Thursday, March 24, 2011

“Slogan on the Domestic Sporting Goods: Stylistic Analysis of English”

I. Introduction

            In this paper, it was said that stylistic analysis of English was also applied in sporting goods of domestic common slogans because it played a considerable roles in their promotion. Advertising, an application of the strong style, is a key factor in the success of business conduct. The core is the product advertising slogan. Good slogans are the most likely to read and to purchase by the customers. They are used in the language skills to attract customers to purchase their important goods.

            This article is from the stylistic point of view of the English national sports slogans for analysis, in order to find out the style in the show's language skills for the future of the domestic sporting goods advertising slogan in English.

II. The syntactic structure analysis

            This paper actually used advertising slogans from different domestic sporting goods. Here are some of the many advertising slogans used in the domestic sporting goods.

a. "Just do lt." (NIKE slogan)
b. "Be cool, be Converse." (CONVERSE slogan)
c. "Turn it on." (PUMA slogan)
d. "on the way" (DEERWAY slogan)
e. “the power to win” (ANTA slogan)

1. In the first three slogans above (a, b, and c), they are used in the imperative sentence. Imperative usually play a very good effect of persuasion and promotion, which will directly persuade and encourage potential buyers. These examples are imperative and suggesting that the product can bring energy, enthusiasm and comfort.

2. Advertisement as a commercial genre, the cost is needed to be considered on one hand and simple slogans are used just to meet the cost requirements. In some slogans, sentences are direct to make words appear compact, coherent and full of rhythm to make it more impressive while in other slogans, the subject, predicate or any unwanted words are omitted. In the fourth slogan (d), the slogan is simple and it is reminiscent of the long road of life constantly making progress. In the fifth slogan (e), omission is applied wherein we can guess that it is a complete sentence of “Anta can give you the power to win.”

3.  Inversion is another commonly used sentence structures in slogans. It is used in the slogans to increase the readability of the attention of the people. At the same time the language has its characteristics of openness, not static.

4. Slogans are in the positive tone and do not use questions and negative sentences. This is to make the people agree with the spirit of a certain brand of sports and take further action to buy the product, so are all positive.

III. Conclusion

            With this analysis, it can be seen that the language features are not only useful in poems, short stories and other prose but also in the non-literary texts. In the analysis given above, the author found out that these slogans are short, but very rich in content, simple and impressive. The syntax and rhetoric are smartly used because these linguistic features are all important to promote their products. The author also found out that considering the stylistic features of the slogan is one of the smart and best ways to seize the attention of the customers. Since the customers are always in the conventional mode of language, it is easy for them to understand the information and pay more attention to the product.



Source:
http://www.essay-custom.com/Essay/casestudy/201010/50.html

Stylistic Analysis of the Poem "Meeting at night"

“Meeting at Night”
Robert Browning

The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and row;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed I’ the slushy sand.

Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, thro’ its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!

]  The Theme of the Poem
            This poem written by Robert Browning is a poem of love that describes clearly the man’s sailing on the sea to the bay on the beautiful night to go to the girl she loves and meets her at night. In here, it is said that the readers can feel the excitement and happiness of the couples on their meeting at night. It is very clear at the end of the poem that the woman is somehow nervous and afraid while waiting for the man she loves. But, upon hearing the man’s tap on the window pane, she is very happy and relieved to see him, which only shows how deep their love and missing is.  

]  Linguistic Analysis of the Poem by Liu Yueqin
            Liu Yueqin has presented five linguistic presentation of the poem. Here is the following linguistic analysis he had in this poem of Robert Browning:

a.      Phonological features
1. End rhyme
The rhyme scheme is, in the first stanza - abccba, in the second -dedded.
There are five end rhymes as follow:
a.       [ ænd] land, sand; b. [∂u]row, prow; c. [I:p]leap, sleep; d, [I:t ]beach, scratch, match, each; e, [i∂s]appears, fears

