Carpenter and Shereda 1

Billy Carpenter

Lindsey Shereda

Ms. Parent

AP Language and Composition

24 April 2019

The Irony of Information

The world's knowledge lies before the American people like a tome. A young child

reaches for the book with curiosity and wonder. He is ushered away before grasping the book,

for some pages must be torn out and some rewritten. The book gets translated, its words

mutilated, but the public cherishes it without understanding a page. America's book is the

Internet, which provides instant access to streams of thought ‒ and then some. Currently, in

America, technological advancements store an abundance of information. Naturally, it could be

assumed that more information directly correlates with a greater understanding of the world.

However, alongside the rise of information, America has seen a fall in critical thinking and

comprehension. The ability to articulate intelligent thoughts has become increasingly difficult

because people lack a deeper understanding of language. Although Americans live in the

information age, they comprehend language less.

Historically, information has expanded while language comprehension has shrunk.

Originally, the Internet served as “...‘the great democratizer of knowledge’...,” but the sea of

information available to people has instead divided common understanding (Wright). The

overwhelming amount of information has not propelled learning. For example, in the article

“SAT Verbal/Critical Reading and Writing Exams,” the SAT, also known as the Scholastic
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Aptitude Test, has indicated a decrease in verbal SAT scores since 1967 (see Appendix A). The

SAT verbal section requires students to interpret the meaning of passages and vocabulary. Over

time, students’ ability to accurately answer these questions has declined, indicating students have

trouble comprehending the meaning of vocabulary even though they have access to an

abundance of knowledge.

Modern English contains many prevalent issues leading to a lack of comprehension

between writers and readers. Readers miscomprehend what the writer says because writers are

not exact with word choice. According to English novelist George Orwell, one issue in modern

English is the use of clichés. When writers use clichés, they may be unaware of the adverse

effects and convey an unintended meaning. For example, a writer may use the cliché “a hammer

and an anvil,” in which the writer implies the anvil is harmed, but in reality, the anvil always

ends up breaking the hammer (Orwell). The overall effect of clichés renders the reader unable to

accurately comprehend what the writer is saying. Orwell states another issue in modern English

is that writers eliminate simple verbs and favor wordy phrases. Quantity does not trump quality,

and the author’s true meaning behind his/her words can be muddled by these unnecessary

additions. Orwell claims the last issue in modern English is the usage of abstract terms in place

of concrete terms. Abstract terms cloud the meaning of passages and create vagueness. For

example, the word “freedom” is subjective: its meaning varies depending on who interprets it.

Someone from the United States may see freedom as the right to religion and speech while

someone from North Korea defines their freedom as avoiding incrimination. The use of abstract

terms fogs the audience's mind as they are unsure of the author’s intended meaning. In general,
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these issues, according to Orwell, have caused not only readers but also the writer himself to be

unable to comprehend the correct meaning of language.

Even though George Orwell died in the mid 1900s, his words remain significant today.

Critics of his work may claim that the state of education has changed monumentally since

Orwell’s time, but, in fact, many of the issues Orwell highlights in his essay “Politics and the

English Language” remain true. It could even be argued that in some cases, the detrimental

language trend that Orwell identified has become more widespread in American culture today.

American journalist and author David Orr points out, “We are losing, in short, the capacity

to articulate what ought to be most important to us.” Orr’s statement indicates that Americans’

ability to intelligently communicate continues to shrivel.

The decline in language comprehension has a multitude of causes. According to Orr,

language has been manipulated by those attempting to control others. People with malicious

intentions restrict vocabulary, so those under them cannot properly name critical issues within

society. Because submissive citizens are unable to name serious issues, authority can easily

control its people. In addition, Orr believes the use of jargon separates language and lacks the

coherence American culture needs. Jargon is like the two sides of a coin: it can be used to

describe certain fragments of the world but is unable to describe a coherent whole. As an

example, Orr uses the specialized language of economics, which is useful in economics but does

not describe the state of our well-being. The use of jargon detaches Americans from an overall

understanding of the world.

