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EspañolPOLITICS AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
'''Politics and the English Language''' (1946) is an essay by George Orwell wherein he criticizes "ugly and inaccurate" contemporary written English, and asserts that it was both a cause and an effect of foolish thinking and dishonest politics. He calls "vagueness and sheer incompetence" the "most marked characteristic" of contemporary English prose, and especially of the political writing of his day. He criticizes contemporary writers for preferring the abstract to the concrete, claiming it reduces precise thought. He notes that insincerity is the enemy of clear prose and that much contemporary political writing was in defence of the indefensible. Orwell argues that, in addition to being aesthetically unpleasant and disingenuous in its discussion of politics, bad writing is ''morally'' wrong.[1] As a writer Orwell "believed he was [morally] bound to give as much of himself to his writing as he could" and so "drove himself relentlessly" to avoid the kind of bad writing he describes in the essay.[1]
Orwell asserts that the English language is declining, but that the decline is reversible. He cites five examples of bad contemporary writing, criticizing them for their "staleness of imagery" and "lack of precision". The essay describes the "tricks" his contemporaries used in avoiding the work and thought required for composing clear prose: overused (or "dying") metaphors, "operators or false verbal limbs" used in preference to simple verbs, pretentious diction, and "meaningless words."
''Politics and the English Language'' originally was published in the April, 1946 issue of the journal ''Horizon.'' [3] Michael Sheldon, in Orwell's authorized biography, calls it "his most influential essay."[1] Terry Eagleton praised its "demystification" of political language, although later was disenchanted with Orwell.[5]
''Politics and the English Language'' was written when ''Animal Farm'' had just been completed and ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' was a preliminary manuscript, a time of critical and commercial literary success for Orwell.[6] In the English-speaking world, this essay often is assigned reading in introductory writing courses.[7]
The essay ''Politics and the English Language'' was published at approximately the same time as his other essay, ''The Prevention of Literature''. Both reflect Orwell's concern with truth and how this concern has returned him to the use of language. Orwell's concern with language dates from Gordon Comstock's dislike of advertising slogans in ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', and had been an obsession since ''Homage to Catalonia''. It continued as an underlying theme of his work in the years after World War II.[6]
Themes developed in ''Politics and the English Language'' anticipate Orwell's development of Newspeak in ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.[3] Sheldon calls Newspeak, "the perfect language for a society of bad writers [like those Orwell describes in ''Politics and the English Language''] because it reduces the number of choices available to them."[1] Picking up on themes Orwell began exploring in this essay, Newspeak corrupts writers first morally and then politically, "since it allows writers to cheat themselves and their readers with ready-made prose."[1]
As part of his definition of meaningless words, Orwell argues that "private definitions" of words in political discourse are used by writers dishonestly: the user has his own meaning, but allows his audience to think he means something different. Words that he believes have lost all meaning or that have multiple meanings depending on the speaker and the audience include "democracy", "socialism", "freedom", "patriotic", "realistic", and "justice".
To give an example of what he is describing, Orwell "translates" ''Ecclesiastes'' 9:11 ,
into "modern English of the worst sort,"
One of Orwell's instructors at St. Cyprian's School, Mrs. Cicely Ellen Philiadelphia Comyn Vaughan Wilkes (nicknamed "Mum" or "Flip"), had used the same method to illustrate good writing to her students. She would use simple passages from the King James Bible and then "translate" them into poor English to show the clarity and brilliance of the original.[1]
Orwell concedes that it was easy for his contemporaries to slip into bad writing of the sort he describes, and says that the temptation to use meaningless or hackneyed phrases was like a "packet of aspirins always at one's elbow." In particular, they are always ready to form the writer's thoughts for him to save him the bother of thinking, or writing, clearly. However, he concludes that the progress of bad writing is not irreversible and offers the reader six rules that he says will help them avoid most of the errors in the examples of poor writing he gave earlier in the article:[6]
John Rodden claims, given much of Orwell's work was polemical, he sometimes violated these rules and Orwell himself concedes that he has no doubt violated some of them in the very essay in which they were included.[7] Nevertheless, these rules are still widely suggested as a guide for modern writers.
Elsewhere in the essay, Orwell examined what he believed to be a close association between bad prose and inhumane ideology:
Orwell comments that:
1. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
2. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
3. Orwell: A Life, , D.J., Taylor, Henry Holt and Company, ,
4. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
5. Quoted in The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
6. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
7. The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
8. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
9. Orwell: A Life, , D.J., Taylor, Henry Holt and Company, ,
10. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
11. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
12. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
13. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
14. The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
★ Fowler's Modern English Usage
★ Humphrey Appleby
★ Logorrhoea
★ Newspeak
★ Obfuscation
★ Plain English
★ Pleonasm
★ Original text:
★
★ HTML version
★
★ Annotated with links to Wikipedia
★
★ Complete essay with search option, which cites source as ''Horizon'', April 1946
Orwell asserts that the English language is declining, but that the decline is reversible. He cites five examples of bad contemporary writing, criticizing them for their "staleness of imagery" and "lack of precision". The essay describes the "tricks" his contemporaries used in avoiding the work and thought required for composing clear prose: overused (or "dying") metaphors, "operators or false verbal limbs" used in preference to simple verbs, pretentious diction, and "meaningless words."
