Both Writers Conceive "Politics" In The Same Manner Literature Essay

BOTH WRITERS CONCEIVE "POLITICS" IN THE SAME MANNER
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1. Consider Orwell's use of the words "politics / political" in "Politics and the English Language" in relationship to Lanham's in chapter 8 ("Why Bother?") of Revising Prose: do you think both writers conceive "politics" in the same manner?
Lanham and Orwell conceive politics in the same manner. This is evident from the fact that Lanham’s literary writings were largely influenced by Orwell’s style and ideas on the debasement of the English language by the political elite. They both have a common stand on the effect of politics on the evolution of the English language. Furthermore, both distaste euphemism, which largely underlies modern-day political language. Still, Orwell asserts that political speech writing is fundamentally informed by a sense of communal and humane practice. In his text, he states that “political speech and writing is largely the defense of the indefensible” (Orwell, 2009). This statement implies that political rhetoric must appeal to the indefensible and make them feel fully defendable. He also mentions atrocities which he claims that can only be defended using arguments that are extremely brutal to be acceptable, and which does not necessarily have to resonate with the prevailing political philosophy.
Orwell’s position on the use of the words “politics/political” is that that they are framed as an excuse for the deliberate use of English words that lack a definite meaning (Orwell, 2009). Evidently, both writers expressed their disquiet on the progressive erosion of the English language. Although Orwell’s text was written in the post-world war II era whereas Lanhom’s fits within the modern political context, both of them express resentment for the prevailing disconnect between an act and its presentation (Orwell, 2009; Lanham, 2007). However, Lanham uses rhetoric to demystify the fact that just like Orwell’s time, we currently live in a society where politicians have concocted the meaning of political “rhetoric” rendering it verbose and inconsistent (Lanham, 2007). He avers that politicians are either intentionally or unintentionally misusing the English language to attain a specific political end. Nonetheless, both have a common conception that political rhetoric is largely informed by euphemistic platitudes which Orwell calls “turning oneself into a machine” (Orwell, 2009, p.207). Both concur that politicians make a conscious decision to confuse the public using complex and lengthy sentences with the intention of obscuring the true meaning of their rhetoric.
2. Think about Orwell's tone in "Politics and the English Language": how seriously should we take his arguments? What clues does Orwell provide throughout the essay to help us determine how to receive his arguments?
Orwell brilliantly uses an inconsistent tone throughout the essay. At the onset, Orwell’s tone is authoritative as he is literary lecturing the audience on what has bedeviled the English language. In one excerpt, he argues that “Our civilization is decadent and our language-so the argument runs-must inevitably sh...