Pen is Mightier than the Sword
English Essay on "Pen is Mightier than the Sword"
Before the dawn of civilization man overpowered the weak with his physical strength, Might was right. In the struggle for existence, it was the survival of the physically fittest. As man became aware of his intellectual ability, he learned to turn things in his favour by using his brain, gradually he discovered that it is possible to move even mountains without resorting to the use of sword. The written word has the power to create a revolution in the minds of men. Today it is an undisputed fact that the written word is a very powerful tool. Many a battle can be won through the peaceful use of pen than by crossing swords.
Before the dawn of civilization man overpowered the weak with his physical strength. In the struggle for existence, it was the survival of the fittest. Might was right. He had no qualms of conscience while killing his prey, so the prehistoric man was almost barbaric and lived slowly on the strength of his muscle power. Gradually man became aware of his intellectual ability. He learned to turn things in his favour by using his brain. He realised he was superior to all in the animal kingdom due to his ability to rationalise and think. He began applying his intellect to deal with day-to-day situation. The civilization advanced, it became apparent that there was no need to cross swords to solve all the problems. In fact, it was realised that pen is mightier than the sword. A sword may kill a man, but it certainly cannot bring about a change of heart or values.
Down through the ages, we have seen how holy books have changed the destiny of men and women. Mahat.rna Ghandhi’s philosophy of life was based on the teachings of the Gita. He showed tremendous foresight when he started a non-violent struggle for the freedom of the country from foreign bondage. He realised the futility of war in achieving his goals.
Pen can create revolution in the minds of men. In France, during the reign of King Louis XIV, there was a lot of discontent among the masses. The writings of Rousseau and Voltaire at that time fired the imagination of people. The King’s strong army could not stop the onrush of the floodwaters of the revolution. ON the other hand, even the army was influenced by the slogans of equality, fraternity and liberty. Their loyalties also got changed under the impact of the revolutionary ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire.
Karl Marx’s theory of communism as given in his book Das Capital changed the destiny of Russia and many other countries of Eastern Europe. Today, hundred crores of people live under communist rule thanks to the powerful ideas preached by Karl Marx through his mighty pen.
The victories of the sword on the other hand are short lived. Hitler overran Europe and conquered so many countries in a mighty sweep. But before the war was over, his military victories lay crumbled like a house of cards. People remember Hitler to day more for his merciless slaughter of the Jews, an war crimes than for his victories. People read his Mein Kampf to acquaint themselves with the life of a man who is remembered today not with respect but with horror and disdain.
In the modern world, no one can dispute the power which the pen wields in making and marring the governments. The press is the fourth estate. With the spread of literacy, it has become a very, powerful instrument of mobilizing public opinion. Today, the masses learn a not about the public figures, government policies through newspapers, magazines and journals. They are no longer fooled by the false promises and election speeches of their leaders. They judge them by their actions a reported by the press. Therefore no government can afford to have the press on their wrong side. From time to time, leaders hold press conferences to answer the questions of journalists and thus inform the public of their policies and achievements. In Communist countries where there is no freedom of press, the government makes the print media means of propaganda. In the war, enemy aeroplanes throw printed leaflets over the enemy territory in a propaganda campaign. The purpose is to strike terror in the heart of the masses. In Germany, people were punished with death if they were discovered reading leaflets dropped by British aeroplanes. It surely proves that they were afraid of the impact the printed word could have on the psychology of people. Good literature survives the test of time. While Great Wars are dismissed in history books in a fewlines, the plays of Shakespeare, poetry of keats. Wordsworth and novels of Dickens, etc. still live and bear living testimony to the truth that pen is superior to sword. There are instance where the victories of sword are celebrated by the power of ten, Who would have remembered the Mahabharata and the Ramayana if they had not been immortalized by the pens of Vyasa and Valmiki. Even ordinary wars are remembered by posterity because the historians record them in the books.
Thus, we can say that why resort to destructive use of swords if the peaceful use of an can wield results. Pen has created many revolutions--many great men of the world have revolutionised the thinking of their times through their powerful writings. It certainly is more nighty a tool than the sword.
Before the dawn of civilization man overpowered the weak with his physical strength. In the struggle for existence, it was the survival of the fittest. Might was right. He had no qualms of conscience while killing his prey, so the prehistoric man was almost barbaric and lived slowly on the strength of his muscle power. Gradually man became aware of his intellectual ability. He learned to turn things in his favour by using his brain. He realised he was superior to all in the animal kingdom due to his ability to rationalise and think. He began applying his intellect to deal with day-to-day situation. The civilization advanced, it became apparent that there was no need to cross swords to solve all the problems. In fact, it was realised that pen is mightier than the sword. A sword may kill a man, but it certainly cannot bring about a change of heart or values.
Down through the ages, we have seen how holy books have changed the destiny of men and women. Mahat.rna Ghandhi’s philosophy of life was based on the teachings of the Gita. He showed tremendous foresight when he started a non-violent struggle for the freedom of the country from foreign bondage. He realised the futility of war in achieving his goals.
Pen can create revolution in the minds of men. In France, during the reign of King Louis XIV, there was a lot of discontent among the masses. The writings of Rousseau and Voltaire at that time fired the imagination of people. The King’s strong army could not stop the onrush of the floodwaters of the revolution. ON the other hand, even the army was influenced by the slogans of equality, fraternity and liberty. Their loyalties also got changed under the impact of the revolutionary ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire.
Karl Marx’s theory of communism as given in his book Das Capital changed the destiny of Russia and many other countries of Eastern Europe. Today, hundred crores of people live under communist rule thanks to the powerful ideas preached by Karl Marx through his mighty pen.
The victories of the sword on the other hand are short lived. Hitler overran Europe and conquered so many countries in a mighty sweep. But before the war was over, his military victories lay crumbled like a house of cards. People remember Hitler to day more for his merciless slaughter of the Jews, an war crimes than for his victories. People read his Mein Kampf to acquaint themselves with the life of a man who is remembered today not with respect but with horror and disdain.
In the modern world, no one can dispute the power which the pen wields in making and marring the governments. The press is the fourth estate. With the spread of literacy, it has become a very, powerful instrument of mobilizing public opinion. Today, the masses learn a not about the public figures, government policies through newspapers, magazines and journals. They are no longer fooled by the false promises and election speeches of their leaders. They judge them by their actions a reported by the press. Therefore no government can afford to have the press on their wrong side. From time to time, leaders hold press conferences to answer the questions of journalists and thus inform the public of their policies and achievements. In Communist countries where there is no freedom of press, the government makes the print media means of propaganda. In the war, enemy aeroplanes throw printed leaflets over the enemy territory in a propaganda campaign. The purpose is to strike terror in the heart of the masses. In Germany, people were punished with death if they were discovered reading leaflets dropped by British aeroplanes. It surely proves that they were afraid of the impact the printed word could have on the psychology of people. Good literature survives the test of time. While Great Wars are dismissed in history books in a fewlines, the plays of Shakespeare, poetry of keats. Wordsworth and novels of Dickens, etc. still live and bear living testimony to the truth that pen is superior to sword. There are instance where the victories of sword are celebrated by the power of ten, Who would have remembered the Mahabharata and the Ramayana if they had not been immortalized by the pens of Vyasa and Valmiki. Even ordinary wars are remembered by posterity because the historians record them in the books.
Thus, we can say that why resort to destructive use of swords if the peaceful use of an can wield results. Pen has created many revolutions--many great men of the world have revolutionised the thinking of their times through their powerful writings. It certainly is more nighty a tool than the sword.
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