The Artistry of Wordsmiths
We asked the members of Writers Beyond Borders, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what are a thousand words worth?”
If I had a thousand words...
To praise the effectiveness of graphics, there is a saying: “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In terms of quantity, this saying means one picture paints more ideas than expressing them in the means of words (written or spoken). A thousand written words may spread out about four pages, letter size, font size twelve, and that is a large amount of a descriptive text. In order to weigh how much a thousand words is worth, as a wordsmith, I am looking at the power of language in two different aspects: literature, and Buddhism.
How much are a thousand words literally worth? It all depends. They can be valuable or valueless. They can bring forth wisdom or they can destroy one’s ability to differentiate right from wrong.
In the literally world, if the words are correctly chosen, the sentences are carefully written, every single idea is carefully weighed, then a thousand words will send a powerful message to a significant number of readers locally, nationally, and internationally. I take Kahlil Gibran’s Giving, a poem excerpted from The Prophet, a bestselling book of all time that has been translated into more than forty languages, as an expample, because it effectively expresses the joy of giving:
It is well to give when asked, but it
is better to give unasked, through
understanding;
And to the open-handed the search
for one who shall receive is joy
greater than giving
And is there aught you would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of
giving may be yours and not
your inheritors’.
You often say, “I would give, but only
to the deserving.”
The trees in your orchard say not so,
nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to
withhold is to perish.
After reading these lines, who would withhold his possession till it perishes? With the power of language, these words portray a beautiful generosity of the givers includin-g human beings, the trees, or the animals. They also promote an urge of giving from people who never did or encourage the frequent givers to keep giving more with their open hearts. In this case, these kind words will stay with the reader and will affect their way of thinking, acting in a good way.
Alternatively, if a thousand words expresse anger, hatred, revenge, etc., they will be meaningless or even harmful to the reader. Taking many words to express negative emotions or harmful feelings is just a waste of the beauty of human language. If one word hurts the reader, that is too much. Words that put the reader into bad mood, develop false emotion, cause negative feelings, escalate delusion, etc… do not deserve a place in literature. In this case, a thousand words are a thousand arrows aiming at the heart of the readers.
On the same topic of giving, the Buddha gave the most encouraging advice in his scripture expressing the generosity of the sea, the lake, the river:
The mighty sea, unmeasured mighty lake,
The fearsome home of multitudes of pearls,
As rivers, serving countless hosts of men,
Flow widely forth and to that ocean come:
Just so, on him that giveth food, drink, clothes,
Who bed and seat and coverlet provides,
Torrents of merit flood that mortal wise,
As rivers, bearing water, reach the main.
(S.N. v.400)
Other than advising the fourfold to give, the Buddha also taught that using words to express hatred, greed, anger, arrogance… is an unwholesome deed. As an Enlightened One, the Buddha used his kind and realistic words to teach his disciples and the householders. His first teaching included just two words: sufferings and the cessation of sufferings. His advanced lesson consists of four words: The Four Noble Truths teaching life means suffering, the origin of suffering is attachment, the cessation of suffering is attainable, and the path to the cessation of suffering. From there, he wrapped up all his valuable teaching in just eight words represented in the Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Within his forty-five years of preaching, the Buddha did not use too many words or harsh words that may hurt people.
Evaluating how much a thousand words are worth is simple and it all depends on the wordsmith. As a Buddhist writer, if I had a thousand words to use, I would use them under the guidance of the Buddha in his sutta:
Though a thousand speeches be
composed of meaningless lines,
better the single meaningful line
one hears, then comes to calm.
(Dhammapada Sutta, verse100)
– Thuc Cong
If a picture is worth a thousand words...
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” but a thousand words are actually much more effective in delivering the message.
Many times when people look at a picture, they inherit feelings according to their background and viewpoint. For example, during the Vietnam War, a picture appeared at the front of Time magazine of a well-dressed South Vietnamese officer who shot an old ragged North Vietnamese farmer in the head at close range. Did it mean that the Americans were doing a good job in helping the South Vietnamese? Did it mean that the South Vietnamese Armies were not following United Nation agreements on the treatment of POWs? Did it mean the Americans were helping a corrupt government? Or did it mean the North Vietnamese had to keep fighting the cruel, ruthless government of the South? Ironically, the North also used the same picture in their propaganda. For them, it showed the oppression of the rich against the poor. All three sides used the same picture, each with their own interpretation.
Another example is the comparison of the pictures of the Mona Lisa with that of Mother Teresa. These show the smiling face of a woman wearing noble, rich clothes compared to the wrinkled face of a woman wearing ordinary, plain clothes. People say that Mona Lisa has a mysterious smile. But I can’t see it. Actually the picture was not made famous until many years after it was drawn by Leonardo da Vinci. It was “…many years later (that) artists of the emerging Symbolist movement began to appreciate it….” The words later made the picture famous.
If you read the life story of Mother Teresa who donated her whole life to charity works for the poorest people on Earth, you will learn who she really is. Mona Lisa is a person of imaginary fantasy, made famous by words. Mother Teresa’s image is no less than that of a saint. The words of her life’s story prove it.
The same applies with a picture of a half-empty cup. Some see the cup as half empty, others think of it as half full. A writer can influence the way the reader thinks; one can explain in this case, the power of positive thinking.
During the Second World War, my mother was just a teenager who won a public speaking contest. She was selected to travel around the country to encourage people to donate to and participate in the war effort. She carried pictures depicting the brutal, merciless and senseless killing of our people, including children. More importantly, however, she prepared stirring speeches to tell people about these atrocities. Without her words, there would be no donations. She said that only the best among many speeches were presented. She found that the better the speech, the better the results, even though the pictures were always the same. This shows the superiority of words over pictures.
The words of famous people are remembered throughout the history of our civilization. For example, Winston Churchill noted that “…we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds … we shall never surrender…” This helped to bolster immensely the morale of the Allied Soldiers. Resonant words from President Kennedy remind us to “…ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country….” Famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream…” speech is still used for inspiration. All these examples prove that words are more powerful than pictures.
In the case of natural disasters like floods, fires, tsunamis and earthquakes, pictures can show the devastation of the disasters, but words can penetrate deeper into the hearts of people. The number of people killed will alone demonstrate the extent of the damage. But the stories of helpless orphans somehow surviving can bring tears to all.
Another example is that during the Writers Guild of America strike, most television shows had to stop production. The script writers write every word of dialogue and every small move before actors can act on them. Everything has to be played out according to the plans of the screen writers. Writers are obviously indispensable members of the industry.
The saying that the “pen is mightier than the sword” is often used, because by logic, it is true. However there is no saying stating that the “picture is mightier than the sword”.
– Joe Li
Writers Beyond Borders is a writing group for multi-lingual writers. To volunteer or become a member e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it