Orwell defended socialism in The Road to Wigan Pier.
Matthew Miller Prof. White History 1123 Final Essay Assignment Question 4 After experiencing the plight of the English working class during the world-wide economic slow down produced by the depression of the 1930s, Orwell concluded that the only solution to the problems faced by these masses of unemployed was a social and political philosophy that stressed co-operation. This philosophy was socialism. Orwell's own brand of socialism was not Marxist, or Leninist, nor was it philosophical or even economic. Socialism, for Orwell, meant decency and social justice. The class system of social distinctions ought not to be destroyed -- rather, all men and women should become even more aware of their class and their relationships with other classes. "All that is needed," wrote Orwell, "is to hammer two facts home into the public consciousness. One, that the interests of all exploited people are the same and the other, that socialism is compatible with common decency." Orwell defended socialism in The Road to Wigan Pier because he believed that the problems of the working class were caused by the greed of capitalism and that if the discontent of the era could not be turned into co-operation England would be enslaved into the tyranny of fascism. If Socialism becomes something 'large numbers of Englishmen genuinely care about', he declares, then 'the class-difficulty may solve itself
George Orwell is issued a challenge, one that seems near next to impossible to defeat.
George Orwell is issued a challenge, one that seems near next to impossible to defeat. The challenged offered by Victor Gollanez, a left - wing publisher. Orwell is to stay in Wigan Pier, the Northern part of Britain, and write about his experience. This experience influenced Orwell's political views, and strengthened his perspective on the position of class. Orwell is a pro socialist who believes that the depression of a country is all blamed on the system. Living alongside miners, he is shown conditions which his 'bourgeoisie' side hasn't been exposed to before. The miners, who work countless hours despite being underpaid, are looked down upon as dirty and as if they do not bath, by the middle class. Orwell is led to believe that the reason the miners are this way is the result of industrialism and the system they live in: "You cannot disregard them if you accept the civilization that produced them." (Orwell,14)1. The historical events, and 'money - grubbing' people have let all this happen: "...and this is where it all led...with sickly aging people creeping round and round like them black beetles." 2 Orwell notices that the 'slum' people can't help it as he watches this young woman, in the depths of survival, who "knew exactly what was happening to her."3 Another aspect of the masses that Orwell exaggerates is 'the smell, the dominant and essential thing, is
Why was Orwell compelled to shoot the Elephant and what was his feeling at the end?
**Why was Orwell compelled to shoot the Elephant and what was his feeling at the end? - "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I have done it solely to avoid looking like a fool". So ends George Orwell's poignant reminiscence of an incident representing the imperialist British in Burma. Orwell is one of the greatest practitioners of English prose and "Shooting an Elephant", vivid, passionate, but simple, clear and direct, is an excellent example of political writing at its best. It chronicles an incident in which Orwell confronts a moral dilemma and abandons his morals to escape the mockery of the native Burmese. The story takes place in colonial Burma where there is a lot of tension between the British and the Burmese. Orwell being the sub divisional police officer was obviously hated by the Burmese. One day he got news of an elephant ravishing the bazaar and goes there to see what he can do about it. As Orwell came upon the elephant peacefully eating grass, he knew that he is not going to harm the animal, but rather watch him and make sure it doesn't go mad again. Orwell then notices the immense crowd of natives that has formed around him, all hoping to get a little entertainment. At this moment Orwell decided to shoot the elephant, although he had no intention of doing so before. Now the question is why did Orwell shoot the elephant, when he already
Formative Exercise Two: George Orwell's '1984'.
