"She is convinced that when language dies, out of carelessness, disuse, indifference and absence of esteem, or killed by fiat, not only she herself, but all users and makers are accountable for its demise. In her country children have bitten their tongues off and use bullets instead to iterate the voice of speechlessness, of disabled and disabling language, of language adults have abandoned altogether as a device for grappling with meaning, providing guidance, or expressing love. But she knows t...

Reading this while hearing Toni Morrison give the speech is a different kind of experience. You can find it here http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer... and I would suggest giving it a go because it’s something to take into consideration.

In a collection of lectures by some of the greatest writers of our time, it's hard to imagine anyone not finding something to admire. They all--in one way or another--address the basic question: why write? Why do I write? Why do human beings write? Why does writing matter? And while their answers might differ, their passion for the subject is the same. If you love literature, if you are a writer or a passionate reader, you will find more than enough in this book to make it worth picking up.

Toni Morrison'in ardindan BirGun Pazar'da cikan yazim: https://wanderlustpress.net/2019/08/1...

We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.

This book is a concise summary of Morrison's views on language and literature and a joy to read. If someone ever asks me what the point of literature or literary criticism is, I will probably recommend this to them.

If you haven't read this, it's really important that you do. What Morrison says, in many ways, relates to us all and is profound. The English nerd in me gets goosebumps everytime I read it.

Quotes from the speech:"The systematic looting of language can be recognized by the tendency of its users to forgo its nuanced, complex, mid-wifery properties for menace and subjugation. Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge.""Don’t tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief's wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear’s caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the l...

I had this posted on my door for a year back in College. I made everyone who entered read it. I've relaxed a little and can see that now as pretty heavy handed... but I still maintain this is the treatise and the foundation of the community with whom I intend to share my life. It tells complex truths that teach us the power of narrative, the infinite possibility of abusing that power....the conjuring effect of narrative.... the risk we take in turning our lives over to the power of stories...and...

the first time that I heard this speech--my life changed. anyone who wants the opportunity to understand the power of words should listen and understand this speech.

This was such an amazing speech. Anyone really invested in literature should read her acceptance speech

Rereading:“The systematic looting of language can be recognized by the tendency of its users to forgo its nuanced, complex, mid-wifery properties for menace and subjugation. Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the academy or the commodity driven language of science...

I was introduced to Toni Morrison last year. Yes, I know it's sad that I didn't read any of her books till last year. I feel sorry for that. But better late than never. Her ''The Bluest eye'' was a treat to me, you read a book, you feel good, sometimes you get enlightened by its story or by the way the author is telling the story. You love some events from the book. But How could a book be this good.? Every single word was unbelievably beautiful. You will feel like Gollum from the LOTR, I mean Y...

“Don’t you remember being young, when language was magic without meaning? When what you could say, could not mean? When the invisible was what imagination strove to see? When questions and demands for answers burned so brightly you trembled with fury at not knowing.” “Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at the margin. What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that c...

"Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge." "We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."This speech was my first time reading anything of Toni Morrison's. Even in her speech, I can see and feel why so many people in this world have so much respect for her works, for how she used her language. I'm excited to dive more into her world.

I feel a need to go back and re-read Toni Morrison’s work, as well as read the books I haven’t read yet, through the lens of this lecture. So many quotable moments and similes/metaphors to hold onto, remember for the future/etc. I continue to be in awe of this brilliant, specific, and powerful writer.

A striking speech that really makes one think about the way society treats language. Reading it for theatre history class at the same time as I am in a linguistics class made a lot of these linguistic themes stand out for me. But it's the final line that truly stands out most, and makes the speech's whole point...

A nice minor work by Toni Morrison. Although it's not an essential piece, it's definitely worth picking up is you can find it.

In a Nobel lecture that reads more like a poem, Toni Morrison reflects on the power, limitations, forms, misuses, and legacy of language— I’ll definitely be returning to this.

Her acceptance speech and lecture. She is fantastic and amazing. A true loss.

"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."

In her Nobel Lecture, Morrison confronts the dangers of polluting the use of language for nefarious purposes. To combat these dangers, she offers an ingenious mediation on the vitality of language and its responsibility in narrative art to expose the crimes of the past and provide a road forward of hope for the future. Morrison attests to language as a living thing, which we must remember we have control over. Language is, moreover, an agency that has the ability to act, and with actions there a...

to hear toni morrison speak of narrative as "one of the principle ways in which we absorb knowledge," and language as "meditation," is to enter into a miraculously new understanding of what it means to sit down with a novel, biography, book of creative nonfiction, or even a simple short story. to note that she is stating these declarations while accepting the 1993 nobel prize for literature before members of the swedish academy doubles the thrill. [return:][return:]for those who have found maste...

What exquisite language. Beautiful, rich, divine concepts temptingly, temperately, and tempestuously woven together for the enrichment and enjoyment of the reader.