Politics and the English Language
by George Orwell
Politics and English is considered Orwell's most important essay on style. For Orwell, style has never been just a matter of aesthetics; it has always been inextricably linked to politics and reality. "All questions are political issues, and politics itself is a pile of lies, evasions, stupidity, hatred and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, the tongue should suffer. "Language is a political issue, and the irregular use of language and clichés makes it easier for those in power to consciously use misleading language to hide unpleasant political realities. He believed that bad English was a tool of oppressive ideology, and it was no coincidence that it was written after the end of the Second World War.
