When taken separately, words have little power, but when used skillfully to a person’s advantage, they have the power to either do good or harm. That is what the quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne means, and I completely concur with him.
A dictator seeking to persuade his people that he is best for the nation is an example of language being used for evil. A civil rights activist trying to persuade people to get along and treat everyone with respect, regardless of their race, is an example of words being used for good.
Though anyone can use language for evil by just speaking profanity. Those remarks have the power to infuriate someone, and the insult was successful. The same is true for kind words; everyone may complement someone and make them happy. Even though Nathaniel Hawthorne claimed that words have no power and can only exist in dictionaries, words are innocent when viewed in isolation.
When employed singly, words cannot be effectively used for good or evil, but when combined, they take on diverse meanings. The term “filth,” for instance, has the meaning “dirty,” but when used in conjunction with “you” or “are,” it becomes an insult that may offend some people.
If you cannot combine your words with other words to make a positive or negative remark, then your words are useless. Words are only useful when used with other words, as I’ve demonstrated, and someone who knows how to use words well can readily utilise them for good or bad purposes.
Words have been employed for both good and bad throughout history. Adolf Hitler is an excellent illustration of a man who knew how to utilise words for terrible means. He was able to persuade Germany through speeches that Jews were bad and that they needed to establish the ideal race.
Innocent individuals endured a great deal of agony and suffering as a result of his words’ effectiveness, but if he had lacked language skills, no one would have paid attention to him. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a wonderful example of a speaker who used his words to advance America during repressive times.
He was successful in convincing people to respect everyone equally, regardless of the colour of their skin. He became a symbol of the civil rights movement because he was skilled at using words to further his cause.
Additionally, words have the power to convince someone for good or bad reasons. The motive could be something insignificant, like trying to persuade you to purchase a product or force you to do something you would later regret.
Throughout my life, I have been persuaded numerous times—for both good and bad—by the skillful use of language. Once, I was led to believe that stealing a dollar or two from my mother’s purse was acceptable since she would eventually give it to me.
My brother was able to manipulate language to his advantage, leading me to believe untrue things so he could buy ice cream. When I helped my aunt move her stuff when she purchased a home, I was finally convinced.
By forcing me to do something that would help my aunt, my mother utilised her influence for good. Any advertisement can utilise words for good or harm. Whether they are trying to convince you to buy a product for a good or harmful purpose relies on your moral convictions.
Commercials strive to get you to buy anything from food to vehicles; they are not acting evilly, but if you dislike the goods they are trying to promote, such as fur jackets, you might think they are. Advertisements can also be seen in magazines, newspapers, and other publications, and they aim to persuade you to join or make a purchase.
Ads can be beneficial or bad depending on what is being promoted. For example, a military recruitment ad may be viewed favourably by patriots but negatively by others who abhor war. If the language used in the commercials were ineffective, no one would buy the goods or support the cause.
My life has been impacted by persuasiveness in both positive and negative ways. Because I can use words to convince my mother that she is making the right decision, I can easily persuade her to do what I want. I just need to use the appropriate words, and I always get what I want.
Like when I was able to purchase my PS3 just a week after purchasing my Wii. Being easily convinced by my mother has not always been a good thing. Despite the fact that my family consisted of four people, my father was able to convince her to purchase a two-door vehicle. He utilised the correct words to make his car more enticing, so it was annoying to go through the extra effort to get in the car.
Many stories have also been impacted by words, including the one I just finished reading, Guy de Maussapant’s Bel-Ami. George Duroy, the primary character, utilised language to entice married ladies to fulfil his own ambitions. He treated two married women and a wealthy woman who was engaged to be married the same way.
He declared to the trio that he was deeply in love with them and that they were the objects of his heart. He was able to appear to be concerned for them, but his true motivations were selfish. He had the capacity to utilise words to his advantage because he was a great writer for the Vie Francaise journal.
When he needed to divorce his wife so that he could wed a wealthy woman, he discovered her having an affair with the foreign affairs minister. He had two lovers on the side, but because of who he was and how angry he was, he used a straightforward article to discredit the minister and was forgotten about after that.
Speeches and casual chats can be beneficial or bad depending on whether they result in an argument or a nice discussion. Speeches must be crafted by a skilled wordsmith in order to be effective. They can either inform or try to persuade you to disagree with something. Daily interactions might be positive or negative.
It’s not a good thing when couples are just talking and one of them says something they didn’t mean to. They can also be beneficial, such as when someone compliments another during a conversation and positive outcomes follow.
The quote has some meaning for me since I want to be able to persuade others to believe what I say. If I could manipulate words to my advantage, I could get people to do what I wanted while giving them the impression that what they were doing was right.
However, as of right now, I am not that persuasive. When it comes to peer pressure, I am highly susceptible since I enjoy pleasing others, especially if it results in a good chuckle. But I’m not usually swayed when it comes to more important issues.
Additionally, I am not much affected by words because I prefer fighting more than talking. I agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s comment and can cite examples from my own life to back it up. Throughout history, words have been employed for both good and bad intentions. Although not much, the quote does hold some meaning for me.
