The Power of Language

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how, in his essay "Politics and the English Language", George Orwell focuses on the function of language as a powerful tool that can easily be abused. The paper then examines Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" that also illustrates how language can be manipulated and abused. The paper explains how Swift's projector proves Orwell's theory that we can manipulate language and, as a result, language becomes a major factor in human thought.

From the Paper:

"Language is more than words. Language is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways to achieve a variety of purposes. In his essay, "Politics and the English Language," George Orwell focuses on the function of language, emphasizing that it is a tool by which we can wield much power. He observes that language has been used as a creative tool and a manipulative tool. One of the first premises of Orwell's essay is that language and thought are connected. He writes that an "effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely" (Orwell 317). This influence works both ways. "If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought" (324). This premise is powerful in that it not only suggests that thought can influence language but it emphasizes what we already know - that individuals can be influenced by language."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Orwell, George. "Politics and the English Language." The Norton Reader. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 2008.
• Swift, Jonathon. "A Modest Proposal." The Norton Reader. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 2008.
• ---.The Examiner No. 14." Gulliver's Travels and Other Writings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1960.

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