Harsh Words

Words can be very powerful things. Words can be used to manipulate and hurt or to comfort and heal. Just as a few friendly words can make a person’s day, words can also cut like knives into a person’s heart. I think what makes words so powerful is the emotion behind it. Some words that are dearly important and emotional to a person may mean nothing to another. However, there are words out there that would make most people angry or sad when directed towards them. Nobody likes to be called stupid or ugly. These harsh words are often used in name-calling or taunting. There are also harsh words that are directed towards certain groups of people. Minorities like the black people in the United States have been called really offensive names. These names that may seem very offensive today may be common words used to refer black people in the past. In To Kill A Mocking Bird, we see examples of these types of words used to refer to black people. However, because of the history and time period, those names were common. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t wrong to use those words; it just means that because of the background, those words happen to be used.