are hundred more. The slang word valid is one of the most popular slang words used in today society but is manly used by New Yorkers. The word can be used for literally anything in a sentence. Also it is not one of the most complicated slang words to understand or interpret because when a person hear someone use the word they can interpret the word as literally anything and then you can use it in your own way as long as it makes sense to the person you talking to.

 

 

Work Cited:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Valid

 

 

Among the words that are very important to my family, my culture and me, there is the word “Burkindi”. By definition, it means the quality of being honest, diligent, having humility, generosity, and dignity. In other words, it is the art of being irreproachable. This word derived from the name of my country “Burkina Faso”, a landlocked country in Ouest Africa. The term “Burkina Faso” is in Moore language (spoken by more than fifty percent of my county’s population), means the country of honest men. Over there people tend to put a lot of importance in how we should live and treat each other sometimes to the point where they can break the law just pretending to achieve that.

I can remember back in high school, my friends and I were getting out of school after class. It was during the “dry season”, a lot of wind and very sunny, with the usual routine. A couple of students running to the parking lot, some to their after class sessions. I was rushing to one of my friends who used to give me a ride home. I then saw a lot of people running towards the exit of the school and other people very agitated. I couldn’t talk to anyone as everybody was rushing to see what was happening. I was mostly scared and surprised because this does not happen very often. But, by pure curiosity I went ahead and followed a couple of students out, to check for myself. When I got closer I found out that a group of people had caught a guy stealing in a store. People take this extremely seriously and sometimes people caught stealing can be seriously hurt or sometimes even killed if the police don’t show up quickly. In this situation, I admit there is nothing to be proud of, but some people are just too determined in having everybody just the same, nice, honest, generous, and they are ready to cross lines to reach that goal. While many people were calling the police, some people were saying that they should teach that thief the lesson, the hard way. Like beat him up, throw him in the mud and humiliate him. To some people, this is the only way he will remember to never steal again, and for some other people including myself, using such behaviors to teach lessons is just bad for upcoming generations. In addition, it is illegal and does not depict the image “Burkinabes” pretend to represent. Luckily, the police showed up on time and the man was arrested. People in my country are very strict and culture wise, we try very hard to be as perfect as possible.

 

Burkindi was widely used by one of my country’s leaders, Thomas Sankara. He was betrayed by one of own close and childhood friend Blaise Compaore who later on took over and became president. In almost all speeches Thomas Sankara gave throughout his presidency, he mentioned about being strong, honest and generous towards others and defined all of this with one word “Burkindi”. He furthermore mentioned that Burkindi should be the biggest wealth in poor countries. Of course, that does not prevent some people from being whatever they were meant to be. So no matter how strict the rules are, will still notice some conspiracy among leaders and also some social misconduct.

 

In addition to mutual respect, that our worthy president encouraged his compatriots to have one another, he also wanted us to adopt principles that will reflect our dignity for a better future. The word Burkindi also encourages Burkinabés (inhabitants of Burklina Faso) to adopt other morals and behaviors among which I can quote the total respect towards older people. In fact, while greeting older people, it is more respectful to kneel. But of course, that tends to fade out as time goes. The more we are getting modernized, the more traditional values we are more likely to forget about.

One more person, who also praised the word Burkindi and spread its usage among our culture, is Norbert Zongo, a Burkinabé investigative journalist who worked for a news company “L’independent”. He was one of those who fought for the country’s development and perpetuating the values of our cultures, customs, social behaviors, cultural events, and education. However, as everywhere in the world, some people just can’t be like others and will do what we are all fighting hard to prevent. He was also known for his integrity and desire to put some light in every shaded spot. His hard work paid off as he was able to expose some conspiracy, impunity, and extortion within the government of Burkina Faso. That conspiracy was related to President Blaise Compaoré. His Newspaper investigated the murder of a driver who had worked for the brother of the president Blaise Compaore. He was close to proving that the driver was tortured and killed by people close to the president and was assassinated. After his murder, regarding all he did throughout his career, his oeuvre must be kept alive and what he fought for, “Burkindi”, praised.

