¶ … Nobel Prize lecture by author Toni Morrison. Specifically, it will contain a summary and response to the author's lecture. Morrison's essay uses her medium -- language -- to convey the meaning of words and the importance of the people who keep language alive. Her lecture is a commanding look at the power of language, and how language can change the world -- for better or worse. Morrison's lecture begins with a parable about an old blind woman who is a wise leader of her people. To challenge her, some young people come and demand to know whether the bird they hold is dead or alive. Her wise answer is the basis for Morrison's lecture, because she uses language and its nuances to answer the challenge, and to challenge the young people in return. Morrison goes on to decry dead language that is used for political and social gains, and urge people to do the best they can with language, because it, in the end, is all people truly have. She notes,...
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