Être Vexé

Être vexé n’est certainement pas un phénomène inusuel pour nous. Ça se passe toujours entre deux individus ou plus. La destruction d’une relation est la ligne de fond de ce phénomène-ci, voire les relations entretenues durant très longtemps. La vie peut devenir sans vie à cause de la vexation, les pertes sans bornes.

De prime abord, nous allons voir ensemble pourquoi un individu peut être vexé. Être vexé a constamment compris deux parties: le critiqueur et le critiqué. Il nous est tous clair que la vexation se produit quand l’intention du critiqueur est en effet d’insulter le critiqué, certes. Pourtant, le côté intéressant à étudier est quand elle est l’opposée. Du côté du critiqué, la vexation se produit lorsque l’on est mentalement improvisé. Les critiques, elles ont toutes le potentiel de venir à l’improviste et beaucoup d’entre elles le font comme les marteaux frappant nos crânes, comme ça faisant apparaître la vexation.

Alors, que faire pour ne pas être vexé ? À base de mes expériences, soyez prêts tout le temps. J’ai confiance que vous êtes tous, chers lecteurs, en fait religieux. Comme ça, vous faites de la prière tous les jours. Quand vous en faites, demandez à Dieu à vous rendre toujours prêts à tout ce qui vous arrivera ce jour-là. Le reste n’est que l’affaire de découvrir la proposition. Prêtez une attention soigneuse à ce que dit le critiqueur. A-t-il l’intention de vous démonter ou de vous améliorer ? Si le premier est le cas, inutile de réfléchir à ce qu’il dit, mais si c’est le cas opposé, il faut être disposé d’accepter ses critiques sans faire plus d’attention à sa manière de vous les faire part.

Du côté du critiqueur, tout ne s’agit que de la façon de parler. Choisissez une façon de parler qui vous est pimpante, mais sans éliminer la proposition (la critique que vous souhaitez faire part à votre interlocuteur). Les critiqueurs, je les divise en deux groupes: les bons et les mauvais. Les derniers, eux, ne sont pas coquets. En dépit de leur formation, ils parlent comme si ils n’avaient fréquenté aucune école (c’est-à-dire, incontrôlable). Les premiers, en revanche, ils sont tous les contraires. Ils sont coquets. Certains d’entre eux réussissent à nous montrer que leur façon de communiquer reste bien préservée malgré leur formation. Lorsqu’ils ont envie de critiquer quelqu’un, ils disent “Est-ce que je pourrais parler avec vous pour un instant, s’il vous plaît ?”, “J’ai quelque chose (important) à vous dire. Est-ce que vous avez deux minutes ?”, “J’ai quelque chose à vous dire, mais (j’ai bien peur) ce n’est pas être facile.”, etc. comme les signes verbaux. En effectuant cela, ils préparent leur interlocuteur mentalement de ce qu’ils vont dire. Pourtant, je peux vous partager tous un astuce dans cette affaire-ci: évitez de blâmer votre interlocuteur. Les phrases comme “Vous n’auriez pas dû le faire !”, “Vous auriez dû faire mieux !”, “Vous n’avez pas fait de votre mieux !”, etc. ont toutes un point commun, c’est qu’elles blâment et une fois elles se disent, non seulement votre proposition de corriger l’interlocuteur ne se fait pas part à lui, mais aussi le rendant penser négativement à vous (“Et vous, comme si vous auriez fait mieux que moi.”, “Que savez vous ? Regardez-vous avant me critiquer !”, pire, voire vous maudire), de là dégradant son respect de vous. Donc, quoi dire ? Premièrement, je vous conseille de comprendre votre interlocuteur (même de lui faire un compliment, si vous voulez) et puis, de le corriger. Vous pourriez donc dire quelque chose tel que, “OK, je vois que c’était votre manière de présenter, mais vous auriez pu faire [ceci], [ceci] et [ceci] plus intéressant.”, “C’est bien que vous ayez tenté, mais vous pourriez mieux faire [ceci] la prochaine fois.”, “J’ai bien appris que vous avez [fait cela], mais je souhaite vraiment que vous ne l’auriez pas fait, parce que […].” Certaines personnes ont du mal à accepter les critiques et certaines d’entre elles n’aiment même pas d’être critiquées. Alors, comment surmonter ce problème-ci ? Il y a deux choses changeant quand on se fait critiquer: son expression faciale et son langage corporel. Observez-les attentivement et dès que l’un d’entre eux change aigrement, vous feriez mieux conclure votre critique en la résumant. Et s’il s’avère que l’on est vexé ? Eh bien, ce n’est qu’un accident, certes, tant que vous êtes persuadé que vous avez eu une bonne intention et que vous avez opté la bonne méthode de faire part votre message. Continuez de lui être amicale et vous verrez que le temps guérit tout (on a raison).

Enfin de compte, on dit qu’il est facile de se faire des ennemis, mais qu’il est, au contraire, difficile de faire des amis. Une relation, quelle que soit la forme, n’a aucun besoin de se faire rompre, voire détruire, à cause de la vexation. Ce qui compte, c’est que l’on a une bonne intention de corriger autrui et que les deux parties connaissent ‘l’essai de correction’. J’ai confiance en moi que tous les être-humains aiment leur vie et que nous voulons tous la garder et la préserver le long possible. Nous en sommes tous bien conscients. Donc, pourquoi la rapetisser par la vexation ? On nourrit sa vie et la vie lui dépend, par conséquent et vous le savez bien.