Many other brave men have helped to preserve and perpetuate our cultural values in many ways, but for those two individuals who lost their lives in the struggle, they will be widely honored and “Burkindi” will also be more important to us Burkinabes. Furthermore, Burkindi keeps us unified, as we will be aiming the same goal, which is the expansion of our culture and customs. It also reminds us of our most praised leader because every time we say Burkinadi, that’s what comes directly in mind. Considering how hard we care about our cultures and customs, it is important for Burkinabes, to know every single aspect of it and contribute in perpetuating good manners and respect to people who fought for our country most important wealth. What Thomas Sankara and Norbert Zongo did for our country had a very big impact in the population and the sayings “Burkindi”, no matter what will be kept in their mind forever because it represents everything about Burkinabes.

Tejelni

      In the middle of summer, me and my foreigner friends were walking in the streets of Budapest Hungary. It was a beautiful hot day, people were half naked, there was loud Hungarian music going on in the local markets. We were near the beach and you could hear the sound of the water hitting the rocks.  As we enter one of the liquor stores we try to buy cold beer. When we were about to pay the and go to the cashier, my friends who speak little English hear the cashier say “tejelni” they all burst into laughter. The cashier who doesn’t have the slightest clue why my friends are laughing at him gets mad and kicks us out. But what exactly the cashier meant when he said “tejelni”.

The word literally means to milk a cow so I understand why it seemed funny to them but the cashier meant to say to pay up when he said “tejelni”. The Hungarians use a lot of slang words and they all sound weird compared to English. Furthermore, Hungarian is considered to be one of the most difficult language to learn. Learning the slang makes it also easier to communicate in Hungary. “Tejelni” is a word many people use when they tell someone to pay up, so it is a good thing if you know what this slang means.

The Hungarian language is totally different to the dialects spoken by its neighbors, which usually speak Indo-European languages. In fact, Hungarian comes from the Ularic region of Asia and belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group, meaning its closest relatives are actually Finnish and Estonian. Before Hungarian the language was spoken in Latin, but then it was replaced by Hungarian in 1844.

The word “Tejelni” originated in the 20th century and first mainly people in the city called Pecs were first using this word. However later through the years the word was used in every part of Hungary. The meaning to pay up came from when people were milking a cow they were making a lot of money in the farms. So basically the slang word came from that to pay (money).

When people use this word people who just learn the language and doesn’t know much about the slang words in Hungary might get confused what the person might trying to say. It is a very important aspect to learn as much slang in Hungary as you could, because when communicating it is easier to understand the person.

One fun fact about slang in Hungary that there is a word that made out of 44 words with no English equivalent, Hungary’s longest word is the 44 letter long phrase: Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért. Because due to its length, it’s not used in daily conversation on a regular basis. What does it mean? Something along the lines of “for your  continued behavior as if you could not be desecrated”. Hungarian is an agglutinative language, which means that various grammatical components – such as affixes and stems can be added to a word to increase its length (and change its meaning). Thanks to this, words of over 100 letters have been created in the past, although the longer the word, the more it can tend to lose its meaning.

Over the years since its creation as a language, Hungarian has evolved and changed just like any other dialect. However, staying true to its ancient roots, Hungarian contains a whopping 68% of its etymons, or original words. Compare this with the four percent retained by the English language, or the five percent kept by Hebrew, and the scale is even more impressive.

In the end “Tejelni” is an important slang used by Hungarians because many people use it when someone has to pay something, so it is better if you know the actual meaning behind it because people definitely don’t mean to tell you to milk a cow.

 

 

Source: https://dailymagyar.wordpress.com/category/hungarian-words-all-posts/hungarian-slang/

https://books.google.com/books?id=y_MBw_clh4UC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=Tejelni+szo+szarmazasa&source=bl&ots=8czZToURSY&sig=ACfU3U264Jsfc0Fr1Qv3RTFvBsl3oiY9MA&hl=hu&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-t9nArI3hAhWKY98KHfNiBB0Q6AEwBXoECAgQAQ

Britney Lilly

Dr. Hall

1101-D355

3. 11.19

                                                 Aegyo: Super Cute!!!