2. Alliteration
long-land in line 1;the-that in line 3; fiery- from in line 4; pushing-prow in line 5; speed-slushy-sand in line 6; sea-scented in line 7; to-till and field-farm in line8; less-loud in line 11; than-the and two-to in line 12.
3. Repetition
And the repeats 3 times in the poem, and there are totally 8 and in the poem. The repetition shows that the man is making long-time effort step by step to meet the woman, his lover. However, the effort is worthy since the man loves the woman and expects fiercely to see her, no matter it’s at night or at day. The refrain occurs at the close of a stanza, where it helps to establish meter, influence the mood of love, and add emphasis.
With the usage of end rhyme, alliteration and repetition, the poem creates aesthetic pleasure and shows the feeling of the couple.

b.      Graphical features
The description of the scene on the sea and on the bay and about the meeting is vivid, elaborate and attracting. Through the different angles of vision (the gray sea, the long black land, the yellow half-moon, etc.), auditognosis (two hearts beating, etc), olfaction (scented), the readers can just feel like being in the situation, and appreciating the charming of meeting at night.

c.       Lexical features
The poem is relatively brief; consist of simple specific concrete words, mainly adjectives and nouns, just like casual and gentle narration between lovers or dramatic monologue. There are 4 adjective words about color; they are gray, black, yellow and blue, to make the scene at night vivid to the readers. The readers can clearly know that the meeting is at night. The beautiful scene symbolizes the wonderful mood of the couple. In line 6, words of speed, slushy, sand have alliteration [s] for imitate the sound of the prow decreasing its speed and gently scrapping in the bay.

d.      Syntactic features
All the sentences in the poem are statement just like dramatic monologue, what the author is very famous with. Many short sentences are linked into long sentences with devices of coordination with the usage of and. There are totally 5 lines beginning with and. Coordination gives clauses equal syntactic status, and establish peaceful mood. It seems that the man has met the woman at night many times, and gets very familiar with the process.

e.       Semantic features
In first stanza, the author uses startled and fiery instead of surprising and hot. The personification gives human form or feelings to the waves and ringlets, inanimate objects to show that the man’s feeling is startled and fiery.
In second stanza, tap, scratch and spurt are gentler, lovelier, and shorter in time than knock, scrape, and spring. These words can vividly to describe the feeling of the couple. The man arrives at just outside of the house, and taps the glass with the love in his heart. When he is waiting for the appearance of the woman, he is very nervous and upset. The woman is also nervous and upset. After hearing the tap, she lights a match to lights the place and feels happy and fears to meet her lover.
SOURCE: http//www.stylisticsforstudentsoflanguageandliterature/browning.com
 
                                                                

Linguistic Analysis of the Short Story “A Cup of Tea” written by Katherine Mansfield (By Asuman Birdal)

What the story is about:
            This story is about a rich couple named Rosemary and Philip living an untroubled, desirable life. In the story, they were described as rich, very rich. They seem to love each other since there are no implications whether they love each other for money or not. Rosemary spends money without getting into trouble and giving no reason or excuse to her husband in doing this. Everyone in a society admires Rosemary not maybe for her beauty but for her remarkable features such as being interested in current movements from every aspect, seeming as an intelligent young woman and reading the modern books. Apart from the couple, there is a girl (in the name of Miss Smith) who meets Rosemary in a street by asking for money to have a cup of tea then is picked up by her to have a cup of tea at her home and begins to be directed by her. At the last scene, Rosemary is jealous of the girl when Philip utters lovely words for this girl. But Philip did it intentionally to take advantage of Rosemary’s faulty character successfully. In this sense, Philip is considered as an intelligent man and effective on Rosemary who is also obviously the symbol of possessive female by being jealous of the girl she has met in the street; so she has no self-confidence and is a little bit credulous. This only show that even she is described as a superior woman in the story, still she has her weaknesses.

Stylistic Analysis
A. the use of possessive pronouns I and You
]  “I want you to. To please me.”
            - In this statement, the use of the possessive pronouns I and you show the disparity of the status of Rosemary and Miss Smith. Here, ‘I’ (Rosemary) takes part as an actor whereas ‘you’ (Miss Smith) is the goal and the verb ‘want’ is the process which is stated by Rosemary. We may infer that Rosemary is dominant and makes others do whatever she wants to.
]  “I only want to make you warm...”
            - This time what Rosemary desires to be made by Miss Smith is something good as a concept; but even it is good for Miss Smith, it is directed by Rosemary and shows her power on her by regarding Miss Smith as a helpless creature which is to be pitied and looked after. 
B. the use of verbs
]  Looking at how she sees the world around her, it can be seen that she can mention about what she likes or dislikes and reveals her ideas directly and freely. There are lots of verbs telling us about her cognition and affection:
            -  “Yes, she liked it very much, she loved it.”
            -  “Rosemary admired the flowers.”
            -  “Rosemary gave no sign.”
            - “Rosemary laughed out.”
            - “She decided...”
            - “She wanted to spare this poor little thing...”
            - “She saw a little battered creature with enormous eyes...”
C. the use of questions and answers
]  This is a turn taking between Rosemary and Miss Smith.     
            S: “May I speak to you a moment?”
            R: “Speak to me?”     