Les Dates Importantes dans La Vie d’Un Adolescent Français

Bonjour ! 
Je, avec ceci, tiens à remercier Léa, un adolescent français qui veut, avec plaisir, partager avec nous ses ‘cultures’ en tant qu’un ado français. 
Comme on sait, l’adolescence, c’est une vie pas comme les autres 😉  
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Salut,

Je m’appelle Léa, j’ai 15 ans et j’habite à Nice. 
Pour un jeune français, l’année ne commence pas le 1er janvier mais le 4 septembre ! Pourquoi? C’est très simple: le 4 septembre, c’est la rentrée scolaire. Nouvelle classe, nouveaux professeurs et peut-être nouveaux élèves ou nouvelle école. Une vraie révolution! 
Pour moi, l’année se divise en deux périodes: l’école et les vacances! Je préfère parler des vacances bien sûr! 
Pour se reposer de la rentrée scolaire, on a nos premières vacances en octobre. Le 27 octobre, c’est le début des vacances de la Toussaint. Le 31 octobre, mes amis et moi, on se déguise pour Halloween. Puis, le 1er et le 2 novembre, ce sont des jours fériés. Ma famille ne travaille pas. Mes parents célèbrent la mémoire des gens décédés. Ils mettent des fleurs sur les tombes au cimetière. On se repose pendant 2 semaines. Ça fait du bien.
On travaille pendant 6 semaines, puis on est encore en vacances pour Noël. Ce sont mes vacances préférées: de bons repas et de beaux cadeaux! Je célèbre le Jour de l’An avec mes amis. On organise une fête dans le garage d’une amie. C’est fantastique! Heureusement, il nous reste 5 jours pour nous reposer. 
Ensuite, pour les vacances de février, tous les petits Français n’ont pas les vacances au même moment. Nice fait partie de la zone B, donc j’ai les vacances en premier ! En général, je pars au ski avec ma famille pendant 10 jours. C’est génial, mais je suis très fatiguée après. 
6 semaines après, il y a les vacances de Pâques et sa dégustation de chocolat. J’adore le chocolat et donc j’adore Pâques!
Entre les vacances de Pâques et les grandes vacances d’été, il y a 10 semaines de cours. On pense que c’est long et terrible, mais le mois de mai est mon mois préféré car il y a de nombreux jours fériés. Par exemple, le 1er mai, c’est la Fête du Travail et on ne travaille pas ! Puis, il y a le 8 mai et le jeudi de l’Ascension. On fait le pont, c’est-à-dire qu’on ne va pas à l’école le mercredi et jeudi (normal, ce sont des jours fériés) mais aussi le vendredi. On a alors un weekend de 5 jours! Et comme le lundi de la Pentecôte est férié, on a un weekend de 3 jours la semaine suivante. 
Après tous ces ponts, on est bien obligés de travailler. Puis, le 21 juin, c’est le jour de l’été, mais c’est aussi la fête de la Musique. Cette année, c’est un vendredi, donc mes parents vont me donner l’autorisation de sortir avec mes amis. C’est la fin de l’année scolaire, donc on est tous un peu stressés parce qu’on attend de savoir si on passe en classe supérieure ou au contraire si on redouble. 
Les vacances d’été arrivent très vite et pendant 2 mois, je vais à la plage et je profite de mes amis. C’est le rêve… Avant la rentrée scolaire prochaine!  
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Donc, après avoir lu ce qu’a écrit Léa, nous pouvons maintenant énumérer (toutes) les dates importantes dans la vie des adolescents en France:
PRINCIPE: Une année = 1/2 l’école, 1/2 les vacances. 
Septembre
Le 4 septembre: la rentrée scolaire (nouveaux amis, nouveaux cours, nouveaux professeurs, etc.)
Octobre
Le 27 octobre: Les Vacances de la Toussaint.* 
Le 31 octobre: Halloween.* 
Novembre: 
Le 1er et le 2 novembre: La Commémoration des Décédés.*
Décembre
Le 25 Décembre: Le Noël.*
Février – Avril

Différent calendrier de vacances pour les petits français. 

Les Pâques.* 

Mai

Le 1er mai: la Fête du Travail*

L’Ascension.* 

La Pentecôte*. 


Juin

Le 21 juin: le jour de l’été, La Fête de la Musique et la fin de l’année scolaire (les résultats des tests sont annoncés).  

*) Fériés. 

Atteindre Son But

Rebonjour, les amis !

Cette fois-ci, je vais parler de quelque chose dont vous est, en règle générale, déjà suffisamment familier. Pourtant, ce qui diffère mon poste des autres sur ce sujet-ci, c’est mon essai d’user les expressions françaises que j’ai apprises aujourd’hui. Donc, commençons 🙂

Chacun d’entre nous a toujours un but. Que ce soit un petit but ou un grand, ce reste toujours un but. Pendant l’essai que l’on entreprend pour l’atteindre, on doit toujours y aller tout droite au lieu d’y aller par quatre pas. Il se peut que le chemin ne soit pas entièrement facile, mais il s’agit des épreuves auxquelles nous sommes tous mis: à quel point nous sommes suffisamment persévérants et endurants. Donc, je nous propose de constamment nous mettre en quatre de prendre les taureaux par les cornes. N’oublions surtout pas de faire Dieu et autrui partie dans notre essai.

Je nous souhaite tous bon courage et bonne chance !!!

Poetic Analysis of WINTER by William Shakespeare

Bonjour ! Vous allez trouver ci-dessous un analyse poétique de la poésie Winter par William Shakespeare fait lorsque j’étais encore au 3e semestre. Profitez-en et soyez-en tous inspirés !