1 plus 1 equals Gwiyomi, 2 plus 2 equals Gwiyomi, 3 plus 3 equals Gwiyomi, 4 plus 4 equals Gwiyomi too, 5 plus 5 equals Gwiyomi too, 6 plus 6 equals Chu chu Chu chu Chu chu Gwiyomi, I’m Gwiyomi-   Korean Aegyo song

 

That moment when you just want jagis(honey) last bite of ice and unleash the powerful trio: puppy eyes, pouted lips and fake huffing. Here in America some call this being cute though honestly, most would call it annoying and needy. In South Korea, they actually have a word solely dedicated to this act called aegyo. I remembered the first time I saw a K-pop music video and I was seventeen years old. This group called Big Bang had just debuted, and instantly I was hooked. To this day I am still a diehard Big Bang fan. It had everything any Asian culture fanatic would want, at least for me that is. Music videos alone were a work of art with beautiful stories being told, mesmerizing dance moves, varieties of colors and a ton of cute actions as fan service. I mean, who doesn’t like a good fan service from their idols am I right? Now, remember when I say fan service, at least for K-pop, I mean a bunch of things from simple fingers symbols to full-on gender bend outfits and actions.

Aegyo is the action of being ‘cute’ and is primarily used by women in South Korea when speaking to loved ones or trying to gain something that they want as well as flirting. When performing Aegyo you have to remember that not everybody enjoys it and it is seen as very annoying at times because there is what is called fake Aegyo and natural Aegyo. Fake is normally what you would see on TV or performances and overly exaggerated movements or words. Natural is when you’re not trying to seem cute for somebody and it tends to be the one that’s less annoying generally. Aegyo is generally expressed by females by simple actions like delicately covering their teeth while they laugh which is very common and acting like they are unable to open things like cans of soda. Aegyo is one of the most common acts in South Korea, as well as progressively within the United States amongst those who enjoy Korean economic export as in Korean music, K-dramas and movies. It is otherwise known as Hallyu which is a Chinese umbrella term used to refer to the phenomenal growth of the Korean culture amongst the western cultures. The closest English word we could find would be winsome.

If you happen to be into K-dramas or K-pop then you have already seen and heard Aegyo being used by actors or a multitude of singers. With K-pop comes biases, with biases comes fandoms and that fandom will ask for Aegyo and lots of ‘bwing bwing’. Let’s not forget something, we even see Agyeo here in the United States which are girls pouting their lips daily and wide-eyed ganging the peace sign while snapping selfies in a coffee shop. Even though it usually tends to be females, males are able to use it as well normally reserving it for the cute baby talk with their partner.

Fans use Korean words in their daily speech, these words are generally a form of Korean slang that recurs frequently in the Korean pop culture. For me, I find that the fans who I am generally around are female, so we call each other either 언니 (elder sister) or  동생 (younger sibling) and will talk about our biases (favorite group or person) as some call them 오빠 (big brother) which kind of makes me think of sempai (先輩)  (upperclassmen) in Japanese. For example, I like talk to Zevanya about our biases a lot, especially when I’m really down. Watching G-Dragon doing really cute things as simple as just making cute faces or acting out the Gwiyomi song can really make me giddy. For a better understanding try imaging a bunch of little girls screaming at a Justin Bieber concert, now stop. I apologize for making you imagine that, but you get a general idea of just how fans act when talking amongst ourselves and cooing with an immense amount of Korean hand gestures like the finger hearts or the ‘v’ sign (in Korean movie is different as the English letter) and pouting while using sickeningly sweet baby voices.

I remember when I first got into Korean music and would show it to my friends since it made me feel happy and they would look at me like I grew two heads. Acting in an aegyo fashion with my loved ones, and oddly enough, it became more expected of me even though they found it annoying. It made me feel very uncomfortable and the thing that made me happy at that time became the thing that made me the most self-conscious. To be able to find a group of people that understand my language and my interest is an amazing thing because they are so full of love. The groups that are able to invoke this much emotion have a huge impact on aegyo. As a fan you’re gonna wanna watch your favorite group perform live because it’s almost there in the actual crowd. K – pop artists seem to have a lot more fun with their fans while performing which is easy for you as the viewer to feel like you’re there and they’re actually trying to interact with you.