Wold Politics: Formative Exercise Two: George Orwell's '1984'. George Orwell's '1984' is notably the most famous satirical criticism of both left and right wing totalitarianism. Orwell's firm adherence to socialism, his experiences of accused pro-fascism by Stalin-backed communists in Spain and World War II's introduction of totalitarianism to both fascist and communist states provoked a lifelong horrified fixation on totalitarianism, and a profound abhorrence for the Stalinist regime. All of which emerge in '1984.' The plot of the book is divided into three main movements corresponding to its division into sub-sections. Firstly, the introduction to the world of 1984 as a dystopian state whereby everything including thoughts, emotions and actions are dictated and controlled by the Party and the albeit fictitious leader 'Big brother'. He 'is watching you'. Winston Smith, an outer party citizen, develops unorthodox thoughts about the Party's regime with the inclination to rebel. The second part of the novel draws attention to his secret love affair with another party member, and also their betrayal by a supposed fellow-rebel who is in truth a chief inquisitor of the inner party. The third section describes Winston's punishment by the 'thought police' and his own betrayal to humanistic values, emotions and his love for Julia. The final submission of his individualism and
After reading Caputo's book called "A Rumor of War", I gained a better understanding and appreciation for the Vietnam War
After reading Caputo's book called "A Rumor of War", I gained a better understanding and appreciation for the Vietnam War. Caputo's autobiographical account of his time as officer assigned to help the South Vietnamese recover, will take you on a journey from out of class and place you into " the muddy foxholes with him, make you feel the heat and annoyance ever-present insects, and snipers shots that will deprive you of sleep. If you really want to know what "Nam"was really like, and you can handle the despair of being stranded in the jungle with no reason, then I strongly recommend reading the book called "A Rumor of War" written by Philip Caputo.Before Philip Caputo landed at Da Nang in 1965 with the first U.S Group combat unit committed to fight in Vietnam, he was like most American boys excited about joing the U.S Marines in search of adventure and patriotic desire of serving there country, his mission was very clear, "were going to stay there a month go 90 days,help the South Vietnamese recover, and then we would get out there". There was such a strong moral and there was a kind of feeling .."that being US. Marines, our mere presence was going to terrify the enemy into quitting." As the story continues, we eventually learn that Caputo as would eventually learn that the US would make a massive commitment to Vietnam. The book continues with showing how a normal mentally
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell.
In the essay, "Shooting an Elephant," George Orwell describes an incident he had while working as an Imperial Police officer in Burma. A domesticated elephant had gone out of control and was ravaging a town. He was forced to make a decision on whether to follow the will of the natives, or to save the elephant's life. One of the themes George Orwell discusses about is "pressure". Social pressure has a tremendous influence on people. This pressure comes from friends, family, teachers, and society itself. In the essay, the natives living in the town did not like Orwell because he was a British. One day a domesticated elephant escaped its cage. It had killed a black Dravidian Coolie and was ravaging the natives' town. As an imperial police officer, Orwell was unquestionably expected by the natives to stop the elephant in anyway possible. By the time Orwell had tracked down the elephant, a large crowd had formed behind him. Orwell knew it was wrong to kill the elephant. He had not wanted to from the beginning. He had procured an elephant gun just in case he might need it. When he finally came upon the elephant, peacefully eating outside of town, it no longer posed a threat. "As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant - it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of
Shooting an Elephant Analysis
Jessica Greenwood Ms. Hemann APLAC Period 6 20 September 2007 Shooting an Elephant Analysis George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" is a well-written retelling of an event that took place in Orwell's younger years. However, it is more than just a story. When Orwell wrote this essay, he wanted to do more than simply recount an event. Orwell's essay discusses his view on politics and morals, and through his writing he was able to go through a personal catharsis. Throughout "Shooting and Elephant," Orwell talks about the evils of imperialism. He was a European policeman in Burma, and the Burmese feeling toward all Europeans was extremely negative. Orwell was aware that the Burmese people hated him, and for this he was resentful towards them. On one hand he was furious with the Burmese people who jeered at him, but on the other hand he knew they had a good reason to be doing so. Secretly, though, he agreed with them, and he knew that the government he was working for was unfairly oppressing the Burmese. As he says in his essay, "imperialism was an evil thing," and he was "all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British" (69). Later on in the essay, he reminisces that the incident of shooting an elephant helped him to realize "the real nature of imperialism - the real motives for which despotic governments act" (70). At first he did not want