[X] My Assistant

[kenneth1221]

We're using 'pen' and 'sword' as metaphors, right?

Metaphorically, lies and propaganda are always the best. Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War to teach generals the best tactics. You can't teach tactics and achieve victory by brute force alone. I believe Sun Tzu pointed out sowing dissent as a tactic. Also, defectors can aid in war very well.

However, if the usage of pen and sword are truly metaphorical, then it depends on the power of the sword. Nuclear Weapons? They can stop any propaganda center, and citizens' letters to military leaders could do nothing to stop the launches.

Common Sense by Thomas Paine. This helped the American Revolutionary War effort more than any battle.

So, it all depends. The pen is mightier than the sword if it is used to pen taunts for duels, propaganda for wars, and slurs against bullies. The sword is stronger in actual combat (duh).

Edit: Darn, I didn't look at the dates and ended up necroposting, possibly for a second time. I do think this thread is good enough to continue, but that's not my job to decide.

[Pikalover10]

It depends.

Some situations require brute force. If someone breaks in to your house and tries to hack your head off, than yes... brute force is the only solution. Unless you feel like being this guy, "MWAHAHAHA! I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY PIECE OF PAPER THAT THOROUGHLY DESCRIBES YOUR DEATH! MWAHAHA!" ehem... that guy, will last about a second if he's lucky.

On the other hand situations do call for brainpower more. Pokemon is a fine example. Not the games as much, but if it were real life. You have to have a strategy. Strategy, my friend, is brain power. If you're in the middle of a war, only you and two other guys surrounded by ten people and you have to get everyone out without injury. That requires brainpower. Brute force will get you killed.

So yes. It depends

[nitrodog96]

It depends. The pen can be used as a weapon to poke your opponent's eyes and temporarily blind them, then jab at them. But still, if you can't poke their eyes, your pen is dead. Like you.

[Munchdon]

Think logically people!!!

The sword is mightier than a pen when in...a lot of situations.

But the Pen is mightier when you shoot it out of a gun! Sheesh, think about, why don't you!

[Reyo]

the point behind it is supposed to be a metaphor for the fact that getting yourself on paper will result in better results than hacking your enemies up whether it be gaining immortality (through written word), or even just vanquishing your enemies (through law and government.) Thing is though is that the metaphor doesn't take into account that people sometimes want different things in different situations, and where in one case the analogy works, in others it fails horribly. For example, having your house invaded definitely takes a degree of physical intervention, you can't just try and "write it off". Survival takes a degree of both.

[The Grouch]

...And then Kenneth stole the words from my mouth.

Edward Bulwer wrote this metaphor describing people that violence, while easy isn't the best way to go about doing things, and has a much more negative effect, and will only make your victim, or antagonist pissed off. Thus, revenge. Write about them, talk about them, rumors and lies, and it will eventually destroy them (metaphorically of course).

But then again, I know how to use a sword, so yeah.

[Uwtkhgs]

Percy Jackson

WHAT NOW!!!!!!!!

[Reyo]

Percy Jackson

WHAT NOW!!!!!!!!

[megaarrow25]

If the pen is mightier than the sword, than why do actions speak louder than words?

[Some Person]

It depends on the size of the sword and the sharpness of the pen in question.

Seriously, it is by the power of education and information that mighty despots fall; think of the role of Twitter and social networking in the 'Arab Spring', helping the protesters organise and smuggle information the various human rights abuses out of their country. Many revolutions start with the written word, from Luther nailing his thesis to the doors of that Church to Karl Marx writing Das Kapital and starting an age of Communism. On the other side, look at the impact Mein Kampf had on recent history. You could also mention the Declaration Of Independence, the Magna Carta and any one of the world's Holy Texts- all made by the pen and used to spread very powerful ideas across the globe. Also, think of the Ancient Greek philosophers- they used the pen and we remember their words to this day, but their enemies who used the sword to silence what they couldn't accept are just remembered as "the people who killed so-and-so/had so-and-so killed." Think about it for a second. We remember great works of writing, moving speeches and sometimes even epic poems- all of which were made not only to carry an idea from the speaker/author to the listener but to make sure it could carry on doing so for hundreds of years in the future. A picture says a thousand words, but sometimes a word can have a thousand ideas hidden inside...

Actions only speak louder than words because, when you talk to children and idiots, you speak LOUDLY and s-l-o-w-l-y.

[BazookaNeon]

I'm gonna make it short and sweet and say that a pen is both mentally and physically mightier then a sword.
Why not? It expresses the imagination of it's user.

Although I will insert a Zelda moment here and say that the exception is the Master Sword.