Politics and the English Language

George Orwell's article "Politics and the English Language" (1946) criticises the "ugly and incorrect" written English of his period and investigates the link between political orthodoxies and linguistic debasement. The article focuses on political language, which is "intended to make falsehoods sound true and murder acceptable, and to give the illusion of solidity to pure wind," according to Orwell. Because the language was intended to obscure rather than reveal the reality, Orwell argued that it had to be imprecise or meaningless. This hazy prose had spread to individuals who had no intention of concealing the truth, and it had hidden a writer's thoughts from himself and others. Instead of vagueness, Orwell promotes concreteness and clarity.