October Blog Post

Daniel Park

Christina Ivey

10/28/16

Comm 160

            When we recently read poems from Amy Arellano, it really presented a culture that I was not really aware of. “Battles lines have been drawn in your living room” was the very first sentence in the Word Wielding Womb poem by Amy. I chose this quote because it’s the first thing you read and the language used in the poem already prepares you for the poem ahead. I chose a simple quote because of the language that is used. The certain type of language can really illustrate a picture in your head when reading poems like this. The language is also a powerful tool that can be used to explain a culture, explain a point of view, bring out emotion, and illustrate a picture.

            “Language influences thought and action. The words we use to describe things- to ourselves and others- affects how we and they think and act.” (“The Power of Language to Influence Thought and Action,” 2015). The words in the poems can help someone understand something that they had no idea of. It’s a tool used to express and influence thoughts and ideas. This can help when it comes to culture as well. Cultures are so complex and it is hard to understand them at times. Sometimes we don’t understand how language can cause certain topics and ideas to explode but it is language that can influence an idea and be used to express themselves and illuminate thoughts and ideas.

            Culture is complex but language that is used can understand culture. We use language as a tool to explain and illustrate different meanings and messages. Within culture, I have learned that there are many different meanings that can be blurred if we don’t use correct language. In the poems by Amy, the language she uses really illustrates a picture and has an influence on my ideas and thoughts. Even though I have not gone through what she has, through her language, and can get a small taste of what she’s been through, what emotions she felt, and the message she was trying to convey.