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be more apt to write or to say break or shutdown or perhaps tend to, usually or most of the time, none of which sounds quite as dazzling as the phrases aforementioned.

In the abuse of dying metaphors and meaningless words, repetition is the culprit. Some metaphors are heard or seen repeatedly and are sprinkled so generously that they become engraved in memory and so become used just as frequently once again. For example, the metaphor fishing in troubled waters is completely exhausted but heard so often. Then when one becomes lazy and chooses not to think of an original comparison, one recalls this one and inserts it. It would be nice to wow the reader with something new and exciting, but of course, why go to the trouble of thinking when there is a perfectly good worn out metaphor stored in the brain from years and years of repetition to use. Words like romantic, human and natural (i.e. meaningless words) are not meaningless at all. They are simply the one word manifestation of an entire concept. Romance is an attachment, a strong fascination and enthusiasm for another, however it is so much simpler to add the suffix "-ic" to the root word.

George Orwell says that the death of the English language is due to slovenliness and a total disregard for originality. However, in today's America, as a whole, the desire to preserve the dignity and sense in our dialect is dead as well. It is all about repetition and regurgitation of what has been heard already. We have replaced literature with television and radio influences and have conditioned ourselves to allow those influences to do the thinking for us. That concept applies to those in the corporate world and trickles down to the classrooms and the vicious cycle continues.

Learn more about this author, Irie Bliss.
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