GEORGE ORWELL A comparative study of Burmese Days, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty- Four
GEORGE ORWELL A comparative study of "Burmese Days", "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty- Four" Biography Eric Arthur Blair (later George Orwell) was born in 1903 in the Village Motihari, which lies near the border of Nepal. At the time India was part of the British Empire. His father, Richard Blair, was an agent in the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service. Eric's mother, Ida Mabel Blair was about eighteen years younger than her husband. Eric had an elder sister called Marjorie. The Blair's had a relatively priveleged and fairly pleasant existence. Orwell later describes them as "lower-upper-middle class". They owend no property and had no extensive investments. They were like many middle-class English families of the time. In 1907 moved with his mother and his sister to England. Richard Blair stayed in India. With some difficulty, Blair's parents sent their son to a private prepartory school in Sussex at the age of eight. At the age of thirteen he won a scholarship to Wellington, and soon another to Eton, the very famous public school. Since the age of five or six, he had known that he would be a writer. He neglected to win a university scholarship, and in 1922 Eric Blair joined the Indian Imperal Police and was trained in Burma. He served there for nearly five years but he resigned in 1928. There have been at least two reasons for this: firstly, his life as a
George Orwell, one of English literatures most important and famous writers, draws the picture of a dystopia in one of his best known novels 1984. Being considered as a warning against totalitarianism, it is also possible to say that the novel puts fo
Orwell's 1984 George Orwell, one of English literature's most important and famous writers, draws the picture of a dystopia in one of his best known novels 1984. Being considered as a warning against totalitarianism, it is also possible to say that the novel puts forth a road map on how totalitarian regimes work and how certain ideologies are imposed on nations. Creating a world in which the worst possible totalitarian regime is present, Orwell also takes a very close look at the psychological states of people. The writer doesn't only deeply analyze what a totalitarian regime stands for but also introduces the themes of the importance of language, how certain ideologies can be imposed on people and how physical pain can control the human mind. Putting stress on the dreadfulness and the destructive nature of totalitarianism, and also by pointing out that nations can in fact be forced to admire and support such a regime, the writer makes his reader face the cruelest and most realistic aspects of such a horrific repressive regime. Before taking a closer look at the novel, it would be helpful to give background information about the era in which Orwell was influenced to create such a hellish world. 1984 was written in 1949, when Fascism was on the rise, right after the Second World War, when Hitler was defeated and Stalin had performed his cruelest acts. Having worked in
How far does 1984 reflect the times in which it was written and how far was it a view of the future?In this essay I intend to investigate experiences and historical events in Orwells lifetime.
Denise Taylor How far does 1984 reflect the times in which it was written and how far was it a view of the future? In this essay I intend to investigate experiences and historical events in Orwell's lifetime. These events may have significantly influenced Orwell's style, structure and theme, contributing to the political and artistic nature of his novel. I also intend to compare the contradictory interpretations of Orwell's 'message'. Did he intend 1984 as a warning, a prediction, or a historical novel? Despite its critics 1984 has made a significant impression on the modern world. Its infiltration into reality television may not be a tribute Orwell would have appreciated but many of his terms and phrases have been used to highlight threats to social and personal freedom. I will use this as a basis to ascertain whether there are other aspects of Orwell's novel that have become reality in the modern world. 1984 by George Orwell was written in1947/48. This era has been referred to as 'The age of anxiety, the age of the lost generation'. (www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture10) It was a nightmare world where individuality was lost. The totalitarian states of the time, exercised complete control over the lives of their human subjects. The Great War (World War One) facilitated totalitarian regimes, simply because war has only one objective: victory. "Individuality is sacrificed
George Orwell - "Shooting an Elephant" (1936).
George Orwell - "Shooting an Elephant" (1936) Non Fiction "Shooting an Elephant", by George Orwell, is a highly effective piece of non-fiction. Although written about an event many years ago, in a society that no longer exists as it did then, the essay still holds relevance in the ideas it contains. It is how Orwell puts across his views on colonialism and human nature that I intend to investigate. The essay revolves around Orwell recounting an incident which he experienced as a policeman in colonial Burma, in the 1920's. Orwell was called to act when a tame elephant went 'must' and started ravaging a bazaar, killing one of the indigenous Indians. However, by the time he had located the elephant, the attack seemed to have passed, so there was no need to destroy it. Yet such was the pressure from the local populace, and Orwell's fear of being mocked, that he shot the elephant. When he first introduces himself to the reader, Orwell seems to be a fairly level-headed person, with his self- depreciating tone showing that he doesn't take himself too seriously in the 'great scheme' of things; drawing the reader to sympathise with him. This sympathy is extended further when the reader is made privy to the ambivalence of Orwell's feelings towards his position in Burma. In direct contrast to the majority of Westerners in the East at that time, Orwell was very conscious of the
The purpose of dystopian literature is to dehumanize the individual To what extent do the novels Nineteen Eighty Four and the Road support or refute this view?
