Animal Farm Mini Essay Prompt 2

Thorughout time, language has played a key role in helping civilizations across the world to prosper and develop. Language is the main form in which most people communicate through. Without language there is no way for a civilization to communicate and without communication a civilization cannot develop and will eventually collapse. Even if there is language in a society, the society can still collapse if the language is not strong or full of bad habits. Language can make or break a civilization.

In the first two paragraphs from Orwell's famous 1946 essay, "Politics and the English language" He discuses how the English language is crumbling apart. He states, "Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it" (Par 1). To summarize this quote up, George Orwell is basically saying that the English language is in bad shape and there is nothing that people can really do to change it. This creates the assumption that the English language is something that we cannot control, if it falls apart then we, as humans, have to watch the very thing that brought us up form primitiveness collapse. This is very interesting because he contradicts himself in the following paragraph, "Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly" (Par 2). George Orwell is basically stating the opposite of what he had said in the first paragraph. He says that bad habits in the English language can be eliminated by conscious action. These contradicting quotes make me wonder what of this argument is George Orwell really on. Does he believe that we can do something about the English language or not.

George Orwell not only speaks about how the English language is full of bad habits, but he also touches on how the English language relates to the government and economy. For example, in the second paragraph he states, "Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political  and economic causes... but an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely" (Par 2). Basically a language does not turn for the worse all of a sudden, there is something which causes. A decline in the economy can cause a language to decline, but it can also happen in reverse. A declining or crumbling language can lead to economic recession. It can also lead to issues occurring in stable governments. In summary a language that is in downfall can have a domino effect on various aspects of a country, society, or civilization.

I agree with Orwell when he states that bad habits in the English language can be fixed by conscious action. It is not impossible to fix a language it is just difficult. I also agree with the relationship between language and governments. I believe that a declining language can cause a government, country, society, or civilization to collapse. Language is the key to communication which is the key to civilizations all over the world prosper and develop. Basically no language equals a non working society and civilization.