Think Before you speak
Posted by ryanhaidle07 on April 15, 2008
Ryan Haidle
English 121
April 15, 2008
Response 6
A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the rules used to manipulate them. Achebe, Han Fei Tzu, and Cicero were all masters of language. They used language to master the art of persuasion and rhetoric. One problem with language is its possibility of misinterpretation. What someone says can be interpreted in several different ways.
Chinua Achebe said, “Unquestionably, language was crucial to the creation of society.” (Achebe 593). Since it speech comes so freely, it makes people speak without thinking things through completely. I think speech today gets taken advantage of. When people don’t think before they speak, they often say things that regret later on. If talking was more of a privilege that not everyone possessed, I think people would be more grateful for the gift that they have. If people appreciate things, they tend to use it wisely.
On the other hand, without language society today would be completely different. I can’t imagine life without being able to communicate by means of talking. I am grateful for the ability to talk and use language for the growth and development of society.
Since communicating tends to get taken advantage of so often, it is imperative that everyone thinks before they speak, and only say what they really mean.
