Incredible Essay - If you want to speak English, PLEASE read this

I can't believe I've never been exposed to this!

I just ran across an incredible essay making the point that written English is in decline. The author agrees that the decline of written English may be partially caused by a general decline in critical thinking by society. However, he argues that there is a feedback that is even stronger - that the decline of written English causes a general decline in critical thinking throughout society.

I love this essay because I am a stout defender of clarity in communication. Some consider me to be a grammer Nazi; from my own writing, anyone with a decent grasp of formal English can tell that this is far from true. What I do believe is that words MEAN SOMETHING, and the ultimate goal in any writing is to convey that meaning at clearly as possible. (This is also my take on technical drafting, and why I dislike ANSI/ASME Y14 and ISO 128, often finding myself in disagreement with those who cite them as scripture . . . but that is a topic for another time)

The wonderful thing about this essay is that it was written by George Orwell in 1946. In case you care to read the entirety of "Politics and the English Language", please follow the link.

Orwell's conclusions ring even more true today than in his time. In fact, it is incredible to see his examples of bad English and compare them to contemporary usage.

I do not believe I have ever seen this piece by Orwell. This is probably due to the political examples cited by Orwell. This is, after all, a post-WWII work. For example, Orwell states that the word 'Fascist' now signifies "something not desirable", and that it is impossible to stand against 'Fascism' when the word has lost its true meaning. Although this is much more true today than it was in 1946, it is nonetheless a topic that a public school teacher may be afraid of confronting head-on. In addition, I believe the piece does have slightly anarchist undertones.

Everyone should read at least the first few paragraphs, and take away the following of Orwell's rules:

1 - Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2 - Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3 - If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4 - Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5 - Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6 - Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous

Alex’s New Bookmark

Yesterday we bought Alex a bookmark with a small stopwatch on the end of it. He's supposed to be recording his reading time, and this will help. In addition, it might mitigate some of the awkward nights when he goes to bed to read for 15 minutes, and we find him 2-3 hours later still reading. "You forgot to tell me when 15 minutes was up" is always his story. Yeah, but it's been 3 hours!

McDonalds Trouble

We had some McDonalds in the Lloyd Center Food Court this afternoon just before watching a movie. When I saw the guy behind the counter, I knew this was not going to be an easy exchange. He was about 18 years old and had a vacuous stare with an all-around drugged-out look; it was pretty obvious there was not much going on behind his eyes. I ordered a Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles. He took 20 seconds to stare at his register and punch some buttons then asked if I'd like that in a meal or by itself. I told him that I wanted it in a meal, and repeated myself . . . "it's a Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles". Again, the guy punched buttons for 20 seconds, looked at me, and asked what kind of Meal that was. I said "What?"; he asked if I wanted Chicken Nuggets in the meal or a Hamburger. We were now at least a minute and a half into this exchange, I had more food to order, and this guy couldn't understand "Double Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal with no pickles". And we hadn't yet gotten to the drink.

That was more than I could take. I remember thinking to myself that in this economy it's incredible that this idiot has a job, then I looked at a manager standing at the next register and asked if there was someone else who could take my order. The manager told me that this guy was new. I said I don't care – he's an idiot. The manager came over and helped the guy put in the rest of my order. By the time he finished with the register and gave me my total, the food was already prepared and on a tray at the counter.

Perhaps my expectations are too high, but until you can understand "Hamburger Happy Meal", you have no business working a McDonalds cash register.

School Skate Night

We all went to the Fisher's Landing School Skate Night at Golden Skate. Alex and I skated; Tiffany watched. Alex also played Lazer Tag.

Kaleb, who in Mrs. Gallo's class with Alex, was there.

It was a lot of fun for everyone, especially Alex.

Grandpa Harold died

My Grandpa Harold died today of emphysema. He was in his 80s . . . 88, I believe. He lived in Bremerton, and the last time we saw him was in July when we stopped by his house on the way back from a Soap Box Derby race. Before that, it had been a few years.

I'm glad Alex got to see him.

Moby Dick

This is just scary.

Tiffany's Uncle and Aunt Rick and Sherry sent Alex a copy of Moby Dick for Christmas. It's not the original version – it's a "Great Classics for Children" version, edited to a 176 page, simplified novel. (If you've ever read Moby Dick, you would understand that the original version is extremely difficult for even literary adults to read and comprehend). I thought that it was a very nice gift, but did not expect it to be read soon – it went on Alex's bookshelf.

A few minutes ago, we were discussing Alex's reading homework. He is supposed to read 15 minutes each day, but we know he reads much more than that, often sneaking books under the covers late at night. His reading homework has been changed so that instead of simply reading 15 minutes, he is now supposed to record how long he did read, and write a few sentences about the reading. He told us that the new format would be easy, and said to us "Tell me any book that you think I didn't read." That one's easy, I thought . . . "Moby Dick". He insisted that he HAD read the book, so I quizzed him a few minutes (I've read the original version twice). Sure enough, he read it. He knew about Ahab and his wooden leg; Moby Dick the white whale; the Pequod (although he couldn't pronounce it, he knew how it was spelled); Queequeg and his tattoos (again, he couldn't pronounce the name); and Ishmael, the narrator. He also knew the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg (they were friends who had met just before the voyage), and how the book ends . . . including the name of the sole survivor.

My jaw dropped. I thought he was up there reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the 15^th time, or Garfield comics. I'm proud not so much that he could read the book, but rather that he chose to read it and stuck with it. He says it took him three days, and he read it between Christmas and New Year.

RISK

Tonight I got to roll out the new RISK game that Tiffany and Alex gave me for Christmas. We played a simplified version of the game that makes it easier to understand, and quicker to play. It still took about an hour and a half. Alex loved it, but I think he was ready to quit by the time I crushed both him and Tiffany. Tiffany has never liked RISK, and did not pretend to like it this time . . . but she played, since it cannot be played by two people.

I wish Tiffany would play it more; it's a great game for kids. It reinforces math, and teaches geography and strategy. I love to see Alex playing purely strategic games, instead of the chutes-and-ladders-type pure chance games that kids so often play.