orwell's essay politics and the english language

Exploring Theories and Contexts in Family Meanings essay.The second one starts with words and just finds contentment with whatever a jumbled mix of words creates. The first one has a preconceived image that is to be put into words. The worst case of misuse however is the fact that words are no longer used to express an image, rather as tools for creating an image. Some words are used in order to simply look scientific or artsy for example. Words, instead of being used as tools for expression, are used to create a false image of knowledge or authority. Another example given is the use of words to give a sense of importance and dignity to one’s writing. Some which have been used without much thought to what they truly mean have become lost in translation and distorted in meaning. Orwell gives examples of these such as using metaphors that have been used so many times that the original bite of the expression has been lost. They just put them together because they sound well together or because these expressions are used quite a bit in real life. Instead of committing errors in expressing meaning, the authors do not even bother about the meanings of the words. The second pitfall is disinterest in what is being written. Instead of being able to take thoughts and opinions and put them in words, the words are simply mixed together without saying much at all. This causes much ambiguity and taints the clarity of what the writer is trying to say. But writers often misunderstand these meanings and use them inappropriately. Here, writers let the words flow in writing without giving much thought as to how these words affect what is written. The author proposes that two major faults exist in the current use of the language. Therefore, getting rid of such misuses is a must. English is not simply misused by the minority but by all people who uses it carelessly. He speaks of how this careless use of words translate to carelessness in thought and that these in turn make it easier to fail in expressing one’s thoughts through words. In George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”, he discusses the recent failures in the usage of the English language.

Orwell's essay politics and the english language