Politics and the English Language cover art

Politics and the English Language

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Politics and the English Language

By: George Orwell
Narrated by: Peter Noble
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $3.99

Buy Now for $3.99

About this listen

The emotional urges which are inescapable, and are perhaps even necessary to political action, should be able to exist side by side with an acceptance of reality.

Politics and the English Language is widely considered one of Orwell's most important essays.

Within this essay, Orwell criticises the 'ugly and inaccurate' written English of his time and examines the connection between political orthodoxies and the debasement of language. The essay focuses on political language, which, according to Orwell, 'is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind'. Bad English, he believed, was a vehicle for oppressive ideology.

Written as it was just after World War II, Politics and the English Language provides a stark warning of how important language is to our everyday lives.

Public Domain (P)2021 SNR Audio
Communication & Social Skills Essays Personal Development Political Science Politics & Government Words, Language & Grammar Nonfiction Socialism
All stars
Most relevant  
Great book on using language with precision and saying what you mean clearly. I Highly recommend it.

Great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.