Groups or singers that are very well known for using it is Girls generation which is just a group of cute Aegyo girls in my honest opinion. Followed by Se7en, Wanna One, Monsta X, the list goes on. In the K-pop comes fandoms and those fandoms ask for Aegyo and bbwing bbwing. I really enjoy how cultures bring diverse people together in mutual understanding. To me, a word as simple as aegyo is a great example of a cultural phenomenon that can be, and often is, misunderstood and/or interpreted in an unnecessarily negative light. Many may have that love-hate relationship with aegyo culture, most seem to lean more towards the latter. But for those who shy away from things they view as odd or different should remember that it is important to learn about what others enjoy with no assumptions in their minds. Everyone has a bit of aegyo in them and shouldn’t be afraid or uncomfortable to let it out.

 

~~~~ 닥터 홀 당신은 최고입니다 !!!! ~~~

 

                                          Works Cited

•             Korean, 90 Day. “Korean Aegyo: The Seven Levels.” 90 Day Korean®, 3 Feb. 2019, www.90daykorean.com/korean-aegyo/.

 

•  “Aegyo.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegyo.

 

• account, The Korea HeraldVerified. “The Korea Herald (@TheKoreaHerald).” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Mar. 2019, twitter.com/TheKoreaHerald.

 

 

 

Raymond Rambarose

Professor Carrie Hall

ENG 1101

18 March 2019

 

Bacchanal

“Oh gosh! There is big bacchanal goin’ on in Trinidad” my grandmother says surprised and upset. I was in the living room sitting on the couch while she was sitting to my right. The room was dim with only the TV as lighting while playing the weekend news. My grandmother had just heard some frustrating news on the phone from my uncle in Trinidad. Not even a month has passed from the death of my grandmother’s sister and the other side of the family is already fighting for the property that my side was left with. This all sounds like the definition of bacchanal, but what is (a) bacchanal?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines bacchanal as “A wild and drunken celebration”. The word originates from the mid 16^th century. It derives from the Latin word bacchanalis, but is most popularly known to come from the god Bacchus; the Roman God of wine. To me and the Trinidadian community the word bacchanal primarily means both drama and to party. It is rarely used outside of the Trini community, yet it is all around us. From the streets to the school to the workplace to the household people are either in conflict or having a good time.

Trinidad is a Caribbean island that is located in the West Indies. The accent and slang of the Trinidadian people is like a language of its own. It flows up and down beautifully, but can also get a little annoying. Trini language has an English base, but is also made up of words and phrases from African, East Indian, Amerindian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and other languages. It is so complex to learn and sometimes understand for outsiders, but is very entertaining to search up the abundance of different words. One Trini word you should know is bacchanal because it is widely used throughout the country and among it’s people. So how does the Trini community use bacchanal?

Any drama or conflict in Trinidad is bacchanal. It is a fight between two or more people; either verbal, physical or even both. Picture two coolie guys drinking in a rum shop. One of them has a little too much to drink and confesses his love for the other guy’s sister. The guy gets mad and puts rell licks on the man. A Trini bystander will see this and go “wey, you see that bacchanal in di rum shop?”.

Bacchanal is used frequently with drama, but another substantial meaning is a big party, event or celebration. One specific bacchanal is the biggest celebration in Trinidad which is Carnival. Carnival is held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. People travel from all across the globe to party during carnival for day on end. They wear colorful costumes and parade through the streets while music blares and entertains the masses. The music that is most popular during this event includes calypso and soca.

Carnival originated through slaves who worked in French plantations. Back in the 18^th century French plantation owners threw masquerades and balls. Slaves were not allowed to participate so they created their own celebration called Canboulay. They would beat bamboo sticks together and later used frying pans, lids and oil barrels as drums in order to create what is now the popular music calypso which now uses steelpans. Canoublay has turned into Carnival over the years. The Spanish also celebrated Carnival while Trinidad was a Spanish colony. The Spanish thought of the word bacchanal as carnival, which they celebrated in Trinidad like the French. Carnival is known as the biggest Bacchanal in Trinidad up to today.

To sum it up, bacchanal is a significant word in Trinidad culture that has two big meanings. The meanings are both drama/conflict and events/celebrations. Bacchanal was originally a Latin word which originated from the Roman God of Wine; Bacchus. It is now regarded as a Trini word within the Caribbean. When people argue and fight there is big bacchanal going on. Carnival is one of the biggest bacchanals held annually. Bacchanal has two pretty opposing meanings yet they are used just as frequent.

 

