Conversational messages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conversational messages - Essay Example How we give out accounts and how it is accepted or not depend on one’s culture. We tend to use the different types of accounts whenever our behavior or action is subjected to a valuative inquiry, which is a request for an explanation for an inappropriate or unexpected behavior, or failure to adhere to an expected or appropriate behavior (Cody & Dunn, p. 263). That is exactly why accounts are based on cultural and social expectations. The use of accounts is associated with the politeness theory. The politeness theory considers two concepts, face work and politeness forms. People prefer apologies as preferred speech acts for receivers compared to excuses, justifications and denials (Cody & Dunn, p. 266). The face work is an important concept in the politeness theory. There are two types of face work, the positive face and the negative face. Positive face reflects appreciation and respect for each communicator’s role while the negative face reflects one’s desire to be free of constraints or obligations (Cody & Dunn, p. 266). This can be better understood through a sample situation. Let’s say you arrived late for a meeting and you say, I’m sorry I’m late. I know how important your time is so let’s get started immediately. That is a positive face. A negative face will be like this, I’m sorry for being late but the heavy traffic caught up with me. You have made an apolo gy followed by an excuse that indicates you do not have control over what happened. You wanted to be free of the negative consequences of being late. The use of apologies and excuses depend on the cultural and social values important for the communicators. The expected behavior of Americans may be different from the expected behavior of Japanese when it comes to giving apologies. In an American or British setting, formality may be perceived as impolite among intimates, like family members, because it may appear as sarcasm or a mockery (Ogiermann, p. 37). Japanese preferred saying

Transcendentalim and Walden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transcendentalim and Walden - Essay Example This section analyses Thoreau’s experience in the woods, his connection with nature and his journey to self-awareness. These themes and elements of transcendentalism are strengthened by the use of figures of speech, diction and tone. Thoreau alludes to various aspects of life, and philosophy to strengthen his case. This section restates the concept of transcendentalism, the elements that exemplify it, and the values that Thoreau seeks to teach his audience. The lessons to be learnt from Thoreau’s Walden are the concepts of free thought, individualism, self-reliance, and self-awareness and non-conformity in a bid to search for the true meaning of life. It should be highlighted, however, that people’s truths are different, and one should go on a personal journey of free spirited thought in order to find and live their own truth. People should speak their truths, as they live it. Walden is a book that Henry Thoreau uses to not only exemplify his beliefs, but those of transcendentalism. The book depicts transcendentalism as being a progressive movement towards individualism, self-reliance, education and people’s rights; one also concludes that transcendentalists are critical of social institutions, the government, religion, laws and creeping industrialization. One of the most important teachings that Henry Thoreau seeks to teach his audience, and that many people can pick up is that it is better for person to live frankly and openly as who they are, than to live as society or other external forces oblige one to live. People should learn to speak their truth, that which they have learnt for themselves and not that which they have been taught to accept as true; people should learn from the abundance of the universe and from the depths of their existence so as to be able to speak the truth as one lives it. An intelligent reader should be able to derive that