Politics and the English Language

After reading this essay, it is easy to see how passionate George Orwell is about the English language, even when he becomes frustrated with it. He ties language to most everything in life, concluding that not only do we influence language, but language influences us. This phenomenon has shaped everything from how we view history, to how we speak about politics. Although he sees this relationship as positive, Orwell’s main frustration is that as a society we have fallen into routines that over…

Reading texts from over a hundred years ago, we often chuckle at how odd the English language was - reading Shakespeare is clearly different from reading the works of J.K. Rowling. To us, the older varieties of English have bizarre grammar, spelling, and pronunciation, which make us reluctant to accepting it. The reason why these older versions of English perplex us is because language is always changing. Modern-day English is composed of many different concepts, but for me, there are five…

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…

The English language is an instrument when used purposeful and simplified, they will guard against politically pretentious adjectives. George Orwell states the argument directly “…if you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy.” Again in “Now it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes.” Orwell’s essay argument express concern for lack of meaning and imagery. The example of the alcoholic who continues the bad…

as to why this utopian social experiment of Animalism failed was due to the incapacity for the working class to generate their individual opinions. The power of language and manipulation of words used in animal farm may also lie at the centre of this downfall. There are several instances of squealer or napoleon altering their use of language to fit their own desired outcome. The most powerful comes when napoleon states “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”. This line kinks…

and attitudes may be conveyed through a range of readings through social, cultural and historical context which influence aspects of texts. Within Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ and Lang’s film ‘Metropolis’ (1927) context influences the composers’ choice of language forms and attitudes conveyed through the texts. Metropolis educates audiences of the industrialisation and consequent dystopia of post WWI society. Lang celebrates and critiques post WWI European “Machine Age” as a futuristic dystopian…

As the decades pass by, words are being added into the English dictionary. Many may not realize the effects of such terms that have been introduced to the English language. George Orwell, an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic, predicts his vision of what the future would become in his novel 1984. The novel tells a powerful vision that the future would be controlled by the government from what we wear to how we speak and think. Orwell also introduces the idea of Newspeak. It’s…

Aspects of the English Language: Gobbledygook In William Zinsser's On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction he says that “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon” (pg. 7), and that may very well be true. Have you ever sat down and listened to a politician speak, only to be lost in a flood of words and phrases you don’t understand? Useless, inflated speech plagues…

This is an essay especially created to illustrate the, quite few, but evident, the flaws of the English language. Though easy to learn, versatile and beautiful, the political evolution and the political power shift, have created a certain stereotype, and people tend to write, some sort of, robotic sentences, using a lot of words to express a short, simple message. Humanity didn’t do this on its own, politics and snobbery played crucial roles in this development. Instead of using simplicity, we…

IS RACISM COMMON IN OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE? The reading I decided to expand on was titled “Racism in the English Language”. The english language has many phrases and vocabulary that if analyzed well enough, could be considered racist.The article gives specific examples in regards to terminology, symbolism, politics and context from the english language is racist to those around us. In the article, the paragraph most interesting is “Speaking English” for the reason that I can relate to it the most.…