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Language possibly holds the title of being the most complex thing in existence. However, it also has the most power of anything in existence. Language has incredible capabilities unlike anything else known to mankind. It has the power to instill vast amounts of knowledge and it provides a base for society to grow and prosper. It provides a way for individuals to have freedom over their thoughts through the ability gifted to them to determine for themselves what they believe about the world.
On the other hand, when language is censored and ripped from the hands of society it hinders the transfer of knowledge, and effectively makes the people within the society increasingly ignorant and less sophisticated.
The ability to obtain immense, unmatched quantities of knowledge through the incredible capability of language provides the firm foundation for the growth of a society. “The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.” (Bradbury 83) Ray Bradbury effectively conveys his belief in the power of language by stating that books bring forth knowledge of the entirety of the universe for individuals to ingest the information to become more sophisticated.
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Through the allowance of people to become more sophisticated provides them with the necessary tools to create a properly functioning society. The solid foundation for this functional society all stems from the capacity to obtain substantial amounts of knowledge through language.
In addition, language also grants people a sense of true freedom and control over what they choose to believe in the world.
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a lady who changed the routine of the firemen by staying and igniting in her house rather than having the firemen arrest her (Bradbury 39-40). Through her reading of language, her eyes had become opened to an entirely new world of beliefs which she then choose for herself to believe in the power of books and freedoms over one’s thoughts. The woman expressed her new beliefs by staying in her burning house rather than remaining in the flawed world where a government is sucking up all of its freedoms. This demonstrates the incredible power of language to give people freedom over their thoughts. Another reference to the capability of language comes shortly after when Montag states “There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.” (Bradbury 51) his statement further reinforces the proposition of language having the sheer, unmatched power to provide one with the ability to gain complete control over their thoughts and beliefs.
The censorship of language has truly detrimental effects on the people within the society. Stripping language away from the clutching hands of a society prohibits the ability of the people to gain knowledge thus effectively making them increasingly ignorant and more susceptible to believing untrue “facts” about the world. North Korean censorship demonstrates a prime example of the tragic effects it has on society. North Korea, a nation dubbed as the most oppressive by The New York Times, focuses on censoring any information that could hurt the familial regime of the Kims as well as any information that could negatively portray the nation. “Restrictions are also placed on academics and arts within the state—ideological education takes precedence over academic education, and all curricula, plays, movies, and operas center on improving the reputation of the Kim family.” (Nouran Sedaghat, 2014). “Their goal is not to inform, but to indoctrinate and control common people… Being unaware of the alternatives to their lifestyles, people are less likely to dream about change.” (Andrei Lankov, 2016). These quotes demonstrate the severity of censorship that prohibits any true gaining knowledge and it shows that the common people are coerced into believing only positive things about the dictatorial regime. Due to the limited knowledge that North Koreans can obtain they are greatly limited in their education of the rest of the world essentially making them more ignorant of all areas beyond the confines of their nation. Although North Korean leaders will defend the Kims by stating they only do what is necessary to keep firm control over the people and how they view the government. However, they merely build upon the troubles of their own country through the use of harsh censorship.
Despite being extremely complex language has endless capabilities and power. It provides humans with crucial abilities. It opens the mind to vast quantities of knowledge and presents it with the means to have complete control of thoughts. Stripping language of its unique power has dreadful consequences causing the breakdown of societies and the people within.
The Greatest Strength of the People. (2022, Aug 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-greatest-strength-of-the-people-essay
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