Word Power

When I was an English teacher for all those years I often commented on the power of language to illustrate how students could empower themselves quickly and freely.  I actually based my whole first lesson in Writing 122 (argument and persuasion) on that concept. I began with asking students to think about one of their favorite words. They would look at me sideways so I'd model by telling them that I love the word waterfall. I love the way it sounds, the way it looks, and the image it produces in my mind when I say or think it. Sometimes I'd also share a word I don't like. For example,  I was not allowed to say the word stink when I was growing up so today I rarely say it.  Strange, huh? By now, students would be engaged in trying to discover and share favorite words and a lively discussion occurred,

Next, I asked students to share how they received their names at birth. Responses included that they were named after one of their relatives or that they were named after a dear friend. Others received names that were created by their parents.  Still others were named after a famous athlete or actor. You get the drift. Then I suggested that most parents choose names for their offspring before they are even born. What that does is to provide them with identities before they even land here on earth.

So I wove the concept of word power into every lesson we did in learning how to use persuasive writing effectively. Sometimes we might repeat a word several times in an essay. Occasionally, we can use negative words to take away the power of this or that idea. Then we'd move on to creating power sentences and working them into persuasive essays. The goal was to develop proficiency in choosing effective words and sentences to support an argument. (And, just for fun we'd once in a while do some creative or narrative writing that we studded with power words. The results were amazing. And by the way, amazing is over-used and has lost its original power.)

The upshot of all this reminiscing about WORDS is not only that we need to use them, but we need to recognize their power to be used in a negative way.  Sometimes untruths can become truths if we hear them over and over. Examples follow:  Alternative facts. So-called judge. The enemy is the media. Putin is a good leader. The press does not always report acts of terrorism. Climate change is a hoax.

Do good thinking about what you hear. Be careful about what you believe. Take care not to say or write words that are meaningless or that contain too much negativism.

Most of all and most importantly, analyze and interpret what you are currently reading and hearing about the state of our good country. We are still strong.  We are still free. We are still compassionate toward others. We still have the opportunity to upgrade our lives. We are good Americans.