            S: “Would you let me have the price of a cup tea?”
            R: “A cup of tea? Then have you no money at all?”
            - This presents us a part from an authentic language use by shortening the statement. It is also the indicator of bewilderment of Rosemary against the girl’s behavior.      
D. the use of imperatives
]  There are imperatives uttered by Rosemary again, which proves that she does and gets whatever she wants from helpless  people.
            -“Come along.”
            -“Come, come upstairs.”
            -“Come and sit down.”
            -“Don’t cry.”
            -“Do stop crying.”
]  She also uses imperatives against ‘Philip’:
            -“Be nice to her.”
            -“Kiss me.”
E. the use of polite requests
]  Miss Smith uses polite requests that reveals her modesty and her inferiority to Rosemary such as:
            - “May I speak to you a moment?”
            - “Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?”
            - “I’m very sorry, madam, but I’m going to faint. I shall go off, madam, if I don’t have     something.”
F. the use of exclamations
]  the exclamations are used by Rosemary to:
            a. Sometimes to express her ideas
            - “Charming!”
            - “How extraordinary!”
            b. Sometimes to present her while  thinking to herself
            - “How thoughtless I am!”
            - “Pretty!”
            - “Lovely!”(By repeating Philip’s utterances angrily.)
            c. sometimes to demonstrate
            - “There!”
  



“A Cup of Tea”
By Katherine Mansfield
Rosemary Fell was not exactly beautiful. No, you couldn't have called her beautiful. Pretty? Well, if you took her to pieces... But why be so cruel as to take anyone to pieces? She was young, brilliant, extremely modem, exquisitely well dressed, amazingly well read in the newest of the new books, and her parties were the most delicious mixture of the really important people and... artists - quaint creatures, discoveries of hers, some of them too terrifying for words, but others quite presentable and amusing.

Rosemary had been married two years. She had a duck of a boy. No, not Peter - Michael. And her husband absolutely adored her. They were rich, really rich, not just comfortably well off, which is odious and stuffy and sounds like one's grandparents. But if Rosemary wanted to shop she would go to Paris as you and I would go to Bond Street . If she wanted to buy flowers, the car pulled up at that perfect shop in Regent Street, and Rosemary inside the shop just gazed in her dazzled, rather exotic way, and said: "I want those and those and those. Give me four bunches of those. And that jar of roses. Yes, I'll have all the roses in the jar. No, no lilac. I hate lilac. It's got no shape." The attendant bowed and put the lilac out of sight, as though this was only too true; lilac was dreadfully shapeless. "Give me those stumpy little tulips. Those red and white ones." And she was followed to the car by a thin shop-girl staggering under an immense white paper armful that looked like a baby in long clothes....

One winter afternoon she had been buying something in a little antique shop in Curzon Street . It was a shop she liked. For one thing, one usually had it to oneself. And then the man who kept it was ridiculously fond of serving her. He beamed whenever she came in. He clasped his hands; he was so gratified he could scarcely speak. Flattery, of course. All the same, there was something...

"You see, madam," he would explain in his low respectful tones, "I love my things. I would rather not part with them than sell them to someone who does not appreciate them, who has not that fine feeling which is so rare..." And, breathing deeply, he unrolled a tiny square of blue velvet and pressed it on the glass counter with his pale finger-tips.

