A Hanging By Eric Blair

It was from here that he moved to Paris and went on to pursue his passion of being a writer. It was very difficult at first. He spent many months writing, but he struggled to sell his work; he would often go hungry, and when he ran out of money he had to resort to menial work like being a dishwasher. Soon Blair would move back to London and slip deeper into poverty. He lived for months with many of the poorest in both London and Paris, associating with them because of his own poverty, and comments that their “way of life” was interesting to him. For a total of two years, unbeknownst to anyone but himself, Blair had been writing a book about his experiences as a “down and out.” The book was called Down and Out in Paris and London by, not Eric Blair but his new name, George Orwell. It was published by a left-wing publisher called Gollancz and it was Orwell’s first

“One of the things Orwell bequeathed us was the adjective ‘Orwellian’…. It is a frightening word, generally applied to a society organized to crush and dehumanize the individual, sometimes signifying the alienation of that individual if he dares to rebel” (Lewis 13). George Orwell, the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, depicted the importance of the individual in society and the danger of too much community in his literature. Through his personal experiences, however, he explored the ideas of socialism and was torn between the individual and community ideals. In his literature and his past, Orwell spoke against movements that remove the individual, but still emphasized the importance of community. Thus, he advocated a

George Orwell was the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, and he was famous for his personnel vendetta against totalitarian regimes and in particular the Stalinist brand of communism. In his novel, 1984, Orwell has produced a brilliant social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia, that has made the world pause and think about our past, present and future, as the situation of 1984 always remains menacingly possible. The story is set in a futuristic 1984 London, where a common man Winston Smith has turned against the totalitarian government. Orwell has portrayed the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control. The way that Winston Smith, the central

As we progress through the essay, Orwell’s creative style becomes even more apparent through his contrasting tone when he has an epiphany that the hanging is wrong. In this section of the essay, a dog has come running into the prison yard, and is very excitable, while the prisoner and the guards are standing, waiting.

Through the appeal of pathos, we can empathize with George Orwell. Orwell never states in the essay as to why the Hindu man was to be hanged. He does not want the reader to form an opinion on whether or not the prisoner should be executed or not. Instead, he builds his essay in a way in which he directs us to a path that only argues that taking a life is wrong, no matter the crime. When he says "till that moment, I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy conscious man" (Orwell 95), the reader is able to empathize with him. Before he says this, the reader

George Orwell was a writer of numerous books, the most well known being 1984 and Animal Farm. George’s real name was Eric Blair, which was later changed to George Orwell so his work would be more noticed. Eric was born in India, but at a young age moved to England with his mother and sister. Eric later moves to Burma to work in the Imperial Police Force which inspired the book “Burmese Days.” Eric then moved back to England, then to Spain, and back again to England. Eric’s extensive traveling led to him seeing the different political views from all around the world and the negative effects of certain political parties. 1984

About the author, George Orwell (1903-1950) British author his pen name was Eric Arthur Blair

The thesis of the essay is that writing was Orwell’s inevitable and irresistible destiny, although shrouded by his attempts to abandon it. It had always been inexorably and intricately woven into his person, manifesting itself first at 5 or 6, and then ultimately impressing itself on his life with irrevocable and fulfilling finality.

Orwell is a very descriptive writer who emphasizes a different moral in every essay. He is not simply describing an elephant shooting or a hanging; he is trying to make readers listen to his messages. One of the messages that Orwell wants his readers to understand is the power that role playing has on the human mind. Orwell demonstrates this theme quite easily in both essays. Before killing the elephant, Orwell states, “I had got to shoot the elephant. I had committed myself to doing it when I sent for the rifle. A sahib has got to act like a sahib…”(Orwell: Shooting an Elephant). This statement illustrates how people with power must live up to their expectations to keep that power. He knows he has the power to kill the animal, so he makes himself fit the role of a killer. Power can affect the way people act. A modern day example of this is shown when gang members act on thoughts of the group to gain acceptance by other members. The acceptance gives them power and this is a universal idea that Orwell focuses on. Orwell also stresses power to describe human nature. Orwell likes to use this in both essays because it explains the inconsistency that humans have when power takes over. This is one of Orwell’s morals he stresses to his audience to make them realize the poor decisions people make when in power.

