Language And Society: The Impact Of Language On Society

The impact of language on society Throughout history, individuals have questioned the impact of language on society. Those who contend that language has a negative impact on society have cited such examples as the Parents Against Bad Books in Schools, an organization dedicated to the removal of disputable literature from schools, and argue that the restriction and censorship of literature is necessary to shield society from the detrimental impact language can carry. However, examples from essays such as “Why Write?”,”Talking to Strangers”,“Freedom to Write”, and “Writing in the Dark” prove that this notion is not valid. The idea that “language is power, life, the instrument of culture...and liberation” (Angela Carter) demonstrates the crucial

Updike argues that the role of writers is to serve as instruments of expression within society, providing a means of communicating between writers and their audience. Updike, like many writers, dotes not on the context of the words in a language, but on their “potential...of becoming reality, of engendering out of imitation another reality, infinitely lesser but thoroughly possessed, thoroughly human.” (Updike “Why Write?”) The figurative language Updike uses illustrates the idea of words coming alive, and personifies language as possessing the ability to become a tangible representation of the individual.The power that language holds allows for the voice of an individual to be projected, and for society to articulate the voices of all individuals uniformly without censoring the voices of

Pamuk argues that the ideas of freedom of thought and expression are universal rights that must be recognized by all people, and that to limit these rights is degrading and dehumanizing to individuals of any culture. The degrading and dehumanizing of humans against each other-humans of similar or differing skin color, religion, homeland, etc.- in the modern world is why freedom of speech and expression are so important; “we need it to understand ourselves, our shady, contradictory, inner thoughts, and the pride and shame” that humans possess. (Pamuk “Freedom to Write”) Pamuk’s diction throughout “Freedom to Dark exposes an alternative side of human behavior, while coincidingly illuminates the role language serves when characterizing individuals of similar or different backgrounds and the labeling of different cultures. Language sheds a critical lense on parts of the world society may never see, and while language may distinguish one culture from another, language serves to create acceptance and tolerance of others within