What is Orwell’s central argument? Does he develop his argument successfully? Explain.
The thesis in Orwell’s Politics and the English Language is as follows, “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. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers” (Orwell 2). Orwell is saying that when one person writes or says something incorrectly in English it gets passed down through imitation. He says that poor English can be stopped, …show more content…
His central message is that language is being corrupted. This is happening through thought because writers have their own biases which cause them to corrupt language. Politicians do this as well when they are trying to hide the true meanings behind what they are saying. Due to the English language being able to be manipulated in so many ways, such as in politics, it can lead readers to feel confused and disoriented after reading a piece of writing. In order to understand what people like politicians are saying one needs to be aware and understand English. Orwell conveys his message well by proving his point in every paragraph. Starting with the first paragraph he states that the English language is not in a good place right now. He goes on to say in the second paragraph that humans are becoming lazy as speakers and writers, but the English language can still be salvaged. In the following paragraph he says that there are specific questions that one needs to ask in order to be a good writer. He says that if one asks these questions they will be successful writers. In the third, Orwell explains that politicians use euphemisms to make language unclear and hide the true meanings of what they are saying. They use the reader's lack of knowledge to their …show more content…
An example in Orwell’s work would be when he says “‘While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think. Agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement’”. The problem with euphemisms are that they hide the true meaning of what is being said behind long fancy words which cause readers to blank out and not fully understand the text. This is exactly what they want because they do not want the people to understand what their true intentions
The thesis in Orwell’s Politics and the English Language is as follows, “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. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers” (Orwell 2). Orwell is saying that when one person writes or says something incorrectly in English it gets passed down through imitation. He says that poor English can be stopped, …show more content…
His central message is that language is being corrupted. This is happening through thought because writers have their own biases which cause them to corrupt language. Politicians do this as well when they are trying to hide the true meanings behind what they are saying. Due to the English language being able to be manipulated in so many ways, such as in politics, it can lead readers to feel confused and disoriented after reading a piece of writing. In order to understand what people like politicians are saying one needs to be aware and understand English. Orwell conveys his message well by proving his point in every paragraph. Starting with the first paragraph he states that the English language is not in a good place right now. He goes on to say in the second paragraph that humans are becoming lazy as speakers and writers, but the English language can still be salvaged. In the following paragraph he says that there are specific questions that one needs to ask in order to be a good writer. He says that if one asks these questions they will be successful writers. In the third, Orwell explains that politicians use euphemisms to make language unclear and hide the true meanings of what they are saying. They use the reader's lack of knowledge to their …show more content…
An example in Orwell’s work would be when he says “‘While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think. Agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement’”. The problem with euphemisms are that they hide the true meaning of what is being said behind long fancy words which cause readers to blank out and not fully understand the text. This is exactly what they want because they do not want the people to understand what their true intentions