I just recently read George Orwell's, "Politics and the English Language," for the first time, though I probably should have long ago. What has been very impressionable is the idea of image-phrases that have been deadened by overuse. Expressions that originally created images in other people's minds become automated so you can't even see the snake that is right in front of your nose. The fact that I have been so oblivious to the idea of chameleon metaphors simply, should I say, 'drives me up the wall.' Nobody every imagines someone 'driving up a wall' when you say that, it just means angry. It's lost its punch. Orwell's guidelines have made me pay attention to the images behind people's words, and I have really been enjoying hearing novelties in the way of language. My history professor illustrated historical squabbles during the signing of the declaration of the independence. He told how George Washington described the 13 colonies unified by only a "rope of sand." I was impressed. But everything has images screaming from all over; it's as if I've understood it for so long that I've forgotten it.
With the understanding that we want to read words that make us see images, why is it that psychology teachers seem to have a need to label people as either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. To me, the practice of labelling itself is what education should be trying to prevent, an egg to be cracked, fried, digested and shat, not incubated! The fact is that the more senses we can connect together the better our limited memories and battered brains can store them. Let's face it, our neurons rely on connections, and the more times a dendrite is triggered and the neuron accessed, the more it retains a fixed state. The brain cells need repetition, which is why flash cards helps us cram and political messages are so redundant. We need repitition, but it also works if more senses are triggered. Memory works best when we hear, smell, see, taste, and feel at the same time (and don't forget the sense of balance).
But, to 'keep the ball rolling,' I'll 'keep my chin up' in order to not 'kick the bucket.' If I 'play my cards right' I think I can 'let the cat out of the bag,' and then we'll all be 'pleased as punch.' After all, I don't want to 'let sleeping dogs lie.' You may have already discovered my secret; I bought a book on cliches. But, I feel 'fit as a fiddle' not having a 'cross to bear' in making up my own images. But don't 'cry over spilt milk,' because I'll 'cut this story short.' But I'm not a 'glutton for punishment' so I think I'll 'hit the hay' instead of 'burning the midnight oil' so I can avoid 'getting up on the wrong side of the bed.' I'm going to 'call it a day,' so for the most supreme of cliches, 'Good night!' 'Tomorrow is another day!'
With the understanding that we want to read words that make us see images, why is it that psychology teachers seem to have a need to label people as either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. To me, the practice of labelling itself is what education should be trying to prevent, an egg to be cracked, fried, digested and shat, not incubated! The fact is that the more senses we can connect together the better our limited memories and battered brains can store them. Let's face it, our neurons rely on connections, and the more times a dendrite is triggered and the neuron accessed, the more it retains a fixed state. The brain cells need repetition, which is why flash cards helps us cram and political messages are so redundant. We need repitition, but it also works if more senses are triggered. Memory works best when we hear, smell, see, taste, and feel at the same time (and don't forget the sense of balance).
But, to 'keep the ball rolling,' I'll 'keep my chin up' in order to not 'kick the bucket.' If I 'play my cards right' I think I can 'let the cat out of the bag,' and then we'll all be 'pleased as punch.' After all, I don't want to 'let sleeping dogs lie.' You may have already discovered my secret; I bought a book on cliches. But, I feel 'fit as a fiddle' not having a 'cross to bear' in making up my own images. But don't 'cry over spilt milk,' because I'll 'cut this story short.' But I'm not a 'glutton for punishment' so I think I'll 'hit the hay' instead of 'burning the midnight oil' so I can avoid 'getting up on the wrong side of the bed.' I'm going to 'call it a day,' so for the most supreme of cliches, 'Good night!' 'Tomorrow is another day!'