Works Cited:

Meihy, José Carlos Sebe, and Jonathan Ritter. “Carnival.” Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, edited by Jay Kinsbruner and Erick D. Langer, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2008, pp. 130-132. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3078901175/GVRL?u=cuny_nytc&sid=GVRL&xid=f2a22da5.

“Bacchanal.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bacchanal.

“Trinidad Carnival: the Birth & Evolution.” Discover Trinidad & Tobago, 29 Apr. 2018, www.discovertnt.com/articles/Trinidad/The-Birth-Evolution-of-Trinidad-Carnival/109/3/32#axzz4ZRlw7vuI.

“Bacchanal | Definition of Bacchanal in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bacchanal.

 

Deonarine Karan

English 1101

Professor Carrie Hall

 

“The Backstory of the word Coolie”

      Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language. Although, Guyana is in South America it’s considered to be part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. The majority of the population, however, speak Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole language, as a first language. Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. British Guiana was the name of the British colony, part of the British West Indies, on the northern coast of South America, now known as the independent nation of Guyana.  Have you ever heard the term “Coolie” before? Now used in the Caribbean (primarily Guyana & Trinidad) to refer to anyone of East Indian origin. The word today is usually associated with the history of the Caribbean, in fact, “coolie” had been used as a slur against low-wage, immigrant laborers in the United States. “It’s widely believed that the word “coolie” is derived from the South Indian language Tamil, in which the word “kuli” means wages (“A History Of Indentured Labor Gives ‘Coolie’ Its Sting” by Lakshmi Gandhi). The word coolie can be mistaken for the word “dougla. But “dougla” is someone that is a mixed with both african and indian descent. A coolie is a person that is only of full indian descent. But the dictionary definition of coolie says we are unskilled native laborer in India, China, or some other Asian countries. Many West Indians that come to New York live in Richmond Hill, Queens its a diverse neighborhood with many ethnicities like Jamaican, Trini, Guyanese, Dominican, and Puerto Rican.

               East and South Asians that traveled to the Americas as part of a system of indentured labor used throughout the British colonies. The word would enter the English language in the 1830s, as the indentured labor system gained currency as a replacement for the use of slavery in the British Empire. Although the word “coolie” is primarily associated today with the histories of the Caribbean and South America, indentured labor was a widespread in the mid-19th century America. The workers would work for low wages and live in poor living conditions, the word “coolie” became a derogatory code for Asians in the United States. The anti-Chinese labor sentiment was so high that in 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed an “anti-coolie” bill that “banned transportation of ‘coolies’ in ships owned by citizens of the United States of America.” Chinese labor and the “coolies” would surface again during the construction of the Panama Canal. After intense initial resistance, the Theodore Roosevelt administration elected to allow “coolie labor” to work on the canal in 1906. The decision to use “coolie labor” on the canal was a reversal of course for Theodore Roosevelt. The anti-Asian sentiment that existed in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, the word “coolie” was also used by fashion designers to describe Asian inspired clothes and accessories. There were “Coolie hats”, “Coolie coats” and “coolie pajamas”. In 1950, Spring Training was about to begin, Jimmy Powers from the New York Daily accused Branch Rickey (Jackie Robinson manger) of paying his players “coolie wages” after two members of the team were reportedly asked to take pay cuts.

               (The Chinese Coolie trade) Indian workforce was brought to a halt in 1839, Guyana proprietors were pressed to consider further alternatives. According to Clementi, the first hint that British Guyana should look to China for a supply of free labour dated back to 1811 but  not until January 1853 that the first shipment of 262 Chinese ‘coolies’ arrived in the colony on board the Glentanner. Two years later migration to the colony was “suspended due to financial pressures. For example, (Guyanese) Girl: Ay coolie bai wah yuh do? Boy: Nothing coolie gyal meh deh hea,( Trini) Girl: Ay coolie bwoy, i tell yuh tuh put di ting ova der in di corna. Boy: Coolie gyul ah do it , and ( Jamaican)  Girl: Wha gwan dey rude bwoy, Boy: Nuttin, we guh lock it up tonite. Coolie even refers to West Indian descent who have spend years and many more years to consider whether it is really chicken curry or curried chicken. People from Trinidad would say it’s Curried Chicken and people from where I’m from (Guyana) would say chicken curry but at the end there both the same.

