Seeing the Dome in Milan Was Perhaps

Seeing the Dome in Milan was perhaps the first experience that actually knocked me out. This was not a cathedral, at least not like the ones I had seen: it was a myriad of dreams, a swarm of statues, towers and sculptures, a tickle for the soul. I just sat and wondered for a moment and just let the entire imagery gently float over my physical self in an attempt to let my soul rise above and notice everything from there.

I went up the several hundred steps to the roof of the dome and for a moment there I was: Gulliver among the statues and little towers that dominated the roof top. I was on a battlefield, with the armies of towers quietly pondering the next attack, readily organized and prepared. The general was much taller and had a statue of Mary on top, as if to ensure the army of the divine protection.

As I entered the church, nothing seemed to resemble what I had seen above. I was a small Gulliver now, because the naves were enormous and the columns seemed to never stop on their way to meet the top. I wanted to start walking down the aisle, but the sensation of giants watching me never stopped. They seemed gentle giants, watching carefully over me with their grandeur and slowly caressing my footsteps. They were indeed and I felt protected on my way down.

The entire aspect of a meeting of giants followed me around. It wasn't only the columns, it was also the old paintings that were placed in small chapels, wise men and women giving their advice and comfort to those asking for it.

Refreshed and enlightened. I left, taking one last look at the mystical encounter I had observed and bowed towards the giants and gnomes, the wise men and women.

B) 1) Following a Web page referring to language, this has three functions: "to describe, to inform and to persuade" and, further more, it is "the currency of our thoughts and expressions"

. The idea we should retain here is the relationship between thoughts and language in that language is the actual means by which we transfer our inner thoughts to the outside world.

In this sense, language diversity is something we need to keep in mind when expressing our thoughts. Each situation we are in and each particular expression requires a certain set of language characteristics. In persuasions, for example, our language will be clear and logical, resuming and enumerating arguments, so as to convince our auditorium of our view point. On the other hand, other situations call from different language skills.

2) Language has the ability, in my opinion, of helping one see new sides and aspects of an object or place described or of an idea that is presented. If we are describing a place we have been to, for example, the use of language will help us present it to the auditorium in a format that perhaps had not been previously conceived. In this sense, language will help us gain a new perspective of things and thereafter express it to the public.

However, on the other hand, an exacerbated use of 'artistic' language in situations that do not require it will reduce the effect and clarity of our thoughts and of the way they are expressed to the audience. For example, a literary piece describing some place we have been to is an optimal place to use suitable presentation language and components such as metaphors, similes or epithets. This type of language used in a technical presentation is not only cumbersome, but quite useless and will lessen the effect of our expression.

In my opinion, the general idea about language and its use in the expression of thoughts is that it needs to be perfectly adapted to the situation at hand at to the thoughts we want to express. If we are in a creative or sensitive situation, the choice of the right language will, perhaps, give more value to our thoughts and their expression. A clear argumentation or, perhaps, a persuasion exercise requires a different kind of language, so that our thoughts reach the public in the clearest manner.