Account of An Argument: Language and War

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Account of an Argument: Language and War “War is what happens when language fails” (Atwood). The failure of language can be perceived in many ways. Most people might think that it means that the two parties weren’t able to come to a peaceful compromise. However, according to Humanist M. J. Hardman, language fails way before the two parties even have a chance to meet. In the article “Language and War”, Hardman identifies the problem of people obliviously using violent language and metaphors in everyday rhetoric and how the use of such metaphors makes violence seem appropriate. She supports her assertion by pointing out specific metaphors in the English language that convey a sense of violence. The author’s purpose is to encourage…show more content…
She uses words like “lung”, “suffocated”, and “quickness of breath” and she uses the shock factor of the graphic metaphor in order to control the reader’s breathing. These metaphors are not “seeds of violence” that are “planted” on an “all-day every-day level”; these metaphors have artistic meaning (Hardman). If the reader understands that and perceives the metaphors as such, then the lines between understanding an author and creating appropriateness for violence won’t be blurred. Hardman explained how the use of violent metaphors has created an appropriateness of violence, however, what if violence in one’s life has fostered the use of violent metaphors? “Skinning” is by far the most graphic and most violent poem in Kinkade’s book. This poem is about her inner thoughts on how she would exact revenge on a pedophile that molested a little girl that she knew. “How easy it is to insert the blade/ into an anus slicing past the genitals/ forming a red trail toward the throat” (Kinkade ln 4-6). The whole reason Kindkade wrote this piece was to heal from this traumatic experience that she had been through. It was her past experience and her exposure to violence that fostered this violent outpour of emotions. Not only does it seem that violent metaphors create appropriateness for violence, but violence itself creates appropriateness for violent metaphors. It seems to be a vicious cycle that extends Hardman’s argument, only strengthening the need to
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