Charlie Hebdo: Pen is always mightier than sword
Charlie Hebdo: Pen is always mightier than sword
Nobody has ever succeeded in dominating freedom of expression of press and in future nobody will ever be able to do that. If you want an example, look at the surviving editor and staff of Charlie Hebdo.
Charlie Hebdo is known for its provocative cartoons and it recently came under direct attack from terrorists resulting in the death of 12 innocent people.
The staff at Charlie Hebdo have courageously asserted that this deadly attack on Paris will not scare them into stopping the publication; instead they have increased the production to 1 million copies from 50,000 a week.
Usually such type of attack on newsrooms takes place in Iraq, Somalia or Pakistan but this terrorist attack has put a black mark on the history of Paris, and it has proved that threat to press and freedom of expression is global and no country is safe. Three gunmen thought they have succeeded in their intention, but, why did they think of doing it? May be they were scared of this instrument known as pen. They tried to kill people with their guns but they were already dead in their soul because of the words and satirical cartoons published earlier.
People with big weapons think that they can make the entire cadre of thinkers, writers, and artists scared, and silence them. But see what happened- instead of getting quiet, journalists from all around the world are coming forward to support Charlie Hebdo through cartoons, poems and many more mediums. Social media and rest of the Internet is flooded with reactions against the attack on the community, and this is truly overwhelming.
Cartoonists from all over the world have published thousands of powerful pictures against the three men who tried to silence the French magazine, because these cartoonists too believe that the pen will always remain mightier than the sword.
I believe pen is mightier than the sword because one can see in everyday life how words stronger than physical actions. Wounds heal as time passes, but you always remember the hurtful words that you hear. Sword can kill you but people even die because of words. Words stick to your heart and mind in such a way that sometimes it can't be removed. Using pen or pencil to express your words will remain stronger than any ammunition.
Pen and sword are two sides of humanity as former can be used to create new ideas and is also a fundamental need for all of us but the other is an instrument of destruction, choice is always ours. We require sword to attack or defend against others, but we use pen only to defend ourselves from ourselves.
Pen can always encourage people to change their opinion on their own but the sword forces people to forcibly conform to an opinion like a slave.
Writing is not about a religion of particular community, it is far away from all these, and the fact that one of the dead cops who died in the shooting is a Muslim proves that terrorism has no religion.
May be God is the creator of this world, and if this is so, he can take care of all his children and doesn't need any protection from us mere mortals. Let us not be subdued by threats of violence, and let us all have the courage to say what we feel is right or wrong, and thus always resist those forces that prevent us from doing so.
Discussion
- RE: Charlie Hebdo: Pen is always mightier than sword -Deepa Kaushik (01/12/15)
- ‘Pen is mightier than sword’ on a general note. Analysing the same in case of Charlie Hebdo is a bit complicated. Pen and sword have spoken their words in the most violent and harmful manner. This has been visualised with the loss of 12 innocent lives. Was that religion which led to the attack? Was that the pen of the cartoonist which was responsible for the attack? Or is that the inhuman nature full of violence and rage which claimed the innocent lives?
Pen had proved to be mightier than sword, which distracted the terror group to have their brutal attitude come into action. Yes, it was the pen of the cartoonist which welcome the terror groups. It was definitely not the religion responsible for this ridiculous attitude. But, the pen not only proved to be offensive in the manner of the expression, but that had proved equally fatal in its impact. The small pen has made the sword come into action.
When we try to perceive who has won, whether the sword could explain its point to the world; then it is a sorry note. People have acknowledged the offense of the cartoonist, but they could not accept the way the gunmen have shown their anger against the publication. The increase in the number of issues by Charlie Hebdo cannot be considered to be a strong word of pen. It is just their step towards their reply, but the same is not accepted by those who have always felt offended by their manner of expression. Their victory would be increasing the number of actual reader rather than increase in their number of published copies. But sword is in no comparison with the pen.