To-day it was a little box. He had been keeping it for her. He had shown it to nobody as yet. An exquisite little enamel box with a glaze so fine it looked as though it had been baked in cream. On the lid a minute creature stood under a flowery tree, and a more minute creature still had her arms round his neck. Her hat, really no bigger than a geranium petal, hung from a branch; it had green ribbons. And there was a pink cloud like a watchful cherub floating above their heads. Rosemary took her hands out of her long gloves. She always took off her gloves to examine such things. Yes, she liked it very much. She loved it; it was a great duck. She must have it. And, turning the creamy box, opening and shutting it, she couldn't help noticing how charming her hands were against the blue velvet. The shopman, in some dim cavern of his mind, may have dared to think so too. For he took a pencil, leant over the counter, and his pale, bloodless fingers crept timidly towards those rosy, flashing ones, as he murmured gently: "If I may venture to point out to madam, the flowers on the little lady's bodice."

"Charming!" Rosemary admired the flowers. But what was the price? For a moment the shopman did not seem to hear. Then a murmur reached her. "Twenty-eight guineas, madam."

"Twenty-eight guineas." Rosemary gave no sign. She laid the little box down; she buttoned her gloves again. Twenty-eight guineas. Even if one is rich... She looked vague. She stared at a plump tea-kettle like a plump hen above the shopman's head, and her voice was dreamy as she answered: "Well, keep it for me - will you? I'll..."

But the shopman had already bowed as though keeping it for her was all any human being could ask. He would be willing, of course, to keep it for her for ever.

The discreet door shut with a click. She was outside on the step, gazing at the winter afternoon. Rain was falling, and with the rain it seemed the dark came too, spinning down like ashes. There was a cold bitter taste in the air, and the new-lighted lamps looked sad. Sad were the lights in the houses opposite. Dimly they burned as if regretting something. And people hurried by, hidden under their hateful umbrellas. Rosemary felt a strange pang. She pressed her muff against her breast; she wished she had the little box, too, to cling to. Of course the car was there. She'd only to cross the pavement. But still she waited. There are moments, horrible moments in life, when one emerges from shelter and looks out, and it's awful. One oughtn't to give way to them. One ought to go home and have an extra-special tea. But at the very instant of thinking that, a young girl, thin, dark, shadowy - where had she come from? - was standing at Rosemary's elbow and a voice like a sigh, almost like a sob, breathed: "Madam, may I speak to you a moment?"

"Speak to me?" Rosemary turned. She saw a little battered creature with enormous eyes, someone quite young, no older than herself, who clutched at her coat-collar with reddened hands, and shivered as though she had just come out of the water.

"M-madam, stammered the voice. Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea?"

"A cup of tea?" There was something simple, sincere in that voice; it wasn't in the least the voice of a beggar. "Then have you no money at all?" asked Rosemary.

"None, madam," came the answer.

"How extraordinary!" Rosemary peered through the dusk and the girl gazed back at her. How more than extraordinary! And suddenly it seemed to Rosemary such an adventure. It was like something out of a novel by Dostoevsky, this meeting in the dusk. Supposing she took the girl home? Supposing she did do one of those things she was always reading about or seeing on the stage, what would happen? It would be thrilling. And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends: "I simply took her home with me," as she stepped forward and said to that dim person beside her: "Come home to tea with me."

The girl drew back startled. She even stopped shivering for a moment. Rosemary put out a hand and touched her arm. "I mean it," she said, smiling. And she felt how simple and kind her smile was. "Why won't you? Do. Come home with me now in my car and have tea."

"You - you don't mean it, madam," said the girl, and there was pain in her voice.

"But I do," cried Rosemary. "I want you to. To please me. Come along."

The girl put her fingers to her lips and her eyes devoured Rosemary. "You're - you're not taking me to the police station?" she stammered.

"The police station!" Rosemary laughed out. "Why should I be so cruel? No, I only want to make you warm and to hear - anything you care to tell me."

Hungry people are easily led. The footman held the door of the car open, and a moment later they were skimming through the dusk.

"There!" said Rosemary. She had a feeling of triumph as she slipped her hand through the velvet strap. She could have said, "Now I've got you," as she gazed at the little captive she had netted. But of course she meant it kindly. Oh, more than kindly. She was going to prove to this girl that - wonderful things did happen in life, that - fairy godmothers were real, that - rich people had hearts, and that women were sisters. She turned impulsively, saying'. "Don't be frightened. After all, why shouldn't you come back with me? We're both women. If I'm the more fortunate, you ought to expect..."

