Politics-and-English-language

2005–2006StanfordMLAApplicationCriticalWritingPiecePage1of9PoliticsandtheEnglishLanguagebyGeorgeOrwellMostpeoplewhobotherwiththematteratallwouldadmitthattheEnglishlanguageisinabadway,butitisgenerallyassumedthatwecannotbyconsciousactiondoanythingaboutit.Ourcivilizationisdecadentandourlanguage--sotheargumentruns--mustinevitablyshareinthegeneralcollapse.Itfollowsthatanystruggleagainsttheabuseoflanguageisasentimentalarchaism,likepreferringcandlestoelectriclightorhansomcabstoaeroplanes.Underneaththisliesthehalf-consciousbeliefthatlanguageisanaturalgrowthandnotaninstrumentwhichweshapeforourownpurposes.Now,itisclearthatthedeclineofalanguagemustultimatelyhavepoliticalandeconomiccauses:itisnotduesimplytothebadinfluenceofthisorthatindividualwriter.Butaneffectcanbecomeacause,reinforcingtheoriginalcauseandproducingthesameeffectinanintensifiedform,andsoonindefinitely.Amanmaytaketodrinkbecausehefeelshimselftobeafailure,andthenfailallthemorecompletelybecausehedrinks.ItisratherthesamethingthatishappeningtotheEnglishlanguage.Itbecomesuglyandinaccuratebecauseourthoughtsarefoolish,buttheslovenlinessofourlanguagemakesiteasierforustohavefoolishthoughts.Thepointisthattheprocessisreversible.ModernEnglish,especiallywrittenEnglish,isfullofbadhabitswhichspreadbyimitationandwhichcanbeavoidedifoneiswillingtotakethenecessarytrouble.Ifonegetsridofthesehabitsonecanthinkmoreclearly,andtothinkclearlyisanecessaryfirststeptowardpoliticalregeneration:sothatthefightagainstbadEnglishisnotfrivolousandisnottheexclusiveconcernofprofessionalwriters.Iwillcomebacktothispresently,andIhopethatbythattimethemeaningofwhatIhavesaidherewillhavebecomeclearer.Meanwhile,herearefivespecimensoftheEnglishlanguageasitisnowhabituallywritten.Thesefivepassageshavenotbeenpickedoutbecausetheyareespeciallybad--IcouldhavequotedfarworseifIhadchosen--butbecausetheyillustratevariousofthementalvicesfromwhichwenowsuffer.Theyarealittlebelowtheaverage,butarefairlyrepresentativeexamples.InumberthemsothatIcanreferbacktothemwhennecessary:1.Iamnot,indeed,surewhetheritisnottruetosaythattheMiltonwhoonceseemednotunlikeaseventeenth-centuryShelleyhadnotbecome,outofanexperienceevermorebitterineachyear,morealien[sic]tothefounderofthatJesuitsectwhichnothingcouldinducehimtotolerate.-ProfessorHaroldLaski(EssayinFreedomofExpression)2.Aboveall,wecannotplayducksanddrakeswithanativebatteryofidiomswhichprescribesegregiouscollocationsofvocablesastheBasicputupwithfortolerate,orputatalossforbewilder.-ProfessorLancelotHogben(Interglossia)3.Ontheonesidewehavethefreepersonality:bydefinitionitisnotneurotic,forithasneitherconflictnordream.Itsdesires,suchastheyare,aretransparent,for2005–2006StanfordMLAApplicationCriticalWritingPiecePage2of9theyarejustwhatinstitutionalapprovalkeepsintheforefrontofconsciousness;anotherinstitutionalpatternwouldaltertheirnumberandintensity;thereislittleinthemthatisnatural,irreducible,orculturallydangerous.Butontheotherside,thesocialbonditselfisnothingbutthemutualreflectionoftheseself-secureintegrities.Recallthedefinitionoflove.Isnotthistheverypictureofasmallacademic?Whereisthereaplaceinthishallofmirrorsforeitherpersonalityorfraternity?-EssayonpsychologyinPolitics(NewYork)4.Allthebestpeoplefromthegentlemen'sclubs,andallthefranticfascistcaptains,unitedincommonhatredofSocialismandbestialhorrorattherisingtideofthemassrevolutionarymovement,haveturnedtoactsofprovocation,tofoulincendiarism,tomedievallegendsofpoisonedwells,tolegalizetheirowndestructionofproletarianorganizations,androusetheagitatedpetty-bourgeoisetochauvinisticfervoronbehalfofthefightagainsttherevolutionarywayoutofthecrisis.-Communistpamphlet5.Ifanewspiritistobeinfusedintothisoldcountry,thereisonethornyandcontentiousreformwhichmustbetackled,andthatisthehumanizationandgalvanizationoftheB.B.C.Timidityherewillbespeakcankerandatrophyofthesoul.TheheartofBritainmaybesoundandofstrongbeat,forinstance,buttheBritishlion'sroaratpresentislikethatofBottominShakespeare'sAMidsummerNight'sDream--asgentleasanysuckingdove.AvirilenewBritaincannotcontinueindefinitelytobetraducedintheeyesorratherears,oftheworldbytheeffetelanguorsofLanghamPlace,brazenlymasqueradingasstandardEnglish.WhentheVoiceofBritainisheardatnineo'clock,betterfarandinfinitelylessludicroustohearaitcheshonestlydroppedthanthepresentpriggish,inflated,inhibited,school-ma'amisharchbrayingofblamelessbashfulmewingmaidens!-LetterinTribuneEachofthesepassageshasfaultsofitsown,but,quiteapartfromavoidableugliness,twoqualitiesarecommontoallofthem.Thefirstisstalenessofimagery;theotherislackofprecision.Thewritereitherhasameaningandcannotexpressit,orheinadvertentlysayssomethingelse,orheisalmostindifferentastowhetherhiswordsmeananythingornot.ThismixtureofvaguenessandsheerincompetenceisthemostmarkedcharacteristicofmodernEnglishprose,andespeciallyofanykindofpoliticalwriting.Assoonascertaintopicsareraised,theconcretemeltsintotheabstractandnooneseemsabletothinkofturnsofspeechthatarenothackneyed:proseconsistslessandlessofwordschosenforthesakeoftheirmeaning,andmoreandmoreofphrasestackedtogethe