An Analysis of George Orwell's Essay Why I Write

George Orwell and Joan Didion, in their essay, “Why I Write,” imply that writing has affected each author to abdicate adversity and to accept failure. Orwell and Didion support their implications by explaining how each author attempted to embrace the abstract ideas in writing, but learned to view themselves as mediocre writers, neither good nor bad, whose self-reflection in writing produced a solemn atmosphere. Their purpose is to educate the reader on relevant motives and authenticity associated with writing to help them conceive a profound piece of work through self-reflection.

Both authors establish a formal but moderately depressing tone, appealing to young Americans who hope to become writers. George Orwell, in the essay, “Why I Write” utilizes the rhetorical strategy of explanation in order to effectively deliver his message to the attending audience. Orwell, at first, introduces a statement about his childhood and his ambitious goals to become an inspiring writer. Suffering from depression and solitude during his adolescent years, Orwell often constructed solemn pieces of literature in order to reflect upon his current lifestyle.

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This idea of self-reflection assisted Orwell in becoming an exalt writer. Through exemplification, Orwell introduced the “four great motives for writing. ” Orwell reflects upon the subject of sheer egotism, arguing that writers often write to be remembered. The author further elaborates on this idea, stating that serious writers care more about personal self-reflection than making money. In the motive of aesthetic enthusiasm, Orwell views himself as a moderate writer, illustrating how writers make their writing sound and look good by appreciating the aesthetics.

The author eventually provides an example for these motives, by appealing to the pathos in his Spanish-civil war poem, often concentrating on emotion and expressing remorse. Through explanation, George Orwell was able to effectively deliver his message to the attending audience. Joan didion, in the essay “Why I write,” utilizes the rhetorical strategy of explanation to appeal to her audience. Joan introduces her essay with the topic of self-reflection, by illustrating the act of saying I.

In addition, Joan elaborates on this idea of self-reflection, explaining how writing allowed her to create a mind of abstract ideas. Similar to Orwell, Joan experienced several obstacles that impeded her writing. The author focuses on a particular issue, in which Didion became distracted while writing. The author reflects upon this idea, by providing an example of how her attention diverted simply to a “flowering pear outside her window” or the “lights on in the Bevatron” while writing at Berkley. Didion additionally conveys her attitude towards these distractions, often wondering why such events occur.

As a result, Joan often ponders upon the abstract ideas in order to enhance her writing. Through the use of explanation, Joan didion was able to effectively deliver her message to the attending audience. George Orwell and Joan didion, in their why I write, employ the rhetorical strategy of explanation in order effectively attend to their audience. Though each author provided examples in order to support their implication, their appeals to pathos and emphasis on pondering the abstract ideas in writing further attracted their audience.