Katlyn Griffin Griffin 1
Price Gun Store Scholarship
May 31, 2017
If I Had a Hammer
My dad used to randomly belt out the song If I Had a Hammer by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It goes “If I had a hammer / I'd hammer in the morning / I'd hammer in the evening / All over this land / I'd hammer out danger / I'd hammer out a warning / I'd hammer out love between / My brothers and my sisters / All over this land.” Though I can’t vouch for my dad’s illustrious singing voice, I can say the song he sung was pretty accurate. After all, what better words to describe one of the most timeless treasures of the world: the hammer. From the dawn of time, the hammer has empowered mankind. Don’t believe me? I’m here to inform you of the numerous ways hammers have offered means of demolition, building, and protection.
Imagine an interior designer staring critically at a wall. “It must come down,” he announces, “it ruins the flow of the house.” Without hesitation, he grabs a sledge hammer and smashes a giant hole in the sheetrock. If you’ve ever watched the home and garden channel on TV, you will be familiar with this scene. As demonstrated countless times on renovation shows, the destructive power of the hammer is not something to be taken lightly. After all, it is not a drill. The design of the hammer allows one to hit an object with much greater force than otherwise would allow. One of the most profound pictures of the power of the hammer is found in the destruction of the Berlin Wall. If you do a quick image search of the Berlin Wall, you will discover hundreds of photos of people hacking away at a foot-wide cement wall with, you guessed it, hammers. For those stuck in the border of communist Russia, the hammer was a tool that helped them tear down the barrier in their path. Although many connect hammers with destruction, they are also tools that allow people to start over. Hammers enable people to tear down the old and begin again.
The power of a hammer does not stop with demolition. Hammers are also powerful tools for building. Picture the hard hat, checkered shirt, overalls, and in his hand a hammer. The iconic children's character, Bob the Builder, rebuilds the world with his trusty hammer in hand. Like Bob the Builder’s famous phrase “yes we can!”, hammers allow people to transform almost anything into beautiful projects. Personally, as a do-it-yourself project fanatic, I love using my hammer to transform my home. With it I’m able to hang pictures or add shelves, which does wonders to a room. Even early civilization saw the building power of the hammer. Ancient cultures used hammers to build fortresses. Despite its power to wield great force, hammers are one of the most powerful tools for creating beautiful pieces of art. Silversmiths, goldsmiths, and blacksmiths, use the force of the hammer to shape hard metal into beautiful bowls, stunning swords, and dainty jewelry. Artists use the power of the hammer to chisel marble into unbelievable sculptures. In addition to physical building projects, hammers have been used for generations as a means of building memories. I remember my younger brother playing construction with his plastic hammers. At age 6, he took the plastic hammer outside determined to build a house in the backyard for mom. Although the house never came to fruition, my little brother still loves building today and hopes to one day become an architect or civil engineer. Another one of my favorite memories was playing whack-a-mole with my siblings as a child. Hitting the head of a mole with a little hammer provided hours of laugher. Despite its brutish shape, hammers can be used to build and create.
Finally, hammers are powerful tools for protection. For centuries, the hammer has been attributed to powerful gods. According to legend, hammers were considered weapons of protection. In the Marvel universe, the superhero Thor defeats armies wielding only his hammer, Mjolnir. With Mjolnir, Thor can protect Earth from invading threats. True, Thor is a fictitious character, but the protecting power of the hammer is not. Our modern-day heroes such as firemen and rescue patrols use hammers to rescue people locked in cars and buildings. Inventors have designed small car hammers to break car windows should you get trapped inside. In the past, my family used hammers to nail boards across our windows when hurricanes threaten to rip them apart. The claw side of hammers have also been used to save people from falling off roofs or mountains. If you happened to get lost in the woods, a hammer can help you split wood for a fire, build a shelter, create lots of noise to help rescuers find you, protect you from dangerous animals, and, if you happen to have a piece of metal handy, help you build a fire. Though hammers are made of cold hard iron, they are tools that provide safety and protection.
With their power to destroy, rebuild, and protect, hammers personify power. When we see a man or women holding up a piece of lead on a stick, we know better than to cross them. They are on a mission to reconstruct the world around them. With the rise of technology people may be surprised that the hammer still exists today. But I remind you, hammers aren’t just tools for construction, but tools that provide power, allow for creativity, and help create laughter. I believe there is something especially empowering about gripping a hammer. With it, you can easily rip open a wall, construct a mansion, or even save a life. As I remember my father belting out If I Had a Hammer, I can’t help but remember one of the final lines which says, “I got a hammer.” It’s so simple, like the hammer itself, but it packs a blow. Hammers have and will never cease to aid men and women around the globe.