george orwell politics and the english language

In his essay, Orwell also cut through the careless, mechanical prose of academics and journalists who fall back on clichés-“all prefabricated phrases, needless repetitions, and humbug and vagueness generally.” Political language-and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists-is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” Those are the sentences most cited whenever a modern leader or talking head hides behind terms like “restructuring” (for layoffs), “visiting a site” (for bombing), or “alternative facts” (for falsehoods). Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. “In our time,” Orwell argued, “political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible.

“Politics and the English Language” addressed the jargon, double-talk, and what we would now call “spin” that had already distorted the discourse of the mid-20th century. But perhaps the language of today’s politics warrants some fresh criticisms that even the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm could not have conceived. In the decades since its appearance, the article has been quoted by many commentators who invoke Orwell’s literary and moral stature in support of its continued relevance. First published in Britain’s Horizon in 1946, it has since been widely anthologized and is always included in any collection of the writer’s essential nonfiction. George Orwell’s “ Politics and the English Language” is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential essays ever written.

George orwell politics and the english language