The paragraph assembly line

I intended to write a blog about the importance of rhythms in both poetry and prose but time is pressing as usual and I need to find some good examples before I start. So this is another cop-out blog. Having just subjected you to an exercise that has probably lost me several followers, I'm going to do it again. No, the idea isn't to alienate everybody so that I can close down the blog, but some of you said you liked it, so I'm risking another one. Like the first, it's adapted from Just Write, the book I co-wrote with my friend and colleague Kathleen MacMillan and I think it's less likely than the previous one to hurt heads, sting your eyes, induce lethargy and make euthanasia seem attractive, etc. .

It's also shorter than the last one and it's writing-connected, so that's my excuse. Anyway, we wrote a paragraph which made sense, then broke it apart and listed its sentences in alphabetical order according to the initial letter of the first word in each. All you have to do this time is put them back in the right order to restore the original paragraph. I've numbered the sentences so you don't need to write them all out. If you want to make a comment you can restrict yourself to jotting down a numerical sequence that works for you. I haven't tested it to see if it's possible to produce variations of the original which still make sense and are grammatically and stylistically coherent. There may be more than one; I don't know.

So, here's the paragraph:

But the writer is just as guilty of manipulation. He claims that his aims are those of society. He has an agenda, he shapes his words to create a specific effect and, as a result, he is responsible for distorting the vision of his reader. It would seem, therefore, that words are dangerous, whoever is using them. Language is a very powerful tool. Politicians use language to manipulate people. Propaganda is seen by some as a necessary evil but by others as just lies. The fact that they see themselves as having a higher goal still does not separate them from those they seek to criticize. The politicians say exactly the same thing. Writers use language to expose the hypocrisy of politicians.

And here's the same sequence, with the sentences numbered:

1. But the writer is just as guilty of manipulation.
2. He claims that his aims are those of society.
3. He has an agenda, he shapes his words to create a specific effect and, as a result, he is responsible for distorting the vision of his reader.
4. It would seem, therefore, that words are dangerous, whoever is using them.
5. Language is a very powerful tool.
6. Politicians use language to manipulate people.
7. Propaganda is seen by some as a necessary evil but by others as just lies.
8. The fact that they see themselves as having a higher goal still does not separate them from those they seek to criticize.
9. The politicians say exactly the same thing.
10. Writers use language to expose the hypocrisy of politicians.

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