George Orwell | |
George OrwellGeorge 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). | QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION | CONTENT - What are the two common faults Orwell points out in the sample
passages found in paragraph three?
- Describe Orwell's guidelines for using metaphors.
- According to the author, what are some of the problems of pretentious
diction?
- Name three examples of meaningless words.
- How does Orwell view the state of the English language at the time
of this writing? How did it get that way?
- What are some examples of what Orwell calls "the defense of
the indefensible"? What's the importance of English usage here?
- 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 - 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.
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
| ENGAGING THE TEXT | - 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?
- 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 | - 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.
- 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?
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