Unit One - George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language"

George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language"

When I started reading this essay, I found myself utterly confused at first and wondering what in the world I was reading. It wasn’t until after reading for a while that I figured out that it was meant to be confusing and not really make a lot of sense. I started to understand that he was trying to make a point that the English language was screwed up at that time and still is to this day. So many people are using a poor choice of wording in their sentences. By doing this, they are making it harder for another person to actually understand the message they are trying to convey.

Politicians are the worst at being confusing due to their poor choice of language. They use a lot of big words that are not normally used in everyday language and cram as many of them into a sentence trying to appear smarter.  They make their sentences and speeches as vague as possible to avoid getting to an actual point or answering a direct question. They are leaving people confused and feeling as though they are not as smart because they failed to understand the meaning behind the speech.

After reading my government homework, I was left feeling confused, inadequate and somewhat lost. It was not until after I read George Orwell’s essay that I understood some people use these terms knowing they will not make sense to another person. There were so many terms and words that I actually had no idea what they even meant. I had to reread them several times, trying to get an understanding of what it was they were trying to say.  It would have been so much easier if they just got to the point and stopped trying to appear so smart. If the sentences where simplified, more people would understand them and not be left feeling so confused.

Working at a law firm I see a lot of gibberish, sometimes I actually have to have a dictionary and the internet close at hand to make sense of a document. Things would be so much easier if everyone simplified their writing and stopped trying to appear smarter just because they are using confusing sentences and larger unappealing words.

It surprises me that people turn to foreign words or scientific terms when a normal everyday word could be used. Why do people fill their sentences with such nonsense? Why not just have a simple sentence and get your point across the first time? Orwell makes a valid point regarding the evolution of the English language; it needs a major make over.

 I would most defiantly have to agree with George Orwell’s essay. The English language is in a bad way and seems to only be getting worse.