“Language is memory, and memory lives on.”

I found this quote very beautiful because it offers stability in a world that has experienced destruction over the years. Although wars and conquest have been prevalent, some languages have survived against all odds and continued to be spoken today. Language is definitely a memory and if you continue to speak it it goes on and on. Many languages have been extinct and this really irritates me as I believe languages are part of one’s identity. As a language begins to disappear, a part of one’s identity and one’s history will follow.

“We know how language itself can wage war against us”

This quote definitely spoke a sense of deep truth. What people fail to acknowledge is that words are very powerful. Any word or sentence that is being told to someone no matter how insignificant it may seem may result in a very unfavorable outcome to the receiver. For example, newspaper headings or headlines may contain the words “Dead” instead of murdered or “Settler” instead of occupier. These words carry a passive voice which might let people perceive them as normal. Language must carefully be used since it can make or break communication.

“I’m not writing about war and bombs and tragedy. Why would I give them such names?”

While reading this sentence, I began to wonder as to why this student would say such a thing. However, I thought about how I never did experience such war and tragedy perhaps unlike this student, which made them think about the connection of Arab names to bombs. In class, we also discussed how stereotypes can be told anywhere even while running. People’s perception of things may be different than ours and we need to acknowledge that. It may be shaped by their environment and experiences. This also made me realize how easily identities can become linked to certain narratives, and how important it is to question these assumptions so that cultures and names are not limited to a single story or stereotype.