What is language?
What is Power?
Power is perhaps the most vital aspect of all organizations in general and political in particular. Power is related to making decisions and for the implementation of those decisions. No organization, whatever may its nature be, can do its duty or achieve objectives without power. Power is a type of relationship in respect of capability and control. For example, there are two people A and B. If A is more possessive and controls B then it will be said that A has the power. Power means the ability to be involved in a conflict, to resolve it and to remove the obstacles. There are classifications of different types of power; Practical which consists of physical actions, violence, skill, money, goods or services; Knowledge/Ideas: Using knowledge to influence others; Position: Power gained from a position in a hierarchy.
What is the need for power?
Power can be used to control someone, to be a leader or an in-charge, to manipulate events. There are many events in history where we have seen leaders use manipulative language to persuade/brainwash the audience. By doing this the leaders can transfer their thoughts with the use of language. We'll be looking into an example where the use of language has restricted the ability of critical evaluation of humans.
Language has been used to showcase dominance which is clearly evident by the video. This is a speech by President George Bush in the year 2003 talking about the Iraq invasion. The speech by President Bush is to aware citizens of all countries about the steps taken by America to invade Iraq. The speech has religious connotations that relate to the context of the tensions between the U.S. and Iraq. Saddam Hussain has been given the title of ‘devil’ by the American president.
Power and language are ambivalent. Each and everyone who wants control over something has to use language to persuade people, to command, to be understood. The way a person uses language becomes his means of power. We see examples all around us in advertisements, the sales trick of telephone marketing or the intimidate undertone at the workplace or within your family.
An excellent example is verbal bullying. A group of kids verbally abusing one kid can make him feel inferior and helpless. The things they say to him can have a mental impact on him that's how much power words have. Harsh words have the power to make the person feel bad about themselves and limits their potential. A study shows that nearly 15% of the students attempt suicide due to verbal bullying. An innocent life can end due to the wrong usage of the power of language.
In this example, a man was able to convince people to join the battle against a terrorist and he didn't just invade Iraq but had the support of more than 35 countries with him which tells us how powerful was his command over language making him a political figure with great power. He tried to convince the people of Iraq that their country was in the wrong hands and in order to improve the situation in Iraq, America was ready to invade them.
Language is not only a way of communication but its a weapon of destruction if misused. People use language to gain authority like political leaders who use persuasive language to brainwash the people making them think that what they are saying is true. An example can be Hitler who used his language skills to persuade millions into thinking that what he was doing is right whereas many would disagree with that after seeing the consequences.
Bush was a manipulative figure, he knew how to play around with words, how to use them effectively. When they use the power of language we listeners forget to comprehend and analyze the situation critically, we don't see what's right or wrong, we don't question what the consequences can be if we do all of these things then it would be hard to persuade the listener into doing wrong or taking part in something unethical.
A language used that is dominant, persuasive, descriptive and informative will give the speaker great power over others. For example, many people followed Hitler because he seemed to have the right answers in a time of enormous economic upheaval. But if someone doesn't use the language effectively then he'll not be able to gain the power he desires. So yes the language used present power to an individual it all depends on how that person makes use of the power of language.
An excellent example is verbal bullying. A group of kids verbally abusing one kid can make him feel inferior and helpless. The things they say to him can have a mental impact on him that's how much power words have. Harsh words have the power to make the person feel bad about themselves and limits their potential. A study shows that nearly 15% of the students attempt suicide due to verbal bullying. An innocent life can end due to the wrong usage of the power of language.
In this example, a man was able to convince people to join the battle against a terrorist and he didn't just invade Iraq but had the support of more than 35 countries with him which tells us how powerful was his command over language making him a political figure with great power. He tried to convince the people of Iraq that their country was in the wrong hands and in order to improve the situation in Iraq, America was ready to invade them.
Language is not only a way of communication but its a weapon of destruction if misused. People use language to gain authority like political leaders who use persuasive language to brainwash the people making them think that what they are saying is true. An example can be Hitler who used his language skills to persuade millions into thinking that what he was doing is right whereas many would disagree with that after seeing the consequences.
Bush was a manipulative figure, he knew how to play around with words, how to use them effectively. When they use the power of language we listeners forget to comprehend and analyze the situation critically, we don't see what's right or wrong, we don't question what the consequences can be if we do all of these things then it would be hard to persuade the listener into doing wrong or taking part in something unethical.
A language used that is dominant, persuasive, descriptive and informative will give the speaker great power over others. For example, many people followed Hitler because he seemed to have the right answers in a time of enormous economic upheaval. But if someone doesn't use the language effectively then he'll not be able to gain the power he desires. So yes the language used present power to an individual it all depends on how that person makes use of the power of language.
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