The Power of Words

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"The picture he had of the city was reduced to what she said of it, and finally it was her speech alone that could call up and protect that picture. 
He 
came 
to 
the

conclusion 
that, 
once
 abandoned 
by
 words, 
the 
city
 would 
fall 
into
 ruins.”

— Abdekelkebir 
Khatibi, 
Love
 in 
Two
 Languages

Words are very powerful things, they are not simply just letters written on a sheet of paper; they can inspire, motivate, and evoke certain emotions. Think of your favorite songs and realize that the lyrics can bring joy, happiness, sadness, depression, loneliness, longing, or any emotion imaginable to others based on their own personal experiences. Dave Matthews’ song lyrics for “Funny The Way It Is” are able to capture this phenomenon when he says, “Funny the way it is, Whether right or wrong, Somebody's heart is broken, And it becomes your favorite song” (“Pandora” np). Examples of the pure power of words have been shown throughout mankind’s history. Many great leaders such as Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and even our current president, President Obama, used words to influence, motivate, and encourage their followers in positive ways. Authors in literature have recognized this trend and use powerful sayings or words to intensify their plot and to evoke specific emotions from their audience. “Timshel” or “thou mayest” was a reoccurring word in John Steinbeck’s fictional novel East of Eden, their was a struggle or contemplation of the exact translation that was parallel to the theme of good vs. evil found throughout the three generations of brothers (Steinbeck np). This one word meant redemption, forgiveness, and liberation all at once. Another example of the power of words in literature is in Co...

... middle of paper ...

...om/kiterun.htm>.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York City : Penguin Group, 2003.

"Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' Speech". Syque. June 6, 2010 .

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York City : Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

"Pandora". Pandora Media Inc.. June 6, 2010 .

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on East of Eden.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. WAccessed: 2 Jun. 2010.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Kite Runner.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2010. Accessed: 2 Jun. 2010.

Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. New York City : Penguin Group,1952.

"The Road". Wikipedia. June 6, 2010 .

"The Story of Cain and Abel". DLTK's Growing Together. June 6, 2010 .

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