Why did George Orwell write?

When we were asked whether Why I write is an academic text or not, I immediately thought of the ‘shape’ of the text. I looked for its abstract, theoretical framework, references, etc. but my search was in vain. I have always been told that an academic text has to be a ‘serious’ one, avoid stylistic constructions, lack personal references or opinions and adopt a formal complex specialized discourse. An academic text did not have to do with metaphors or similes, feelings or personal experiences; it did not have to do with exploring language to find the better way to express knowledge.

Then I thought of essay, that spirited genre that has been so productive in our continent, and other idea came to my mind: an academic is address to knowledge production. In laboratories or through field work, controlling or not variables, interviewing or observing, there are many ways and resources to produce knowledge. And there are many fields in which one produces knowledge: paint, mathematics, literature, pedagogy, industry, writing practices and a long etcetera. This question emerges in my mind: Is there just one possible and legitimate way to express the knowledge one produce in any field?

If George Orwell intended to produce knowledge related to writing practices, that is a good reason for me to think of that Why I write as an academic text. If someone says that it lacks sections and formality required in academic texts, I would answer that each field of knowledge has its own realities, its own discourses. Each field of knowledge has to explore the better way to express their contents and to make people understand them.