George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair was born in 1903 at Motihari in British-occupied India. While growing up, he attended private schools in Sussex, Wellington and Eaton. He worked at the Imperial Indian Police until 1927 when he went to London to study the poverty stricken.
He then moved to Paris where he wrote two lost novels. After he moved back to England he wrote Down and Out in Paris and London, Burmese Days, A Clergyman’s Daughter and Keep the Apidistra Flying. He published all four under the pseudonym George Orwell. He then married Eileen O’Shaughnessy and wrote The Road to Wigan Pier. Orwell then joined the Army and fought in the Spanish Civil War. He became a socialist revolutionary and wrote Homage to Catalina, Coming Up for
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The book was a record of his experiences, and when released, he was quoted to say, “If it is going to be released, I want it pseudnomly.”
Discussing the publication of his first book with his agent, he decided on three possible pseudonyms: Kenneth Miles, George Orwell and H. Lewis Allways. He favored George Orwell. The Orwell is a river in Suffolk, south of his parents’ home. “George Orwell” published his first book in 1933. Down and Out... was followed by the novel, Burmese Days, published first in the United States rather than in England because of his English publisher's fear of it giving offence in Burma. After Burmese Days came two more novels: A Clergyman’s Daughter, published in 1935; and Keep the Apidistra Flying, published in 1936. In the Spring of 1936 he moved to Hertfordshire and married Eileen O’Shaughnessy, an Oxford graduate in English, a teacher, a journalist, and later a London graduate in psychology. Orwell’s reputation at this time was based mainly on his accounts of poverty and depression. His next book, The Road to Wigan Pier was written for the Left Book Club and started his career as a political writer. Much of this book was composed of an essay on class and socialism, which was Orwell’s first statement of his political position.
In July, he left for Spain to fight, and later to write, in the Spanish civil war. For the next two or three years, Orwell became a revolutionary socialist. When he returned from
The Road to Wigan Pier’, an autobiography written by George Orwell, was first published in 1937. The first half of this book documents Orwell’s observations about the poor living conditions amongst some working class families belonging to Yorkshire and Lancashire, in the period before World War Two had begun. In the second half, Orwell wrote a long essay about his own experiences in the book where he covered topics such as his middle-class upbringing, the developing ideas regarding his political conscience and also questions British attitudes towards socialism. As well as this, Orwell wrote about his own political beliefs about socialism and also explained how he felt that people would be able to benefit from socialism. Orwell addresses many issues that were prevalent during this period, allowing a historian to gain more of an insight about the impact that this had on people’s lives as well as beginning to understand the effects that this may have had on British society as a whole. In many ways, Orwell’s detailed and vivid descriptions allow a historian to see and understand British society from a different perspective. It can also be identified that to some extent the autobiography allows a historian to be able to begin understanding more about the ways in which British society had become divided during the wars and to be able to understand exactly how this can be shown throughout the text. Although there are many interesting and useful ways of interpreting this document
George Orwell was one of the best writers of his time. He was born in India but studied in England. After seeing all the poverty going on in England during the early 1900s he started socialism
With the start of World War II, George Orwell began his fight against Nazism, fascism, and communism. In the eyes of many, communism became interchangeable with socialism, and he criticized writers of his time that were in support of Stalin and his “socialist” movement: “Why should writers be attracted by a form of Socialism that makes mental honesty impossible” (qtd. in Lewis 76)? In an attempt to pacify the radical communist movements and change imperialism, he spoke of a third method to reform the British Empire—a middle ground that would create a socialist community in Britain. John Newsinger wrote, “[He had a] call for a new socialist movement that would reject both Communist-style revolution and Labour Party reformism in favour of a third way to socialism, a third way that he continued to call revolutionary but that was adapted to modern conditions” (qtd. in Chen). Through this, one can see that Orwell wanted to avoid such movements as communism, which attempted to obtain control over the individual, and yet he had a need to preserve the
