Politics And The English Language And Other Essays (Hardback) (1946) - Plot & Excerpts
"Political language has to consist of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness." In other words, modern people are interested in making language more fancy-dancy, which leads to vagueness by the use of unnecessary words and phrases, than honest which expresses the true of what one is trying to say. The vagueness of language is not only applied on politics but also in the press and literary criticism. What Orwell trying to say is that of one has something to say, say it as simple and straight forward as possible. Language is to make thoughts clear and not to make it cloudy with vagueness. Orwell quotes several writings in his essay and proved what he is trying to say. He quoted old English line which was clear and straight forward and quoted a modern English translation which was messy, not straight forward, not understandable. This problem is within us as it is with the language itself but one can help avoiding vagueness by being conscious of what he/she is trying to say. This essay is eyes-opening for all the normal people. It enable you to see clearly. I used to think, when I read a newspaper political article and not understanding it, that my English is as bad as shi* but not anymore. My English is not that bad nor that good. It is the way politicians write that Orwell criticized. It is the same language I have difficulties to understand. Included in this pamphlet are Orwell's essays 'Politics and the English Language' and 'Review of Mein Kampf.' The first essay is longest and presents Orwell's thoughts on how poor, insincere, and fuzzy language impacts politics. I love reading Orwell and this essay is no exception. His essays and books are a testament to the power of good writing. Even when I don't agree with the ideas he is presenting (not in this essay, but in others) I find myself being persuaded to take his viewpoint because his writing is so damn clever and clear. As someone who is trying to do more writing, I find this essay really inspiring and helpful.
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Everyone who has a goodreads account should read this.
—Hillary
