Politics And The English Language

I just love Orwell. I think the points he makes in this article are really important. I realized that I do all those stupid mistakes all the time, when I’m just too lazy to think of what would be the best way to express myself. Honestly, many times I use those terrible metaphors and “verbal false limbs” to make my writing look more professional. I feel other journalists out there use such complicated language that I feel I also have to make my articles seem more educated I guess.

So basically what Orwell says is that we have no idea what the words MEAN. And he’s right.

Also, from now on I’m going to try using simple words, active voice and gerunds.

No foreign words. This is actually a funny thing. I mean, we all know a couple foreign words, like deus ex machina or status quo, and we think that using them makes us look smart, but the fact is that almost all people knows these words and uses them with the same intention. So these words become terrible commonplaces besides making the text ambiguous.

Another important point: a text has to be like a film. People reading an article should see pictures in their heads, which can be achieved by good metaphors. I loved Orwell giving a lesson on this with the metaphor of “stale phrases” that “choke [the writer] like tea-leaves blocking a sink.” This was just awesome and really vivid. [I was actually cleaning the kitchen sink just yesterday.]

Orwell also talks about vagueness and bluntness. So, is it because authors are lazy to say things right? Or because they don’t dare to write down clear statements? I remember that in Intro to Mass Media class we learned that heavy TV viewers are more likely to have “moderate” political views than light viewers. Maybe it’s because of the blunt language used in TV. Yeah, again, I’m back at the topic of being objective. But not making clear statements about either side is not objectivity! It’s worse than not saying anything at all!

I loved the 6 rules at the end of the essay. They’re so sarcastic!! I mean Orwell talks about how authors should think instead of using “ready-made phrases” and then he gives a list of how an author should write?! But even if the rules he subscribes are right, the point is that without thinking we’re all bad writers. (Rule vi. “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.” = THINK!)