Winter
By William Shakespeare
When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marion’s nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
ANALYSIS 1. THE RHYTHM.
     /      __       __       /  __  __
When icicles hang | by the wall,                          = Dactylic Dimeter
    /     __       /        /              /     __  __
And Dick | the shepherd | blows his nail,            = Trahaic | Spondaic | Dactylic
    /     __        /       /         /   __  __
And Tom | bears logs | into the hall,                    = Trahaic | Spondaic | Dactylic
    /    __           /        __     __      __   /
And milk | comes frozen home | in pail,              = Trahaic | Dactylic | Iambic
    /       __      __     /         /     __       /   __
When blood | is nipp’d | and ways | be foul,       = Trahaic | Iambic | Trahaic Dimeter
    /       __       __     __    __        /
Then nightly sings | the staring owl,                    = Dactylic | Anapestic
  /      /        /     /        /   __     __
Tu-whit; | Tu-who, | a merry note,                       = Spondaic Dimeter | Dactylic
     /       __       __      __    /        /    __
While greasy Joan | doth keel | the pot.               = Dactylic | Iambic | Spondaic
     /    __    __       /        /        /    __                          
When all aloud | the wind | doth blow,                              = Dactylic | Spondaic | Trahaic
    /      __            __         /      __       ___
And coughing drowns | the parson’s saw,          = Dactylic Dimeter 
  __      /        /        /           /   __  ___
And birds | sit brooding | in the snow,                = Iambic | Spondaic | Dactylic
    /        __       __         /       /      /     __
And Marion’s nose | looks red | and raw,           = Dactylic | Spondaic | Trahaic
     /      __        __         /   /       /    ___
When roasted crabs | hiss in | the bowl,              = Dactylic | Spondaic | Trahaic
  __      __         /        /    ___     ___
Then nightly sings | the staring owl,                    = Anapestic | Dactylic
  /     /         /     /        /   __      __
Tu-whit; | Tu-who, | a merry note,                       = Spondaic Dimeter | Dactylic
     /      __       __       __     /       /    __
While greasy Joan | doth keel | the pot.               = Dactylic | Iambic | Trahaic
ANALYSIS 2. THE FORMS.
Ø  General Form
The Winter poetry by William Shakespeare is a Pastoral poetry for it represents the situation in a village during winter in an old time.
When icicles hang by the wall,  
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,  
And milk comes frozen home in pail,  
When blood is nipp’d, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, 
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,  
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.  
 
When all aloud the wind doe blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,  
And birds sit brooding in the snow,  
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,  
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,  
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,  
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Ø  Usage Form
The Winter poetry by William Shakespeare is a Shakespearian sonnet for it is composed by William Shakespeare himself and it has abab, cdcd rhymes and an ee couplet.
When icicles hang by the wall,                              (a)
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,                  (b)
And Tom bears logs into the hall,                         (a)
And milk comes frozen home in pail,                    (b)
When blood is nipp’d, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, 
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,                         (e)
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.                     (e)
 
When all aloud the wind doe blow,                       (c)
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,               (d)
And birds sit brooding in the snow,                       (c)
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,                  (d)
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,  
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,                         (e)
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot                      (e)
Ø  Rhyme Form
The Winter poetry by William Shakespeare is a rhyme-ended form for it has a standard rhyme abab and cdcd.
When icicles hang by the wall,                              (a)
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,                  (b)
And Tom bears logs into the hall,                         (a)
And milk comes frozen home in pail,                    (b)
When blood is nipp’d, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, 
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,                         (e)
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.                     (e)
 
When all aloud the wind doe blow,                       (c)
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,               (d)
And birds sit brooding in the snow,                       (c)
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,                  (d)
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,  
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
To-whit! To-who!—a merry note,                         (e)
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot                      (e)
ANALYSIS 3. STYLES.
Ø  Dictions
·         The diction that Shakespeare uses in this poetry is Concrete.
·         Unusual words
          Colloquialisms: nipp’d.
          Archaism: Tu-whit, Tu-who, Doth.
Ø  Grammar
v  When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul.
Instead of writing it fully as nipped and instead of using the to be are, Shakespeare abreviates into nipp’dand uses only be as the to be of ways to describe that the comparison between hardworking and the failure of the work itself is not balanced in a village with a winter for everything is covered by thick snow.
v  Then nightly sings the staring owl.
Shakespeare wants to emphasize that the staring owl sings only in the night for all the villagers must have finished doing their activities by then.
v  While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Shakespeare wrote the verse above like that for it is one of the verses of the song sung by the staring owl.
v  When all aloud the wind doth blow.
Shakespeare intends to describe how hard the wind that a doe blows, either from its nostrils or from its mouth, must be during winter.
ANALYSIS 4. CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS
v  When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul.
Blood represents the spirit of hardworking of the villagers. Nipp’dwhich is the abreviation of Nippedrepresents the “going out” activitiy of the burning spirit of hardworking. Ways represents the alternatives that the villagers have in working during winter.
v  Then nightly sings the staring owl.
The staring owl represents a villager who is the most favorite singer in the whole village because of his or her melodious voice.  
v  While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Keel the pothere means cool the contents of the pot by stirring or pouring in something cold.
v  When all aloud the wind doth blow.

Doth here represents a doe, a kind of deers that is usually found during winter.

Only Bali? There’s Still More!

Bonjour, bonjour ! Voici l’un des essais que j’ai écrits pour mon cours de Rédaction des Essais au 3e semestre. Profites-en et soyez-en tous inspirés de visiter mon magnifiquement beau pays Indonésien ! 🙂

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Only Bali? There’s Still More!
            Nowadays, when we approach a foreigner and ask what he or she knows about Indonesia, most likely he or she will answer “Bali”. When we ask a foreigner in Indonesia the vacation spot he or she knows, he or she will probably answer “Bali” as well. It often seems that it is only Bali itself which captivates people the best in Indonesia. When they are looking for a beautiful beach, a relaxing sunbathing, historical temples and exotic food, they will most likely go to Bali. However, there are still other paradise islands in Indonesia with unforgetable experiences to experience outside Bali.
 
