We use words every single day
of our lives. It's the easiest way for humans to communicate. Without words, we
would be left with only grunts, and gestures. This demonstrates how important,
and powerful, words are.
But just how powerful are words? Words have been known to cause wars, or create
peace. In fact, the words one chooses can mean the difference between anger and
peace. Take for instance, the synonyms of "shut-up" and "be quiet." Though they
both mean the same thing, "shut-up" has a much greater amount of hostility than
"be quiet."
Word choice is certainly an important factor in the English language. The choice
of words can make people perceive situations differently. An example would be
Melville's Captain Ahab. In truth, Captain Ahab was just a poor, disabled old
man. But Melville's choice of words make us see the Ahab as an insane, vengeful
sea captain, crippled by his nemesis, Moby Dick, The Great White Whale. The
differences between the two possible perceptions are opposite extremes. The
obvious difference that word choice has made a difference is tremendous.
Another power that words hold is the power to clarify a situation. A certain
word can clear up any misunderstandings that one might have easily. There is
such a thing as over-clarification, demonstrated by (in my opinion) Thomas
Hardy. To go to such lengths to describe a countryside, or a man's pants does
seem like redundancy. But rest assured that at least his readers know exactly
the message Hardy wishes to convey.
Even words that aren't adjectives can describe a situation. Dialect is the way
that one pronounces and uses a language. Comparing different dialects can be
shown by the examples of British English and Canadian English. Take Holden
Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye and compare him to Elizabeth Bennett of Jane
Austen's Pride and Prejudice. A play is completely dependent on dialect, because
so few plays have narration. Dialects establish, to the audience, a character's
class, or rank, as well as the time and place of the play. The use of dialect in
plays seems more obvious when we compare plays, such as A Streetcar Named
Desire, and The Importance of Being Ernest.
Words are the building blocks or our language, besides letters. When words are
strung together into sentences, and into stories, wonderful things occur. We
wouldn't have Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, and others. Without words, we would
still be back with the cavemen, trying to communicate by grunts and movements.
Language certainly is Man's greatest development.