But happily at that moment, for she didn't know how the sentence was going to end, the car stopped. The bell was rung, the door opened, and with a charming, protecting, almost embracing movement, Rosemary drew the other into the hall. Warmth, softness, light, a sweet scent, all those things so familiar to her she never even thought about them, she watched that other receive. It was fascinating. She was like the rich little girl in her nursery with all the cupboards to open, all the boxes to unpack.

"Come, come upstairs," said Rosemary, longing to begin to be generous. "Come up to my room." And, besides, she wanted to spare this poor little thing from being stared at by the servants; she decided as they mounted the stairs she would not even ring to Jeanne, but take off her things by herself. The great things were to be natural!

And "There!" cried Rosemary again, as they reached her beautiful big bedroom with the curtains drawn, the fire leaping on her wonderful lacquer furniture, her gold cushions and the primrose and blue rugs.

The girl stood just inside the door; she seemed dazed. But Rosemary didn't mind that.

"Come and sit down," she cried, dragging her big chair up to the fire, "m this comfy chair. Come and get warm. You look so dreadfully cold."

"I daren't, madam," said the girl, and she edged backwards.

"Oh, please," - Rosemary ran forward - "you mustn't be frightened, you mustn't, really. Sit down, when I've taken off my things we shall go into the next room and have tea and be cozy. Why are you afraid?" And gently she half pushed the thin figure into its deep cradle. .

But there was no answer. The girl stayed just as she had been put, with her hands by her sides and her mouth slightly open. To be quite sincere, she looked rather stupid. But Rosemary wouldn't acknowledge it. She leant over her, saying:

"Won't you take off your hat? Your pretty hair is all wet. And one is so much more comfortable without a hat, isn't one?"

There was a whisper that sounded like "Very good, madam," and the crushed hat was taken off.

"And let me help you off with your coat, too," said Rosemary.

The girl stood up. But she held on to the chair with one hand and let Rosemary pull. It was quite an effort. The other scarcely helped her at all. She seemed to stagger like a child, and the thought came and went through Rosemary's mind, that if people wanted helping they must respond a little, just a little, otherwise it became very difficult indeed. And what was she to do with the coat now? She left it on the floor and the hat too. She was just going to take a cigarette off the mantelpiece when the girl said quickly, but so lightly and strangely: "I'm very sorry, madam, but I'm going to faint. I shall go off, madam, if I don't have something."

"Good heavens, how thoughtless I am!" Rosemary rushed to the bell.

"Tea! Tea at once! And some brandy immediately!"

The maid was gone again, but the girl almost cried out: "No, I don't want any brandy. I never drink brandy. It's a cup of tea I want, madam." And she burst into tears.

It was a terrible and fascinating moment. Rosemary knelt beside her chair.

"Don't cry, poor little thing," she said. "Don't cry." And she gave the other her lace handkerchief. She really was touched beyond words. She put her arm round those thin, bird-like shoulders.

Now at last the other forgot to be shy, forgot everything except that they were both women, and gasped out: "I can't go on no longer like this. I can't bear it. I can't bear it. I shall do away with myself. I can't bear no more."

"You shan't have to. I'll look after you. Don't cry any more. Don't you see what a good thing it was that you met me? We'll have tea and you'll tell me everything. And I shall arrange something. I promise. Do stop crying. It's so exhausting. Please!"

The other did stop just in time for Rosemary to get up before the tea came. She had the table placed between them. She plied the poor little creature with everything, all the sandwiches, all the bread and butter, and every time her cup was empty she filled it with tea, cream and sugar. People always said sugar was so nourishing. As for herself she didn't eat; she smoked and looked away tactfully so that the other should not be shy.

And really the effect of that slight meal was marvelous. When the tea-table was carried away a new being, a light, frail creature with tangled hair, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes, lay back in the big chair in a kind of sweet languor, looking at the blaze. Rosemary lit a fresh cigarette; it was time to begin.

"And when did you have your last meal?" she asked softly.

But at that moment the door-handle turned.

"Rosemary, may I come in?" It was Philip.

"Of course."

He came in. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he said, and stopped and stared.

"It's quite all right," said Rosemary, smiling. "This is my friend, Miss _"

"Smith, madam," said the languid figure, who was strangely still and unafraid.

"Smith," said Rosemary. "We are going to have a little talk."

