Gloria Naylor's The Meaning Of A Word

A wedding band can mean love or it can mean bondage. In Gloria Naylor’s essay “The Meaning of a Word,” she goes in-depth about the essence of the meaning of words. The main idea is that words must mean, and its meaning will change based on the use and content. Some words are so hateful in the English language that it should be banned altogether. Even though some words should be omitted I fear that it will not happen because once a word is introduced it cannot be taken away, freedom of speak, and society has given their own meaning to several words which will impede the process of removing any words in general.

Children must know about something before they can re-create it in language. Once a word is introduce, it cannot be erase from memory. Naylor shared a personal experience that demonstrated her personal stake in this situation as she described the first time she heard a different meaning of the word “nigger.” A white boy in her third-grade class said it to her in spite when she gave him his test. “I didn’t know what a nigger was, but I knew that whatever it meant, it was something he shouldn’t have called me. (257)” When a baby hears the
To give people the best model possible, we should imitate it in the media and at home. In Gloria Naylor’s essay, “The Meaning of a Word,” the author briefly states that verbal and written language is the same. Even though, verbal communication packs a powerful punch; I believe written communication has a lasting effect. Some countries have banned the use of certain words in public spaces. Once words are introduced they are permeant, freedom of speak, and society has given their own meaning to several words which will impede the process of removing any words in general. America this attempt to control language would be seemingly impossible. “Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power.