George Orwell

George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language"

George Orwell (1903-1950) was born in Motihari, Bengal and graduated from Eton College in 1921. Over the years, he worked as a dishwasher in Paris, as a bookstore clerk in London, and as a teacher. Orwell also served England during World War II, attaining the rank of sergeant. Orwell was a novelist, journalist, and essayist—and outstanding in all three forms. Central questions of politics—especially concerning authoritarianism—are never far from the surface of his incisive writing. His best-known long works are the novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), both of which have been adapted for film, and the memoir Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). He was also both an editor and columnist for the Tribune and a foreign correspondent for the Observer, two English newspapers. Orwell died of tuberculosis in London at the age of forty-seven. "Politics and the English Language" was first published in 1946 in Horizon and first collected in book form in Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays (1950).

CONTENT

1. What are the two common faults Orwell points out in the sample passages found in paragraph three?
2. Describe Orwell's guidelines for using metaphors.
3. According to the author, what are some of the problems of pretentious diction?
4. Name three examples of meaningless words.
5. How does Orwell view the state of the English language at the time of this writing? How did it get that way?
6. What are some examples of what Orwell calls "the defense of the indefensible"? What's the importance of English usage here?
7. Why is it so important to Orwell to "fight against bad English"? What is particularly important about political language in this regard?

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. One can view this essay as an exemplification essay or as a process analysis (a "how-to" piece.) Pick one of these rhetorical modes and describe how this essay functions as one or the other.
2. Orwell divides his essay into sections and provides titles for them. What does he gain from this choice? What would be lost without this technique?
3. In paragraph four, Orwell compares a kind of sloppy writing to an inanimate object. What's the comparison? What image does it evoke, and how does it relate to his disdain for this practice?
4. In paragraph sixteen, the author says that he himself has committed the faults he's been criticizing throughout the essay, in this very essay. Can you find any? Within what context does he make this remark? Does this admission affect his credibility?
5. Speaking of breaking rules, his sixth rule in paragraph eighteen provides an occasion to break the other five. What is the occasion and how does this relate to Orwell's view about the relationship of writing and politics?

1. What's your relationship with the English language? Do you look forward to English class or wish the comp final was over and done with? How might these thoughts have influenced your reaction to this piece?
2. Since this essay was written more than fifty years ago, some of the words and phrases probably weren't all that familiar to you. What did you do about it? Do you think a fuller understanding of the troublesome ones would enhance your understanding of the essay? What might you try in the future?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Take a paper you've written and check it against each of Orwell's suggestions for clear writing. Form the suggestions into topic sentences and use your own work for support, noting when you followed, and when you deviated from, his advice.
2. Orwell states that good writing "has nothing to do with correct grammar and syntax, which are of no importance so long as one makes one's meaning clear." Defend or refute that statement in several well-developed paragraphs.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Orwell's straightforward approach to using the English language bears some similarity to the classic by Strunk and White called The Elements of Style. Find a copy of the book and compare it to Orwell's essay. What do the authors stress that Orwell doesn't? What does Orwell emphasize that they don't? What might account for these differences?

WEB CONNECTION

Did you know that this author has been a fairly frequent contributor to film? Here are some links to reviews of the 1984 adaptation of 1984. Find one online and read it. What did you learn about the book from the review?

LINKS

Biographical

You're ready to use the Web to learn more about Orwell. These George Orwell resources will get you started. These include links to biographies, images, texts, and quotes, as well as a photo.

Here's an excerpt from the biography, George Orwell: A Life. What did you learn about Orwell from it that you didn't know before?

You might want to start with a standalone biography. Here's a brief one at Encyclopedica.com, which includes hyperlinks and is followed by an Orwell bibliography.

Bibliographical

How about some quotations by Orwell? Would you feel comfortable using these in a paper about the author? Why or why not? How would you cite them? If you don't know, how would you find out?

Want to know how to make a perfect cup of tea? Take a look at Orwell's approach. Be warned: it takes eleven steps, and even then, some "controversial points" arise.

For a streamlined approach to Orwell bibliographies, why don't you visit the relevant directory at Yahoo.com?

Cultural

Interested in what other Orwellians have on their minds? A message board is a good place to find out. This one is called the George Orwell Forum Frigate and it's worth a look, maybe even a post or two.

Do you like to collect books? This page revolves around collecting Orwell's works, and also includes some Orwellian links.

This is the homepage for an exhibition of Orwell's works from the Daniel J. Leab collection at Brown University. What do you think of Orwell's handwriting? Is this the kind of exhibit you'd be likely to visit in person?