            My parents were born and raised in Guyana and my ancestors were from India. Guyana

is one of the original colonies of the British West Indies and, although not located in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to a number of ethnic and racial identities, including peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, European and Amerindian descent. Today, the word “coolie” has largely faded from use everyday life. But for many in the Caribbean community, the word is a painful reminder of the troubled history of indentured labor in the Americas.

 

Works Cited:

Williams, Karen. “Coolie: A History.” Google, Google, 2015, www.google.com/amp/s/mediadiversified.org/2016/06/29/coolie-a-history/amp/.

“Coolie Trade in the 19th Century.” College of Liberal Arts | University of Minnesota, 16 June 2015, cla.umn.edu/ihrc/news-events/other/coolie-trade-19th-century.

UNIT 2 MLA ESSAY

Zevanya

Carrie Hall

1101-D355

March 17 2019

The Outcasts

Around a year ago, I was in a car with my best friend, her parents and her parents’ friend (Tante T). We were on our way to a teacher’s wedding reception when we stumbled upon a homeless person on the street asking for change. I clearly remember her parent’s friend said, “tuh kan karena orang-orang inilah negara Indonesia enggak maju. Yah boleh dibilang sampah-masyarakat kita la” (this is why Indonesia never improve economic wise, it’s because of these poor people. I guess you can say, they’re basically our society’s trash) I was fueled with so much anger and annoyance because do you think they wanted to be poor? Are you saying that just because YOU’RE MORE PRIVILEGED you have the right to talk down at them? Have you ever tried to understand them instead of blaming them? I wanted to ask her all of these questions so eagerly but it was considered very disrespectful to talk back at elders and they would say how “young people’s” opinions are invalid because they are young and clueless.

Not long after the incident with Tante T there was a talk show called ‘Kick Andy’. It was similar to Ted Talk and it just so happens that the topic was about “sampah masyarakat.” During the talk, it briefly explains the definition of the word which means outcasts or in direct translation society’s trash. They were talking about the homeless, prostitutions and children born outside of wedlock. I never knew the word represented so many communities besides the homeless. I would be lying if I said I have no problem with young females or males becoming prostitutes but behind every title there’s a story. A story that not many know or care to know because a majority of Indonesians are self-centered, ignorant and judgmental.

In relation to the homeless, it turns out that the two main causes behind our country’s poverty are corruption and unstable food prices, especially rice. According to Project, T.B, “25 percent of Indonesians reported having paid a bribe to obtain identification documents, and one in seven reported having paid a bribe to utility services in the past twelve months.” (p. 3) “These problems impede the development of Indonesia’s public infrastructure including electricity generation and provision of clean water.” (p. 4) In other words, numerous Indonesians are blinded by their ego and are unaware how it is affecting the society especially the less fortunate. I’ve seen news about children in Indonesia falling ill and dying due to insufficient access to potable water. In addition, The World Bank economist Ndiame Diop stated that the reason behind the fluctuation of food prices is because Indonesia has low farm productivity (caused by the old-fashioned technology), almost no progress in new crop development and when there are scarce food supplies, the country is unable to instantly accept imports. This shows how the homeless people aren’t the cause of our country’s poor economic development instead they’re the victims.

Not only are the homeless people victims but so are prostitutes. As I’ve mentioned earlier, most Indonesians are Muslim and the remaining population is either Christian, Catholic, Buddhist or Hindu. In other words, Indonesia is a very religious country which is what makes it so diverse but how is it possible for a country that implements numerous norms and values have prostitution as the most grossing career? According to Pomchertchoo, “it becomes clear that poverty remains a key driver that leads individuals and even families into prostitution.” (p. 10)
In the article “Indonesia’s sex trade ‘impossible’ to shut down”, a mother named Ratu entered the prostitution industry at the age of 17 because her parents were struggling financially. What made it even more heartbreaking was that her daughter, Putri, also works as a prostitute. Putri dreamed of becoming a doctor but money became an obstacle. The article mentioned how most families are exactly like theirs, both the mother and daughter would be a part of the industry just to help the family live another day. Do our people (the higher class) know that not everybody comes from a three generation of rich businessmen?

