An Analysis of George Orwell’s Essay “Why I Write”

In George Orwell’s essay “Why I Write,” he gives his answer as to why he and other writers write. His essay follows many tactics described in Phillip Lopate’s essay “The Art of the Personal Essay. ” For example, Orwell starts out his essay not by directly answering the question, but by simply stating that, ever since he was little, he knew that “when [he] grew up [he] should be a writer” (Orwell). He then goes on to write about his childhood and his early connections with writing.

This follows Lopate’s statement that an essay tends to “start out in a seemingly directionless or at least open manner,” and to “hop onto a narrative possibility and let the storytelling momentum take it home” (Lopate). About halfway through his essay, after his narrative, Orwell begins directly discussing his topic, explaining that he believes that “one can [not