1)
1984
Although this is a predictable way to begin
my reasons, this is the book that began my interest in George Orwell and is
still my favourite book 3 years on. From the first page I was captivated by his
way with words and ability to make a fantasy world scarily realistic.
2)
His dissatisfaction with the world
Not content with society and the middle
class, Orwell used writing to communicate his observations as well as making
people think about the control and influence that the mass media has. I like that
he wrote for a purpose, which in my opinion he does in an entertaining way.
3)
The influence he still has today
I like that Orwell’s views are still relevant
and that his writing is still discussed decades later but it isn't in an over
the top and tiresome way. The fact that he invented important terms such as
Cold War, Room 101 and Big Brother is just evidence of his original thoughts.
4)
He coined the term ‘Big Brother’
Despite this phrase most commonly being
associated with the reality TV show, the expression which was first used in
‘1984’ for the dictator of totalitarian state Oceania which was constantly
under surveillance by cameras. This prediction of what life would be like is worryingly
accurate when you think of all the cctv cameras about.
5)
His rules of writing
In his 1946 essay ‘Politics and the English
Language’, Orwell writes 6 rules of writing which emphasise the importance of
keeping writing simple which is sometimes something that is easily forgotten at
the sake of sounding clever.
These are the rules from his essay:
i.
Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of
speech which you are used to seeing in print.
ii.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
iii.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut
it out.
iv.
Never use the passive where you can use the
active.
v.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or
a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
vi.
Break any of these rules sooner than say
anything outright barbarous.
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