Orwellian Elitism

Orwell writes in the condescending way that so heavily saturates the class of writers that he was once in. His criticisms, while somewhat valid are completely applicable to his writing, even his list of rules found at the end of the piece. His argument that English is falling apart can be backed up, but that idea necessitates that English was at one point not easily fucked up. If you read old English, it appears equally if not more dull than modern bland writing. Orwell's rules are pretty asinine, and suppressing of expression, while his writing is overly complicated. I'm sure if he were to be called out on it, he would either refuse to discuss it, or he would say he was being clever. Regardless, it seems that he's taking a jab at other writers with the snobbish bullshit that is so common in those who have amassed a certain amount of fame.

In terms of his actual complaints, I think that they are good guidelines for certain parts of writing, say, if you're putting out an informative article. However, if you're endeavoring towards creativity, following these rules will make your piece read like a dry, dead thing. Orwell was a great writer, that's undeniable if you look at his success, but now I don't think his writing would make the top fifty. This plays into the underlying theme of this topic; our language is constantly changing and evolving. I think at this point, our acclaimed writers deviate from the formal writing of Orwell's time in favor of more concise, yet emotional literature.

The lack of natural in writting English !!!!

It has always been and will always be easier to read a paper, a book, or an article where the author uses words for the sake of their meanings. At some point, we are all readers but some of us are more into it than others; maybe because of their entourage or just because they are passionate about it. I really like to read but not the ones with "dying metaphors" or "pretentious diction" like Orwell points out. In fact I read some books not because they were gripping but because I was forced to; "Death of a Salesman" for example. On contrary, I also read "Into the Wild" and I really enjoyed it. They were both classic.
Nowadays more and more people are writing not because they really want to express their ideas, but because they want to call their-selves "writers." They want to be part of the people in order to get what they are trying to say, you need your heavy encyclopedia with you. Worst yet, they think they are good writers. What is the point of writing something the average people can't understand?By average people, I meant someone with a high school diploma.
Using metaphors in their proper ways and make one's thoughts clear for everyone to understand make you a better author. Using Latins-roots words which contradict each others and conceal your idea make you an impostor. So, let's use word that are easier to understand and which reveals our ideas.
BILLY

Orwell Reading

I dont know if I can say that I agree with this reading. I understand all the points that are being made and see where the writers coming from but to be honest I think this readings pointless. Our language isn't something you can define or judge for that matter. We had a conversation in our Rhetoric class the other day about how students write papers. There's a format and rules of things you can and cannot do. That mostly kid's in high school are told to go by. When really kids should be able to speak and write the way you want to, that way whatever your writing will probably turn out better since you care about what your writing about and your not just doing it because you have to. George Orwell is backing up the fact that when you write you have to go by a format. Yes, theres certain ways where you can phrase something or not phrase something to make it look and sound better, but maybe thats an opinion. Maybe someone else who reads it will like the way that its been written. Ironically, reading Orwell's text was exactly what he said wasn't okay. It was very complex and there were a couple times where I had to re read a sentence or two. It wasn't a simple reading and it wasn't black&white and to the point.

One of Those Read it Multiple Times, Then You'll get it Type of Thing

I’m honestly not quite sure if I fully understand the reading. I went into it thinking although, Mike told us that this would be the hardest thing we read all semester that it wouldn’t be too bad. And at times I believed that it wasn’t. But in the end I was left confused about the point Orwell was trying to come across.

In the beginning Orwell is talking about how the English language over time has begun to “collapse”. Our generation has picked up “bad habits” when it comes to writing and speaking because of our “foolishness” and how that has developed over generations and generations. He brings us badly constructed or worded quotes and discusses why they are bad. He discusses how the use of metaphors is declining or at least people actually knowing what they mean is. Also he makes the point that people use “big” words to embellish, (notice what I did there? Haha) text to make a point sound more believable or correct. This happens in politics all the time. And most of the time, they’re meaningless.

I got that out of this article several things; however, I guess I’m just not clear what the true point Orwell was trying to get across. 1. Political English language is different from everyday language for many people. Politicians do things like use bigger, deeper, more complicated words to go around what they really mean to say. They also do this to make a deeper point. 2. That the English language has declined over the years and our generation likes to short hand things and get straight to the point. 3. We should try to change that. We should try to dig deeper into our minds, not write the way we normally would and use language we’re not used to. Or maybe he means just the opposite. See, I’m not quite sure. I hope I’m not the only one having this problem with this essay, I guess it’s one of those things you’ll have to read over a few times to fully comprehend it. I think I’ll go do that right now.

Orwell

This text was very hard for me to understand because it was very complex but when I finished reading it all I understood that what Orwell was saying was undeniably true. English literature has been going downhill for decades. Orwell makes six monumental points about how the English language is getting to complex and how if you just write simpler and in less slang than the English language might start to come back in usefulness. Our lives now a days are much different from 30 years ago however. Today there is a great deal of blogging along with just talking on facebook. Kids in this generation do not want to type a paper just to talk to their friends they want to shorten it to as little as it can go so that you can get your point across faster. Orwell is correct in saying that the English language and literature is declining but it is for a reason in this generation. The new generation doesn’t want to read novels they want to know what they have to do in a short and sweet paragraph.

Enlgish Language

Orwell is saying that the English language is being abused and is not serving its main purpose which is communication. I believe that writing is for communication purposes. I think the author is right about using big words. Why use a enormous word when a regular word will do? "(iii) Never use a long word where a short one will do" (Orwell 64). As a reader I always hated reading text that required a large amount of skills to understand. Writers make their writing seem so advanced that what happens is it becomes difficult to understand and ultimately boring to read. Some people also argue that the English language is being ruined by modern day text messaging. I do not view this as ruining the English language. The language is about communication and if it is changing it means that people have changed it to make it better at communication.

Orwell and the English Language

In his passage George Orwell delivers a message that is undeniably true; American literature is slowly losing its substance. Our society did more than just kill the English language, it raped and murdered it. There was a time where literature was quick to reveal its point but rich in its illustration and subject to thorough comprehension and engaging response. The modern approach has massacred these aspirations to depict and describe ideas in a quick but effective fashion. Instead, modern writers walk circles around their main point leaving trails of irrelevance. Now a days, fluffy phrases and washed up metaphors are expected to carry the weight of explanation. This approach is ineffective. Modern writers have lost sight of literature’s general goal, which I believe is to relate to the audience with a specific thought or theory that is displayed in an interesting and dissectible fashion. Instead the passion and inspiration is lost and hardly compensated with an overload of extensive vocabulary.