The Network of Language by Ebube

The Network of Language by Ebube - July 2017 Scholarship Essay

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!” My confident voice immediately sparked the entire crowd to life. There are thousands of radiant countenances filling the seats before me, each of them glowing with anticipation for the unique message I have yet to deliver for this TED talk tonight. Thus, I take one final deep breath and begin my powerful message on language.
Language is a powerful tool that holds the world together. It builds bridges that helps people connect with each another. It constructs niches for members of the same culture to live together. It formulates various words, symbols, and styles that allow mankind to express its inner thoughts to one another. I am deeply infatuated by the intricate diversity of language. However, there is so much more to language than we think, and I wanted to inform the people about its complexity and that there are several forms of language beyond the ones that are verbally spoken.

Our bodies can also be used as a medium for talking. Body language is a very powerful language that just about everyone inherently learn. By observing how someone’s body language, we can usually determine how somebody is currently feeling. For example, someone who stands up straight with their chest out usually emanates a feeling of confidence from them, while a person with their head tilted down could convey an atmosphere of sadness or guilt. Furthermore, body language helps us determine who we would want to approach or work with. Normally we would steer away from someone who bears a somber scowl on their face but turn towards someone who carries a content glow on their countenance instead. Not only does body language help us notice certain aspects about other people, we can use qualities like smiling and maintaining good posture to help carry ourselves in a more approachable manner if necessary.

Another form of language is our actions. Analogous to body language, people tend to undermine how powerful actions are. They are driven by choice; we can choose to act we please, but we have to bear the potential consequences that will arrive. Our actions will tell others and even ourselves with what we are okay with doing. For instance, if a person spills their coffee and somebody voluntarily helps them clean up the mess, they are telling the person that they felt bad for the person and cared enough to help them out. On the other hand, not looking at the person who is talking indirectly notifies them that you could simply care less about what they are telling you. Surprisingly our actions will say more than words ever will. They carry more weight to them; people can say that they will complete a task but it will mean nothing unless the task is actually finished. Thus, it is very important for us to keep in mind of our choices and how we treat others because there is no telling what kinds of messages that we convey to others simply from our actions.

Art can convey some powerful messages as well. Art comes in many forms ranging from visual art, like painting or dance, to music or instruments. Every work of art are on another level when it comes to communication. People use the various aspects of art as mediums to directly articulate their thoughts and feelings to others without the use of words. For example, Picasso takes advantage of the unique painting aspects of Cubism in his artwork to define his charismatic personality and eclectic attitude better than any words can. However, art is getting more undermined as modern society pushes more emphasis on the sciences, technology and engineering. People forget how art is all around them, people forget how art convey notable messages, people forget how that the creativity and innovation from those science and tech fields stemmed from the world of art. It is still a very powerful language that drives the world and should not be overlooked. Instead, just like body language and our actions, art is another form of language that we should be more aware of and even use to communicate with one another around the world.

“Thank you for your time and I hope that was helpful.” The thousands of exuberant people clap and cheer once I conclude my speech. Their countenances beam with joy as they enjoyed my message. At that moment I feel accomplished; it feels as though I enriched the minds of everyone there. Finally, I confidently walk off the stage feeling glad that I was able to share my message today.