‘Pacification’ connotes neutrality, masking the cruelty of war. In order to conceal the violence of their actions, politicians express themselves euphemistically. Politicians often defend indefensible issues for example, they might call bombarding defenseless villages and harming innocent civilians “pacification” (173). He explains why political language is filled with “euphemism, question-begging, and sheer cloudy vagueness” (173). Orwell argues that politics plays a significant but reversible role in the decline of the English language. Thus emerges the connection between modern English prose and the development of politics: modern English can allow people to conceal their intentions.
Based on his analyses, Orwell concludes, “The whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness” (175). The original version is clear and comprehensible, using precise words and specific images, while the translated version is complicated by redundant language and wordy sentences. In order to make his point more convincing, Orwell translates a vivid passage from Ecclesiastes into modern English. Each of the passages he includes use convoluted language, thus obscuring their intentions and ideas. He analyzes four representative examples, identifying their common qualities: “staleness of imagery” and “lack of precision” (165). To unlearn these “bad habits,” writers should think more clearly, as this is “a necessary first step toward political regeneration” (163). He begins by examining the weaknesses of modern English writing, pointing out that “Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits,” especially “the mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence,” which have been “spread by imitation” (165). To combat this decline, Orwell advocates for a more direct style of writing. Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” examines the connection between politics and modern English, criticizing contemporary prose for being too vague, too lengthy, and too convoluted. Does the rise of Twitter call Orwell’s arguments about the connection between politics and the English language into question?
Some political leaders, most notably Donald Trump, have used Twitter to communicate with masses of people. Social media platforms like Twitter play an increasingly important role in daily life. With the advancement of modern science and technology, politics, communication, and the English language have all undergone a series of revolutionary changes. His six rules for writing have persisted over the decades, encouraging students like me to write concisely and sincerely. In 1946, George Orwell declared that the English language was declining.
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