Two of Orwell’s first literary works were his essays regarding his experiences as a policeman in Burma during imperialization from Europe. These essays include “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant.” In these essays, he shows his clear disagreement of oppression, even while working for the oppressors. Orwell writes

In the narrative, “Shooting an Elephant”, George Orwell reflects on the topic of an elephant’s execution. He states that the Dispute between the Decree and One's Inner Voice associates with British imperialism. The essay is planted in the British colony Burma in the 1920’s. Orwell is a British policeman currently working in Burma. He has never had the best alliance with the natives. He is an out of place white foreigner. The action soon takes a toll when an elephant goes crazed and kills a native Burmese man. However soon after the elephant calms but Orwell refuses to kill it. In addition, thousands of people are crowded behind him waiting for him to do so. He goes back in forth with his mind but keeps going back to the yellow-faced people's

The writer implies the prisoner’s humanity by describing his emotions and ability to reason. After the execution, the Eurasian boy tells Orwell when the prisoner found out he would be hung,“ ‘he pissed on the floor of his cell’ ” (Orwell 102). The boy’s story signifies the prisoner’s human characteristics through his reaction, as he was so scared he urinated on himself. As John Rodden notes, this happening creates sympathy (73). The action humanizes the prisoner, connecting the readers to him. Likewise, George Orwell details the condemned man’s human-like traits by describing the prisoner avoiding a puddle directly before his execution. This simple act causes a realization that the prisoner is also human. John Rodden states, “The narrorator reinforces this point by drawing attention to the prisoner’s humanity, as he-a dead man walking-diligently sidesteps a puddle” (72). Rodden suggest that the “dead man” still has dignity to sidestep the puddle. The illustration of the prisoner’s response to his death sentence and his avoidance of the water brings to the reader’s attention that capital punishment is taking another human life.

hanging. Orwell sees the prisoner as an animal and his killing just a job that must be done. Then he

“A Hanging”, composed by George Orwell, is a personal testimony set in the 1920’s in Burma. The narrative depicts the death of an unknown prisoner and the role of those who enforce the death sentence. Through the process of the execution, Orwell illustrates the effects of capital punishment on the executioners and the executed in an attempt to convey an Abolitionist message. While stated only once in his story, Orwell takes an emphatic position against capital punishment. The author does not use the classic argumentative style; instead, he uses implications of his characters to present the four main points against capital punishment. George Orwell’s Abolitionist message in “A Hanging” is conveyed through the prisoner, dog, functionaries, and their actions, words, and body language.

Every writer has their own signature writing style. However, few get recognized for their literary brilliance. George Orwell stands out as one of the few authors that has withstood the test of time through his literary works. Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, Eric Arthur Blair, more commonly known as George Orwell, started his path of excellence, not as a writer, but as a part of the British Imperial Police. Stationed in Burma, Orwell gained much insight on life through his experiences with the Burmese people. His stories inspired one of his first works, “Burmese Days.” After his travels in Burma, Orwell focused more on society in Europe. He gained interest in politics through serving in wars and broadcasting propaganda through a radio channel. Many of Orwell writings confronted his concerns about imperialism. Readers thrived on his eye-opening novels and essays. Such insightful literature has earned Orwell a name as one of the greatest political authors of all time. This not only comes from the content of his literature, but also from the style in which he writes. This has led to the creation of the “Orwellian” style, in which one would write like Orwell in modeling his content and form. His focus on politics in his literature appears in most of his essays and novels. This content of anti-imperialism has led him to be globally known as one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century and has been noted as the second greatest author since 1945 by