The Theatrical and Ritual Aesthetics of Signifying :: essays research papers

Signifying is a way people (usually in a weak position) use coded language to fool a person (usually in a position of power) who doesn’t understand the play on words. The origin of signifying goes back to the African tale of the Signifying Monkey. The Signifying Monkey is a trickster figure of Yoruba mythology; also called Esu-Elegbara in Nigeria and Legaba among the Fon in Dahomey. Signifying uses one word, preserves its original meaning, but puts another oppositional layer of meaning over it. The word is both literal and figurative. Here is how Henry Louis Gates, Jr. interprets the Signifying Monkey tales: The signifying monkey invariable repeats to his friend, the Lion, some insult purportedly generated by their mutual friend, the Elephant. The Monkey, however, speaks figuratively. The Lion, indignant and outraged, demands an apology of the Elephant, who refuses and then trounces the Lion. The Lion, realizing that his mistake was to take the Monkey literally, returns to trounce the Monkey. It is this relationship between the literal and the figurative, and the dire consequences of their confusion, which is the most striking repeated element of these tales. The Monkey’s trick depends on the Lion’s inability to mediate between these two poles of signification, of meaning. (p.55) The Signifying Monkey is an embodiment of the poor man’s values and dreams: He is weak and only has his speaking skills (slang ‘mouthpiece’) to survive on, and he uses it to play the powers of the jungle against one another. The same way a pimp survives on his ‘mouthpiece’ by using fast talk, sweet talk, jive, and jaw-blockin’. The term signifying refers to the playful, humorous indirection or innuendo, the talking around an implied meaning, the ambiguous metaphor, the invective that only works if the opponent lacks humor and responds in a literal fashion. Signifying is an attitude toward language, but it is also a social gambit: signifying enables the man and the woman of words to challenge and criticize without becoming committed to any particular claim or meaning: for only the response will tell. For instance, if I say, ‘Yo mama so old, her social security number is ‘1’†, and you say, ‘Fuck you, man†, you’ve lost, you took what was in the figurative and put it in the literal thus committing yourself to the fact that your mom is old. Now, if you reply, â€Å"well YO mama so old, when she was in school there was no history class†, or â€Å"yo mama so old, when God said ‘let there be light’ she hit the switch† then the signifying can con tinue.

How to Avoid Miscommunication

How to avoid miss communication Think before you speak. If you think about what you say before you speak, you have the chance to organize your thoughts, rehearse your words, evaluate the situation, and not say something stupid. 1. ————————————————- Speak up. If you don't voice your needs, you won't get what you want. And say what you want clearly and loudly enough to hear. 3 ————————————————- Be clear. Keep the message as simple as possible. Don't ramble or go on to a lot of extra details. 4 ————————————————-Avoid ‘um', ‘err', and ‘you know what I'm sayin. Sure, we all stammer sometimes while looking for the right words. But if you slow down and be careful about your speech, you'll be clearer. ————————————————- Be polite. If you're interrupting other people, being rude, and disrespectful, you will not communicate effectively anything but you're a jerk. 6 ————————————————- Get his or her attention. If you don't have the other person's attention, you won't get the message across. Get eye contact, make sure the other person is listening. ———————————————— Organize. If you're trying to communicate, you need to be sure the information gets to the person effectively. If you're planning an event, you need to give important details, like place, time, and what people need to bring. —â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Listen. If you don't  listen to the other person, you are likely to end up miscommunicating. Good listening is often more important than whatever you say. 9 ————————————————- Don't assume. This is  the most common  presumption people tend to make.And it is the most disastrous one as well. Unless you say something, you usually cannot be entirely sure the other person knows what you're thinking, feeling, or whatever. ————————————————- Understand body language. Much of communication is non-verbal. Pay attention; it can be very important. —————————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Give reminders. Check in with the person that they understood you, and know what they need. Even if that party is the most important thing on your calendar, it might not be for your friend. And people can be forgetful.If you're getting upset at people because they aren't putting your priorities on top, remember you need to take some responsibility12 Learn good communication skills. If you have the opportunity to take writing, English, public speaking, theatre, computer programming, and world languages, these are all excellent means to focus on communication skills tips * Eye contact can be uncomfortable. Try looking at the bridge of the person's nose. You'll have the same effect and get the same information. * Be sure you don't use sarcasm in chat, instant messaging, or e-mails without emoticons; it can be taken completely the wrong way otherwise.

