How Words Make Things Happen

Download or read book How Words Make Things Happen written by David Bromwich and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-04 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sooner or later, our words take on meanings other than we intended. How Words Make Things Happen suggests that the conventional idea of persuasive rhetoric (which assumes a speaker's control of calculated effects) and the modern idea of literary autonomy (which assumes that 'poetry makes nothing happen') together have produced a misleading account of the relations between words and human action. Words do make things happen. But they cannot be counted on to produce the result they intend. This volume studies examples from a range of speakers and writers and offers close readings of their words. Chapter 1 considers the theory of speech-acts propounded by J.L. Austin. 'Speakers Who Convince Themselves' is the subject of chapter 2, which interprets two soliloquies by Shakespeare's characters and two by Milton's Satan. The oratory of Burke and Lincoln come in for extended treatment in chapter 3, while chapter 4 looks at the rival tendencies of moral suasion and aestheticism in the poetry of Yeats and Auden. The final chapter, a cause of controversy when first published in the London Review of Books, supports a policy of unrestricted free speech against contemporary proposals of censorship. Since we cannot know what our own words are going to do, we have no standing to justify the banishment of one set of words in favour of another.

Download or read book How to Do Things with Words written by John Langshaw Austin and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1975 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work sets out Austin's conclusions in the field to which he directed his main efforts for at least the last ten years of his life. Starting from an exhaustive examination of his already well-known distinction between performative utterances and statements, Austin here finally abandons that distinction, replacing it with a more general theory of 'illocutionary forces' of utterances which has important bearings on a wide variety of philosophicalproblems.

Download or read book When Bad Things Happen to Good People written by Harold S. Kushner and published by Random House Digital, Inc.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers an inspirational and compassionate approach to understanding the problems of life, and argues that we should continue to believe in God's fairness.

Download or read book Making Things Happen written by Scott Berkun and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 2008-03-25 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a collection of essays on philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. This book explains to technical and non-technical readers alike what it takes to get through a large software or web development project. It does not cite specific methods, but focuses on philosophy and strategy.

Download or read book Energy Makes Things Happen written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2002-12-24 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you know that energy comes from the food you eat? From the sun and wind? From fuel and heat? You get energy every time you eat. You transfer energy to other things every time you play baseball. In this book, you can find out all the ways you and everyone on earth need energy to make things happen.

Download or read book Talk Less, Say More written by Connie Dieken and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-10-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Talk Less, Say More is a revolutionary guide to 21st century communication skills to help you be more influential and make things happen in our distracted, attention-deficit world. It's loaded with specific tips and takeaways to ensure that you're fully heard, clearly understood, and trigger positive responses in any business or social situation. It's the first book to deliver a proven method to master the core leadership skill of influence. Talk Less, Say More lays out a powerful 3-step method called Connect, Convey, Convince (R) and guides you in how to use these habits to be more influential. This succinct book solves your modern communication issues in today's demanding, distracted world at a time when interaction skills are plummeting. Communication is the single greatest challenge in business today. It takes just 3 habits to conquer it. Talk Less, Say More will help you achieve more with less. Less wordiness. Less tune-out. Less frustration. You'll gain more time. More positive outcomes. More rewarding relationships.

Download or read book Write Your Own Magic written by Richard Webster and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2001 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Write Your Own Magicshows you how you can use the incredible magical power of words to make your dreams a reality. This guidebook presents the three magic steps essential to manifesting exactly what you want, for dreams both big and small. There is no limit to what you can ask for as long as your requests hurt no one. For instance, you might want: ·vibrant health ·a fulfilling relationship ·greater happiness ·more money ·a better job ·stronger faith ·increased creativity and intuition All of this, and much more, can be brought into your life when you follow the step-by-step instructions in this magical guidebook. Write Your Own Magic will show you how to create original white magic spells that make your hopes and dreams come true. First, you'll learn how to determine your life's purpose. Next, you'll find out how to write magic that makes your dreams come true in six important areas-physical, spiritual, mental, financial, social, and intuitive. Finally, you'll discover how to use the hidden power of words-sacred names and secret writings, magic diaries and dissolving ink, along with other simple white magic techniques-to make your desires, hopes, and wishes come true!