The Power of Words

Posted on October 23, 2014 Updated on October 23, 2014

Words have power.  That’s a fact.  And it’s an evident fact in the way that we can offend someone, enlighten someone, and praise someone by our words.  Hopefully, our words will only be used, in the long run, to help strengthen each other, rather than to destroy each other.  Often, we forget the reality that words can hold so much power, and that this power is manifested differently depending on how each human interprets the words.  A joke might accidentally offend someone, and a lazy, seemingly meaningless phrase can give someone hope.

Although words in and of themselves possess power, the manner that the words are delivered really impacts the effect that the words will have.  A husband that whispers softly to his wife “I love you” will see greater results from his words, in the style that they come about as meaningful and true to his wife, than if he were to roar obnoxiously “I LOVE YOU!”.  And perhaps a father praising an accomplishment of his son will produce words that lack enthusiasm.  The flow of words from the tongue of a person, or the pages of a book, can only produce their greatest effect when they are stylized correctly as the speaker or author intends.

Words can start wars.  Words can bring peace.  Words can ultimately change lives.  Think about treaties that have been signed to end wars or form alliances, legal documents that have been passed by the government, and books that entail propaganda to influence entire nations of people.  Think, for just a moment, how much words have changed your life.  It could be the words you used in a powerful speech you delivered or heard, the words you said to your bride when you married her, and the words that define who you are.  If you truly contemplate all that words mean, your expression might be like this:

(Mr. Quint from Curious George)

Books, with all of their wordy power, have influenced billions of people.  Think of religious books such as the Bible and the Koran.  John Steinbeck’s book The Moon is Down influenced the way people viewed the Germans and stood up against them during World War II.  Think of the books scientists have written, recording all of their fantastic discoveries, from the time of Archimedes to the present time.

And once again:

 

Now how does all of this tie into my blog, and more importantly, my book.  Well, if words have such great power, than it is the duty of every author or writer, myself included, to use this power for the good of others.  We must use words to create rather than to destroy; to give life instead of to bring death.  The quote from Spider-Man I used in a previous post “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” can and must be applied to writers.  If we have the power to use words, we have the responsibility not to use them as we want, but as we should, and in the best way that we can, which will result in the good of all those who read what we produce.  A fantasy novel may not seem like the most influential piece of literature, but as I said in the beginning of this post, the manner in which the words are written, in accordance with the ideas and sentiments the author is trying to convey to the reader, will enable any author, no matter what genre he is writing in, to inspire a reader in the way the author intends.  In other words, an author may have something wonderful and meaningful to say, but only if he understands how to say what he means can the reader properly receive such a message.   And my intentions are indeed to write words that influence all that read my book to become better people for the sake of mankind.

Neptune’s knickers!

Aul