George Orwell’s Essays: ‘Why I Write’

1. Everybody writes for different reasons - he is unique 2. He has to write for a political purpose, otherwise his writing appears empty and full of 'purple prose' 3. Writing is instinctive (uses this idea to start and end his essay - circular structure) and has control of him 4. War shapes, distorts and influences he and other writers

To inform his readers, primarily. He, however, is highly opinionated and wants to educate his readers: to inspire. Perhaps he is narcissistic

1. Nostalgic 2. Conversational 3. Political

Wishes he was born in a different time

A 'window pane'

One must erase their own viewpoint prior to reading prose in order to determine a fair, unbars judgment of the writer's opinion

1. 'I tried to abandon this idea [to be a writer]' 2. 'Some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand'

He is manipulated into writing, particularly as it is a painful experience - as though he is possessed into doing so

'Every line of serious work I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism' - yes, his beliefs have permeated all of his works; he wants to highlight his favoured doctrines, e.g socialism