Orr goes on to describe that as a result of increasing technology, American lives have

become pre-packaged due to everyday visual media. In a personal interview, David Orr was
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asked about the trend toward visual consumption of information. Orr explains how people have

become “..​suckers for visual stimuli, lacking a reliable immune system for advertisements,

television, smart phones, etc. This is a large and growing problem that could undermine our

collective intelligence.” ​The hunger for easily digestible information encases Americans in their

rooms. In his article “Verbicide,” Orr states that the American people are no longer participators

but are spectators: Americans lack real-world experience, so they are less knowledgeable on

vocabulary that can only be derived from hands-on experiences.

In addition, a fundamental issue of developing language understanding is that information

acquired from the Internet requires no reciprocation and therefore does not bring upon critical

thinking through analysis (Sinha 2326). Information from the Internet can be consumed without

any second thought: it becomes one-sided compared to comprehensive consumption with

discussion and added questioning. The disassociation in information consumption creates a

multitude of problems in America relating to an understanding of a common form of reality. For

example, the Internet provides people with individualized information based on their interests, so

they consume biased information (Wright). As a result, people’s opinions become more extreme.

In terms of language, common literature has subsided in recent years due to tailored information.

Although Americans have access to the same information online, instant gratification removes

their desire to fact-check information and question the credibility of sources (Wright). In this

way, propaganda infects the minds of those who read it, and the information people accept as

true influences their beliefs and actions. In turn, communication becomes polarized because

people with strong opinions are able to spread their agenda online to unsuspecting victims.
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As the causes of decreased language comprehension are widespread, the effects are

detrimental. In the absence of critical thinking, Americans become prone to a plethora of

disadvantages. To illustrate, UCLA psychology professor Patricia Greenfield states that

increased visual media has taken away opportunities to reflect. Without proper reflection, those

with intense emotions will be unable to solve what mentally strains them. Without a solution,

contained emotions continue to accumulate over time. Furthermore, people are more likely to

believe propaganda than to question its credibility through critical thinking (Wright).

Questioning facilitates debate in the mind and between people, which creates numerous benefits.

As a result of questioning, people may begin to form a better understanding of the world and

their own opinions on crucial topics, and informed opinions are important assets in developing a

knowledge-rich world. Along with the previous effects named, Resmovits, the Senior Education

Reporter of the Huffington Post, points out America’s decreasing comprehensive abilities. Due

to decreasing vocabulary among American students, American vocabulary scores on

standardized tests have decreased. These vocabulary tests do not test root definitions but test

students’ ability to determine the meaning of words within the context of a passage (Resmovits).

With this in mind, it can be seen that Americans are becoming less able to correctly utilize their

critical thinking skills in understanding language.

In contrast, critics of decreasing language comprehension may argue that in tests of

intelligence, America has seen an increase in performance, which indicates that people are

gaining language comprehension ability. According to Dr. Lisa Trahan, “​The ‘Flynn effect’

refers to the observed rise over time in standardized intelligence test scores, documented by

Flynn (1984a) in a study on intelligence quotient (IQ) score gains...” At first, it may seem like no
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coincidence that test scores increase as people are exposed to greater amounts of information;

however, the apparent correlation between the two does not necessarily indicate a causation.

Trahan describes that ​“...there have been greater gains in scores produced by nonverbal,

performance-based measures...” on IQ tests, suggesting that despite an upward trend in

America’s IQ scores, Americans have not seen gains in their ability to interpret and implement

proper language use. Specifically, Trahan states, “These types of tests are strongly associated

with fluid intelligence, suggesting less of a rise in crystalized intelligence that reflects the

influence of education, such as vocabulary.” The increasing trend in IQ scores does not indicate

increased comprehension of learned knowledge; instead, it may indicate that people are

becoming more proficient in more abstract forms of thinking and reasoning. Additionally,

although the Flynn effect indicates an increase in intelligence, Fischer, a professor of sociology

at UC Berkeley, claims that vocabulary knowledge has decreased since the 1940s. The usage of

the Flynn effect as a counter is flawed because overall understanding of language has decreased,

which is essential for effective communication, while visual comprehension has increased due to

media.

