‘Action is eloquence’

Awww! Just when we think that the lessons Jeremy’s parents and teachers are valiantly teaching aren’t sinking in, he demonstrates the value of their guidance with a heartfelt action and a mere seven words.

His final line today makes me wonder if his high school teachers have required him to read William Shakespeare’s play Coriolanus, because Act III, Scene ii contains the paradoxical line, “Action is eloquence.”

“Eloquence” is the noun form of “eloquent,” which can be broken down into two Latin word parts. “E” means “out,” as in “egress” and “egregious.” Then there’s loqui, meaning “to speak.” It is the precursor of words such as “loquacious,” “locution” and “elocution.” So, the meaning of the Latin word eloqui was “to speak out.”

Eloquent now means to be “fluid, forceful … persuasive [and] vividly expressive,” according to Webster’s. The words in time-honored speeches such as Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” are frequently called eloquent.

TIME OUT: Those of you who just wanted to know the etymology and definition of “eloquent” are welcome to bail out now, because I’m about to ignore a line from Hamlet, another Shakespearean play, which is “Brevity is the soul of wit.” I feel a strong need to wax philosophic on paradox and eloquence today, so flee if you must. I’ll absolutely understand.

For those few stalwart souls still reading, here goes:

As noted in a previous blog entry, paradox is something that seems contradictory, but is also true. For example, my very first friend, who lives in Brush, Colo., will celebrate her 15th birthday at the end of this month, even though she’s a bit older than I, and I’m w-a-y past 15. Yes, you got it; she was born on Feb. 29, 1952.

Now, for eloquence, there’s no better example than the efforts here at The Daily Sentinel.

In a very real sense, we here are all about words. Every day, our reporters are talking to citizens who speak out about issues and events in our community and then incorporating those comments into articles. Our photographers take pictures that are worth a thousand words, and they also work as reporters when they compose the captions that go with their photos.

Our copy editors check the veracity of words and often suggest ways to make reporters’ words more eloquent. With its columns, editorials, political cartoons and letters to the editor, our editorial page contains fine examples of eloquent language.

In late afternoon meetings, some of our newsroom staffers explain what they’re working on and frequently try to persuade others that their particular story deserves front-page treatment. They’d probably scoff at the notion that they speak eloquently, but they do speak persuasively.

Our ad reps are helping businesspeople with words for ads that will convey the quality of their services and/or merchandise. I could go on and on about other TDS staffers who understand the vitality of words in their daily labors, but that must wait for another day.

And yet … in an environment where we grasp the pleasure and power of words, the contradiction is that we are often sparing of them. Why? One reason is that we understand the meaning of deadlines. Everyone has a certain amount of work to do in a certain time. Every day TDS personnel rely on other staffers to complete their jobs on time so that they may accomplish their own jobs under deadline pressure.

So, even though we do schmooze a bit and razz each other if a favorite team’s not doing well, such conversations usually are brief. Everyone has to take action and get his or her job done.

Those who best personify the idea that actions can be vividly forceful and therefore eloquent are our production people and our paper carriers. All the efforts of folks in the newsroom and ad department come to naught if our production staffers don’t vigorously work each night to print the paper and include its ad inserts and if our carriers can’t make their rounds, often in rotten weather, in the wee hours each morning.

To me, they are sterling examples of a quote by a man considered the father of modern American shipbuilding, Henry Kaiser. “If your work speaks for itself,” Kaiser said, “don't interrupt.”

Yes, here at the Sentinel we know the value of words, but often we’re too busy to convey all that we could. Or we are too shy. Or we worry about wasting someone else’s valuable time. Or we’re in such awe over others’ journalistic prowess that we think anything we say could not hold a candle to what they say. Or, all of the above.

Our publisher has recognized this lapse in communication. Yesterday Jay Seaton e-mailed the entire TDS staff to address any fears or reservations people may have about speaking up in meetings. He recommended a Wall Street Journal article that explains why some folks are reluctant to articulate their views. The article is worth reading. Its link is: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204136404577207020525853492.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0.

“I am sending this to everyone in the building,” Seaton wrote, “because I am absolutely certain that there are some fantastic ideas floating around in the minds of many of you who, for one reason or another, do not feel comfortable expressing them.”

I was happy to get his e-mail. I enjoy a workplace in which open communication is encouraged. Now, if I could manage to arrive earlier, get over my shyness and my fear of wasting others’ time, and banish my inferiority complex when I compare my communication skills to those of many others in this building, I may try to speak out more.

And, if my colleagues ever consider any of my words eloquent, I’d truly be honored.