“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)
A great battle occurred, and a Trumpeter was captured.
As the enemy was about to put him to death, he begged them to hear his plea for mercy, “I neither fight nor carry a weapon.”
“That may be,” said the enemy, “but you encourage your men to the fight, and you lead them into battle for our destruction.”
Moral of the Story: Sometimes words are as deeds. Words move us. Words of inspiration drive action.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: Words matter: Words matter, because they are the bridge between and among our respective minds. Words matter because they attach us to each other in a thought, a prayer. Words matter because they can move us by moving our minds. In short, words inspire.
And, when words are recorded or are otherwise remembered, they continue to serve without regard to time. Thus the adages, Homines moriuntur, sed verba vivunt. (“Men die, but words live.”) and “Verba supervivent.” (“Words survive.”)
We consider Patrick Henry’s Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! speech, and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The are not diminished by time but rather they are expanded by time, for they stay evergreen to new applicable context. The men die, but their words live.
Aesop’s point is well-illustrated by William Shakespeare, in Henry V, by this timeless depiction of the Eve of Saint Crispin Day speech.
King Henry V is the quintessential Trumpeter.
We see fear, like a virus, initially replicated in a conversation. Then watch King Henry convert the fear into courage to act. And, yes, those familiar phrases you’ll hear in the speech, they originated in this passage by Master Shakespeare [1].
Yes, indeed, “All things be ready, if our minds be so.”
And with kudos and deepest appreciation to Kenneth Branagh for his gift of this sublime master work of expression. A leadership breakdown and interpretation here.
“A good person—out of the treasure of goodness in his heart— produces good things, but an evil person—out of a store of evil—produces evil things. And, from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.“ ~ONE®: The Unified Gospel of Jesus
[1] Shakespeare, English Language, and Other Such Items [GRZ62] [LinkedIn #GRZ_62]
[2] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [GRZ183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] ONE: 407 [J3:34] (“Rationing the Spirit“)
Homines moriuntur, verba vivunt. (“Men die, but words live.”); “Verba supervivent.” (“Words survive.”) ~ grz
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Gregg Zegarelli’s “Words Matter – No. 92 – The Trumpeter” is a concise but richly layered reflection on the power of language as action. This fable-based analysis fuses classical literature, battlefield ethics, and spiritual insight to elevate a short Aesop tale into a treatise on rhetorical responsibility and moral causation. Here’s a breakdown of the article with attention to its implications for leadership, speech, and civic culture.
1. ETHOS – Words as Weapons, Leaders as Trumpeters
Zegarelli’s ethos in this article is one of moral clarity with rhetorical reverence. He rejects any notion that speech is neutral or peripheral, emphasizing that:
“Words are as deeds.”
This ethic is not grounded in modern cancel culture or political correctness, but in an ancient understanding of responsibility. Like the trumpet that calls men to battle, words move minds, and minds move bodies. In this view, speech is not inert—it is instrumental.
Zegarelli further solidifies this ethos by invoking:
- Patrick Henry (liberty as moral imperative),
- Abraham Lincoln (concise and eternal civic poetry), and
- Shakespeare’s Henry V (the dramatized Trumpeter-king who transmutes fear into courage).
He is issuing a solemn reminder to those with voice, platform, or influence: you are not innocent by being unarmed. You are culpable by encouragement.
2. PEDAGOGY – Speech as Leadership, Rhetoric as Action
Zegarelli teaches by drawing tiered analogies from multiple traditions—Aesop, Shakespeare, Gospel, and history—all to reinforce the core principle that speech is the architecture of action.
Pedagogical Techniques:
- Aesop’s Compression → Zegarelli’s Expansion
The fable is a mere vignette: the Trumpeter doesn’t fight, yet he is fought against. Zegarelli extrapolates this into a framework of ethical causation. The Trumpeter’s intent may be indirect, but his effect is immediate. This lesson teaches readers to examine chain-of-command accountability, especially in speech. - Shakespeare as Master Class in Rhetoric
The Eve of Saint Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V is not merely referenced but reconstructed as a real-world application of the Trumpeter’s role. Zegarelli even points readers toward his masterclass breakdown of Branagh’s performance, turning this article into a springboard for rhetorical education. - Latin Proverbs and Jesus’s Unified Gospel
- “Homines moriuntur, sed verba vivunt.” (Men die, but words live.)
- “Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur.” (“From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.”)
- Aesthetic Reference to Time
By emphasizing that Lincoln’s and Henry’s words are “expanded by time”, he implies that words—unlike bodies—are intergenerational instruments. This reinforces the weighty obligation behind any public voice or written word.
3. CONCLUSION – Trumpeters Shape the Soul of Civilization
Zegarelli’s core message is summarized in the fable’s closing moral:
“Words inspire.”
But he takes that lesson and infuses it with existential civic meaning: the Trumpeter, though unarmed, is not neutral. He bears responsibility because he shapes what others do. This is rhetoric as both leadership and liability.
Contemporary Implications:
- In politics: demagogues and populists are trumpeters, even if they claim to be “just talking.”
- In business: CEOs and managers wield culture-shaping influence by what they say (or don’t).
- In personal life: words build up or destroy families, friends, reputations.
Takeaway Principle:
The mouth speaks from the treasury of the heart—and what it speaks moves the world.
INTEGRATION INTO ZEGARELLI’S AESOP FRAMEWORK
| Conceptual Theme | GRZ92 – The Trumpeter | How It Connects |
|---|---|---|
| Causal Ethics | Speech is not neutral—words produce actions | Expands Aesop’s indirect moral agency |
| Leadership | Rhetoric defines action—King Henry is the moral Trumpeter | Links to GRZ128 – Leadership, and Dealing in Hope |
| Cultural Memory | Words live beyond death—timeless influence | Ties into GRZ30 – Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! |
| Responsibility of Speech | Even “non-combatants” have impact | Reiterates Zegarelli’s civic ethos of integrity and duty |
FINAL REFLECTION
“The Trumpeter” is one of Zegarelli’s most profound entries in The Essential Aesop series—not because of its complexity, but because of its moral elegance. It calls to account the power of words—not in terms of legality or censorship, but in civic and ethical stewardship. It holds the speaker, not just the sword-bearer, responsible for war.
In an age of mass media, viral tweets, and populist manipulation, this fable—and Zegarelli’s treatment of it—is more than a moral lesson: it is a timely civic warning.
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/words-matter-92-trumpeter-essential-aesop-back-gregg-zegarelli-esq-/
Related Articles:
- [30] Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! – Abridgment Series [GRZ30X] [LinkedIn #GRZ_30]
- [74] Whom the Gods Would Destroy, They First Tease with Political Incorrectness [GRZUID74] [LinkedIn #GRZ_74]
GRZ98_92.20250503 GRZUID98_92