Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Words

In my life, I have heard the following sentences from people in the course of a conversation:
  • "I was in a concentration camp."
  • "I was with the Marines at Chosin Reservoir."
  • "A boy in our village was arrested by the Gestapo."
Words, of course, can be powerful. But when it comes to conveying the real essence of an experience, they can also be grossly inadequate.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's a sentence you could say that has meaning that could echo like these?

Speaking for myself, I am afraid I am coming up empty. But I think you might have some.

-Bobboccio

Michael Wade said...

Bobboccio,

Each is powerful and yet even with the power it cannot convey what the experience must have been like.

Michael