Power of One Word
The Power of a Word
A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt to a person that they burst into tears or spiral down into a damaging hole that they can 't get out of for an extended amount of time. Throughout history, names have been used to keep a population in its place. Insults have been hurled to make a single person understand what another thinks of them. Words are used all the time to cause damage to a person or an entire peoples soul. One word can have a lot of power. In “What 's in a Name?”, Henry Louis Gates father was a well respected negro in his community. Maybe the better way to put it is more respected. He worked two jobs, and being more financially successful elevated the family 's status. The Gates family was the only negro allowed into a local drugstore to actually sit down and eat. On one occasion, Mr. Gates and his father went in together for ice cream and his father greeted a white man. The white man, Mr. Wilson, responded, but called his father “George”. George was a disparaging name for black men. Mr. Gates asked his dad to correct the Mr. Wilson, thinking it had been a mistake. When he realized that Mr. Wilson had deliberately insulted his father, it changed something in him forever. I believe Mr. Gates could not comprehend Mr. Wilson acknowledging and belittling his father at the same time. Why did he say anything back at all? Why would he be rude on purpose? Mr. Gates, up until that moment, had believed that Mr. Wilson was a nice person. After Mr. Gates ' father explained that he called every black man George, his opinion shifted. The white man insulted every black man he knew. This was the first time Mr. Gates could see that people were not always who they seemed. He was confused about why his father did not correct Mr. Wilson. Surely his father must have been insulted. He must have understood that Mr. Wilson meant to insult him. I believe he became
A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt to a person that they burst into tears or spiral down into a damaging hole that they can 't get out of for an extended amount of time. Throughout history, names have been used to keep a population in its place. Insults have been hurled to make a single person understand what another thinks of them. Words are used all the time to cause damage to a person or an entire peoples soul. One word can have a lot of power. In “What 's in a Name?”, Henry Louis Gates father was a well respected negro in his community. Maybe the better way to put it is more respected. He worked two jobs, and being more financially successful elevated the family 's status. The Gates family was the only negro allowed into a local drugstore to actually sit down and eat. On one occasion, Mr. Gates and his father went in together for ice cream and his father greeted a white man. The white man, Mr. Wilson, responded, but called his father “George”. George was a disparaging name for black men. Mr. Gates asked his dad to correct the Mr. Wilson, thinking it had been a mistake. When he realized that Mr. Wilson had deliberately insulted his father, it changed something in him forever. I believe Mr. Gates could not comprehend Mr. Wilson acknowledging and belittling his father at the same time. Why did he say anything back at all? Why would he be rude on purpose? Mr. Gates, up until that moment, had believed that Mr. Wilson was a nice person. After Mr. Gates ' father explained that he called every black man George, his opinion shifted. The white man insulted every black man he knew. This was the first time Mr. Gates could see that people were not always who they seemed. He was confused about why his father did not correct Mr. Wilson. Surely his father must have been insulted. He must have understood that Mr. Wilson meant to insult him. I believe he became