Monday, January 20, 2014

Power of Language

          "The Apology" by Plato is meant to be a dramatic recreation of Socrates' testimony in court. While in class, we discussed how the tone he spoke in and words he used affected his audience. The next work we read was "Beowulf", which was a story used to convert pagans to Catholics. The story emulates the rewards that come with following the Lord while also emphasizing the sinful nature of the pagans. 

  
*Socrates in court                                                     *Beowulf vs. the dragon

          These two seemingly unrelated works use the same method to get their point across. The word choice and tone is specifically used to influence the audience. While discussing these is class, I realized that most authors use the same method. For example, most allegories are used to show what was happening at a certain point in history, but even these tend to use their language and tone to create the portrait they want the audience to see. 
          We are always told that words are powerful, and "The Apology" along with "Beowulf" are perfect examples of how influential words can be.
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 20, 2014 at 1:28 PM

    I agree that in The Apology, Socrates used words that would effect his audience into believing that he is innocent. In Beowulf, the author truly did not hide the fact that he was all for Catholicism, he was promoting it throughout. But we see how tone and vocabulary are strong devices in literature.

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  2. UnknownJanuary 20, 2014 at 3:27 PM

    You are right about how tone and word choice is a strong literature device. Both works persuaded the audience to believe in what the author wanted them to believe. Socrates innocence in "The Apology" and the subtle tones that converted Pagans to Catholics in "Beowulf" are great examples of powerful words.

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  3. Nana Opoku-MensahJanuary 21, 2014 at 3:22 AM

    It's funny to me, because as I was reading the Apology I didn't not catch the tones at all! I really looked at it from a philosohical view, so in every paragraph I found something inspiring... "Like true wisedom comes from knowing that you know nothing. " Then in class it was seen to be arrogant when he said. I was I suprised. I agree with that the tone can truly establish the message of the story, especially when it completely ignored. It changes the entire outlook on story all together.

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    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2014 at 5:53 AM

      Of course, there is inspiration to found in the works of Plato as well as within the story of Beowulf. However, it is important to remember that every text, article, film, piece of art is created with an agenda - a message the author intends to communicate. In understanding how language can be manipulated through tone, we can interpret that message without being manipulated ourselves.

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  4. UnknownJanuary 22, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    Thank You, I did not make that connection between The Apology and Beowulf. It makes me want to read The Apology again!

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