The Writings of George Orwell

One of George Orwell’s most significant goals as a writer was to receive recognition for his works. Orwell achieved his aim by projecting his political perspectives into fictional works such as 1984 and Animal Farm. His position against totalitarianism is strongly evident throughout his novels and even today Orwell’s works still seem relevant because of the fear of totalitarian governments perpetuated by the media and the recent democratic uprisings in the Middle East against dictatorial regimes. In this essay, I argue that Orwell’s reasons for writing, as he outlines them in his essay “Why I Write,” is to seek literary fame and he found that through incorporating political commentary into his writing; in doing so, Orwell successfully turns his political thoughts into a form of art. Using 1984 and D. J. Taylor’s article “Left, Right, Left, Right,” I will also discuss briefly how Orwell’s novels can apply to contemporary political situations.

In 1947, Orwell published “Why I Write”, an essay in which he outlined his goals and intentions as a writer. In it, Orwell states that he writes for “sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and political purpose.” (Orwell, “Why I Write”), but then emphiatically describes at the end of his essay that his motives were not solely for “public purpose” (Orwell, “Why I Write”) or tools to enhance his popularity with the English reading public. Burmese Days, Orwell confesses, is the type of book he wanted to write because it contains unhappy endings, detailed descriptions and “purple passages” (Orwell, “Why I Write”) that are fragments of beautifully crafted phrases that show the magnificence of the English language. Unfortunately, it was poorly received and did not garner much att...

... middle of paper ...

... He states that his motivation for writing is not mainly dominated by political purposes, but because of sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, and historical impulse. However, Orwell realizes that having a political purpose, such as his position against totalitarianism, helps bring life to his books. This essay emphasizes that Orwell had goals of becoming well known for his work.

Taylor, D J. “Left, Right, Left, Right.” New Statesman. N.p., 20 May 2002. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. In this article, D J Taylor criticizes people who use George Orwell, who is no longer living, as a “quotation-supplier” for today’s politics. Taylor believes that even though Orwell’s works are still relevant, it does not provide as much help as it has in Orwell’s time. Taylor’s position is thoughtful because it provides insight about how relevant and affective Orwell’s works are in today’s world.