My name is Veronica Cortez and I am a fourth year student majoring in International Relations. I would like to take this class because I need a seminar to graduate and this is the one that most caught my interest. This is the first time I post a blog and according to what I heard in class on Wednesday many of our other assignments will also be new to me. I should be in this class only because I can learn an enormous amount from it.

Now on to the quote on page 311, my interpretation of language being on the side of power is that those that are in power are the ones that are able to speak out. Those that have the power with one word can dictate how things turn out for the masses. Those that are in power can purchase television and radio time. They are able to spread their words throughout the country, the world. People that are in power choose their words carefully, with a purpose that is why there is “no innocence no safety” everything is deliberate.

The other section of this excerpt that catches my eye is the one referencing a teacher and what is really understood by the student after a lecture on page 312. Barthes says, “…[a teacher] proposes a discourse, without ever knowing how it is received.” The teacher stands at the front of every class discussing history, psychology, philosophy and yet is never really sure if the students are truly absorbing what he or she is saying. The words being used are very important because they are supposed to convey ideas and those that are dense with words do so poorly. A teacher must always decide how they will word what they want to say. It is through language whether it be written in books or spoken out loud that teaching is done.

Another section that is interesting in the teacher/student dynamic is familiarity on page 321. How is one supposed to address their teachers, especially when they are in the position of power. Those students that feel that they are above respecting their teachers will speak to them as equals instead of using deference in their speech. In English it is much more difficult to show deference to someone in a position of power than it is in the Latin languages of which Spanish I am particularly familiar. The tu form is extremely casual when talking to a person in power. It is preferable to err on the side of caution and use the usted form until explicitly told to do otherwise.