Words that bring me to tears...

Think about the climax of a movie when a child finally meets his parents. The caretaker says to the child, “I would like you to meet your Mom and Dad!” Remember the chills you felt? The phrase may have even moved you to tears. Words move people. It is not just words that move you, the context surrounding those words play a vital role in the meaning behind the words.

One of the most powerful phrases in any language is “I love you.” This phrase means so many things and nothing at the same time. You can use the phrase with sarcasm; much like its use in the movie Tangled when Rapunzel’s Mother, Gothel, would say “You know mother loves you” or “I love you most.” Understanding the context of Tangled, the phrase that would normally fill you with wonder, excitement and warmth comes across as hollow, fake and cold.

Here is a throw back to your high school years when some one did something not so intelligent, “Way to go Einstein” or “You are a genius.”  Einstein and Genius denote an extreme high IQ but in this context they are actually insults. Even those phrases and context move some people to laugh, some to feel power, and others to feel pain and insult.

How do you use both phrases and context to move people?