Orwell states, "prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated hen-house." I think this is something that has not changed over the years. I can relate to this because I have read papers, especially in high school, where students have used large words in place of smaller, easier to understand words just to make themselves sound smarter in their paper. Also, if you listen to a political leader give a speech, it is often hard to follow because they have used words in it that I believe the average American would not know the meaning of. I think they do this to sound more intelligent because Americans want someone smart leading the country. Orwell says, "In our time it is broadly true that political writing is bad writing." I believe this statement is true in our time also. George Orwell gave some advice saying, "Provavly it is better to put off using words as long as possible and get one's meaning as clear as one can through pictures or sensations." I probably enjoy reading things that are fairly easy to understand and can see it in my mind. I feel like the same is true with most people. I find it easier to enjoy reading anything if I can either picture it vividly in my mind, or picture myself in that situation. Orwell states some rules near the end of his writing. These rules are simple to follow, and I think if you are following these rules when writing, the reader will be able to enjoy your writing more.
That's an interesting point about how politicians use the kind of language Orwell was talking about to sound intelligent so America thinks they're intelligent. I totally agree because if a president was talking in like slang or even just normal, everyday language I feel like they would definitely get judged for being "unintelligent."
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