I had the privilege of watching President Barack Obama's first address to the Congress. Times are tough and the President didn't mince words. But the great joy of the speech was that for the first time in many years, we have president who speaks to the nation as if we are an intelligent, and reasonably informed citizens.
Joel Klein in a recent Time magazine article said it best,
The modern presidency is a vast electronic synthesizer, capable of exhilarating musical effects or rank cacophony. The President needs to be able to throw his voice in a variety of ways — now sober, now soaring, now educating, now soothing. George W. Bush's presidency was straitjacketed by his inability to command any style but clenched orotundity. The two great television-era communicators in the office were yin and yang: Bill Clinton was a master of the conversational, not so good at set-piece speeches; Ronald Reagan just the opposite. Barack Obama has now demonstrated an ability to synthesize those two.
I loved Klein's use of the phrase "clenched orotundity." I did not know what orotundity meant. Now occasionally I classify such words as BFWs (Big F@##ing Words) After I read the phrase, I went to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary to find the definition of the BFW "ortund," the root word of "ortundity."
"A. adj. Originally (of a voice, speaker, or utterance): imposing, clear, resonant; such as is suited to public speaking, reading, or recitation. Now freq. in contemptuous use: inflated, bombastic; pompous, magniloquent."
The only problem was that I did not know "magniloquent," either. But the OED was handy so
I found out that magniloquent is defined as
"Of a person: lofty, ambitious, or pompous in expression; grandiloquent. Hence of utterances, compositions, etc. Also (occas.): boastful."
I love to read books that challenge me with an occasional BFW. One of my favorite mystery writers is Rex Stout, who penned 50 or 60 novels about the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. One of the things I most enjoyed about Stout's books was the fact that Stout would use a word that I had never heard of and I would have to "run" (I am speaking figuratively here) to the nearest dictionary and find its definition.
For example in a passage from Rex Stout has Archie say the following about his duties.
"Also I am an accountant, an amanuensis, and a cocklebur. Eight to five you never heard the word amanuensis and you never saw a cocklebur.”
I sorta know the meaning of amanuensis and I won't waste time looking up cocklebur. But you get my point.
I enjoyed Klein's use of "clenched orotundity." Which is amazing because I know from free lancing for the local comic that most editors would not allow a journalist to use a flowery word in a news story when a simple one was available. Most news stories are pitched to people with a 9th level of reading comprehension
I think the President's speech to Congress, was excellent. Perhaps, just perhaps under Obama's leadership and with the help of all Americans, Republican, Independent and Democrat, we become better stewards of our country and planet. In the meantime I hope that Obama's eloquence and clarity inspires us to raise the level of political conversation and debate. Oh, and get all of us to use big words every once and a while, because sometimes BFWs can be fun.
Capitano Tedeschi
30
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