Summary of Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”
In George Orwell’s article from 1946, he claims that many individuals are aware of the common misusage of the English language today, but in general do not believe that they are capable of taking action. However, Orwell has a different point of view; he describes a weakening of language by political and economic origins, which results in misleading communication. He claims that the language is dimmed and that English speakers are thoughtless, and their carelessness of their language only exacerbates this. He makes the point that they can reverse this practice, claiming the main problem is that the modern English language, particularly when written, is filled with poor practices, and if individuals were to take concern and resolve this problem, it can be evaded. Orwell states that if this action is taken, individuals will be able to see things more plainly, and claims that doing so is supposedly the first step towards a rebirth of politics.
Orwell uses examples from different passages on political topics that he claims demonstrate several of the poor practices that affect today’s language. He points out two characteristics that they all share; worn-out descriptions and poor accuracy; and goes on to further explain the problem that the writers show great difficulty in communicating effectively. He claims that much of the writing is vague, and the true meanings are not expressed due to misuse of wording and phrasing. Orwell lists notes and examples on how to avoid this miscommunication in writing, and explains how the English language can be interpreted in many different ways, giving it new meanings, using a translation of a Bible verse as an example.
In conclusion of the article, Orwell refers to six rules that writers can follow aside from their common sense; such as personalizing their work, using correct word choice, preventing from being too wordy and overcomplicating word usage, and being grammatically correct when writing. These rules are to cover most circumstances help make writing more clear and accurate.
Orwell uses examples from different passages on political topics that he claims demonstrate several of the poor practices that affect today’s language. He points out two characteristics that they all share; worn-out descriptions and poor accuracy; and goes on to further explain the problem that the writers show great difficulty in communicating effectively. He claims that much of the writing is vague, and the true meanings are not expressed due to misuse of wording and phrasing. Orwell lists notes and examples on how to avoid this miscommunication in writing, and explains how the English language can be interpreted in many different ways, giving it new meanings, using a translation of a Bible verse as an example.
In conclusion of the article, Orwell refers to six rules that writers can follow aside from their common sense; such as personalizing their work, using correct word choice, preventing from being too wordy and overcomplicating word usage, and being grammatically correct when writing. These rules are to cover most circumstances help make writing more clear and accurate.