Color refers to the emotional intensity or vividness of language. Colorful words are memorable because they stand out in our minds. Those who use them also are remembered.
During the 1996 presidential primaries, each of the contenders was searching for a way to capture the imagination of voters and to stand out from the pack. In such a contest, those who use language colorfully have an advantage. Patrick Buchanan moved from a long-shot candidate to a leading contender at least partially because of his skill with words. Early in the campaign, Steve Forbes gained a lot of attention through an advertising campaign in which he proposed a flat tax. Senator Phil Gramm, a candidate who later withdrew from the race, criticized Forbes on the grounds that his plan would favor the wealthy by eliminating taxes on dividend and interest income. About the flat tax Gramm said, “I reject the idea that income derived from labor should be taxed and that income derived from capital should not.”
A nice use of contrast, but look how Buchanan expressed the same idea:
“Under Forbes’ plan, lounge lizards in Palm Beach would pay a lower tax rate than steelworkers in Youngstown.” Later he added that Forbes’ plan had been drawn up by “the boys down at the yacht basin.” While Gramm’s words are a study in abstraction, Buchanan’s language is both colorful and concrete. The use of the animal metaphor, “lounge lizards,” is striking. So is the use of contrast, setting the “lounge lizards” and the “boys down at the yacht basin” against the steelworkers, Palm Beach against Youngstown. It’s sloth and privilege against character and virtue, and we know which side Buchanan is on. These colorful symbols reflected his commitment.
Colorful language paints striking pictures for listeners. Notice how Leslie Eason made Tiger Woods come alive in the speech of tribute she made in her Vanderbilt class:
Mothers with daughters of a certain age (mine included) describe him as the son-in-law they’d like to have. Six foot two, a hundred fifty-five pounds, smart—Stanford, remember. Clean-cut in his creased khakis. Curly hair, gorgeous teeth. Skin the color of what they used to call “suntan” in the Crayola box. And rich. Very rich.
He’s the very opposite of the gangsta boys in the hood. Boys who wear their pants hanging below their belt as though they were already in the penitentiary. Next to them he’s prep school and Pepsodent.
When you use colorful language, your audience will find you to be interesting as well. Your ethos will rise as your listeners assign you high marks for competence and attractiveness. For all these reasons, color is an important standard as you develop your capacity to use language.