English: Book Review
“Politics and the English Language” is an essay written by George well in 1946. In the article, Orwell severely criticizes the poor written English language during his era. He observes the political conventions and degradation of the language and highlights the weak areas causing the same. The paper attempts to carry out an analysis and produces a review of the essay.
George Orwell discusses the English language used by politicians. The writer highlights that use of English language in politics is meant to cover the lies and portray them as total truth. The language used in politics makes even a murder a respectable act by the politicians. He describes the language used in politics as worthless and ambiguous as it intends to hide the truth and project the false image of happenings. Orwell talks about the bombing on defenseless villages, described as pacification by the politicians. Killing of innocent people with no logic is hidden under the use of word pacification. The writers of the English language are not sincere that adds to the decline of the language. People try to disguise their true intentions behind the use of English language understatements and complicated phrasing. He argues that in poor English, it is easier to think and express irrational thoughts because the English language is declining because of such people. Translation of English into other languages does not give the true sense of words as do the original words. George Orwell proffers six rules that can help to avoid most of the common English language errors. He advises to use the short sentences; avoid metaphor, cutting out the words, not to use passive voice, and not to use the foreign phrase or a scientific word. The sixth rule is not to break the first five rules (Orwell, 2-6)
George Orwell seems to be right in his observation about the use of English not for the intended purpose. It has become customary to use English language for conveying things that are not meant in the actual place (Poole, 2). It is the right of someone who understands the English language and who loves English to raise the issue in order to stop any further decline of the language.
Work Cited
George Orwell. Politics and the English Language. 1946. Web. 30 September. 2014.
Steven Poole. My Problem with George Orwell. 2013. Web. 30 September. 2014.
