Real World Profanity

I feel that the use of profanity is often an overlooked concept in writing. Whatever the medium, book, television, or film, profanity can have a powerful impact on the viewer. Some critics believe that using profanity is an unnecessary use of expression and is simply a means of "copping out" rather than writing something original. However, I believe that there is a time and place for using profanity in writing. Sometimes the acts and emotions a character experiences and feels are too overwhelming or graphic to go into detail to. These words embody those acts and emotions simply because the are too much for the characters to deal with. This attests to the humanity of the characters and makes them more believable. In Persepolis, we do not see a major use of profanity until page 74, the scene where the mother has been attacked and threatened. The use of profanity here makes the situation all the more real. In addition, the use of profanity clearly embodies the horrific act described. This also attest the decreasing innocence we see of the narrator.