While it may be surprising, many of your opinions on issues have originated from propaganda. Propaganda is a means of manipulating the public into believing the information he wants his audience to believe. In an effort to raise awareness of propaganda, George Orwell in Politics and the English Language, Newman and Genevieve Birk in Selection, Slanting, and Charged Language, as well as DW Cross in Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled, explain the various ways in which an audience targeted can succumb to the manipulation of language and logic. George Orwell was one of the most famous British writers of the twentieth century and wrote the best-selling books, 1984 and Animal Farm. Orwell believed that “the way people use language…, is a result of the way they think, as well as an important influence on their thinking” (Orwell 234). He found that there was a decline in the English language triggered by political causes that grew stronger (Orwell 244). In an effort to reverse the effects of the decline, he created guidelines on dying metaphors, false operators or verbal limbs, pretentious diction, and meaningless words, to prevent English-language users from being incorrect and improper. His guideline on dying metaphors requires that we no longer use metaphors that do not give a vivid image to the recipients (Orwell 237). People have become lazy and unoriginal in finding new metaphors and use old metaphors instead of creating their own. Another guideline is verbal false operators or limbs. This means we use bigger words in a sentence to make it sound better (Orwell 237). When available, it is better to use a smaller word rather than a larger word or phrase with the same meaning. Furthermore, it is…half of the paper…the information that is communicated to us. We must not let propaganda run our lives, and as said by DW Cross, “If we are to be led, let us not be led blindly, but critically, intelligently, with our eyes open” (Cross 193). Works Cited Birk, Newman P. and Genevieve B. Birk. “Selection, Slant, and Loaded Language.” Escholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa and Virginia Clark. Language awareness: Readings for college writers. Boston: Bedford St. Martin, 2013. 223-231. Print.Cross, DW "Propaganda; how not to be fooled." Mackillop, James and Donna Woolfolk Cross. On purpose; A language reader. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1982. 184-193. Print.Orwell, George. "Politics and the English language". Escholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa and Virginia Clark. Language awareness: Readings for college writers. 11. Boston: Bedford St. Martin, 2013. 234-244. Press.