Literary Analysis Of George Orwell's Politics And The English Language

George Orwell uses pathos in Politics and the English Language. He does this to evoke emotion from the reader. The author’s manner of using pathos is well done. Throughout his paper, the author uses pathos in examples and specific wording. Throughout the paper’s entirety, the paper elicits feelings of inferiority and stupidity. Whether the author intended this or not is unclear. Yet, it is clear that the manner in which the author speaks uses pathos a lot.

George Orwell, in an essay from Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays titled “Politics and the English Language” (1950), argues that the English language, through a cyclical process of sloven language and foolish thought, has become “ugly and inaccurate.” He supports his argument by using expert opinion, metaphors, and historical context. Orwell’s purpose is to demonstrate the debasement of the English language in order to prompt writers to make a conscious change in their writing . He adopts an informal tone (“Look back throughout this essay, and for certain you will find that I have again and again committed the very faults I am protesting against”) for writers in a time of political turnover and rising superpowers.

DISCUSS ORWELL'S USE OF PERSUASIVE TOOLS SUCH AS, SYMBOLISM, METAPHORS AND IRONY IN THIS ESSAY AND EXPLAIN HOW HE USES EACH OF THESE TO CONVEY HIS ARGUMENT OR MESSAGE

In the excerpt, Orwell uses the rhetorical device of repetition in order to create suspense. For example, right before the rats are going to attack, Winston says, “‘Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!’” The repetitive screams for help from Winston reveals the tone as he is frantically begging for mercy. Another example of repetition is used is when Orwell writes, “To think, to think, even with a split second left--to think was the only hope” This reveals the tone as it reveals Winston only has a split second to save himself from the rats, and he must be able to think fast in order to do it.

George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know

Orwell does not agree with this technique; he strongly emphasizes to “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print” (Orwell). Trump incorporates the phrase, “I always say Trojan horse”(Trump). The politician uses this metaphor to adapt to his opinion on immigrants; however, Orwell includes the key idea that, “A newly invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically ‘dead’” (Orwell). Metaphors have been constantly twisted to aid a concept that the speaker or writer is trying to make clear. This leads to the politician, “ inventing phrases for themselves”(Orwell). Another metaphor Trump presents in his speech is “We’re like the big bully that keeps getting beat up” (Trump). This metaphor is a key example of what Orwell would deduce as “pieces of clumsiness”. Adding in metaphors can save effort, yet only benefits the speaker and not the listener. Behind this twisted phrasing, it makes the Politician look like he is not initially interested in what he is saying. Orwell stresses strongly, that metaphors are used to created imagery but in this case it causes

In George Orwell’s essay, “Politics And The English Language” Orwell discusses how the English language is changing negatively. His purpose is to show how modern writers, especially in politics, has become bogged down with the poor use of language. Orwell does this by using examples, critiques, and inductive reasoning. The author also has a serious tone that shows what he is talking about is very important to him and should be to his audience.

George Orwell’s 1984 is probably one of the most famous political novels in History. It´s strong criticism to authoritarianism, government abuses and sameness makes it one of the most analysed novels of the twentieth century. Hence, Orwell uses a lot of literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism of color and all sorts of allusions to convey the reader into his powerful criticism of authoritarian societies and how the promote the decay of free-thinking and individualism, which his the meaning of his narrative prose.

Using the English language effectively can be difficult at times. You must consider many factors: who your audience is, what kind of tone you wish to convey, the message you are attempting to get across, and any kind of lasting effect wished upon a reader’s mind. After reading through two essays, Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” and Brockenbrough’s “Does IM Make U Dum?” each reveals different mindsets about the advancement and usage of the English language. On one hand, Orwell seems to advocate the simplification of speech and writing. Rather than seemingly sagacious phrases, useless terms, and

“Newspeak was designed to. . .diminish the range of thought. . .by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum” explains George Orwell, the author of a dystopian fiction novel, 1984 (Orwell 300). Orwell designs a society in which a totalitarian government rules, depriving people of their thoughts. The story gives us a look into the life of the main character, Winston, who seems to face issues with reality control. Today, we will delve into the depths of this novel and explore Orwell’s views on the nature of language. In simple terms, Orwell suggests that language, if used in a certain way, has the ability to influence people and compel them to alter their thoughts. With this statement and supporting evidence, it can be concluded that the effective use of language can give individuals power to modify or reshape opinions that will allow for change in society.

1.Throughout the essay, Orwell talks about many of the problems in English language and how they all contribute to its downfall. One reason for its decline is the use of dying metaphors. A dying metaphor is one that has no impact on the reader, it has no meaning, and doesn’t enhance the readers experience. Another reason is the use of verbal false limbs and pretentious diction, which are used to make single words or short phrases into unnecessarily long and complex phrases in an attempt to sound smarter or more sophisticated. They also use words that are from Greek and Latin language. By bringing in another language into our own, we begin to break away from our origin of the English language. Next, meaningless words are also a problem

Orwell uses Winston Smith, our main character, to exemplify the message he repeatedly tries to get across. Winston is a middle-aged man who is alone, or so it seems. It quickly becomes clear through his awkward behavior that he is constantly being

George Orwell, the writer of many highly regarded literary works, is extremely interested in the power of language, mainly how it is abused. By analyzing two of his works, 1984 and Politics and The English Language, it is clear that Orwell is using his writing to bring awareness to the dangers of the manipulation, misuse, and decline of language. In 1984 he demonstrates how language can be used to control thought and manipulate the past. This is proven throughout the novel by examining the language of Newspeak and how it is key to controlling the totalitarian state, and how using language to alter and manipulate history can shape reality. In his essay Politics and the English Language Orwell

The thesis of the essay is that writing was Orwell’s inevitable and irresistible destiny, although shrouded by his attempts to abandon it. It had always been inexorably and intricately woven into his person, manifesting itself first at 5 or 6, and then ultimately impressing itself on his life with irrevocable and fulfilling finality.

In "Politics and the English Language", Orwell illustrates the misuse of the English language in society. Orwell believes that language can be used to both actively and passively oppress a society. Orwell has five rules that connect to Animal Farm and Anthem. His rules are the following; never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print, Never use a long word where a short one will do, if it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out, never use the passive where you can use the active, never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.