The Senggigi Beach
       If it is nature that we are looking for, Lombok is a perfect destination. Senggigi beach, the most beautiful beach, guarantees all pleasures. We can stay in a nice wooden cottage where an inspiring seaview, a breathtaking beach, white sand, clean sea and a blue sky are just outside our doorstep. Moreover, a stroll in the Lomboknese twilight has always been a relaxing and entertaining experience. We can meet Sasak people, the original people of Lombok, taste the traditional food, shop for souvenirs and enjoy a night life ala Lombok.
             
Walking over a rainforest in Borneo.
For us with a huge desire for adventures, Borneo is the right place. All its dense jungles will welcome warmly those wishing to experience and live a jungle life. We can do it either in our own way or through a jungle agent. From camping and enjoying a bonfire at night, learning to survive in the density to encountering chrocodiles, aligators, snakes, lizards and other wild jungle creatures, no jungle experiences can be better than Borneo’s.  
           One Thousand Island and Bunaken Underwater Sea Garden in Maluku are never to be missed either. A wide variety of aquatic experiences are all ours to choose. In the morning, let our body relax with a sea swimming or satisfy our curiosity by snorkling to the depth and witnessing a beyond-imagination  underwater view. Nothing can be better than walking along the seashore in the evening while enjoying the warm magnificent sunset. As night approaches, taste the Maluku seafood in traditional restaurants and feel the Maluku art in night life.
        All those three islands above are never to be missed to witness the beauty of Indonesia in person. Those aiming for a magnificent sea, Lombok invites us warmly to drop over. For sensations of wild and dense jungle life, no other islands can be better other than Borneo. Never ever give up our underwater life-seeing dream before we see what Maluku has got under its sea. Don’t forget to bring along our camera and video camera and let it  cherish each of our gold-dust experiences. So, Bali may be a paradise, but see what other paradise islands have got inside. 

Un nouveau plan

À partir de demain, le samedi 12 juillet 2014, j’ai l’intention de faire de la natation hebdomadaire.

Je prévois en faire le samedi sur le chemin de rentrée à chez moi de l’église. 

L’expression ‘trop tard’, elle n’existe jamais lorsque l’on a envie de commencer à faire quelque chose. Cela me plaît beaucoup que cette pensée de la natation hebdomadaire m’a arrivé à l’esprit hier. Avant que je n’aie été en vacances, je n’en pouvais pas faire à cause des affaires que je devais achever à l’université.

Je ferai de cette natation hebdomadaire dans l’appartement de mon oncle. Du au fait qu’il y détient de quelques chambres, la piscine de natation peut s’accéder gratuitement par d’autres membres de sa famille. Je débuterai par une natation d’environ 30 – 1 heure, puis je finirai par un bain à remous pour le bien de mon objectif.

Que cette exécution de natation hebdomadaire me rend plus sein, plus frais et aussi m’apporte ce que je désire: une hausse de taille.

Analysis on Internet Memes using Semiotics

Background of Study 

Memes provide a powerful new way to combine few things such as, creativity, art, message, and humor in the internet culture. Public relations, advertising, and marketing professionals have effectively used Internet memes as a form of viral marketing to create marketing “hype” for their product or service. Internet memes are considered as cost effective and sometimes become a trend. The practice of using memes to market products or services is known as memetic marketing.[1]

Example of an internet meme
Memes are also used in education. Scott Stillar, who teaches English at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, thinks that one type of Internet memes, the Rage comics, are a great way to teach the English language. Rage comics themselves are cartoons using an ever-growing set of internet memes. He feels that Rage comics are special because they consist of well known faces and expressions–anger, shock, defeat, surprise, pleasure, success, or horror, which therefore meant to show universal feelings or emotions of varying degrees under a variety of conditions.[2] Rage comics are used as vehicles for sharing experiences with humor.[3]

A meme itself is a behavioral or cultural trait that is passed on by other than genetic means, e.g by imitation. The term is first coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, as an example of replicator, information copied in evolutionary process. Examples are habits, skills, stories, or games passed on by imitation. Range from valuable inventions, scientific theories, art creations, to ‘viruses of the mind’, such as chain letters or false beliefs.[4]

A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures.[5]

According to pcmag.com, the term Internet meme itself can be existed in the form of an image, video, story or joke that is voluntarily passed from one Internet user to another via e-mail, blogs and social networking sites. Considered a form of art, Internet memes are created to promote individuals, groups, movies, art, music and products, as well as to perpetrate a hoax or just be funny. They can disappear in days or last for years.[6]

The writers intend to analyze these memes related to semiotics and mythologies, as well as their role as a dominant part of popular cyber-culture. This paper will also serve as an understanding of teaching students of how images, texts, and art relate with each other to become another way of communication and at the same time, create meanings or messages.

