Politics and the English Language Essay

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In George Orwell’s 1946 essay, “Politics and the English Language”, Orwell expresses grave reservations about the way in which the English Language was used in 1946 Great Britain. He notes particularly the “staleness of imagery [and] lack of precision” that he found rife in journalism, academic writing, and especially political writing. His conclusion is that the “whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness.” The often pretentious and jargon-filled writing is what Orwell feels is Overtaking the English language. In his essay, Orwell also states that the decimation of a language comes from the inaccuracy and the ugliness of the thoughts of an individual. Through “Politics and the English Language”, Orwell illustrates the cause and effect relationship between the English language and the insincerity of thought. Orwell states, “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms.” (Orwell, “Politics...”) The structure of thought and writing consists of unclear and inoffensive language; this is because the speaker is never willing to reveal his or her true aims. The speaker’s insincerity in thought is therefore transferred to his or her writing. Buddha once stated “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.” This quote explains the relationship between the thought process and political thought. This can be seen in politics of the 21st century. Today, politics has been denigrated by some elements in the occupation and it is generally associated with greed and insincerity. This is because the people who hold political power are composed of these traits. Such politicians disparage their colleagues with all manner of contrived allegations and embolden their language with euphemism and sheer vagueness in a bid to win
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