The tiniest essay one could possibly write.

In his famous 1946 essay, “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell criticizes the contemporary English language for its disgusting and inaccurate use by individuals. He argues that language is not shaped by us for our own use like it should be, but rather that it is ugly because the way we think is actually inaccurate. Instead of "foolish thoughts" being a result of language, language has become a result of "foolish thoughts."

“Our civilization is decadent and our language...must inevitably share in the general collapse.” Orwell begins by asserting the belief that the English language has been disfigured by the human race, and is on a lingering decline as a result. “Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for own own process.” Orwell is basically stating that people tend to abuse the English language in its current form by misapplying vocabulary.

“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 necessary trouble.” Orwell suggests that writing often becomes meaningless as a result of improper language and gibberish – most often language people mimic from others. The use of “meaningless” words allows them to be openly interpreted and often abused in political writing.

I agree with Orwell's points. Slang, bad grammar/spelling, incorrect use of a thesaurus, it all irritates me. I notice sometimes common people tend to use small words, then replace them with larger words that aren't necessarily correct. For example:

“The tasty peach on the tree is really small.”

turns into

“The ambrosial fruit resting on the tree is immensely miniature.”, or something like that; the words in the second sentence sound awkward and make no sense, though they are synonyms of the words in the first sentence.

At one time, Webster's Dictionary was the number one resource. At one time, people preferred to be clever and perceptive, but it seems like people are beginning to embrace idiocy and silliness. Today, we are provided with sources like Urban Dictionary, where anybody and everybody can place in a definition to a word and it goes. Yes – sometimes the stuff on there is humorous, but at the same time very threatening to the English language because not only is it changing the words we use, but the way we use them and how we define them. A simple word, like car, for example:

In the real dictionary:

Car - a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people.

In Urban Dictionary:

Car – a people shell with four wheels; a place where you can have sex; something that goes, vrooooooom vroooooooooom.

If one were to look back into Shakespearean times – maybe even further – the language was much more sophisticated and innovative. We look at it today as inexplicable and complex, but I think that is because our language has downgraded since then.

“If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers.” Orwell spits some gold in this sentence right here. People – not just writers or speakers or people who work with vocabulary as a profession – must relinquish the use of foolish words, and rather work to reverse political decay.