Leyzer Zamenhof was surrounded by people who didn't know how to communicate with each other. Yiddish, German, Polish, Russian -- with so many languages, it was sometimes too easy to misunderstand each other. Zamenhof dreamed of a single language that would allow people from all backgrounds to make themselves understood, and maybe even help achieve peace. That's why he began calling himself Dr. Esperanto: one who hopes.
How do words connect or divide us?