The writers found the urgency of this research as a way to keep up with the internet culture, show an alternative of communication, a cost-effective way of mass advertising, to improve students’ media literacy the study of signs/symbols, philosophy, how images and text relate with each other and therefore create a new meaning. These memes contain humor, universal emotions, social message, cultural message, political message, and many more. From the background study above, it also shows how effective it is in teaching language. Every meme has its own theme, therefore allowing the user to always come up with newer and more creative ideas in delivering its message.
Literary Study

According to Chris Sinha, semiotics is rooted from a classic and scholastic study of the arts of logic, rhetoric, and poetic. It is derived from the word ‘semion’, which seemed to be originated from hipocratic medicine or asklepiadik that focuses on symptomatology and inferential diagnostic. Umberto Eco also said that, Aristotle was also familiar with this concept of signification. Modern semiotics analysis are said to be popularized by two figures, Ferdinand de Saussure, a linguistic expert from Switzerland (1858-1913) and Charles Sanders Pierce, an American philosopher (1839-1914). Saussure divided a sign into two elements: signifier (sound-image) and signified (concept). While Pierce focused on three elements of signs, which are iconic dimension, indexes and symbols.[7]

Stuart Hall said that, semiotics provides a method to analyze how visual representations deliver its meanings. In the works of Roland Barthes in 1960, linguistic models of Saussure was improved/extended through its application on areas of signs and a variety of broad representations (advertising, photography, popular culture, travel, fashion, etc.)[8]

In a discussion on signs, Barthes started with Saussure’s statement; Signified and signifier … are the components of signs. According to Saussure, signs always consisted of three faces: the sign itself, material aspect (letter, image, shape, motion, etc.) from signs that serve function to signify or the one produced by the material aspect (signifier), and the conceptual aspect that is pointed by the material aspect (signified). While signification, is ‘something that points’ signifier to signified. But Barthes did not choose to use the word signification in this. He prefer to use a more neutral, ‘binds’ (not signifies) or ‘act’. He did not emphasize on the active aspect of signifier in pointing signified, but the active connection from both of them. In semiotic analysis, this concept of signification is important to be remembered because in searching the functioning of systems of signification, sometimes we have to find signified, because signifier is known while the signified is not yet clear, and vice versa.[9]

Signs, according to Peirce, are “something[s] that represent something[s]” or “refer to a particular meaning”.  If the meaning is based on a particular agreement or social convention, that sign is called symbols. So, every phenomenon that exists in the society, whether it is an object, behavior, even a thought, is seen as symbols that ‘represent’ or ‘refer to’ a particular meaning outside/beyond the sign itself.[10]

The color, red, for instance; independently does not mean anything, except the color itself. But, if the color takes part as in culture, for example, is used in traffic lights (representative), then it will also represent “prohibition” (object) in human cognition. For its use in traffic lights, as a representative, the color red is related with ‘prohibition’ (object) is a result of social convention and even international convention.[11]

            Those who don’t understand the social conventions will not see the color ‘red’ that represents the meaning of ‘prohibition’. In Medan, Indonesia, a red flag means that ‘someone died’ (object). While in other places, a sign that represents a similar meaning is a yellow flag in Jakarta, and a white flag in Center Java. Those examples show how signs are cultural phenomenons that are bound to particular social conventions.[12]

            In relation to all, all natural and biological phenomenons can be seen as symbols. To those who believe, in a particular social convention, natural disasters (representative) are seen as symbols that refer to a meaning that says ‘God’s Wrath’ (object). A twitch on someone’s palm (representative) would mean symbols meaning he or she ‘is about to receive fortune’ (object). Some symbols and their meanings in Javanese Primbon that are usually taken from daily activities, or taken because a respected figure does or believe a certain value, are based on social conventions. Our society even calls it as a sign (either good or a bad sign). Meaning, all examples above are social and cultural phenomenon. [13]

            Those who do not participate in the social conventions and are not included in the related cultural environment, would not be able to understand of what was represented by a particular cultural or natural phenomenon. In other words, they will not be able to understand the meaning that exist on the phenomenon, or understand it along with the convention that it follows.[14]

            According to Peirce, signs exist because of a process that he called semiosis. This process starts with the insertion of an element of sign that exists on ‘outside’ into human’s senses, which is representative or ground, that might be compared Saussure’s signifier. If the process using our senses has already happened, then the next process inside human cognition process is a referencing of what is called object, which is a matter (meaning) that is represented by representative. For example, when we see a red light, because we already know the valid convention, the red light is considered to refer to a meaning ‘prohibition’ (object), which we may compare it to Saussure’s signified.[15]

            The next process is called interpretant, which when we create an interpretation related with the situation that we are in right now. If the red light is located on the streets as  a road sign while we’re driving a car, we will interpret it as a law obligation to stop and then we will interpret it as a permission to proceed by law if the light changes into green. Interpretan affects our behavior during a particular situation.[16]

            The process of interpreting a sign’s meaning from representative, objects and interpretan that is called ‘semiosis’ happens really fast inside our mind. Because of what actually sensed is representative, often times representative is called a sign. It is interesting that Peirce saw the semiosis as a never-ending continous process (unlimited process). He thought that interpretans can be received by our mind and seen as a new sign, or a new representamen. Meaning, a red light that has been interpreted by human’s cognition is extended into a new representamen, for instance it becomes a ‘prohibition’ sign that refer as ‘sanctions for violators’ which then creates an interpretan as a law/prohibition that must not be violated.[17]

            Then, the new interpretan transforms into even newer representamen, for example becoming ‘a heavy financial sanction’ that creates another interpretan a sanction that would make us not afford to pay. This is how semiosis continous without an end.[18]

            Eco quoted Peirce “A sign is something by knowing which we know something more”, said that a sign (he called it texts) is an opera aperta (an open work). This means that every sign, which is a part of a culture to a particular society, is always open to experience an unlimited semiotical process. A sign can be understood and interpreted differently by everyone within different places and different time, or even within the same person in different times and places.[19]

            It has been discussed that we think of culture as a system of signs. One of the theories about sign was coined by Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) which said that a sign consists of two inseparable elements, that is as signifiant that has a meaning and absorbed within human’s cognition (penanda), and signifie (‘meaning’ or the content of the sign).[20]

