GEORGE ORWELL
Through politics and prose, he shows how vague language produces vague thinking and conceals responsibility.
1903–1950Political thought · Literary criticismBritain
Core ideas
LANGUAGEPOWERCLARITYPROPAGANDARESPONSIBILITY
Works & sources
Politics and the English Language · Nineteen Eighty-Four · Animal Farm
GEORGE ORWELL, a first reading
Orwell examined how power reshapes language and reality through fiction and political criticism.
Language and responsibility: what does it mean?
For Orwell, vague and habitual language can keep us from seeing reality. Clear writing involves making actions and responsibility visible, not merely making sentences shorter.