Tyler Martyn
AP Language and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment
Mrs. Hoelzer
Part 2: Post-Reading Questions
“Politics and the English Language” – George Orwell
1. In writing his essay “Politics and the English Language”, George Orwell simply comes out and states his thesis. He declares, “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble” (Orwell 707). This statement is the basis for Orwell’s entire essay, as it leads the charge in the presentation of his beliefs for those involved with the English language. In his thesis, he claims that although the English language of the world has its flaws, they can be avoided and combatted …show more content…
Orwell’s analogy is very effective in paragraph two. In the paragraph, he states, “A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts” (Orwell 707). This comparison is greatly effective because it directly links the effect of alcohol on a man’s failure to the influence of the poor use of the English language on a man’s foolishness. Both instances portray a cause and effect relationship. They also show to the reader, however, that while these effects can influence their counterparts in a bad way, they can also be reversible. They can be prevented by taking steps in the correct direction in an attempt to eliminate the unfortunate …show more content…
A vast majority of the original paragraph included examples, which helped the reader make sense of what Orwell was trying to say. The examples greatly influenced the reader’s ability to see the exact points that Orwell was trying to make. With examples, Orwell was able to demonstrate his point more clearly and effectively, but without examples, Orwell’s points were foggy, and they were much more difficult to understand.
5. For paragraphs 7 and 8, Orwell uses footnotes with extra information to further enhance his writing. In the footnotes, Orwell is able to add further, more in-depth information on where he got his information, and other examples of how it is used. Orwell decided to include this information at the end because it is not essential to the importance of the paragraph; rather it is extra information to help establish his main idea. Orwell didn’t want to include this information in the middle of the paragraph because it would likely disturb the reader from getting the big picture of Orwell’s paragraph. He decided to put it at the end so that the reader could go back and see the extra information after they already read Orwell’s main
AP Language and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment
Mrs. Hoelzer
Part 2: Post-Reading Questions
“Politics and the English Language” – George Orwell
1. In writing his essay “Politics and the English Language”, George Orwell simply comes out and states his thesis. He declares, “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble” (Orwell 707). This statement is the basis for Orwell’s entire essay, as it leads the charge in the presentation of his beliefs for those involved with the English language. In his thesis, he claims that although the English language of the world has its flaws, they can be avoided and combatted …show more content…
Orwell’s analogy is very effective in paragraph two. In the paragraph, he states, “A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts” (Orwell 707). This comparison is greatly effective because it directly links the effect of alcohol on a man’s failure to the influence of the poor use of the English language on a man’s foolishness. Both instances portray a cause and effect relationship. They also show to the reader, however, that while these effects can influence their counterparts in a bad way, they can also be reversible. They can be prevented by taking steps in the correct direction in an attempt to eliminate the unfortunate …show more content…
A vast majority of the original paragraph included examples, which helped the reader make sense of what Orwell was trying to say. The examples greatly influenced the reader’s ability to see the exact points that Orwell was trying to make. With examples, Orwell was able to demonstrate his point more clearly and effectively, but without examples, Orwell’s points were foggy, and they were much more difficult to understand.
5. For paragraphs 7 and 8, Orwell uses footnotes with extra information to further enhance his writing. In the footnotes, Orwell is able to add further, more in-depth information on where he got his information, and other examples of how it is used. Orwell decided to include this information at the end because it is not essential to the importance of the paragraph; rather it is extra information to help establish his main idea. Orwell didn’t want to include this information in the middle of the paragraph because it would likely disturb the reader from getting the big picture of Orwell’s paragraph. He decided to put it at the end so that the reader could go back and see the extra information after they already read Orwell’s main