Blog #5

In "Two Cultures," I'd have to say that I believed Neil Postman's argument more than that of Paglia. I completely believe in what Postman's idea of the word being very powerful, maybe more powerful than we realize. Words hold so much power because they play on our emotions. One single word could brighten someone's day, or drive them to tears. Images hold almost the same power on us as well.

One example of the power of the word is the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King, as we all learned in middle school, was one of the leaders of the American civil rights movement. This Baptist minister from Atlanta, Georgia led thousands of African-Americans through pivotal moments in American History such as The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech united hundreds of thousands blacks to fight for the same cause. These words spoken by one man liberated an entire race. Blacks and whites have lived in equality ever since. If those don't qualify as powerful words, I don't know what will.

Another example of the power that words hold on people, this time not so nice, is the cult originating in Indianapolis, Indiana in the late 70's led by a man named Jim Jones. This cult grew from a few members to almost one thousand in a short amount of time. Jones took his followers from Indiana to San Francisco, California, and then finally in Guyana, naming this final resting ground Jonestown. The words of Jim Jones filled the heads of his disciples with lies about God. Ultimately, once pressure from FBI became too tough for Jones to handle, he organized a mass suicide, killing approximately 900 people. Now, we have already seen how words can be used for good, but here it's evident that words hold evil powers as well. Jim Jones manipulated almost one thousand people to basically throw their lives away.

Images, along with words, are also very important in understanding people in general. Images and symbols can sometimes take the place of words in a conversation. Some people even base their entire lives on one image. This is seen in various religions around the world, but possibly most prevalent in Judaism. The Star of David represents the beliefs of the Jewish people. When you see that symbol, you know exactly what it represents. The same goes for the red cross, for example. Although not religiously affiliated, when the red cross symbol is seen, you know that someone has been injured and medics are on their way to help.

In conclusion, as I previously stated, I agree with Neil Postman's argument. Words are very important in our culture as well as powerful. Images can sometimes even take the place of words, which makes them almost as powerful.