Regardless of the negative trends in comprehension, hope is not lost for the future of

language: schools and teachers could be the solution. Take David Orr’s suggestion that

“...​students should be given every opportunity to read ‘classic and well-written’ books, essays,

poetry, and philosophy, if for no other reason than for the sheer joy of it. Oh, it also helps to

develop the capacity to use words well and to think more clearly.” Inciting interest in the

intricacies of language is one step teachers and schools can take to positively impact the future of

communication. Professor Greenfield takes a similar stance on potential solutions to the issue,
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suggesting that schools should implement a “balanced media diet” between traditional and

technology-based learning methods, so that no one medium inhibits learning (Wolpert). Once

students’ daily source of education becomes better suited to encourage critical thinking, language

usage and comprehension can begin an upward climb toward a knowledgeable future. As a

result, communication will evolve to be effective: the words may breathe life into those receiving

them.

Based on analysis, it can be reasonably concluded that although information has

increased substantially, Americans’ ability to critically think and communicate has deteriorated.

The Internet serves as an archive of accumulated information that can easily be accessed, and

available information has increased substantially since the Internet’s conception. The causes for

decreased comprehension range from an attempt of control to lack of hands-on experiences, and

the effects negatively impact Americans and will continue to grow until it is cut down.

Americans’ lack of language understanding represents a desperate call for help: the words on the

page scream to be heard correctly, yet people’s hearts remain burdened with misunderstanding.
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Appendix A: Graphs and Charts

Figure 1. Graph of Verbal, Writing, and Reading SAT Scores from 1967 to 2015

Figure 1 depicts the trend lines for verbal, writing, and math mean SAT scores from 1967

to 2015. It appears that verbal SAT scores have steadily decreased in recent years. The same

decreasing pattern can be seen in the writing scores although they were only added recently in

2006 (“SAT Verbal/Critical Reading”). The graph confirms a decrease in standardized testing

ability of critically interpreting language for high school students.

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Works Cited

Fischer​, Claude. “Tests Say Americans Becoming More Intelligent over the Generations. How

Could That Be?” ​The Berkeley Blog​, 29 Oct. 2010, blogs.berkeley.edu. Accessed 24

March 2019.

Greenfield, Patricia M. “Technology and Informal Education: What Is Taught, What Is

Learned.”

Science,​ vol. 323, no. 5910, 2009, pp. 69–71., doi:10.1126/science.1167190. Accessed 26

March 2019.

Orr, David W. “Verbicide (1999).” ​Hope Is an Imperative,​ 2011, pp. 5–12.,

DOI:10.5822/978-1-61091-017-0_1. Accessed 13 March 2019.

Orr, David. Personal interview. 8 April 2019.

Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” (1946) ​The Broadview Anthology of

Expository Prose​. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2011. Accessed 12 March 2019.

Resmovits, Joy. “National Vocabulary Test Sheds Light On Reading 'Crisis', Experts Say.” ​The

Huffington Post,​ 6 Dec. 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com. Accessed 17 March 2019.

“SAT Verbal/Critical Reading and Writing Exams.” ​Humanities Indicators,​ American Academy

of Arts and Sciences, Sept. 2016, www.humanitiesindicators.org. Accessed 24 March

2019.

Sinha, Dipankar. “Public Communication in Information Age: Time for a Requiem?” ​Economic

and Political Weekly,​ 1997, pp. 2326., DOI:https://www.jstor.org. Accessed 17 March

2019.
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Trahan,​ Lisa H, et al. “The Flynn Effect: a Meta-Analysis.” ​Psychological Bulletin,​ U.S.

National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed 26 March

2019.

Wolpert, Stuar​t. “Is Technology Producing a Decline in Critical Thinking and Analysis?” ​UCLA

Newsroom​, 27 Jan. 2009, newsroom.ucla.edu. Accessed 17 March 2019.

Wright, Gregory L. “Information Increasing, But Common Understanding Decreasing, Speaker

Says.” ​Franklin & Marshall College​, 21 Sept. 2017, www.fandm.edu. Accessed 17

March 2019.