Language Evolves With Culture In Anthrick Jensen's 'Silencing'

Philip J. Alfred

AAA1396

Dr. Anannya Dasgupta

ENG 104

Final Draft – 2

2014, 11th September Language evolves with culture. Derrick Jensen in his essay “Silencing” opens up with a discussion of how the world is filled with fake language or lies. The role of these lies is disguise and thus allows deplorable acts. As explained by Emily Martin in “The Egg and the Sperm:

How Science has constructed a Romance based on Stereotypical Male-Female roles” that culture shapes how even biological scientist describe what they discover about the natural world. Part of the reason is that the biological processes of men and women are looked upon differently is due to the language scientist’s use. The author attempts

It seems that men need to be strong and full of energy, and protective not only biologically but in the outside world as well. It is their responsibility to take care of women. It’s like to be successful women you should be better than men. Before

Jensen’s essay there’s a quote, “Our behavior is a function of our own selves” (Laing, 1). The way in which we behave totally depends on our experience i.e., what we have observed and what effect does the experience have on ourselves. It further explains that language can be both constructive and destructive depending upon the circumstances or the choices we make. Our behavior is the reflection of language. Henceforth, if our experience is odious our language will be negative. It’s has played a significant role in the service if mankind its civilization. Theoretically, mutation in people’s thinking, whether influenced by modern thinking or scientific progression, can render obsolete a cultural practice or value?

Today we live in a world filled with stereotyping. Language plays a large part, what

Emily Martin alerts us to the gender stereotyping to be found in scientific language. She demonstrates how science constructs “a scientific fairy tale” bye such descriptions where egg appears to be “a damsel in distress” and a sperm is a heroic warrior to the rescue” (491). It’s is surprising to find the gendered fairy tale in what is supposed to be the factual and objective descriptions of real life trauma, Derrick Jensen retracts his graphic description of abuse and says,

“It’s probably best if you don’t believe a world say. What I wrote about my father beating and raping us simply isn’t true, I was not only wrong, i was lying” (12). Jensen experiences the ways in which make-belief and reality fade in and out of each other as he negotiates the uses of language and the effects of its silencing. Between Martin and Jensen the phenomenon reality,