            Barthes developed Saussure’s theory by telling that a characteristic of a sign is based on a relation of two aspects; a form (signifier that he called as expression) and content (a signified that he called as contenu).[21]

            This theory is depicted with an E-R-C formula (expression-relation-contenu), which is a relation between expression (form) and content (meaning). He called it as a primary system, for example, a name for a housing complex Pondok Indah (Elegant Hut). In the primary system, the name only means as a housing complex. But according to Barthes, the relation between the name and the meaning, which is a housing complex, can be extended. It can be considered as a, for instance, a housing complex that is located in the South of Jakarta, very spacious, has big houses and big lawns, has luxurious shopping district, and so on. This is called a secondary system which characteristic is meta-language.[22]

            The secondary system can also be extended toward its content. So, it’s not about giving an explanation on what Pondok Indah is, but instead of what image that is obtained from the housing complex. This image is called connotation. A connotation of the housing complex is based on how society views/thinks about Pondok Indah. The society’s perspective is depended upon the culture that lives within the society.[23]

            It is often that the society does not only have one perspective, instead they have different views depend on every social group’s experience regarding the matter. Pondok Indah could possibly have connotation meanings such as ‘rich people residents’, ‘elite district’, ‘high class district’, ‘new rich people yet corrupted district’, ‘pleasant housing complex’, or ‘luxurious sector’. Connotation often times does not have a relation with its primary system, or its original meaning. Connotation creates new relation between the form, and content (meaning) that is given by a social group towards a sign. Connotation is formed because of its experience of a social group in relation to a particular sign. Based on that experience, a social group or the society creates the connotation.[24]

            We can conclude that signs as a cultural element; is open to a variety of interpretation. Whatever theories that we use everyday, the meaning is no longer inherent to the sign, instead it is given by the society who believes it.[25]

            According to Peirce, in its meanings, signs experience an unlimited semiotic process. Eco saw that signs are open to interpretation, which is as an open creation, while Barthes saw it further, which is a sign as a continuous cultural element that earns connotation. Therefore, the relation of shape, meanings, content, signifier and signified, or between representamen and object, is determined from the outside, by those who perceive them and called as sign users. This process happens in the cognition of the sign users that perceive them. What is interesting is, the relation can be made up or modified, in any way they can.[26]
Conclusion

Internet memes serves as a humorous way to have fun with context, words, images, meaning, symbols, culture, popular culture, etc. The fact that it only needs an image of something or someone accompanied with a caption/text can generate different meanings. It can be interpreted and customized anyway the user wants it. Take Good Guy Greg meme for example, it is only picture a young Caucasian man smiling around a homemade cigarette which is then called as Good Guy Greg, while in reality we do not really know if the guy’s name is Greg, and if he is a good person. Even if it was, it would take a research to find the truth that he really is a ‘good guy Greg’.

Internet memes allow users to produce meanings according to the theme of a picture; it also contains language formula as shown in The Most Interesting Man in the World meme. Sometimes users also write/generate meanings while not following the formulas/themes, just to have fun with it. Internet memes require users to be creative in producing meanings in respect to symbols, words, and contexts. It is similar on how advertisements in the form of images works; an image + word[s] = meanings. Internet memes are examples of how images, texts, art, language, creativity, myths, and popular culture relate with each other, which then is open for multi-interpretation regarding its user. These memes contain humor, as well as reflecting universal emotions, social message, cultural message and many more.

Bibliography

Barthes, R. (2009). Mitologi. Yogyakarta: Kreasi Wacana.

Floor, N. (2000, December 11). Web Business Engineering. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from INFORMIT: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=19996

Gordon, G. (2002). Genes: a Phylosophical Inquiry. New York: Routledge.

Hoed, B. H. (2011). Semiotik dan Dinamika Sosial Budaya. Depok: Komunitas Bambu.

Hoevel, A. (2011, October 11). The know your memes team gets all scientific on teh intarwebs. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Geekout blog.cnn.com: http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/11/the-know-your-meme-team-gets-all-scientific-on-teh-intarwebs/

PC Magazine . (n.d.). Encyclopedia term. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from PCMag.com: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Internet+meme&i=59911,00.asp

Totona, S. (2010). Miskin itu Menjual: Representasi Kemiskinan sebagai Komodifikasi Tontonan. Yogyakarta: RESIST Book.

Wolford, J. (2011, November 2). Webpronews. Retrieved January 29, 2012, from Webpronews: http://www.webpronews.com/teaching-the-english-language-with-rage-comics-2011-11


[4] Penguin English Dictionary. Penguin Group, London. Page 866.
[5] Graham, Gordon (2002), Genes: a philosophical inquiry, New York: Routledge, p. 196, ISBN 0-415-25257-1
[7] Saiful Totona, 2010,  Miskin Itu Menjual: Representasi Kemiskinan sebagai Komodifikasi Tontonan, Yogyakarta: RESIST Book. Page 22
[8] Ibid, page 22-23
[9] Ibid, page 25-27
[10] Benny, H. Hoed. 2009. Semiotik dan Dinamika Sosial Budaya. Depok: Komunitas Bambu. Page 241-242
[11] Ibid. page 242
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid
[14] Ibid
[15] Ibid, page 243
[16] Ibid
[17] Ibid, page 243-244
[18] Ibid, page 244
[19] Ibid
[20] Ibid
[21] Ibid, page 245
[22] Ibid
[23] Ibid
[24] Ibid
[25] Ibid, page 245-246
[26] Ibid, page 246
[27] Roland Barthes. Mitologi. 2009. Yogyakarta: Kreasi Wacana. Page 164
[28] Totona, Op. Cit, page 22
[29] Ibid, page 24-25
Research conducted by Mr Abdul Aziz Turhan Kariko, S.S., M.Hum.

