Account of An Argument: Language and War

Account of an Argument: Language and War “War is what happens when language fails” (Atwood). The failure of language can be perceived in many ways. Most people might think that it means that the two parties weren’t able to come to a peaceful compromise. However, according to Humanist M. J. Hardman, language fails way before the two parties even have a chance to meet. In the article “Language and War”, Hardman identifies the problem of people obliviously using violent language and metaphors in everyday rhetoric and how the use of such metaphors makes violence seem appropriate. She supports her assertion by pointing out specific metaphors in the English language that convey a sense of violence. The author’s purpose is to encourage people to observe and change the way they speak in order to create a more peaceful society and change their perception in language so that peaceful metaphors become regarded as powerful, taking away the need for violent ones. She writes in a critically didactic tone for the Humanist audience. A good example of the violent metaphors that Hardman writes about can be located in a collection of poems called Winter’s Light, written by Martha Kinkade. Winter’s Light is a book that includes very personal poems about the author’s troubled life. Writing these poems was a way to come to terms with the unpleasant events in her life and escape the emotional trauma that consumed her. In this book, Kinkade uses exaggerated violent metaphors frequently in order to generate a response from her audience. Each one seems to have a clear purpose, and whether or not they contribute to a sense of appropriateness for violence is up for discussion. This essay will explore Hardman’s assertions while referencing the poems “Miscarriage” and “Skinning” and explain how Kinkade’s poems complicate and extend Hardman’s argument. Hardman wishes to eliminate violent metaphors from non-violent means of discourse in order to prevent the appropriateness of

Cited: Atwood, Margaret “Wikiquotes: Margaret Atwood” http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood. 30 Oct. 2013. Hardman, Martha J. "Language and War." IHEU. International Humanist and Ethical Union, June-July 2002. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Kinkade, Martha. "Miscarriage, Skinning." Winter 's Light: Poems. San Diego, CA: Montezuma Pub., 2011. 19+. Print.