ARTICLE ENTRY 2: DEEPER IN MEANING

• Reflection to the article “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor

“The Meanings of a Word” is an outstanding title according to me because words have always been an object of curiosity. Have you ever thought how and when the words came up, who invented or produced them? Why does a word means something but not something else? Or, are the both possible?

Gloria Naylor starts her essay by comparing the written word and the spoken word. She says language in written form is what makes her sanity keep in a good situation while she writes in her diaries. I could not agree her more on this statement because I keep a diary too and I think it really helps me in terms of gaining a loyal and understanding friend. When I write, I feel my brain works fast and I want to make it work even faster. I cannot hold my thoughts and I just throw them on the pages of my diary so that I can breathe and relax. Thus, sharing such an interest with the writer was my biggest motive to read her essay. However, her essay is not about diaries, written language or written words because she thinks spoken word is superior to written word. Even though she likes writing much, she accepts the fact that writing can never display the whole ideas in our minds as dialogs in spoken language can do. Spoken forms of communication are somehow more alive and vivid, so they are better at conveying the message and reality of words. She later adds that the meanings and reality of words come from the consensus, which means people and different cases are the shapers of everything about a word. The example she uses in her essay is the word nigger. Today it is known that this word should not be used to call black people. It is known to be a humiliating word. Nevertheless, Naylor does not think so and claims that nigger can actually be used positively in some contexts. She tells a story before defining the other meanings of the word “nigger”. It is a story from her childhood when one of her friends said to her that she was a nigger as she received a higher mark than her friend, which made him get angry and rude. At that time, she knew that the boy wanted to upset her, so she understood that “nigger” was a bad word although she did not know its meaning. After she told that event to her mother, she learned and remembered the other usages of that word. Thanks to this essay, I also learned these usages that do not have any bad or insulting meanings at all. For example, according to her black acquaintances and as well as she remember their conversations, if a woman calls her husband as “my nigger”, it is okay because she use this term to show her love and respect in addition to emphasize the manhood of her husband. There is also another term: trifling niggers. Trifling niggers are only used when somebody wants to neglect people who have bad habits, but this indifference in this context is not because of hate or scorning. It is just like parents’ attitude when they want to teach a lesson to their children by keeping silent. Hence, Naylor believes that words themselves are nothing. They do not have a specific meaning or they do not exist on their own. What make them meaningful and dynamic are people, memoirs and the way we insert messages into them. I think she is totally right in her thesis because it makes sense to me.

In brief, the meanings of a word can change from person to person and from situation to situation. Words are innocent in that sense because they do not have any innate meanings at first. They gain different meanings in time with the contributions of people. Some may have bad meanings and connotations like “nigger”, some may seem perfect. However, even the word “nigger” may be harmless if you know how to use it. For this reason, I think Naylor’s essay is helpful for us to have a larger perspective on interesting history of words.  

JOURNAL ENTRY 2: VEGETARIAN DIET

I have been a vegetarian for almost six years. It was my choice to be a vegetarian. Many people around me keep asking the reason why I quitted eating meat. They may see this situation as a psychological problem. They think there must be a terrible experience under my decision. However, vegetarianism is actually a diet. Vegetarianism is a matter of choice. People should respect this kind of life style.  I feel healthier and happier when I do not eat meat. In addition, I love animals and I support animal rights. I am against the idea that animals are there for people to eat their meat, drink their milk or use their skin and feather for clothes, bags and shoes. Animals have feelings just like people do. We should not think that they are inferior. It is true that they are not the same as people, but this should not change our attitude towards them. They are worthy enough to be respected.

There are different types of vegetarianism. Some vegetarians do not consume any products of animals. They neither eat meat nor drink milk. Their diet does not include eggs and honey either. This type is the most extreme one because they ignore everything made by animal products. They are called “vegans”.

I am not a vegan because I still drink milk and I eat cheese. I really like yoghurt. Nevertheless, I rarely eat eggs and honey. This type of vegetarianism is called “ovo-lacto”. It means consuming milk and milk products but not meat. Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs as well as dairy products.

Lacto vegetarians consume dairy products. Pesco vegetarians eat fish. Partial vegetarians eat all foods except red meat. Partial vegetarians are flexible in their diet.

Despite these types of vegetarianism, I believe that vegetarianism should mean a diet based only on plants. Hence, a true vegetarian is the one whose diet consists of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, herbs, spices and grains. Animal-derived products should not be consumed.

There is something funny about being vegetarian. Some may think that you eat fish or chicken. However, when we say that we do not eat meat, it means we really do not eat any kinds of meat. Asking a vegetarian whether he or she wants to taste a little meat or chicken while eating together is not a good attitude. If he or she says that he or she is a vegetarian, you should not insist on judging his or her choice. On the other hand, I cannot judge you if you are one of these people thinking the same because of the fake vegetarians. These types of vegetarians say that they do not eat chicken but they eat fish. They do not like fish but they eat chicken or meat. I think this case confuses many people’s minds.

Some people become a vegetarian because of the health concerns. However, there are many reasons behind it such as concerns for animal rights, global warming and the environment. Moreover, some believe that they will gain a spiritual well being after becoming a vegetarian.

Many doctors and researchers have found that a plant-based diet is the best one of all because it prevents the risk of cancer and also it protects the human heart. Thus, vegetarians are healthier in many ways than the followers of other diets.

It’s a well-known fact that commercial fishing and fish farms are polluting and destroying the oceans. Some lands and forests are being turned to animal farms in order to supply people with more meat and other by-products. Environmentalists criticize these projects because of their damage to the environment.

Einstein says: “It is both auspicious and peaceful for people to choose vegetarianism.”.  Considering myself, I feel more peaceful and lighter after my choice. I feel happier because I know that I save at least a life of animal or fight cruelty against the animals whenever I say “no” to eating meat. I do not expect everybody to be vegetarian, but I feel I am doing something important thanks to my choice.

Unfortunately, some people think that vegetarians cannot eat much or they are always starving because their diet lacks variety of foods. These people always offer meals that we do not eat by claiming that they are delicious and we are unlucky as we miss all these meals. I do not agree this view because there are many different and tasty vegetarian recipes all around the world. One can easily find interesting and creative blogs of vegetarianism and vegetarian recipes on the Internet. I think these blogs are really successful and it is a great pleasure for me to look through them. I even send some of the recipes to my sister via e-mail and ask her to cook them when I go back home. She is really good at cooking and she loves trying new recipes. Hence, vegetarians are luckier because there are lots of different, original and tasty meals for us.

Briefly, I am contended with the way I choose to live because vegetarianism has many benefits in many areas.  I think vegetarians can make people aware of the real world. Both humans and animals share the same planet, so they are not superior or inferior to each other. Humans cannot treat animals cruelly. If you are going to carry on consuming animal products, it is okay unless you are sure that you do not hurt any of animals. However, I think I am never going to give up my diet because I enjoy it a lot.