In America, children born outside of wedlock isn’t really a big deal whereas, in Indonesia, it’s viewed as the most sinful and horrific act. Close-minded adults would say how illegitimate children are most likely to become failures but I’m living proof that the way you were born doesn’t determine your future in any way. When my mom’s friends and family found out she was pregnant with me they all told her to abort it before she ruins her life. People discriminated her and assumed her life would be a downfall but she proved them wrong. We both proved them wrong. She now works as a director in the largest beauty company worldwide – Loreal – and travels all around the world visiting salons, attending huge conferences and events. They thought I would become a failure but here I am in New York chasing my dreams, helping people and successfully achieving a 4.0GPA. There has always been a quote within my family that said “jangan liat gw sekarang tapi liat gw nanti.” (don’t look at me now, look where I am in the future). This very quote was what motivated my mom and I to keep moving forward.

“Jadi sebenerny maksud gw itu apa?” (Okay, then what exactly is my point?) Indonesians have always used the term “sampah masyarakat” to make these communities feel even more worthless. They put the blame of the country’s image and failures on these communities but never understood or tried to understand their side of the story. Instead of complaining and putting the blame on other people, take a look in the mirror and ask yourselves “what exactly have I contributed to my country?” If the only thing you people do is buy imported branded goods (which actually provides revenue for the country the product was made from instead of ours) and waste millions of dollars on cars just for collection maybe you guys are no better. Maybe, we all are sampah masyarakat.

Works Cited
Project, The Borgen. “The Two Main Causes of Poverty in Indonesia and the Need for Further Progress.” BORGEN, 3 Aug. 2017, www.borgenmagazine.com/causes-of-poverty-in-indonesia/.

Promchertchoo, Pichayada. “Indonesia’s Sex Trade ‘Impossible’ to Shut Down.” Channel NewsAsia, 27 Aug. 2018, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-s-sex-trade–impossible–to-shut-down-8009820?cid=youtube_cna_social_29012018_cna.

“Indonesia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia.

Nina Darbonne

Dr. Carrie Hall

English Comp 1 1101-D355

19 March 2019

Creole

Growing up in Jackson Heights I’ve been surrounded by a diverse melting pot of cultures. Take a walk down 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue and you will be assaulted with the smell of spices that is heavy in the air. The store fronts convey the newest trends in Bollywood fashion. It’s not uncommon to see groups of monks dressed in orange robes walking down the streets. As you wander a few blocks over, Mariachi music can be heard mingling in with blaring announcements from La mega noventa y siete punto nueve. The smells wafting through the air comes from pop-up taco stands, food trucks, shopping carts, you name it and we have it converted into a food dispensing vehicle. It doesn’t stop there though we have a further break down in our realm of Hispanic cultures, because everyone knows in my neighborhood they can’t all be lumped together. This is painfully apparent with the different Latin pride parades that block off Northern Blvd damn near every Sunday during the Summer. Ecuadorian, Colombian, El Salvadorian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and last but not least Dominican. The Spanish community is probably the largest component in Jackson Heights at the moment. However, we do still have our tiny group of hipsters and the power of their influence is apparent in the solitary Starbucks that sprang up a few years back on 37th Avenue amidst the slew of Spanish bakeries.

My family is from Louisiana, but we feel quite cozy in Jackson Heights. My grandma always said the myriad of different cultures reminded her of home back in New Orleans. No there aren’t revolving Latin pride parades and richly Indian spice scented areas down South. However, down South the mixture of cultures is more a blast from the past that is still prevalent today in the Creole and Cajun populations.

Personally, I have family that falls on both sides of the Creole-Cajun fence. I tend to identify more with my Creole roots; I’ve spent vast majority of my life with this side of my family. To me “Creole” is having a multicultural diversity while being unified at the same time as a group of people, having a rich history that ties back into the settlement of the United States.

Some of the rich history of the Creoles is apparent in the traditions like Mardi Gras celebrations. Fat Tuesday parades and festivities of Mardi Gras are an all day event in the French Quarter. I remember one year my grandmother and I went back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras week. On Fat Tuesday, we set out early and camped out on the section of Canal Street that intersects with the French Quarter, decked out in our gold, green, and purple sweaters. We clapped and cheered as we watched the “baby dolls” dance and strut in the parade. I loved watching the ruffled coordinated costumes, rhythm streamers, and painted faces of the women dressed for the Zulu Parade. My grandma’s favorite is always the elaborate Indian costumes that take the seamstresses an entire year to design and pull together.