''Politics and the English Language'' originally was published in the April, 1946 issue of the journal ''Horizon.'' [3] Michael Sheldon, in Orwell's authorized biography, calls it "his most influential essay."[1] Terry Eagleton praised its "demystification" of political language, although later was disenchanted with Orwell.[5]
''Politics and the English Language'' was written when ''Animal Farm'' had just been completed and ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' was a preliminary manuscript, a time of critical and commercial literary success for Orwell.[6] In the English-speaking world, this essay often is assigned reading in introductory writing courses.[7]
| Contents |
| Connection to other works |
| Private definition of words |
| "Translation" of Ecclesiastes |
| Six rules |
| Quotations |
| References |
| See also |
| External links |
Connection to other works
The essay ''Politics and the English Language'' was published at approximately the same time as his other essay, ''The Prevention of Literature''. Both reflect Orwell's concern with truth and how this concern has returned him to the use of language. Orwell's concern with language dates from Gordon Comstock's dislike of advertising slogans in ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', and had been an obsession since ''Homage to Catalonia''. It continued as an underlying theme of his work in the years after World War II.[6]
Themes developed in ''Politics and the English Language'' anticipate Orwell's development of Newspeak in ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.[3] Sheldon calls Newspeak, "the perfect language for a society of bad writers [like those Orwell describes in ''Politics and the English Language''] because it reduces the number of choices available to them."[1] Picking up on themes Orwell began exploring in this essay, Newspeak corrupts writers first morally and then politically, "since it allows writers to cheat themselves and their readers with ready-made prose."[1]
Private definition of words
As part of his definition of meaningless words, Orwell argues that "private definitions" of words in political discourse are used by writers dishonestly: the user has his own meaning, but allows his audience to think he means something different. Words that he believes have lost all meaning or that have multiple meanings depending on the speaker and the audience include "democracy", "socialism", "freedom", "patriotic", "realistic", and "justice".
"Translation" of Ecclesiastes
To give an example of what he is describing, Orwell "translates" ''Ecclesiastes'' 9:11 ,
into "modern English of the worst sort,"
One of Orwell's instructors at St. Cyprian's School, Mrs. Cicely Ellen Philiadelphia Comyn Vaughan Wilkes (nicknamed "Mum" or "Flip"), had used the same method to illustrate good writing to her students. She would use simple passages from the King James Bible and then "translate" them into poor English to show the clarity and brilliance of the original.[1]
Six rules
Orwell concedes that it was easy for his contemporaries to slip into bad writing of the sort he describes, and says that the temptation to use meaningless or hackneyed phrases was like a "packet of aspirins always at one's elbow." In particular, they are always ready to form the writer's thoughts for him to save him the bother of thinking, or writing, clearly. However, he concludes that the progress of bad writing is not irreversible and offers the reader six rules that he says will help them avoid most of the errors in the examples of poor writing he gave earlier in the article:[6]
John Rodden claims, given much of Orwell's work was polemical, he sometimes violated these rules and Orwell himself concedes that he has no doubt violated some of them in the very essay in which they were included.[7] Nevertheless, these rules are still widely suggested as a guide for modern writers.
Quotations
Elsewhere in the essay, Orwell examined what he believed to be a close association between bad prose and inhumane ideology:
Orwell comments that:
References
1. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
2. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
3. Orwell: A Life, , D.J., Taylor, Henry Holt and Company, ,
4. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
5. Quoted in The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
6. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
7. The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
8. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
9. Orwell: A Life, , D.J., Taylor, Henry Holt and Company, ,
10. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
11. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
12. Orwell: The Authorized Biography, , Michael, Shelden, HarperCollins, ,
13. A George Orwell Companion, , J.R., Hammond, St. Martin's Press, ,
14. The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George" Orwell, , John, Rodden, Oxford University Press, ,
See also
★ Fowler's Modern English Usage
★ Humphrey Appleby
★ Logorrhoea
★ Newspeak
★ Obfuscation
★ Plain English
★ Pleonasm
External links
★ Original text:
★
★ HTML version
★
★ Annotated with links to Wikipedia
★
★ Complete essay with search option, which cites source as ''Horizon'', April 1946
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