In response to Orwell’s Politics and the English Language
Orwell has brought up a great many points is this article. I find the most helpful were the four points, followed by two more, he made about the scrupulous writer. Orwell states “1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?” followed by two add-ons, “Could I put it more shortly? 2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?” I believe these questions sum up the majority of what the article has to say and at the same time offers good advice.
Another interesting part of the article is the comments on political speeches and there need for “…sheer cloudy vagueness.” and how this contributes to the deterioration of the English language. As other here politicians speak, they take it as acceptable and imitate it in their own speech or writing
I also enjoyed Orwell’s use of his own brand of euphemisms, such as how certain phrases “…are a continuous temptation, like a pack of aspirins always at one’s elbow.”
So often we resort to extemporary words trying to paint a picture that couldn’t be contained in a photograph. As Orwell points out, sometimes the best way to say something is simple and straightforward.
One thing I disagreed with though. His complaints about the letter written to the Tribune in Great Britain he labeled as paragraph 5. I lived in Great Britain for two years and this letter was as standard a speech I heard while I was there. It was my experience they really do form their sentence structure that way (unfortunately).
As a side note, and to end this response, while reading this article two things immediately jumped to mind even before I had finished reading the second page.
One is how Orwell’s other writings might be perceived today, and the other was about a book I read by Robert A. Heinlein called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. That book kept coming to mind as I read Politics because Mistress’ writing style is how we text messages today on our cell phones. I would love to see what Orwell has to say about that, and how we use spellcheck.
Orwell has brought up a great many points is this article. I find the most helpful were the four points, followed by two more, he made about the scrupulous writer. Orwell states “1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?” followed by two add-ons, “Could I put it more shortly? 2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?” I believe these questions sum up the majority of what the article has to say and at the same time offers good advice.
Another interesting part of the article is the comments on political speeches and there need for “…sheer cloudy vagueness.” and how this contributes to the deterioration of the English language. As other here politicians speak, they take it as acceptable and imitate it in their own speech or writing
I also enjoyed Orwell’s use of his own brand of euphemisms, such as how certain phrases “…are a continuous temptation, like a pack of aspirins always at one’s elbow.”
So often we resort to extemporary words trying to paint a picture that couldn’t be contained in a photograph. As Orwell points out, sometimes the best way to say something is simple and straightforward.
One thing I disagreed with though. His complaints about the letter written to the Tribune in Great Britain he labeled as paragraph 5. I lived in Great Britain for two years and this letter was as standard a speech I heard while I was there. It was my experience they really do form their sentence structure that way (unfortunately).
As a side note, and to end this response, while reading this article two things immediately jumped to mind even before I had finished reading the second page.
One is how Orwell’s other writings might be perceived today, and the other was about a book I read by Robert A. Heinlein called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. That book kept coming to mind as I read Politics because Mistress’ writing style is how we text messages today on our cell phones. I would love to see what Orwell has to say about that, and how we use spellcheck.
I really like this article. Definitely an A++
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