Blowing Smoke by Dustin Elison

This is the best and worst piece of literature I have ever read. Mr. Orwell totally rips on the nerdy people who have a lot to say, but in the end have nothing to say. I think that is why he relates the topic to politics even in the title. When it comes to "Blowing Smoke," nobody does it like a "Suit." Using big words within your writing does not set you apart as an intellectual. Most often it is a clear display of concealment or lack of knowledge. Mr. Orwell seems to be skilled in writing both simple terms and what he refers to as "modern english" (orwell 1). He dislikes the path that english tends to be taking lately, but he does think that it can be reversed if enough people decide to change it. Clearer communication will bring about clearer thoughts (orwell 1). When too much jargon is used the point is totally missed. The author totally hits it on the head when he compares the number of words to the number of syllables (orwell 4). They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Even with an extra amount of syllables if your using less words your probably getting less of the picture. Just using simple words to try and get the point across is also universal, more people will be able to understand what it is your trying to say. Some of the phrases that the author picks on I actually kinda like and others I've never heard of such as "Bloodstained Tyranny," which is not something I hear or see very often. Maybe it is more popular than I know. The likeness of the public speaker who turns into a machine was accurate (orwell 5). How many times have we all witnessed that one, the brainless scarecrow. Though it was confusing the article made a very good point in a very convincing way by incorporating the issue at hand into the writing. Mr. Orwell gives some really good tips about questions to ask yourself when writing to help avoid being a mindless writer. I'm totally glad this reading was an assignment or I never would have gotten past the first page. In the end that was the learning lesson, keep it simple keep my attention.