And what better way to release it than with words?? Shakespeare is the most well know English wordsmith, famous for his 16th century plays and sonnets. Little did he know they would be good enough to survive a staggering five centuries to be used more than he ever could have imagined. Although many of us don’t realise it, Shakespeare has influenced every generation of writer ever since. Talents such as John Keats (1795-1821) and George Bernard Shaw (1865-1950) both admitted to taking inspiration from his work. Stages the world over have revamped Shakespeare plays for ever loving audiences - still considered to be one of the biggest acting honours for any serious actor. And Hollywood’s Shakespearean influence includes hits such as West Side Story (1961) (Romeo and Juliet), The Lion King (1994/98), (Hamlet) and teen flick, 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Taming of the Shrew.

In fact every aspect of modern culture has embraced the writer long since dead. Who doesn’t know at least one Shakespeare quote if not the rough story of at least one play? Be it Hamlet’s ‘to be or not to be’ or Romeo and Juliet’s ‘Wherefore art thou Romeo?’ there are few who haven’t come across his work directly or in parody. Even through music. For example Grime MC, Akaka recently released a track inspired by Shakespeare and even uses his words as the stimulus for rap production workshops with young people. The might of his own words would surely astound the man himself?! Why are they so special? Simple. They all contain humour, tragedy, romance or violent. And often all four. The ingredients we love and can universally understand. This is why Shakespeare has changed English literature and words…forever!

These days, we spend more time on our computers than reading books. Have we forgotten the power books can have? Hitler’s autobiography ‘’Mein Kampf’’ remains one of the most controversial books in history because of its extreme racist views and the historical impact of Nazism. And did you know Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland was banned in Hunan, China, because animals should not use “human language.” I guess the book was right when it said ‘’We’re all mad here!” Fortunately we haven’t stopped reading books altogether. The most widely influential British writer in recent years is J.K Rowling. Her extraordinary imagination has captivated the world through a magical epic, loved by adults and children alike. Thanks to Harry Potter, Hollywood has immortalised her words through huge blockbuster films and Rowling is now one of the richest people in Britain. Not bad for a once unemployed mum ay?!

The most direct example of the pen being mightier that the sword is through speeches that have changed history. The most famous and loved has to be Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” which he delivered to 200,000 supporters in 1963. Here King showed the true power of words over any weapon of war. So much so it empowered thousands and thousands of people through the American civil rights movement. But it wasn’t just what he said, it was how he said it and most importantly what he believed. When King spoke his voice shook with emotion. His speech had everything that makes a speech great. Passion, honesty and utter conviction for his cause. For me the best line is “We cannot walk alone”. Almost 50 years later it continues to inspire people of every nationality.

If we compare this to any George Bush speech we are dealing with a flat, dull voice devoid of everything but insincerity. Even Hitler, although having monstrous ideals, was another who believed in what he was saying. He too wrote passionate speeches outlining his hopes and dreams and his delivery secured him many followers. One of the most recent speeches to come to my attention was the democrat victory speech from the US Presidential candidate Barack Obama. It was one of the best I’ve seen in recent history, better than all the Bushes speeches put together. “Yes, we can change. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future.” Let’s hope he’s right. Although words are indeed mightier than the sword, actions will still nearly always speak louder.

Music has the incredible power to affect us on the deepest of levels. Not only do flowing melodies and infectious beats influence our moods, so do the words they bring alive. When words are sung they become even more powerful. The emotion and creativity lyrics allow, mean everyone who loves listening to lyrics, in essence, love listening to poetry. And just like traditional poetry, lyrics encompass a mixture of everything we need to express. From love and loss, to peace and politics.

Anti – flag, Public Enemy and Green Day are just some of the many musicians known for conveying their political views through music. Even jokester Eminem blasted George Bush in his song ‘Mosh’, rapping “No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our soil’’. Like many Rage Against the Machine see their lyrics as a vehicle for activism. Vocalist de la Rocha said, “I’m interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue.” Their ‘Bullet in the head’ lyrics caused controversy by highlighting blind patriotism via imagery of the American Flag. ‘’Ya standin’ in line believin’ the lies, Ya bowin’ down to the flag.’’

Not only have bands used lyrics to accuse politicians of bad acts, they’ve been accused of doing it themselves. My Chemical Romance was said to be a ‘suicide cult’ band following the suicide of a 13 year old fan. Her mother said their lyrics “…seem to be associated with depression and self-harm and I feel shock when I listen to them”. Many believe the accusations have been warped by the press who use the drama and scape-goating to sell stories. The album ‘’The Black Parade’’ is actually a concept album about a man dying of cancer. The last song ‘Famous last words’ oozes with a determination to face problems in life, not escape from them, with the powerful chorus stating, “I am not afraid to keep on living.”

Part of the beauty of lyrics is that they can cover any topic and reach many people, whether through the depths of despair or the highs of happiness. When in 2002 Christina Aguilera sang “We are beautiful no matter what they say, words won’t bring us down”, her words in fact brought many of us up. Such an emotionally charged song helped people accept themselves and each other and made Beautiful a number one hit. Well expressed lyrics can open our minds to new ideas and help us form our own opinions. One of my favourite bands, Billy Talent, really get people thinking by covering subjects as diverse as prostitution, individuality, abuse and love. For me lyrics are so much more powerful than poems. There are few poems that have impacted my life but when it comes to songs, there are just too many. Some claim their favourite musician saved there life and metaphorically speaking, I don’t find that too hard to believe.

By Zoe Mumba

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