"Oh yes," said Philip. "Quite," and his eye caught sight of the coat and hat on the floor. He came over to the fire and turned his back to it. "It's a beastly afternoon," he said curiously, still looking at that listless figure, looking at its hands and boots, and then at Rosemary again.

"Yes, isn't it?" said Rosemary enthusiastically. "Vile."

Philip smiled his charming smile. "As a matter of fact," said he, "I wanted you to come into the library for a moment. Would you? Will Miss Smith excuse us?"

The big eyes were raised to him, but Rosemary answered for her: "Of course she will." And they went out of the room together.

"I say," said Philip, when they were alone. "Explain. Who is she? What does it all mean?"

Rosemary, laughing, leaned against the door and said: "I picked her up in Curzon Street . Really. She's a real pick-up. She asked me for the price of a cup of tea, and I brought her home with me. "

"But what on earth are you going to do with her?" cried Philip.

"Be nice to her," said Rosemary quickly. "Be frightfully nice to her. Look after her. I don't know how. We haven't talked yet. But show her - treat her - make her feel -"

"My darling girl," said Philip, "you're quite mad, you know. It simply can't be done."

"I knew you'd say that," retorted Rosemary. Why not? I want to. Isn't that a reason? And besides, one's always reading about these things. I decided -"

"But," said Philip slowly, and he cut the end of a cigar, "she's so astonishingly pretty."

"Pretty?" Rosemary was so surprised that she blushed. "Do you think so? I - I hadn't thought about it."

"Good Lord!" Philip struck a match. "She's absolutely lovely. Look again, my child. I was bowled over when I came into your room just now. However... I think you're making a ghastly mistake. Sorry, darling, if I'm crude and all that. But let me know if Miss Smith is going to dine with us in time for me to look up The Milliner's Gazette."

"You absurd creature!" said Rosemary, and she went out of the library, but not back to her bedroom. She went to her writing-room and sat down at her desk. Pretty! Absolutely lovely! Bowled over! Her heart beat like a heavy bell. Pretty! Lovely! She drew her check-book towards her. But no, checks would be no use, of course. She opened a drawer and took out five pound notes, looked at them, put two back, and holding the three squeezed in her hand; she went back to her bedroom.

Half an hour later Philip was still in the library, when Rosemary came in.

"I only wanted to tell you," said she, and she leaned against the door again and looked at him with her dazzled exotic gaze, "Miss Smith won't dine with us to-night."

Philip put down the paper. "Oh, what's happened? Previous engagement?"

Rosemary came over and sat down on his knee. "She insisted on going," said she, "so I gave the poor little thing a present of money. I couldn't keep her against her will, could I?" she added softly.

Rosemary had just done her hair, darkened her eyes a little and put on her pearls. She put up her hands and touched Philip's cheeks.

"Do you like me?" said she, and her tone, sweet, husky, troubled him.

"I like you awfully," he said, and he held her tighter. "Kiss me."

There was a pause.

Then Rosemary said dreamily: "I saw a fascinating little box to-day. It cost twenty-eight guineas. May I have it?"

Philip jumped her on his knee. "You may, little wasteful one," said he.

But that was not really what Rosemary wanted to say.
"Philip," she whispered, and she pressed his head against her bosom, "am I pretty?"

“SELF ACCESS WORKSHEET”

FACTS ABOUT THE PLAY


Title: A Daughter’s Seed
Author (Playwright): Jose Victor Torres
When Published: 1993
Type of Play/Genre: An example of one act play and a melodrama


CONTENT

1. Setting
          The action of this play takes place in only one setting: in a cemetery, at a corner of Loyola Memorial Park where Ana Marie’s father was buried.

2. When is it set?
          The set is in mid-afternoon, after the funeral of Hector Mendoza, the father of Ana Marie and former husband of Teresa.

3. The Plot
          The play is about how a young woman carries the pain of having a baby from her own father and how a mother accepts this kind of dilemma. This play is more on the issue of separation and regrets in the end. It also talks of a very confidential situation wherein a daughter and her father had an affair in the middle of loneliness, which is not normal in our society. In here, when Ana Marie was a child, she wasn’t able to cope up with the separation of her parents. So, when her father did something wrong to her, she didn’t insist because she was looking for someone to love and take good care of her, and this led to a big mistake in her life.