Chart of Common Charges of Chemical Elements

This is a chart of the most  common charges for atoms of the chemical elements. You can use this chart to predict whether or not an atom can bond with another atom. The charge on an atom is related to its valence electrons or oxidation state. An atom of an element is most stable when its outer electron shell is completely filled or half-filled. The most common charges are based on maximum stability for the atom. However, other charges are possible. For example, hydrogen sometimes has a charge of zero or (less commonly) -1. Although noble gas atoms almost always carry a charge of zero, these elements do form compounds, which means they can gain or lose electrons and carry a charge. Table of Common Element Charges Number Element Charge 1 hydrogen 1+ 2 helium 0 3 lithium 1+ 4 beryllium 2+ 5 boron 3-, 3+ 6 carbon 4+ 7 nitrogen 3- 8 oxygen 2- 9 fluorine 1- 10 neon 0 11 sodium 1+ 12 magnesium 2+ 13 aluminum 3+ 14 silicon 4+, 4- 15 phosphorus 5+, 3+, 3- 16 sulfur 2-, 2+, 4+, 6+ 17 chlorine 1- 18 argon 0 19 potassium 1+ 20 calcium 2+ 21 scandium 3+ 22 titanium 4+, 3+ 23 vanadium 2+, 3+, 4+, 5+ 24 chromium 2+, 3+, 6+ 25 manganese 2+, 4+, 7+ 26 iron 2+, 3+ 27 cobalt 2+, 3+ 28 nickel 2+ 29 copper 1+, 2+ 30 zinc 2+ 31 gallium 3+ 32 germanium 4-, 2+, 4+ 33 arsenic 3-, 3+, 5+ 34 selenium 2-, 4+, 6+ 35 bromine 1-, 1+, 5+ 36 krypton 0 37 rubidium 1+ 38 strontium 2+ 39 yttrium 3+ 40 zirconium 4+ 41 niobium 3+, 5+ 42 molybdenum 3+, 6+ 43 technetium 6+ 44 ruthenium 3+, 4+, 8+ 45 rhodium 4+ 46 palladium 2+, 4+ 47 silver 1+ 48 cadmium 2+ 49 indium 3+ 50 tin 2+, 4+ 51 antimony 3-, 3+, 5+ 52 tellurium 2-, 4+, 6+ 53 iodine 1- 54 xenon 0 55 cesium 1+ 56 barium 2+ 57 lanthanum 3+ 58 cerium 3+, 4+ 59 praseodymium 3+ 60 neodymium 3+, 4+ 61 promethium 3+ 62 samarium 3+ 63 europium 3+ 64 gadolinium 3+ 65 terbium 3+, 4+ 66 dysprosium 3+ 67 holmium 3+ 68 erbium 3+ 69 thulium 3+ 70 ytterbium 3+ 71 lutetium 3+ 72 hafnium 4+ 73 tantalum 5+ 74 tungsten 6+ 75 rhenium 2+, 4+, 6+, 7+ 76 osmium 3+, 4+, 6+, 8+ 77 iridium 3+, 4+, 6+ 78 platinum 2+, 4+, 6+ 79 gold 1+, 2+, 3+ 80 mercury 1+, 2+ 81 thallium 1+, 3+ 82 lead 2+, 4+ 83 bismuth 3+ 84 polonium 2+, 4+ 85 astatine ? 86 radon 0 87 francium ? 88 radium 2+ 89 actinium 3+ 90 thorium 4+ 91 protactinium 5+ 92 uranium 3+, 4+, 6+