15 - sordid

Sordid

Original Source:

"Adjectives like epoch-making, epic, historic, unforgettable, triumphant, age-old, inevitable, inexorable, veritable, are used to dignify the sordid process of international politics, while writing that aims at glorifying war usually takes on an archaic colour, its characteristic words being: realm, throne, chariot, mailed fist, trident, sword, shield, buckler, banner, jackboot, clarion."

"George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946." George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014. <https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm>.

Definition*:

1. morally ignoble or base; vile.

2. meanly selfish, self-seeking, or mercenary.

*All definitions are from the source found in THIS post.

Second Source:

"Men are not to be told anything they might find too painful; the secret depths of human nature, the sordid physicalities, might overwhelm or damage them. For instance, men often faint at the sigh of their own blood, to which they are not accustomed. For this reason you should never stand behind one in the line at the Red Cross donor clinic.

"A Quote by Margaret Atwood on men, nature, pain, reason, and secrets." Stream of Consciousness: Your Guide to Better Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014. <http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/margaret-atwood/24245>.

Commentary:
Sordid sounds similar to the word sorted, but they do not share close meanings. Orwell, in the original source, discusses adjectives that are spoken in the English language that describe the process of international politics, which he views as morally ignoble. In the second source, Atwood states that "men cannot be told anything they might find too painful" such as the vile physicalities that may accompany an action, in this case, drawing blood.