Inarticulate- Give Me the Root, Morphemes, and Definition.

In case you hadn't noticed,

it has somehow become uncool

to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

Taylor Mali's Poem- Totally, Like, Whatever

Talking Lips by Ricky Gagnon.

Presently in the world right now, there is a pandemonium that has been left unrecognized for too long. This was one of the biggest problems in history, this is one of the biggest problems now, and it will be in the future. The majority of teenagers are inarticulate, and do not have the ability to express themselves. One of the few people that have identified this is Taylor Mali, and he voices his opinion is the poem, 'Like, Totally, Whatever.' His poem encourages us to be articulate by explaining to us what is happening, warning us with the severity of it all, and then showing us how to fix it. Mali shows us that over Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, speaking with conviction and articulacy is worth fighting for.

One of the biggest reasons why teens are not preventing themselves from becoming inarticulate is because they do not know what it means to be inarticulate. Most 'normal' teenagers wouldn't even know what the word inarticulate means! Taylor Mali explains this for them in his first two paragraphs, but mainly in this line, 'In case you hadn't noticed, it has somehow become uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about? Or believe strongly in what your saying?' and 'What has happened to our conviction?'--Have you ever called someone a nerd? Just because they went more in-depth within a subject, or knew something when someone else didn't? That should be celebrated! Since when has being ahead put you behind? This is what that line means. In this line Taylor Mali shows us what is really happening, and brings our attention to the subject at hand. When teens know what is happening, they have a better chance of understanding, that speaking with articulacy and conviction is worth fighting for.

An even bigger reason teenagers of this generation are not speaking with conviction or articulation is because they do not care about it, they do not know how this could truly damage their future. Right now, to them, their life might be amazing, but soon, after high school, reality breaks. No one cares if you have the most friends on Facebook, no one cares if you're the hottest guy or the prettiest girl. For the 'real' world, you need 'real' speaking skills, which Mali highlights in the line 'It is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY, you have to speak with it too.' He is saying you have to have communication skills, so be careful. Don't get sucked into the internet and its addictions, stay true to the things that matter, and are worth fighting for, like articulation and speaking with conviction.

The final reason teenagers do not speak with conviction is because they have already fallen into the trap of inarticulation, and do not know how to get themselves out. A usual teenager spends 31 hours a week online, according to TechCrunch, and whether that includes school work or not, is still much more time than needed. Taylor Mali addresses how to get out of this sticky situation sayins this:'I entreat you, I implore, I exhort you. I challenge you: Speak with conviction. To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it.' That is his advice. It may be hard, but it is worth fighting for-- so fight for it.

Speaking with conviction is one of the most important things that someone can aim for, and as a teenager I see people abuse the right to learn to do so all the time. I have always been interested in Humanities, and I love to share my beliefs and opinions with others, but many people find it 'uncool' to be smart, like I mentioned before, and that is where the problem lies. I think that Taylor Mali's poem 'Like, Totally, Whatever' is a really good insight into how bad these problems really are, and I think it will be used in some place to end this never ending pandemonium we call inarticulation.


The Painting.

To represent this blogpost, I showed a simple mouth, but with a variation.-The mouth in the middle. Just like we can talk and talk and talk like everyone else, but very few actually speak with conviction. It also shows how important the mouth really is, and the words that come from it, as there is nothing else in the painting.- Its worth fighting for.