Why I Write

In this essay, Orwell outlined the specific ways that politicians and academics were misusing English vocabulary, grammar, and semantics to obfuscate their ideas from the general readership. As the English language declines, in Orwell’s opinion, its use as a tool to convey ideas directly affects the individuals using it: “[the English language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts” (102). Orwell linked clear language to clear thought and the necessary “political regeneration.” He provided five examples of published writing to demonstrate the ways in which English was being used incompetently and vaguely. He listed several “tricks” writers and politicians used to achieve abstract, imprecise syntax.

First, Orwell examined the outdated metaphor. He claimed that a useful and new metaphor must foster a precise visual image. An outdated or hackneyed metaphor shows that the writer is both too incompetent to invent new metaphors and that they are not invested in the message they are attempting to convey. Second, writers should limit verb phrases and the passive voice to simplify and clarify a piece of writing. Third, Orwell criticized the use of “pretentious diction” with Latin, Greek, or scientific phrases that merely serve to spark a vague understanding in the reader. Finally, writers should replace words that correspond solely to abstract ideas with those that have physical relevance to reality.

Orwell translated a verse from the Ecclesiastes into what he calls modern English to highlight the dishonest and vague direction that the English language seemed to be moving toward. By using predictable or unspecified language, the writer never actually says anything of their own: “It is at this point that the special connection between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear” (113). If thought corrupts language, then the same is true in reverse. In order to combat this, Orwell suggested following grammatical and syntactical rules that allow for clear, expressive, direct, and thought-provoking language. Orwell believed that changing the way people used language would trigger political change.