Essay
Essays are not only written by students. People who are considered experts in a particular topic often write essays to show a new viewpoint on something. For example, authors like Charles Dickens and George Orwell wrote essays to express their ideas about topics, such as politics and poverty. The essay is a form of literary non-fiction in which a writer expresses an opinion on something, or makes an argument, in a creative form.
Essays:
- have a clear structure that introduces their idea, develops their viewpoint using different points to support them, and concludes with a summary of the arguments
- can have a formal tone and serious purpose, eg in The Ugly Tourist, Jamaica Kincaid criticises the way that tourism ignores the poverty and hardships found in some tourist locations
- can be more personal, eg in My Misspent Youth, Meghan Daum shares her dreams and then the difficult realities of trying to be a successful writer in New York
Example
This extract is the beginning of an essay by George Orwell, the novelist, who was also a famous essay writer. This essay is called Politics and the English Language. It was published in 1946, in a literary magazine. It criticises the ugliness of written English in the 鈥榤odern鈥 age.
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. Our civilization is To abandon rules. and our language 鈥 so the argument runs 鈥 must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental Keeping old-fashioned ways alive., like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes.
Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the Careless, lazy. of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible.
Politics and the English Language, George Orwell
Analysis
In this extract you can see:
- Orwell uses first person plural pronouns 鈥 鈥渨e鈥 and 鈥渙ur鈥 鈥 this makes the reader feel that the state of the English language is their problem too.
- The vocabulary is complex and 聽Words which have more than one syllable.. This reinforces his idea that we should not be lazy with words 鈥 we should make more effort to use and understand a wide range of vocabulary.
- The A 'doing' word; a word expressing action. 'Walk', 'talk', 'come', 'go', 'eat' and 'sleep' are all verbs. 鈥渃ollapse鈥 and 鈥渟truggle鈥 imply how difficult the fight against falling standards is.
- A comparison using 'like' or 'as' to create a vivid image, eg as big as a whale; float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. 鈥渓ike preferring candles to electric lights or hansom cabs to aeroplanes鈥 admit the benefits of progress, that everything changes 鈥 sometimes for the better.
- However, the A comparison made without using 'like' or 'as', eg 'sea of troubles' and 'drowning in debt'. of the drunken man 鈥 drinking due to failure, then failing due to drinking 鈥 suggests that the 鈥渟lovenliness鈥 of our language will make us more 鈥渇oolish鈥 so that we can never put things right.
- The final short sentence, 鈥淭he point is that the process is reversible鈥 gives the reader hope that they can improve their English language - if they make the effort to. This is the purpose of the essay 鈥 to argue that we must make that effort.