Thankfully I haven’t changed the direction I was planning on going in Spring so I don’t have to edit much within my proposal. I spent this week reading some of Orwell’s essays, since I have Orwellian ideas in mind for the criticism I’m trying to make. The first work I read was called ‘Facism and Democracy.’ It required a lot of searches since I’m not familiar with British history like I am with American. There are comparisons to be drawn with England in 1944 and the U.S in modern day, but I’m specifically focusing on the literary, so I’m not sure that this piece is what I’m looking for.

My second reading was Politics Vs. Literature: An examination of Gulliver’s Travels. An important novel, one that I didn’t enjoy reading because the groups being satirized went over my head. I think that this article focusing so specifically on one piece of fiction makes it less than helpful to me, since I’m looking for something that pairs with Orwell’s 1984. I think I’d also like to focus on history that was more recent, reflecting Orwell’s observations in the 40’s and how that mirrors what we’re viewing in 2026.

The third essay I read was Politics and the English Language, and wouldn’t you know it, third time really is the charm. So much of what he says about how language is shaped and how authors express meaning ties into the contemporary slop that I’ve been reading. He takes issue with English prose by claiming,”[The author] is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not.” This is important to my work because the authors of these popular novels do not realize how their works contribute to degradation of race, gender, and literacy in a political climate where education on those topics is actively being suppressed.