His hatred lead to him agreeing with anarchy ideals and before long Orwell was calling himself an anarchist. In the late 1930’s however Orwell found himself agreeing with Socialist ideals. This led him to writing his first socialist book The Road to Wigan Pier. This novel describes what he saw when he lived in the slums. After this book was printed Orwell found himself in Spain. During the time that the Spanish Civil War was going on. Orwell soon found himself involved with this war. He rose in rank very quickly, and was soon a Second Lieutenant on the Aragon and Teruel fronts. Sadly he was badly injured in Teruel, and had major damage to his voice. In May 1937, he flees Spain in fear for his life. His experienced left him with an extreme hatred of communism, which lead him to write Homage to Catalonia. This novel is a favorite of many, however his greatest work is considered to be Nineteen Eighty Four. Nineteen Eighty Four is meant to be a warning. He wished to never see a society such as the one in Nineteen Eighty Four. Nineteen Eighty four describes the dangers of a totalitarian society. He is able to vividly explain what will happen if the government has total control. This is because of his first hand experience dealing with Communism in Spain, and Russia. Nineteen Eighty Four is an extremely well written novel set in a dystopian
At Eton, Orwell first became exposed to totalitarian leadership under the watchful eyes of his schoolmasters who "used kicks and caresses to keep the boys in line." Once he graduated from Eton, Orwell decided to work for the British Government in Burma as a
As a political journalist of World War II, Orwell promised “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for socialism" (“Why I Write” 7). In 1948, he published the novel 1984, attacking the fascist regimes of Europe and the English left-wing intelligentsia that supported them. In the futuristic novel, the main character, Winston Smith, desperately tries to hold onto his identity and spirit as the government attempts to control both the minds of its citizens and their ability to
Eric Arthur Blair may not seem like a familiar name, but it is the birth name of the English author better known by his pen name George Orwell. This author is best known for his works 1984 and Animal Farm. Both of these novels exhibit strong symbolism and convey many of Orwell’s opinions, especially concerning politics. Orwell’s personal background and strong beliefs about politics, religion, and his exposure to many world cultures is clearly evident within his novels. His opinions made his works controversial in their time.
Later after 115 days on the frontlines, Orwell receives a leave to return to Barcelona. Upon arriving in Barcelona he is struck by the changes that have occurred. On the streets he once again heard titles of servile nature being spewed from one persons mouth to another, the rich and poor clearly reappearing, and the resemblance of a class society slowly drifting back into view. Later he describes his sadness after getting dragged into street fighting caused by infighting between the communists and various anarchist factions, mostly caused by communistic led police trying to seize a telephone exchange held by anarchists in Barcelona. Finally after escaping the street fighting, he returns to the front for a short time until being shot through the throat by enemy sniper fire, which lands him in various hospitals until he is finally declared medically unfit to fight. After being declared unfit to fight, Orwell's real problems begin. Returning to Barcelona to get his military discharge papers stamped, he finds that his ignorance of joining the first anti-fascist militia he came across begins to haunt him. In Barcelona, his former unit the P.O.U.M has been fully suppressed and has sadly become the political scapegoat of Communist propaganda and all former P.O.U.M members were being rounded up and arrested. He laments at the sights of how his former comrades were being treated, but has no time to do much for them, because he is on the run as well. Finally
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
Orwell understood how to take the problems of his time and find how to make them into ideas that would last. People are always going to be able to relate to the issues and feeling that Orwell puts into his work which is why his work is considered so great. Orwell was a great writer during his time and his work continues to be admired as time
In his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), Orwell documented his failing in trying to earn a living in these two places (Biography.com, Early Career). In between this book and Animal Farm, Orwell met his future wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy. In 1945, Orwell wrote Animal Farm, which was a satire on the Bolsheviks and totalitarian rule. In 1949, he wrote Nineteen Eight-Four, which portrayed the future that Orwell saw if Stalin remained in power and if totalitarianism grew. Orwell brought to life the wrong doings he saw in his life, even if they put him at
Politics, society, economy, and war during the forties had a direct impact on life at the time. A good example of this influence was the writing of Eric Arthur Blair, whose pen-name was George Orwell (Bookshelf II).
George Orwell was born in 1903 in India, during the time of the British colonial rule. He was brought to England at a young age by his mother and educated there. Orwell moved to Burma in 1922, where he served as an assistant superintendent of police for five years before he resigned because of his growing dislike for British Imperialism or colonialism. He became a writer in 1927 and wrote one of his essays, “A Hanging”, in 1931, which is a prime example of an essay where he demonstrates his feelings
George Orwell wrote Animal Farm: A Fairy Story with an intended political purpose; many aspects of Orwell’s life experiences are found throughout the novel. Orwell was born on June 25, 1903 in India and eventually moved to England with his parents where he remained for the majority of his
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