By the time late afternoon rolled around, we were famished. We asked one of the parade participants if he knew a good spot to eat in the area. The man decked out in Zulu skeleton regalia replied,  “Well if you looking for good food and people who gonna do right by you, take yourselves down to Mena’s Palace over on Chartres and Iberville. They got real Creoles in the kitchen, so you know you can’t go wrong in there.” We made our way over to the restaurant.  The mouthwatering medley of Creole spices, seafood, and jambalaya was heavy air as soon as we entered the restaurant. My grandma wasted no time finding a spot at the oyster bar and downed half a dozen raw oysters with a splash of hot sauce. I decided on a tamer, cooked alternative for food, the shrimp po-boy. The sandwich was amazing on so many levels from the spicy tangy tastes to the variety of textures experienced in each bite. The crunch of the French bread, juicy tomatoes, the creamy remoulade sauce, crisp lettuce and pickles, and last but certainly not least the highlight of the sandwich, the seasoned, battered, deep fried shrimp. Hands down the best sandwich I’ve ever had to this day. Before wrapping up the day, we walked over to the Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee.

Now a brief cultural history: New Orleans, Louisiana commonly referred to as “NOLA” by many natives of the region; has a rich history that affects the makeup of the culture to this day. Creole people of NOLA are the result of a melting pot of several cultures. The term “creole” ties its roots to “the sixteenth century to identify descendants of French, Spanish, or Portuguese settlers living in the West Indies and Latin America.” (Countries and their Cultures) The actual genesis of the word “creole” may have Spanish or Portuguese roots. One theory being, “the word Creole comes from the Spanish word, criollo, which roughly translates to native or local. People used this term to describe things that were part of the New World during the time that the Spanish and French controlled Louisiana.” (WiseGeek) However, another possibility is “the term ‘Creole’ derives from the Portuguese word crioulo, which means a slave born in the master’s household.” (Countries and their Cultures)

Another prominent group of people found in western Louisiana are the Cajuns. The difference between Creoles and Cajuns revolves around migration history of the two groups. Creoles are essentially the product of the merging of several different cultures as Louisiana was colonized. However, Cajuns are said to have travelled from Canada and settled in Louisiana. Another subtle difference is the language utilized by either group. “Although both types of people use French as a basis for their speech, Creoles rely more heavily on other languages.” (WiseGeek) Additionally, most Cajuns are Catholic; while many Creoles practice Catholicism, elements from influencing cultures are often present. This is evident as “some people… lean toward Native American spirituality, using medicinal healing. Others focus on folk religions from Africa or the Caribbean. In some cases, individuals mix a little bit of everything together, using an eclectic combination of prayer, voodoo, charms, candles and ‘wild’ church services that emphasize being ‘possessed’ by the spirit.” (WiseGeek) Wasn’t that enlightening and refreshing.

Creoles are more of a “self-identified” group based on ancestral roots, as opposed to “many other ethnic groups in the United States… that immigrated from a specific country.” (Caver) “The word first came into common usage in the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Louisianans of French and Spanish descent adopted the term to differentiate themselves from the Americans who were moving into the area in increasing numbers.” (Caver) The term Creole is still prevalent to this day in the United States as the Creole culture continues to thrive. Some notable modern public figures that have Creole ancestry are: “rapper Ice-T (1958–) is the son of a Creole woman, Drummer Sheila E. (1957–) also has a Creole mother. Pop singers Beyoncé Knowles (1981–) and Solange Knowles (1986–) are descendants of a Louisiana Creole grandmother. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (1954–) is of Creole descent on her father’s side.” (Caver)

 

Works Cited:

 

“Creoles.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Creoles.html.

 

Hobby, Jessica, and Bronwyn Harris. “What Is the Difference Between Creole and Cajun?” WiseGEEK, Conjecture Corporation, 4 Feb. 2019, www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-creole-and-cajun.htm.

 

Caver, Helen Bush, and Mary T. Williams. “Creoles.” Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, 3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014, pp. 567-576. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3273300055/GVRL?u=cuny_nytc&sid=GVRL&xid=ce3df0c6. Accessed 7 Mar. 2019.