As a youngster, one of my favorite books was Anne of Green Gables. It ignited my love for historical fiction, and my realization that I was born in the wrong era.

The author, L.M. Montgomery is obviously a master of the written word. Therefore, she is a hero of mine. Anyone who can take control of words and make them work for them- that deserves respect.

She was quoted saying:

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.”

That is what I am here to talk about. Ever since I was young, the words spoke for themselves. Words tell you what they mean by the way they look and sound.

Let me explain-

Great. Mean. Cold. Deep. Sinister. Grief.

Do those words not give you feelings when you look at them?

Let’s start with the first word: Great.

When I look at it, I instantly think of the kind of people who say great all the time. Now the G is wearing a cardigan and a pair of glasses on a string. (No offense intended.)

Grief. Does the word not make you want to cry? The word is ugly, and looks hard to spell. Grief strikes a dark chord when I see it.

Look at the word Mean. In capital, its worse. It’s all sharp edges: MEAN

Am I alone in this?

Can a rose be a rose if it’s called something else?

I so very strongly disagree with that. I believe words represent what they are naming. (I also like agreeing with one of my favorite authors.)

Agreeing. The word just looks like people nodding their heads. When I see the word agreeing, I see a quiet room full of nodding people.

Strongly.

Freezing.

Dying.

Flying.

Ridiculous.

Stupid.

Childish.

Laughing.

These words have life within them.

Words control our world. They make us feel things. They make us do things. They are a weapon or a superpower, depending on how you use them, like everything else.

L.M Montgomery, thank you for being my childhood hero. Thank you for opening this topic once upon a time. Just look at the word Hero. Could it be any more heroic?