4. Characters
©       Ana Marie Mendoza- a 22 year old girl and the only child of Hector Mendoza and Teresa Mendoza. She is three months pregnant. Based from her experience, she is a loner and she has full of madness in her heart because of what had happened when her mother left her to her father.
©       Teresa Mendoza- a forty year old woman and the strange wife of Hector Mendoza and mother of Ana Marie. She is the present VP of an advertising firm in Manila. She left Hector when Ana Marie was still a child because he was abusing her before. And what she did made her a strong woman, but she was regretful in the end.
©       Hector Mendoza- he died of stroke in the play. Although he is not really present in the scene, he took a vital role in the play. He is the father of Ana Marie and based from the conversation, he was a brutal person for he was abusing Teresa before. Then, he had an affair with his own daughter that brought her into pregnancy.
5. Message
          This play wants to tell the readers that life is but a second chance. It is true that sometimes, people tend to make mistakes especially when they are in the midst of loneliness and depression. In case of Ana Marie, his father has a psychological problem. Her father slept with her and because she was in her weakest moment at that time, she wasn’t able to think right. So they made a big mistake. On the other hand, there’s Teresa, her mother, who’s willing to help her and take good care of her now that she was carrying a life in her womb. But Ana Marie didn’t give her another chance because she was hurt so much. In this situation, I realize that everything has a right time: that in their case, there would be a right time for forgiveness and a second chance to live again normally. It is a matter of learning from our own mistakes and standing again to correct it.       


LANGUAGE

Here are the four phrases and expressions I’ve learned in this play:
©       “White flowers means friendship.”
©       In life, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall. What matters most is how many times you stand up and take the journey ahead.
©       A person longing for love and care doesn’t know his/her limitations.
©       “So here I am with you, to pick up the pieces.”


OPINION

1. Here are the following adjectives that best describe the play:
©       Gripping.
©       Pitiful and touching.
©       Shocking but interesting and is filled with lessons in life.

2. The play is going to be performed and you are the director. Describe the costumes, scenery, lighting, etc. you want for each act.
          If I will be the director of this play and it is going to be performed, I’ll make sure that the scenes will be more realistic so that the audience will feel and understand its message. For the costumes, I’ll make it more detailed. Since the play took its place in the cemetery after the funeral of Hector, the two ladies should be dressed in pure black. The setting must be gloomy and quiet. That’s why the lighting must also used lonely and dull colors like brown and pallid. The sound effect must also be realistic that will hold the emotions of the characters and also the audiences.            

3. Would you recommend this play to anyone else? Why?
          Yes. Because this play contains an extraordinary story about a young woman and I think, many readers can relate to some situations in the play. The readers will also learn many lessons that can be applied in real life situations.

4. Does this play remind you of any plays in your own language? If so, what?
          Sadly, it doesn’t remind me of any plays in our own language. Because just like what I mentioned above, this story is extraordinary and this is the first time I’ve encountered this kind of story in a play.


Summary of the Play
“A Daughter’s Seed”
By Jose Victor Torres

                   This play is actually an example of one-act play and happened in one setting. This is about the story of Ana Marie Mendoza, a 22 year old girl and the only child of Hector Mendoza, a former diplomat. Her mother is Teresa Mendoza, a 40 year old woman and is a VP of an advertising firm in Manila. The setting was taken in a cemetery during the funeral of Hector Mendoza. Teresa and Hector were separated for many years, when Ana Marie was just a child. And at that moment, Ana Marie had a hard time coping up with the situation. She was left to her father’s care that became too busy with his work. So Ana Marie learned to live alone. When her father died, she was three months pregnant. During the funeral, that was the only moment when she saw her mother again after very long years. They talked to each other and Teresa saw how Ana Marie’s life turned into trouble when she left. Ana Marie got pregnant without any man to support her and the baby. Ana Marie was very liberal and she just found her friends as her family. She was changed a lot—into worst. As they were talking about their own lives, Teresa asked Ana Marie about her father. This is the turning point of this play because Ana Marie confessed a very confidential thing about her pregnancy. She gave her mother a clue that his father has another woman. But in the end, she confessed that the other woman she was talking about was her. That is why she was so angry saying this statement: “Oh God! I wish I’d die right now! There was no other woman! It was me!” So, she has her baby in her womb now. Ana Marie and her father had an affair and that was the painful reality that Teresa learned from her daughter at that moment. She still wanted to take good care of Ana Marie and be a mother to her, but Ana Marie didn’t accept her offer. Ana Marie was hurt so much that he couldn’t bear the pain she had in her heart. That is why she decided to live alone again just like before. In the end, Teresa was left by Ana Marie in the cemetery weeping and full of regrets.

