The Power of Words

Quote: “To speak of mere words is much like speaking of mere dynamite” – what does this quote have to do with teaching English?

This quote has a lot to do with teaching English because words hold power just as “dynamite” holds power. In all the English classes I taught in the past I tried to drill this idea into my students, telling them what they say and how they say it matters greatly. I like to emphasize quality writing over quantity, telling them I’d prefer a few pages of powerful, meaningful writing over twenty pages of space-filler-fluff. The literature I selected to teach in the college courses was always carefully chosen to inspire students to think critically about the world and their place within it. We often talked about how powerful words are and how we should never take them for granted since we use them in every day life, not just the English classroom. Words matter on every level and ever relationship, between students and professors, employees and employers, friends, family, significant others, even pets and plants! We interact with living thing around us through words, using a particular tone with specific intentions and always toward an ultimate purpose, etc, so learning English well is not just learning how to write essays but how to communicate and express yourself clearly in any given situation.