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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondEssay" |
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| | | Words Making People Talk | |
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< | I have always known that words can make things happen. As a child, when I wasn’t in school, I was in the library. I was constantly transporting to new places with new characters and, once I was old enough to start volunteering there, I was able to share this magic with others. I watched as adults, stopping by after work or dropping off their children for a puppet show, sat down on the wooden benches between the shelves. In a matter of seconds, they forgot all of their ailments and responsibilities they came in with for a chapter or two. The library taught me a lot of important things about community and responsibility, but most importantly I learned about the power that words have over people: something in the words the adults were reading made them want to tell me about their time serving our country, their political activism, or their childhood memories. Without prompting done by the words they read, I would never have heard their stories. Thus, I know that words and storytelling make things happen in society, as they made things happen within the people around me. | >
> | I have always known that words can make things happen. As a child, when I wasn’t in school, I was in the library. I was constantly transporting to new places with new characters and, once I was old enough to start volunteering there, I was able to share this magic with others. I watched as adults, stopping by after work or dropping off their children for a puppet show, sat down on the wooden benches between the shelves. In a matter of seconds, they forgot all of their ailments and responsibilities they came in with for a chapter or two. The library taught me a lot of important things about community and responsibility, but most importantly I learned about the power that words have over people: something in the words the adults were reading made them want to tell me about their time serving our country, their political activism, or their childhood memories. Without prompting done by the words they read, I would never have heard their stories. Thus, I know that words and storytelling make things happen in society, as they made things happen within the people around me. | | |
Words Defeating Monsters and Words Creating Heros | |
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< | Growing up in South Jersey, I was terrified of the Jersey Devil, a creature I had only heard of from neighbors and classmates. One day, I decided to look up the monster for myself. Somehow, in searching through different pictures and reiterations of this story, the creature became less scary. I believed what I saw, and the Jersey Devil was merely a winged, horse-like creature, instead of the endless, limitless being I imagined. To my ears the Jersey Devil was a million things all in one, but to my eyes he was merely a single, defined creature. | >
> | Growing up in South Jersey, I was terrified of The Jersey Devil, a creature I had only heard of from neighbors and classmates. One day, I decided to look up the monster for myself. Somehow, in searching through different pictures and reiterations of this story, the creature became less scary. I believed what I saw, and the Jersey Devil was merely a winged, horse-like creature, instead of the endless, limitless being I imagined. To my ears the Jersey Devil was a million things all in one, but to my eyes he was merely a single, defined creature. | | | Although words made the Jersey Devil smaller, they can make things bigger, too. Harriet Tubman was a small woman with a debilitating illness. She was also a powerful hero, known by many to make things happen. Those who were enslaved heard of Tubman by word of mouth and, by her songs, they knew she had arrived. Oral messages were crucial forms of communication for constantly surveilled enslaved populations. These words, passed between people and sung by Tubman, made her larger than life. | | | Using Imagination and Belief To Make Things Happen | |
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< | An important part of making things happen with words is to make others understand why the thing matters, and why it should happen. For example, police body cameras made it possible for America to see that George Floyd’s death was a murder. While the words, “I can’t breathe” were powerful, we have heard them before without the same effect. However, this time, a full eight minutes of video footage could not be denied. The judge and jury did not need to imagine what happened -- they saw. This visual element that was present in George Floyd’s case, showcasing visible evidence of the wrong being done, placed directly in front of the eyes of millions of people, can help to make movements and changes in society effective. | >
> | An important part of making things happen with words is to make others understand why the thing matters, and why it should happen. For example, police body cameras made it possible for America to see that George Floyd’s death was a murder. While the words, “I can’t breathe” were powerful, we have heard them before without the same effect. However, this time, a full eight minutes of video footage could not be denied. The judge and jury did not need to imagine what happened -- they saw. This visual element that was present in George Floyd’s case, showcasing visible evidence of the wrong being done, placed directly in front of the eyes of millions of people, can help to make movements and changes in society effective. | | |
Issues Hidden in the Shadows |
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