Words Hurt, Words Protect

In the story, "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville, I read a quote that really stuck out to me. On page 10, Melvin says, "It is. But if you live in a world that keeps trying to grind you down, you either start thumbing your nose at it  or end up very, very short. Taking back language is one way to jam the grinder. My friends and I call each other 'fagots' and 'queer' for the same reason black folks call each other 'nigger'- to take the words away from the people who use them to hurt us." This quote I found really interesting and was able to connect it to Vince and other characters in the story, as well as connecting it to the real world and how people can connect to it.

I find this quote really interesting because of the meaning behind the words. The grinder and how Melvin uses as a metaphor for bullying I think is really meaningful. I think he means, bullying is a force that is very hard to get out of. For example, Vince is bullied by Butch, and he can't stand up for himself. Connecting this to the metaphor, he is stuck in a grinder and is being beat very quickly, and he is getting shorter and shorter every second. Then, Bruce Coville says, "Taking back language is one way to jam the grinder". This is a line of defense that shows how there is a way to stop the grinder, or stand up to the bullying. Melvin also refers to taking back language. I think that this is very smart and deep. When you take back language from someone, or use it to yourself, it makes the bully look stupid. It also shows strength and courage and puts the bully in his place. I also think that making yourself look stronger this way is more successful than trying to fight back with the bully. As Melvin says, using the words to each other takes the word away from the bully, who would use it to hurt you.

This quote really connects to Vince. Butch, a bully, bullies Vince and makes Vince feel alone and worthless and weak. Vince doesn't know how to deal with it, but i think that using words against him is really smart. Another Character that can connect to the quote is Butch. Even though Butch is bullying Vince for being gay, at the end you find out that Butch is gay as well. I think that butch calls Vince mean names to make himself feel better, even though those same words are offensive to him as well. I also think that Butch uses those words to cover himself and who he really is.

I can connect this to the real world because I have encountered many incidents when someone is being mean to someone else. A lot of the time you just think, "jerk, why is he doing that to him? Does he not have a life?" But people never really stop and think why they bully, why people say such mean things. I think that a lot of the times it is to make yourself feel better, or cover something about you that no one knows, or as this quote illustrates, it takes the words away. It Takes the opportunity away for someone to be mean to you about that same thing because you made fun of someone else for it. I think this quote is trying to make people think deeper on why people are mean, or why people use what may seem like offensive things to protect themselves.