A major theme for both of Orwell’s works is the idea that people, ignorantly, don’t care about what they say or think, and then because they don’t have minds of their own they are easier to manipulate. In his Politics and the English Language, Orwell says how people don’t think about what they are writing and how they have no control over their own mind as ready-made phrases fill their paper and their mind. Then in 1984, Orwell takes this idea a step further showing how easy a civilization of thoughtless ignorance can become one of mindless devotion towards the government. In the book the characters lose their sense family ties, lose sense of time, they lose emotions, they lose their individuality, they lose their ability to remember the past,…
Orwell sent this essay into New Writing which is highly anti-fascist and anti-imperialistic, which causes the readers to be against ruling over another country by force. This cause George Orwell’s writing style to differ in some aspects. He speaks of how he hates…
As it is mentioned in the beginning of "Politics and the English language " that "George Orwell (1903-1950), one of the most brilliant social critics of the twentieth century...", Orwell states that English Language is losing its identity. He illustrates six solutions to improve language and the language usage for explanation is manipulative. In "Politics and The English Language", George Orwell is trying to tackle the issue of English Language decline due to bad language usage, but the six solution that Orwell stated are being broken by him that weakens his argument on English Language destruction that leads an individual to have sense of manipulation.…
Goerge Orwell, in “Politics and the English Language”, demonstrates how to effectively express oneself with written language. To do so, Orwell states the “dos” and “don’ts” of effective writing. Because the rules for writing effectively are so complex, Orwell utilizes parallel structure to make the body structure of his essay more cohesive: “… it has nothing to do with archaism… it is especially concerned with the scrapping of… It has nothing to do with correct grammar… it is not concerned with… Nor does it even imply… though it does imply…” (Orwell). Orwell interlaces multiple parallel structures to give the body both unity and a back-and-forth feel that keeps the audience on their toes. If he had not done so, his arguments would have quickly become repetitive and monotonous. Although Orwell specifically states that “correct grammar and syntax… are of no importance”, one can see that he has gone to great lengths to achieve an engaging effect through syntax. The back-and-forth action of the body paragraphs and his self-contradiction alludes to a rule he introduces later in the writing: “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous” (Orwell). He then goes on to break a number of his previously stated rules, some more blatantly than others: “… send some worn-out and useless phrase… into the dustbin” (Orwell). He also uses polysyllabic diction at some points, though he expressly states to “Never use a long word where a short one will do”. His contradiction of himself may at first leave some readers puzzled, but ultimately establishes the concept that a writer should not be afraid to break conventions to make a…
George Orwell uses the example of Mohandas Gandhi to attempt to make an argument on why human beings should avoid sainthood and just accept “imperfection”, because when it comes down to it, every human being is imperfect. Orwell develops his own position on this theory through an open minded tone; this is a very smart move on his part because this draws the reader in and makes them want to consider what he has to say because he is isn’t completely denying Gandhi’s point of view all the supporters of Gandhi are willing to listen to him.…
George Orwell wrote “Politics and the English language”, in his essay he talks a lot about how nowadays in his time the writers and politicians use really long and complicated ways and words of saying things he even called the language of his time “ ugly and inaccurate”, when really they should just be short and straight to the point. His argument made so much sense that’s just so understandable.…
Language plays an important role for political debates and government decisions. Information is often misrepresented to gain the favor of the populous. This is evident in Orwell’s writing and in the “Hackvists” documentary, often during the course of Knappenberger’s documentary it is shown that euphemisms can greatly mislead and disrupt events in society. Orwell expresses similar views on the topic of euphemisms. In his writings Orwell conveys that a government's ability to abuse power for gain is completely unjust, this coincides with the hacktivist point of view on freedom of speech and oppression. The theme of censorship is commonly seen in the film, in relation to Orwell, he describes that the withholding of information can only lead to…
6. Another “language trick” is to write by habit, stringing together “ready-made phrases.” Why does Orwell condemn this approach?…
George Orwell was a prominent political writer during the post-WWII era who openly opposed totalitarian governments. In the novel 1894, Orwell creates a dystopian society where the idea of individuality does not exist. The novel takes place in Oceania, a fictional country, where the party and its ruler, Big Brother, seek to have complete control over the population. The party implements many tactics in order to achieve this, such as surveillance, propaganda, and degradation of language to gain control of the population’s minds. Furthermore, the party destroys all aspects of independent thought and identity.…
Orwell, George. “politics and the English Language.” The McGraw-Hill: Issues Across The Disciplines.11th edition. Ed. Gilbert Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill,2011. Print. 106-116.…
3. The greatest danger is that, as in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, doublespeak will lead to the “control of reality through language” (par. 23).…
“Political language [...] is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” In George Orwell’s novel, 1984 and his essay “Politics and the English Language” there is a clear connection between politics, language, and expressing the truth. Politics aims to control people by altering and distorting language. George Orwell’s prescient view of society envisioned a future where government would suppress freedom through censorship and suppression of free thought. The control of language is the most dangerous weapon a government can possess, because it allows for the ability to dictate how people…
Orwell was also incorrect in the way he believed newspeak would be used. He never expressed the belief that a group besides the leaders would use newspeak. Today newspeak has been swapped for the term political correctness. "The notion of political correctness came into use among communists in the 1930s as a semi-humorous reminder that the party's interest is to be treated as a reality that ranks above reality itself."(Codevilla) This quote is saying that whatever the leaders tell must be true and that their words out weigh history. Today this political correctness is used not as much by a party as it is used by the people that want to force their ways onto the common person changing their way of life. The most impactful example today is with…
3: In Paragraph 4, Orwell uses a simile to compare "phrases tacked together" to "sections of a prefabricated henhouse". That shows how prose consists of words that aren't necessarily chosen for their meaning, but instead just because it's easy.…
Orwell’s essay conveys a theme of whether one should follow their morals or the people that surround them. It can be compared to the peer pressure and parental pressure that I have endured in my life. I can either go with my own morals and what I believe in or give in to the ideas of other.…