“A Tale of Two Chances” by Paulo Bedonia Masangcay: A Linguistic Analysis

I. Introduction

            This article by Paulo Bedonia Masangcay is about how a son expressed his heartfelt gratitude to God for giving his father another chance to live with them. In here, the author narrated his experiences on how he was able to cope up with the situation of his father; especially on the time when he was far from his family. He also mentioned how special his birthday was because that was the time when his father went out from the hospital: an indication that his father was already in good condition. In the end, the author realized how important his father was to him and how he planned to be part of his father’s recovery.

II. Discussion on the Stylistic Analysis

            In this article, an attempt to look for its linguistic features is done:
A. Syntactic Features
1. “He is amazing that even though I’ve got a number of shortcomings, still, He is unselfishly ever ready to give a second, third, fourth – or perhaps even an infinite number of chances!”
 -The use of conjunctions like that and or makes the sentence long and form a compound-complex sentence which denotes that God can give extended and immeasurable blessings and opportunities in life.
2. “And I almost had this bitter share of life’s bitters three days before I commemorated my coming to this world naked.”
-The used of the adverb of time “almost” indicates that he had nearly lost his father before his birthday comes. For him, if ever that this sudden death comes, it would be really painful for him to accept the reality that he lost his father.
3. painfully, terribly, extremely, heavily
 -The adverb of manner was used in the third and fourth paragraph to show the author’s strong emotion of fear that he might lose his father.
4.The medical staff started to do their thing after sensing the only vital sign left of a patient who almost succumbed to death– his pulse!”
“This incident was undeniably a testimonial proof of how powerful a prayer can be!”
“I was given the most symbolic gift I have ever received in my entire life!”
-The sample sentences above taken from the fifth paragraph of the essay shows how the author uses exclamation marks (!). These sentences totally reveal his intense feeling of concern/apprehension to his father that even when he loved his mother more than his father, still, he loves him too. He also shows his heartfelt gratefulness to God by giving him the chance to be with his father.
B. Semantic Features
1. “And I almost had this bitter share of life’s bitters three days before I commemorated my coming to this world naked.”
-The author says “before I commemorated my coming to this world naked” instead of saying “before I celebrate my birthday” to give a symbolical meaning that his birthday is unforgettable and special to him because that was when his father was totally free from death. 
2. “I am guilty of the fact that I do not care for him the way I do care for my mother. I am guilty of the fact that I do not think of him the way I always think of my Inay – with so much love and affection.”
-The repetition of the phrase, ”I am guilty of the fact” means that the author really admits that he is guilty of caring so much for his mother than for his father. This also made him realize that he has to grab the chance given to him to show his love and affection to his father.
3. “Down poured the rain heavily, incessantly. My two brothers-in-law struggled in carrying my father from the house to the car, as they braved the continuous shedding of tears from up above. My folks’ wailing and praying kept in sync with the distinct swooshing sound of the pouring rain.” 
-The underlined words and phrases in the sentences are used by the author symbolically to indicate the sudden and painful feeling that he might lose his father. They also describe the agonizing feeling of the family as they were trying to save his father’s life from death.   


CONCLUSION:      

            When I read this article written by Paulo Bedonia Masangcay, I also remember the same situation with my father. When my father was alive, like Paulo Bedonia Masangcay, I was also not giving my full affection and love to him. I admit; I loved my mother more than I loved my father. But when my father was dying, that was the time I realized that I loved him the same way I loved my mother. It was painful for me that until his last breath, I was not able to be with him. But still, “God is amazing”, as quoted by Paulo Bedonia Masangcay.  It is because He let me realize that I shouldn’t take for granted my significant others and my folks. The experience I had with my father made me strong enough to express my love and affection to my family. This is also the same realization that Paulo Bedonia Masangcay has when he understood that he must make the most of his being for his father.