The 10th Annual T.E.S.O.L. Conference

Mrs Agnes Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., one of our lecturers, went to join the 10th Annual T.E.S.O.L. Conference in Cambodia to present her paper entitled Reflection on Teaching and Learning and Its Impacts on The Lecturers’ Teaching Ability. Here is what she has to share with us:

The 10th Annual Cam.T.E.S.O.L. Conference on E.L.T. (English Language Teaching) took place in Institut De Technology Du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 22nd to 23rd of February 2014. The main theme of the 10th Cam.T.E.S.O.L. is English for Regional and International Integration. This conference is increasingly recognized as one of Asia’s leading E.L.T. Conference Series. 
This year, around 1.754 people attended the conference with 647 international delegates from 30 countries with over 401 presentations successfully given. Regarding the topic, two keynote speakers shared their fruitful insight. 
The first one is Yilin Sun, Ph.D, an English Language Specialist of the U.S. Department of State and Incoming President of T.E.S.O.L. International Association South Seattle C College. She presented the topic of A Quest for Excellence in Teaching for Regional and International Integration: An N.N.E.S.T.’s Perspective. This topic specifically focuses on the nine major trends in the global E.L.T. field and roles and responsibilities of English teachers in shaping the E.L.T. field.
 

The second keynote speaker is Prof. Barbara Seidlhofer, a Professor of English and Applied Linguistics from University of Vienna, Austria that shared a topic about Globalisation and “E”: English as A Lingua Franca (E.L.F.) and Its Implication for Teaching. Her presentation was started with a challenging question “The English we were taught, or the English we learned?” Moreover the focus of her presentation is that the English speakers do not orient to their local speech communities but are involved in de-territorialised speech events.

Overall, this is a good conference for all English teachers in which we can share ideas with other teachers from other countries and see what they are doing.

A Local Counter-Discourse against National Education Problems: Postcolonial Reading of Andrea Hirata’s LASKAR PELANGI

Introduction

Education in Indonesia has been problematic for such a long time. There are two big poles playing roles in the ups and downs of Indonesian education: public or government and private schools. Mostly, government schools do not experience problems faced by private schools such as the number of students registering at the schools as depicted in the novel. Further, the problems do not lie on the dichotomy of public-private schools, but on the discrepancy among the private schools themselves. In terms of domination and discrimination, incongruity among private schools is so apparent and immense.

Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors) -henceforth LP- is Andrea Hirata’s debut and memoir picturing the discrepancy among private schools and the sad irony of local education, in a naturally rich island: Belitung. Published in 2005, the novel has got much attention from many people through printed and electronic media, becoming a reference to education matters, inspiring some to revisit and discuss Indonesian present education problems. Set in a small and remote island Belitong, specifically a smaller area Gantong, in South Sumatera (now Bangka Belitung Province), the story recounts the struggle of ten high-spirited village students along with their devoted teacher and headmaster. The novel centers around Ikal (the narrator, also the author), Lintang (the genius) and Mahar (the artist). Typical local issues such as social yawning gaps between aborigine (the original Belitong inhabitants) and the new comers (PN Timah people or Government Tin Mining Company people) and education gap between marginal local Muhammadiyah school and dominating PN Timah school are strongly and satirically criticized, and to some extent deconstructed in the progress of the story. The author makes use of some local cultures and even mysticism to tease the domination of certain groups upon their own marginal fellows and the everlasting problems in local and national education.

This writing will simply explore two aspects: first, why this novel may be categorized as postcolonial writing and second, how this piece of writing may be considered as a counter discourse in the mainstream of Indonesian writings and education problems. As for me, this study is my personal revisit to my hometown Belitung as an original inhabitant and to Sanata Dharma with its Rafil as an alumnus.

Theoretical Framework

According to Barry (2009), postcolonial reading of certain literary works will need to involve at least four characteristics: first, a conscious understanding of representations of the non-European in literature as alien or decadent ‘Other’; second, an avoidance of writing in the colonizers’ language for it is everlastingly contaminated and to write using it means to accept with consent the colonial structure; third, an emphasis on doubled, hybrid or unstable identity; and last, the stress on cross-cultural interactions.

In connection with the above characteristics and the degree of dependence/independence, postcolonial writings fall into three categories: the adopt phase (an unquestioning acceptance of colonial model), the adapt phase (an adaptation or partial intervention) and the adept phase (a declaration of cultural independence from the colonial model) (pp. 189-190).

Aveling (1993) reviews that there are three important features of all postcolonial writing: the silencing and marginalizing of the postcolonial voice by the imperial centre, the abrogation of the imperial centre within the text, and the active appropriation of the language and culture of the centre. In this study, it is important to redefine who the colonizer is. Due to the object of this study, that is non-English fiction, and then I will refer to Aveling’s writing Non-English Postcolonial Fiction? The Malaysian Case (1993) to extend post colonialism to literary works written not in English, in this case in Indonesian, and to redefine that the colonizer in this context can be any group outside the white European, in this case fellow colonizer even coming from the same country. This, in my view, is possible because position in colonization can be ambiguous. Tiffin gives an example of this in Australian case: “Moreover, such a model can account for the ambiguous position of say, white Australians, who, though still colonized by Europe and European ideas, are themselves the continuing colonizers of the original inhabitants” (Ashcroft, Griffiths, & Tiffin, 2004, p. 96). The same case happens to white American domination over the native Indian while being dominated by the British.

