2010 – 7th Grade Honorable Mention Winner

SeiMi Chu, New York.

Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?

The Truth Never Dies

The sword threatens but the pen projects wisdom and knowledge. The pen slowly changes people’s minds and changes their life. However, the sword directly kills someone without the person learning anything. The pen can be used to change the whole world. It could save people in wars and save people from sorrow. The pen will change the way we think and has the ability to unite people all around the world.

One example that shows the strength of the pen is that the Japanese invaded the Korean land using swords but all it accomplished was it terrified the Koreans for a little while. The Koreans were not afraid of the sword because it only caused death and did not deter the will of the people. Korean people who were captured secretly wrote letters to express their feelings. A famous Korean poet named Yun Dong Ju sacrificed his whole life writing a single poem about his torture from the Japanese. He wrote the poem and he did not care about the swords that threatened him. Yu Dong Ju cared about his people and his culture and he showed that through his writings. He placed value on words and peace and not on fear and violence. Another person who used worlds to influence the thoughts of others was Yu Kwan-Sun. She went all over Korea holding up a Korean flag screaming, “KOREANS, FREEDOM!!!!” Before she did this act of incredible passion, she sent letters to Korean people to persuade them to stand up for what they believed in. Korean people used pens to express all types of emotions and to inform others of their rights and were not afraid of swords that merely acted upon the fear of people.

Another example is that Thomas Paine was a writer who published pamphlets during the time right before the American Revolution. He wrote about how independence would be beneficial to the colonists. Paine believed that kings were worthless and detrimental to society. He urged the Americans to declare independence. In his pamphlet, “Common Sense”, he expressed his ideas and persuaded people with his words. With a pen, he influenced the thought of others.

The pen is the source of wisdom and knowledge. The sword instills fear in people for a short amount of time. It cannot change the will and minds of others. The words that are used to express peoples’ viewpoints can change how others think and see the world. The pen can kill people slowly and painfully. Swords just provide instant death and nothing more. The change in culture is not due to the strength of the sword. it is the pen. The sword cannot change a person’s way of thinking but the pen has the ability to change the world.

 

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