Power of Speech

Language is a powerful ensemble of instruments that all eject different tones. How instruments are played, effect the tone that is given. The way language is used affects the feelings that are released. The power of language has different uses: it can hurt or heal, it can destroy relationships or build new ones, it can make a girl feel like nothing or make her feel as though she is on top of the world. No matter what language is used for, it can make a huge impact, how language is used determines whether the impact is positive or negative. In her essay “The Meanings of a Word”, Gloria Naylor’s effective depiction of language is revealed through syntax, diction, and imagery.

The individual who experiences these awful memories will forever hold that pain into adulthood. Memories and negative past experiences are big factors of trauma. Trauma is a distressing experience psychologically, and can last for a lifetime, that may keep an individual from executing certain activities successfully. Lin Shi and Jason Nicol from Dekalb, Illnios are specialized in Family Therapy, and have observed a criminal through the experimental process. Shi and Nicol have announced that, “In the stabilizing sessions that followed aggressive episodes, regardless of what set him off, he frequently referred back to his unpleasant experiences with his parents which often involved a strong physical reaction” (par. 10). The pain coming from an unpleasant experience had resorted out into violence every time the brain conjures up a past memory that was agonizing. A negative reaction is usually shown when the individual had been hurt physically and/or emotionally from any past events. These painful childhood memories make an individual rash out into anger followed by the offenses committed (Shi and Nicol par.10). When a sixteen year old male was analyzed by a treatment center, the clinic had been told that the boy’s mother walked out of the child’s life at the age of two and had been living with the father (par. 5). Children who are left by the main nurturer in the family effects the decisions carried into adulthood. Negative consequences are the

Humans act toward people, things, and events on the basis of the meanings they assign to them. Once people define a situation as real, it has very real consequences. Without language there would be no thought, no sense of self, and no socializing presence of society within the individual. (Socio-cultural tradition)

As any mental wellbeing expert can promptly validate, dialect has tremendous force. Freud broadly commented that words were once enchantment. Words can lessen or benefit.

Language is a tool that may be used in thinking, but it isn’t the sole basis of

Language is powerful and can be used to control instead of uplift. An example of language being used to

For example, while walking through campus as an African American and hearing people of other races say "nigger" or "nigga" to one another can be very upsetting and hurtful towards them. Hearing these repeated words all day long can really affect someone's mental and physical health. According to Psychology Today these harsh words eventually act as an aid to shut down the human brain (Fields). These words that we get implanted into our brains can ruin us so that when we hear these words we ultimately feel like we are being

In the words of George Orwell, “If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” Language has been spoken for over 350,000 years. It has expanded tremendously, but its power has never changed. The use of language shapes peoples' perceptions and the depth of interactions because it can demean, avoid, portray emphasis, persuade, and conceal from simple phrases such as “I feel like” and “just”.

“Sticks and stones may break bones, but words make psychological scars that never heal”(Mr. Turner). A play on the common idiom, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me.” Which was once used by parents universally to justify name calling and harsh words, now sheds light on the darker, often unseen wounds of words. These wounds and scars, both psychological and physical fall under abuse and can be ensured, worsened, or inflicted further by harmful social norms. Social norms are pushed on children from birth and throughout their life as an unwritten set of rules that all people must live by in their society. This string of abuse has left a countless number of victims in its wake and continues to do so till this day.

Our speech and communication has an affect on our actions, and in turn, our actions have an impact on our conversation. In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation”, we see this very concept take place in the second half of her story. For most of us, day after day, we experience situations where our language or actions are affected by the other. In my life, I have gone through some things that have affected me emotionally. Emotions can be thoughts and actions. I believe emotions play a role in our actions because these emotions drive us to act in some way or another. I can relate to Angelou’s “Graduation” and more specifically to how Maya felt and what she thought regarding the language of Mr. Edward Donleavy. Briefly, my experience involves me and a young man who I fell in love with and how his language affected me. As I share with you how my story and Maya’s story relate, you will see the true effects of language in people’s lives, and even see how it can or has affected your life in some way. You will see the results of what it can do to you and me.

SPECIFIC PURPOSE: By the end of my speech, my audience will know the history of Walt Disney, his invention of Disney World, and how his invention has impacted people.

The founders of the United States government tried to protect our liberty by assuring a free press, to gather and publish information without being under control or power of another, in the First Amendment to the Constitution. We are not very protected by this guarantee, so we concern ourselves on account of special interest groups that are fighting to change the freedom of expression, the right to freely represent individual thoughts, feeling and views, in order to protect their families as well as others. These groups, religious or otherwise, believe that publishing unorthodox material is an abuse of free expression under the First Amendment. As we know, the Supreme Court plays an important role in the subject of free speech and

No matter where you are in the world, you are taught about language. Whether it’s in your home learning your language or in school trying to learn a foreign language. Although while learning language the notion is never really thought about or brought up that the language and way we speak can influence the way we think and interact. Phycologist and neuroscientist alike have spent years, with multiple different tests to see if there is a connection between the various languages that are spoken and the way people not only think but also how they go about their daily lives. She writes to not only her colleagues and neuroscientists but also to anyone in the general public that is genuinely interested in the connection between

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” – Benjamin Lee Whorf

From my readings to research from Edutopia to literature courses, I have gained a deeper appreciation for language. In order to understand what one is speaking, a person needs to spend time listening to one’s language and before responding must reflect and analyze what the other said and how to respond. If a person wants to love another person they have to listen to their language in order to speak their language, and the core part of learning another language is by listening. According to Joan Blaska, author of The Power of Language: Speak and Write Using “Person First” the language people use shows one’s bias and prejudices.  Beliefs and another’s performance fall under the influence of language. Blaska claimed “ the degree to which children are able to perceive themselves as competent and worthy, or the opposite, is heavily influenced by the verbalizations used by their teachers...Studies have found that labeling of students does affect teacher expectations which in turn affects student progress”. People have heavy influence with their words, because of this, our language must be intentional in a way, that breaks down negative stereotypes and helps one gain empathy as well as seeing others capabilities. Communicating and reading others comments and inquiring others has helped me to accept