'The purpose of dystopian literature is to dehumanize the individual' To what extent do the novels Nineteen Eighty Four and the Road support or refute this view? The dystopian novels The Road and Nineteen Eighty Four demonstrate the push and pull between the utopian and dystopian societies in their narratives. Dystopian literature often seems to be a deterrent to the reader the nightmarish lifestyles presented to us by each individual protagonist characters dehumanized due to the desolate and barren lifestyles presented in each text. However, despite this, the bleak settings seem to send messages of optimism, and to some extent hope, through the interactions of characters in each novel. In The Road the boy and the father are seen to be two people left who are not dehumanized by the new apocalyptic society. They do not conform to cannibalism, rape or murder; however their humanity is tested through the desolate landscapes and their lack of human contact and refusal to help those they do meet in this new society. Although the father only has the boy his humanity is clear as they are "each other worlds entire" showing he only lives for his son. We can also see the boy knows that without his father he would not be able to defend for himself and would be lonely. When the father asks him "what would you do if I died" the son replies "if you died I would want to die too/....so
Presentation of dreams in Nineteen Eighty Four
Discuss the presentation of dreams in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the book Nineteen Eighty Four, Winston's dreams often appear to be very hazy and unclear, usually interlinked with his past experiences which he tries very hard to extricate from his memory. The significance of his dreams are in that they are telling of his fears, desires and hopes, that he subconsciously harbours despite being suppressed by the oppressive ruling party of Oceania. An expression of his innermost feelings, the underpinnings of Winston's dreams perhaps reveal more about himself as well as the world of Nineteen Eighty Four than the actuality of events that occur in the book. Through the use of subterranean metaphors, natural imagery, diction and the characteristic dreamlike atmospheres, Orwell presents his dreams as a plausible foreshadowing of events, unspoken regrets of the past and Winston's unwavering hope for the future. The settings and atmospheres in Winston's dreams are particularly crucial in revealing his emotions. Though description of atmosphere is subtle and often left to the reader to discern, it forms the basis of Winston's general sub conscious feelings. His dreams are normally set in the past in his childhood or in the "Golden Country" - a future that he hopes for, while others take place in the present time - and the people in his dreams are those whom he admires,
Why George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London is an effective piece of social commentary
Examine with close textual reference the literary factors which make Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London an effective piece of social commentary. Down and Out in Paris and London is George Orwell's personal account of living in poverty in both cities. It begins in Paris, where Orwell lived for two years surviving by giving English lessons and contributing reviews and articles to various periodicals. Two years later, Orwell moved to London, where, along with writing and tutoring, he worked as a bookshop assistant, an experience which was to inform his later novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying. It was first published in 1933. He offered it as a record of experience, organised rather than fictionalised, and as a demonstration of how to destroy prejudice. This was all of a specifically social purpose that he saw in the book, it arose naturally from the facts he described. There is no gulf between fact, observation and message. No secondary or irrelevant interest interferes with the lucid presentation of detail, and the sustained tone of combined intellectual concern, emotional sympathy and unbiased detachment drives his words clearly. This essay will examine what literary factors George Orwell employed to make Down and Out in Paris and London a social commentary on Paris and London in the 1930's. The first part of Down and Out is clearly about Orwell's poverty, his jobs, and
1984 Orwell
984 is a dystopian novel about the society of the future. Writing in 1948, he images Britain forty years in the future as a totalitarian dictatorship which combines elements of both Communism and Fascism in a powerful, omniscient police-state, based on terror. The story takes place in a totalitarian state called Oceania. The world has been divided up by Oceania and two other states, Eastasia and Eurasia. The post-war world is governed by power groups alternatively at war with one another. After the revolution, the establishment has been replaced by a dictatorship, whose leader is BB. In his features and look, BB clearly recalls Stalin, and the fact that his face is depicted everywhere is a denunciation of the cult of personality, typical in all dictatorships. Trying to control the thoughts of every citizen, the authorities rewrite history, changing events. The hero, Winston Smith, is an intellectual and rebels against this world and begins to dream of destroying the system. The description of London, capital of Oceania, in the first chapter of the book, is similar to wartime London. The environment recalls bomb-damaged London in 1948. The influence of WW2 is clearly evident; it is a nightmare that still haunts the population. Personal freedom is restricted because Oceania is in a permanent state of war and everyone is potentially a traitor. The only chance of survival is by
Animal Farm
During the reign of Napoleon the animal's lives became increasingly hard, and began to resemble their lives with Mr. Jones. During the first barn meeting Old Major spoke of an ideal world where animals ran their own farm in peace and harmony with one another. One of the most important quotes said by old major was him describing the lives of the animals. "Our lives are miserable, laborious, and short". He said that once the animals had served their purpose they were killed. Later in the story Boxer the most loyal of all the animals on the farm was sent to the glue-factory when he became old and could no longer work. Napoleon became just like Mr. Jones. He was just interested in himself and what could get him more money and alcohol. With the help of squealer he was able to convince the other animals on the farm that Boxer was taken to an animal hospital, and unfortunately died. Many of the animals believed him because they could not think for themselves but some animals knew the truth that napoleon was only looking out for the pigs best interest and what would further him. During the reign of Napoleon the animal's lives became increasingly hard, and began to resemble their lives with Mr. Jones. During the first barn meeting Old Major spoke of an ideal world where animals ran their own farm in peace and harmony with one another. One of the most important quotes said
Orwell uses several different writing styles in
Orwell uses several different writing styles in "Down and Out". Consider at least five of these, evaluate the effectiveness of each. Orwell uses several styles in order to put his ideas and views forward in a more interesting and detailed way. This vivifies the book and shows the situations in a more vivace way. The main style that is use to make up the passage where Orwell visits the Russian communists is thriller. This is clearly shown through the fact that there is no use of names. All the Russians in the passage are referred to generally as "the Russians" or more specifically by their appearance "the unshaven one". Orwell is clearly disorientated and this is also demonstrated through the use of the Thriller writing style. Orwell, to add to the excitement, writes the text as though he were in a Russian spy novel. Orwell is interrogated "Was I a communist?" which adds to the feeling of him being in a novel. Thriller is used to convey the sense of danger that Orwell was experiencing at the time. The use of the thriller could also be ironic as this was actually a con and he may have been making the point that the danger element was really used to accentuate the drama of the con. The thriller is effective but reveals a lot about Orwell's love of his bohemian lifestyle. This makes the tale less convincing as one could think that the story is just an attempt by Orwell to seem