Questions

  1. Michiko Kakutani opens with a reference to the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” that Maya Angelou read at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Why does she connect a poem and an event that illustrate the “politics of inclusion” (para. 1) to the “mood of political correctness” (para. 2)?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - 2. The Word Police - Questions: Michiko Kakutani opens with a reference to the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” that Maya Angelou read at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Why does she connect a poem and an event that illustrate the “politics of inclusion” (para. 1) to the “mood of political correctness” (para. 2)?
  2. What does she mean by “the increasingly noisy debate over language” that “both underscores Americans’ puritanical zeal for reform and their unwavering faith in the talismanic power of words” (para. 4)?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - 2. The Word Police - Questions: What does she mean by “the increasingly noisy debate over language” that “both underscores Americans’ puritanical zeal for reform and their unwavering faith in the talismanic power of words” (para. 4)?
  3. By using the term “language police” (para. 5), what attitude does Kakutani convey toward political correctness? Do you find the term appropriate? Explain why or why not.

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - 2. The Word Police - Questions: By using the term “language police” (para. 5), what attitude does Kakutani convey toward political correctness? Do you find the term appropriate? Explain why or why not.
  4. Kakutani states her argument about language and political correctness most emphatically in the final paragraphs of the essay. What tension does she develop? To what extent do you agree with her?

    Question

    uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7
    Chapter 10 - 2. The Word Police - Questions: Kakutani states her argument about language and political correctness most emphatically in the final paragraphs of the essay. What tension does she develop? To what extent do you agree with her?