Have you ever thought what life would be like without written communication? If we could only communicate verbally, what would our society be like now? Some have thought about what the purpose of written communication is besides communication needs. From the earliest forms of writings to the more complex forms over the years, we have seen and felt the tremendous impact, especially in the evolution of newspapers, books, and the internet. During this time, some people have questioned what the primary purpose of written communication really is. One man, named Claude Levi-Strauss, believes that the primary purpose of written communication is to facilitate slavery of the mind by controlling the way an individual thinks. While there have been times in history in which this appears to be true, I still strongly believe that the primary purpose of written communication is to enable us to communicate efficiently.
Thousands of years ago, the only form of written communication was in drawings. One of the first forms of writing was cuneiform, using symbols to represent objects. The Chinese written language began in a similar way. People needed written communication because oral communication by itself is an inadequate means of communication. The human brain simply cannot remember every bit of oral information presented, as demonstrated in English class.
In our English class, we played a game called Telephone. We scattered around the room and each person would whisper a message heard from the person in front of them. The message would travel through everyone until it got to the last person. Since our professor had the message written on a slip of paper, he knew exactly what it is. The first person would be presented the slip of paper and whisper the message without showing the slip. The message travels around until everyone hears something whispered. By the time the last person hears the message, the message he or she hears is usually distorted so much from the original one that it is no longer even relevant. I learned that the brain both stores information briefly and allows manipulation and use of the stored information. Although information can be retained by continually rehearsing it, one little distraction removes it permanently. When information is written on paper, it can always be referred to if it is temporarily forgotten. This is clearly one reason why written communication is necessary.
Written communication has played a major role in historic events throughout the last several centuries. When the Pilgrims left England to settle in America, they had to write out the Indentured Servant Contract. The Indentured Servant Contract established the system by which indentured servants agreed to work for their masters without wages for a certain number of years. An indentured servant is one who works without wages for a period of time in exchange for passage to the American Colonies. This agreement was written on paper because words said orally are not always kept. The contract would then be signed. How would it be possible to create such an agreement without have it written? There would be no way of doing this.
When America declared independence from Britain, the Declaration of Independence was written out. If there was no need for written communication, why would anyone want to bother writing on paper? The Continental Congress met for months to decide on a final copy of the Declaration of Independence. The actual text of the Declaration is very important. Printing a copy of the Declaration of Independence takes up four pages. Can you imagine having it spoken verbally? Who would be able to remember all the information from grievances to rights? If all that mattered is getting independence, why is the text such a big deal? Why did the Continental Congress spend so much time? Verbal communication would definitely not have been as effective. I know that I would not be able to remember everything spoken verbally. I need to see everything written down.
Everyday, people use written contracts to take care of most business transactions. For example, when one buys a house or a car, he signs contracts. If no contracts were signed in a sale, how does he know what each individual’s obligations are? We could mutually make verbal promises to each other. However, there is no way of enforcing actions. Either one of us could easily change our mind. With a written contract and means of written communication, every term is laid out on paper. During the process of a sale of a house, the seller of a house can track down the buyer if anything goes wrong and the funds are not received for the house. In some cases, past and present, people decide to go against an agreed-upon contract. However, because all the terms have been put down in writing, the court has legal ways to deal with such situations as disclosed in writing. Life certainly would not be the same without written communications.
Technology has moved at an amazing speed over the last century with the evolution of computers. The idea of computers and internet started when people needed ways to communicate other than verbal means because of its limitations. People started using the computer to type up articles and papers. Eventually the internet became the way to present information to a large number of people. At any given point, many people could be accessing a site on the web and reading articles. It is not possible to reach a large number of people through the telephone. Now, thanks to technology, we can find almost any information we need on the internet. This is definitely a new form of written communication. Without written communication, the internet wouldn’t exist even though technology allows.
Written communication has, without a doubt, been misused in the past and present. Adolph Hitler took advantage of written communication and spread a lot of racist ideas everywhere, enslaving the German minds and being a bad influence. People took his ideas to heart and went along with what he had to say. As a result, many Jews and other innocent people lost their lives. Hitler’s major work consisted of his two volumes of Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In these two volumes, he talks about his basic ideas and foundations. One passage from Chapter X: Causes of the Collapse from Mein Kampf states “The superior Ayran race, centered in Germany, would be the final victor and would rule the world. However, Germany would have to be ruled by a dictator and would have to be racially aware. It takes truly a Jewish effrontery to attribute the blame solely to the military defeat when the central organ of all traitors to the nation, the Berlin Vorwarts, wrote that this time the German people must not bring its banner home victorious!” This is an excellent example of how written communication is misused. In this case, slavery was facilitated because people were letting their minds be filled with racism.
In Levi-Strauss’ essay, he uses the inaccuracies of the travel literature as support for his argument that written communication facilitates slavery. In his case, the travel literature didn’t help him get by as he thought it would. He read that if he is lost, he is to fire a shot into the air so that the other people could hear it and find him. At another time, he was on an expedition with the Nambikwara tribe. However, only the men were there, each armed with bow and arrows. According to the book, this was a sign that indicated that an attack is eminent. However, the nervousness was unnecessary. Sometimes people make mistakes. Humans are all prone to error. This clearly shows that the purpose of written communication is a necessary means of communication. In this situation, there are always unique times when the typical strategy fails. It doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen, as it did.
After considering all the facts, it is clear to me that written communication is not meant to facilitate slavery. Rather, it is a very important means of communication necessary for survival. From the early days when America was first settled to the modern era with booming technology, written communication has always been necessary for us to communicate efficiently. The Internet became an efficient way to reach a large number of people. If writing is only to facilitate the slavery of the mind, our society wouldn’t have gotten this far now.
