Write What You Mean, Mean What You Write | George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language"

Рет қаралды 15,867

Күн бұрын

In his famous essay, "Politics and the English Language," George Orwell explains how bad writing and bad politics feed off each other to make everything worse and then tells writers how they can improve their writing and improve the world. In this video, we talk about the key points of Orwell's essay and what they mean for us as writers.
0:00 Introduction
2:19 The Problem with Political Writing
4:30 An Example
6:46 The Solution (Orwell's 6 Rules)
11:57 Conclusion

Пікірлер: 37

@fredrik8500 Жыл бұрын

I think this video essay achieves the clarity Orwell recommend people to strive for

@WritingwithAndrew Жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks--that's the dream!

@shaifulhaqueshakib2251 Жыл бұрын

Great! Loved it. The vibe, energy, voice -outstanding!

@WritingwithAndrew Жыл бұрын

You're too kind! Thanks a bunch!

@shootingz4315 10 ай бұрын

Orwell wrote this essay in 1946. Choose at least two examples of political discourse from current media and discuss, in an essay, the extent to which Orwell's analysis of the language of politics still applies today. Which features he singles out for criticism appear most frequently in your chosen examples?

@cobeyc.b5946 2 ай бұрын

George Carlin made this exact point famously as well. The difference is that by Carlin’s time, this sort of writing had fully invaded political writing and made its way into every day verbiage.

@randysingh9334 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this explanation Andrew. You are the man kid!

@WritingwithAndrew Жыл бұрын

You're welcome--and thanks for the kind words! If somebody has to be the man-kid, I'm honored to fill the role, haha

@aa3ahmed 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Very clear summation.

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@user-hn9ro9qf8o 9 күн бұрын

It's time to use those suggestions😄

@jeffstone5554 2 жыл бұрын

Another great review, thanks. 'Team Kaput' would look good on a t-shirt.

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks! (I'll make a mental note of that)

@uncanny9948 2 жыл бұрын

I never comment on youtube videos, but this one was a true masterpiece. Perfect. Saved me from sheer distraught. Thank you!

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

Thank a lot--I'm happy to hear it helped!

@sheoransmile Жыл бұрын

Amazing video, exactly to thr point!

@WritingwithAndrew Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@karoleeym 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video!

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

You bet!

@xijinping2682 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video.

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@aurelmuresan9886 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video!

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

You're very welcome!

@elfkind5590 2 жыл бұрын

Holy Shit.... THAT is the best explanation.of what I have been seeing. I get this when speaking to the "new age" crowd too.

@WritingwithAndrew 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it! But for sure--Orwell was talking about political writers, but the same bad habits show up in lots of other places...!

@hashim_moammer 2 жыл бұрын

thanks for the review

@user-kc5pj8qf1z 8 ай бұрын

Just making sure: at 1:59 when you say "we don't too much about sloppy, disgusting political discourse these days"--that was sarcasm, right? The first time I thought you were being sincere, but the 2nd time I realized, "ah, he must be joking." I would be interested, though, in a video demonstrating just *how* this practice is utilized in American politics today.

@WritingwithAndrew 8 ай бұрын

Just as a quick example, we see a lot of political groups use slogans that are less about having productive, nuanced discussions aimed at solving problems and are more about showing what team you're (not) on. The kinds of things that get chanted at political rallies

@shootingz4315 10 ай бұрын

What kinds of prose does Orwell analyze in this essay? Look, in particular, at the passages he quotes in paragraph 3. Where would you find their contemporary equivalents? I dont understand this

@WritingwithAndrew 10 ай бұрын

He includes citations and some specific examples if you want the actual sources, but they're all politically-oriented texts