Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Words are Powerful
Words are powerful and are often selected very carefully by journalists. Can the selection of one word over another impact the effect of a message? What words are defined as powerful? Share with us in a post at least 200 words long an instance when powerful words were used? What happened? Were they content appropriate? In what instances would you use these words for effect? And, in what instances would you avoid using them? Post to your own blog by Tuesday, October 4th at the beginning of class.
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Yes, the selection of one word over another word can most definitely have an impact on the effect of the message. Powerful words are words that you feel in the pit of your stomach when you hear them. Examples of this type of word is cancer, terrorist, suicide bomber, etc.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an instance where powerful words were being used actually happened with me just this past weekend and was the reason I was not in class on Friday. The powerful word that has been haunting me for the past few days is "murder." Long story short, over the weekend my friend Max who goes to Pace University in Manhattan was murdered. This word had such an effect on me i only had to read it, let alone hear it, in an article about the situation for me to get butterflies. A situation where I would use this word for effect would be if I would try to gain someones attention when telling my story if I really want them to pay attention to what I have to say. Also I would stress the word when i said it so it would really pierce their ears. A circumstance I would avoid using this word would be at his wake for instance. Mentioning a word like that would do nothing but upset friends and family, not to mention dig the pit thats already in their stomach much deeper. I believe murder is an extremely powerful word, if not the most powerful word out there especially when it hits so close to home.