George Orwell's Politics And The English Language

George Orwell’s 1946 piece “Politics and the English Language” acts as a critique towards the development of written English. The essay begins by stating that the expected decline in the intricacy of a language, will always have political and economic causes, although, the degeneration is accelerated due to the imitation of poor writing habits. Orwell then asserts that in order to control this slump, writers must be wary and conscious of the words they use and why they use them. The failure to do so, as Orwell notes, can lead to a lack of substance, and in place, unnecessary long-winded phrases, clichés, and insignificant wording. Five passages are presented each containing “staleness of imagery” and “vagueness” which are used to prove Orwell’s

The passage first establishes that metaphors are used to create a vivid images and to be thought provoking, but the use of one that is so common can invoke a staleness in the phrase. Hackneyed metaphors lose their original influence and are, as Orwell notes, used to save writers from the difficulty of creating a unique phrase themselves. As a result, he states that many writers use metaphors without knowing their meaning and are applied incorrectly.

The second cause Orwell lists is named “operators or verbal false limbs” where Orwell describes the negative effects of unnecessary verbs and nouns. He states that although extra syllables can give the appearance of symmetry, it takes away from the overall impact of the phrase. Furthermore, the use of a passive voice rather than an active one cuts down on the effect of a phrase as well. The next reason is called “pretentious diction”. In this section Orwell states that the use of overcomplicated nouns and adjectives in place of simpler ones, unnecessarily dress up a statement. Additionally, Orwell believes the use of foreign words are commonly thought to give the impression of elegance, but are in reality, pointless. The consequence of these unneeded words are an “increase in slovenliness and

This paragraph highlights commonly used words that can convey a different meaning to every reader or writer as they have no concrete definition. Many words have an assumed connotation that in reality might not agree to what the author intends to communicate.

To summarize the effect of Orwell’s four points, he creates a parody of a passage from Ecclesiastes. He describes the multiple redundancies and irrelevant points, and how he as a writer would avoid them.

Subsequently, Orwell describes the evident decline of the English prose in political language. Orwell states that when writing politically one is so consumed by the act of keeping a passive voice that their end result just seems vague. He indicates that one shouldn’t hide their main message behind glitz and glamour in order to appeal to someone with different views. Orwell concludes his passage by expressing his desire to change the bag habits of writers. As a result, he establishes six elementary rules in order to avoid the common mistakes he acknowledged earlier.
1. Cut out all unnecessary words.
2. Never use a long word when a shorter one can convey the same meaning.
3. Avoid technical and foreign