Sam Hamill has written an amazing piece that breaks down the power of voice. Reading about his intense and troubled past, you don’t expect a paper that is so well written. It is not only well written but very powerful and insightful. The title “The Necessity to Speak” is the main point to what this read refers to. Society is controlled by the power of voice and more so from silence. A person can say anything that comes to mind, right or wrong in their eyes. It can obviously be wrong but if nobody ever speaks their opinion to that person, then that person or worse yet, group, can become very controlling. This is evident in everyday life. There is a fine line to know when to speak and when to be silent. I believe Hamill is saying that most of the time it is more rewarding to express words then hold them in. Obviously in some cases this can be very difficult and can lead to disaster. A perfect example of this is when he refers to battered women. This situation can be very complex resulting in fear. If she speaks her voice it may make things worse, or if she does not respond to these actions, maybe, just maybe, it will stop. The author writes “Three out of for victims, men and women, will return- the men will go back to prison, and the women, will return to battering relationships. The battered child will grow into the batterer” ( Hamill 547 ). So how are you supposed to stop or limit these behaviors? How do you keep living your life without fear? Is it healthy to live without fear? In my opinion I don’t think it is. I believe fear is what keeps us alive mentally and physically. The apathetic woman in an abusive relationship is causing more harm than good. Hamill mentions the battered child growing up to abusive. This is also pretty disturbing when you think about how it can continue being handed down into one vicious cycle. I related this paper to the poem” Immigrants in Our Own Land” by Jimmy Santiago Baca. Both authors spent time in jail and referred to some of the same situations. Both talk about how prisoners want to work and learn and start a new life but how difficult it is once you are released. I really enjoyed this read by Hamill. It was very moving and opens my eyes to the power of speech.

http://www.newpages.com/interviews/sam_hamill_copper_canyon.htm