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The Pen Is
Mightier Than
The Sword
Navya Kataria
Orator of the Year
Winner
Teachers and friends, picture this: You’ve just been given an
assignment to do on a notable historical figure. Would you do it on
Hitler? Genghis Khan? Or Osama Bin Ladin? The answer is
definitely not! They all evoke feelings of hatred and disgust. They all
stood for violence and brutal force. This is the legacy of the sword.
On the other hand would you do it on William Shakespeare?
Mahatma Ghandi? Or even Tagore? Who’ve all made a great
contribution to our lives by expressing their thoughts to the world
without violence? Of course you’d do it on them. This is the legacy
of the pen. I ardently believe that the pen is mightier than the sword.
But what does this mean?
The pen is the fuel for mental strength. Books have been known
to help imbibe new thoughts and inspire to explore new frontiers
that could be in the field of Science, Philosophy or Literature. It is
through the might of the pen that cultures have been preserved from
one generation to the next. Research has been passed down from
decades and a myriad of ideologies have been exchanged among
various societies. Our lives would have been barren of entertainment
and enlightment had there been no way of expressing our thoughts
without the help of written words.
The sword implies force. By forcing one’s views on others through
violence and undue duress, only results in evoking feelings of terror
and oppression. So reason takes a backseat when the sword is used
to overpower society to one’s views.
However, some people argue that the sword is necessary under
certain circumstances, against the will of such things as terrorism. It
is an understanding that in such situations the sword does have a
role to play. But it is the thought process that counts in the end. In
order to understand the right from the wrong, and to shape our own
personality, words and your own public and personal thoughts have
the biggest role to play. It is quite clear from historical references
that, give a man a sword for good purpose, it is highly likely that it
will be used for corrupt and selfish ends.
There was one famous Indian hero. His name was Mahatma
Ghandi and what this one man did was remarkable. He was against
the whole system of violence and brutal force. He did not help India
become a free nation by violence. No he didn’t. He was a passionate
and masterful speaker who shaped people’s opinions with words,
and soon he had enticed the entire nation, even when they still had
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