The next part of this study will be focused on the exploration of LP as a counter discourse. Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin (2007) have defined Counter Discourse as “theory and practice of symbolic resistance”. They stated that it is a term coined by Richard Terdiman referring to his examination on French literature focusing on “. . . the means of producing genuine change against the ‘capacity of established discourses to ignore or absorb would-be subversion . . . the confrontation between constituted reality and its subversion’ as ‘the very locus at which cultural and historical change occur. . . . This term has been adopted by post-colonial critics to describe the complex ways in which challenges to a dominant or established discourse (specifically those of the imperial centre) might be mounted from the periphery, always recognizing the powerful ‘absorptive capacity’ of imperial and neo-imperial discourses (50).” Counter discourse is then an exertion practiced by the marginal group to destabilize or subvert the overarching domination of the mainstream, dominating group. Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, (2004) called this attempt a “subversive maneuver”: “These subversive maneuver . . . are what is characteristic of post-colonial texts, as the subversive is characteristic of post-colonial discourse in general. Post-colonial literatures/cultures are thus constituted in counter-discursive rather than homologous practices, and they offer ‘fields’ of counter-discursive strategies to the dominant discourse. The operation of post-colonial counter-discourse is dynamic, not static: it does not seek to subvert the dominant with a view to taking its place, but . . . to evolve textual strategies which continually ‘consume’ their ‘own biases’ . . . at the same time as they expose and erode those of the dominant discourse. . . (pp. 95-96).” It is clear that these counter-discursive strategies are in a way active and forceful, but they do not aim at overtaking the dominant power or inverting the position. As the name indicates, it is a strategy, developed through textual discourse as to depict clearly in a teasing way the weaknesses or biases of the colonizing, dominating power, in the hope of eroding, or at least showing the extension of dominant supremacy. Being deconstructive and subversive can be an effective strategy to question the domination over the marginal group for future transformations. Ashcroft (2001) has stressed the quality of being resistant and transformative as the characteristics of counter-discourse: “Yet theirs is a resistance which is explicitly transformative. For they do not simply respond to the canonical texts but attempt to re-write them in such a way that their overweening cultural assumptions become exposed and subverted. In this way they ‘establish an oppositional, disidentificatory voice within the sovereign domain of the discourse of colonialism’. . . Because of its function within the dominant discourse, canonical counter-discourse is a very clear demonstration of the link between resistance and transformation. For although the intertextuality of the canonical texts is crucial, it is no longer their centrality or ‘greatness’ which dominates, no longer their revelation of the ‘universal human condition’, but the newly revealed cultural horizons of their hybrid and transformative ‘counters’ (pp. 33-34).” Ashcroft emphasized the importance of resistance nature of the discourse to be transformative in effect. This resistance is expressed through the freshly, not necessarily universal views of the crossed-mixed quality of the existing cultural expressions. Therefore, this new and hybrid counter discourse can only voice the subversion if it is resistant in nature towards the hegemonic domination of the mainstream discursive power. Furthermore, Paryz (2006) quoted Tiffin that “decolonialization is process, not arrival; it invokes an ongoing dialectic between hegemonic centrist systems and peripheral subversion of them; between European or British discourses and their post-colonial dis/mantling” (p. 567). So, the counter discursive strategy is an on going process, not the end result. It is some kind of dialog consisting of resistance and subversion from the dominated, marginal group (normally bigger in number) towards the dominating, central power to tease its hegemonic domination.

Conclusion

Laskar Pelangi, through postcolonial perspective, is clearly not merely a story of how struggle or spirit is important to survive the life as a marginal group, but more than that it is about how the minority actually have the potential to fight back ideologically the domination of the mainstream. This is done of course through a different deconstructive view of the postcolonial problems.

Through the above discussion, it is obvious that postcolonial characteristics are found in this work. Elements of hibridity and inter-cultural interaction are found for instance in Ikal-Aling, Akiong-Mahar-Flo, Sawang-Malay-Chinese relationships. The relationships are viewed as positive, celebrating, and strengthening. While counter-discursive strategies developed by the author can be traced in the inverted positioning of marginal against the dominating group. The marginal has shockingly been represented as overpowering the dominating group. This is also done through the representation of deconstructive teacher images. Furthermore, the myth and science are teasingly used to criticize the education problems by having, again, shocking responses from mystical and mythical figures such as Tuk Bayan Tula, Bodenga, and Mahar. The other counters are seen in the different perspective on certain ethnic groups such as the Chinese, with their positive images. And finally, the use of language also takes a significant role by the use of minor local words to maintain the ideologically believed hope that the marginal the tiny island with all the marginalized positions may have an opportunity to fight against the superior mainstream and win.

As a whole, I believe that this piece of work is a tool for Hirata to make use of the locality and marginality to subvert the domination of the mainstream power as to invert the position in the hope for better understanding of each other.

Bibliography

Ashcroft, B. (2001). Post-colonial transformation. London: Routledge.

Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G., & Tiffin, H. (2007). Post-colonial studies: The key concepts. New York: Routledge.

Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G., & Tiffin, H. (2004). The post-colonial reader. New York: Routledge.

Aveling, H. (1993). Non-English postcolonial fiction? The Malaysian case. SPAN: Journal of the South Pacific Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies, 34. Retrieved November 10, 2008, from http://kali.murdoch. edu.au/~cntinuum/litserv/SPAN/34/Aveling.html.

Barry, P. (2009). Beginning theory: An introduction to literary and cultural theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Hirata, A. (2008). Laskar pelangi. Yogyakarta: Penerbitan Bentang.

Paryz, M. (2006). Beyond the traveler’s testimony: Emerson’s English Traits and the construction of postcolonial counter discourse. American Transcendental Quarterly, 20, 565-591.