...Sylver Baker 2016 Professor Hendrix ENC 1102 23 May 2016 Formal Assignment 1: Analysis of “A Hanging” by George Orwell “A Hanging” by George Orwell is a short story based on the author’s experience while working as a police magistrate. In the story he talks about the experience of witnessing an execution. The prisoner is escorted to the gallows by the warders for his hanging. Once there everyone is ready for the execution to be done so that they can all go have a drink. Using descriptive words so that one feels and experiences what he experienced Orwell argues that Capital Punishment is wrong. Orwell focuses on the negative to set the tone of how unpleasant and depressing an execution is. He describes the day “a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil” which sets a gloomy tone. He describes the cells, “condemned”, “a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages”. In creating such a gloomy setting Orwell proves he is concerned and nervous about the execution. If he was not affected by the hanging, then the mood would not be so melancholy. Orwell can’t simply ignore the capital punishment and nor can anyone else. All people feel some kind of anxiety about the inhumane and cruel punishment. Orwell describes the superintendent and other characters’ emotions before and after the hanging, who is against capital punishment. The prisoner cries out in a rhythmical tone, “Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!”, not out of fear or for help but as though...
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...‘A Hanging.’ By George Orwell ‘A Hanging’ is a non fiction essay written by George Orwell in 1931 in which he recounts a personal experience in Burma as police officer where he observes a ‘criminal’ being hanged. The essay presents the reader with the subject of capital punishment in a structure to challenge the reader’s views and stipulate a response from the readers as it is a subject that creates a great controversy. Orwell chooses not to use facts such as statistics and figures that simply asks and creates a black and white answer; instead he arouses the readers emotions through imagery, setting and narrative structure as he explores the themes and the message. The essay starts with a pessimistic description of the setting instantly creating a depressing mood as the rain is ‘sodden’ which creates a negative depiction. Orwell’s use of pathetic fallacy is evident as the rain symbolises sadness and tragedy. The reader is made aware of the prisoner’s unhealthy living conditions through Orwell’s wordchoice: “a sickly light, like yellow tinfoil.” The simile suggests that the light appears unnatural. The word ‘sickly’ implies the sense of illness and wrongness as ‘yellow tinfoil’ further the feeling of death, decay and unnaturalness of the prisoners being left to rot. The feelings of unnaturalness is continued throughout the essay as his point is that killing a life, whilst in full flow is unnatural and appears to strengthen Orwell’s feeling of being against capital punishment...
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...The Works of George Orwell The Literary Canon is an authoritive list, as of the works of an author. To enter or actually be entered into the canon is to gain certain obvious privileges; it is governed by influential critics, museum directors, and their board of trustee’s as well as scholars and teachers. To appear in the Norton or Oxford anthology is not a sign of greatness but a status of accessibility to a public reading. Belonging to the Literary Canon confers status; social, political, economic, and aesthetic, belonging to the canon is a guarantee of quality. George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair, to English parents Richard Walmesley (a civil servant) and Ida Mabel (Limouzine) Blair in Motihari, Bengal (now Bihar) India in 1903 and died a year after writing Nineteen Eighty Four in 1950. He graduated from Eton College in 1921. His political beliefs follow those of a democratic socialist. His interests include fishing, carpentry, gardening, and raising animals. He served in the Spanish civil war as well as World War II where he held the rank of sergeant. George held many jobs during his career as a writer he was a police officer in Burma, a dishwasher in Paris, a teacher in England, as well as a shopkeeper, he also produced educational radio programs for the BBC. Among his writing accomplishments he wrote fiction as well as nonfiction novels his two most famous being “Nineteen Eighty Four” and “Animal farm” both of which have been adapted for film. In “Animal Farm” and...
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...Condemned In George Orwell's "A Hanging", language and the style of his writing paints a vivid picture taking you to a Burmese prison in the early 1930's. Through the style and language of his writing, Orwell shows the reader how sometimes ritual and formality can distract someone from the reality of there actions. Orwell also incorporates imagery and personification to solidify his theme. "A pity beyond all telling is hid in the heart of love" (William Butler Yeates). Imagery in George Orwell's "A Hanging" plays a huge role in expressing the main character pity toward the prisoner. In the beginning of the essay Orwell's paints a dreary setting of the prison but also shows no pity or remorse for the prisoner when he describes him as "a Hindu, a puny wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes. He had a thick, sprouting mustache, absurdly too big for his body, rather like the mustache of a comic man on the films."(409) This shows how in the beginning its just another day and another person, but then as you read on, around pages 410 and the beginning of 411 the characters attitude towards the prisoner changes as he avoids a puddle on the way to the gallows. The condemned man's automatic action of side-stepping the puddle, important to one's own continuing comfort later in the day, makes Orwell begin to think about the Page 2 difference between being alive and being dead, and the horror of what is being done in killing the man. As the piece concludes Orwell reverts back...
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..."A Hanging" by George Orwell tells a story of a condemned man seen through the narrator, a man that is given no name nor is it explained what crime he committed, leaving the reader to decide if his fate is just in the short time the narrator is with the condemned. The main idea of the story is that all life is precious. First the story shows how desensitized society can and has become to the loss of life in everyone. Throughout the story dark tones and generalities are constantly present. The essence of humanity is void instead replaced with a mechanization of the soul to the point that taking a life is seen as a duty, not a blessing or curse. Orwell is a man working away his years, only to be moved by a prisoner, whose life is condemned, causing Orwell to realize the fragility and sanctity of life. Next Orwell shows that all life is precious. He describes the prisoners’ body in vivid detail and explains that “This man is just as alive as we are alive” (Orwell 315). There is a dog, unaware of the punishment about to be handed down that breaks through and goes straight to the prisoner. He licks and plays with him and views every attempt to catch him as a game. Meanwhile the prisoner thinks this must be part of this process to dehumanize himself before he is executed. Finally it is only when the prisoner avoids a puddle on way to his death you see a change in view from Orwell. An action so simple, viewed as common place would not be thought of for a second yet it changes the...
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...As a young boy, George Orwell had always loved writing and literature. He began writing poems before most kids today can even spell their name. This love lead him to receive scholarships and become an authorauthur. It did not all come easy for him though, and he had many obstacles in his way, including some life threatening ones. By looking at Animal Farm, one can see that George Orwell included the themes of the corruption of sSocialist ideas and the danger of a naive working class because he was very opposed to the cCommunistic ways of the Soviet Union. George Orwell, who was born Eric ArthurAuthur Blair, was born on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, India. He was the son of, Richard WalmesleyWalmasley Blair, a British civil servant officer, and...
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...Madison Mullane Mr. Cagley ERWC 6 April 2015 A Society Solely Based on Hatred and Fear In his novel, 1984 (1949), George Orwell tells a story that illustrates a society solely based hatred and fear. Orwell develops his argument, by showing how the structure of the society can survive, by showing ways how “Big Brother” catches the people who want to rebel against the party, in order to express how this type of society can survive. He writes this book to affect the minds of the young adults because he wants to warn them what society may become in the future. A society based on hate can survive when there is power. There are many factors that would make one want to believe this type of society would not survive. For one, humanity has an innate desire to seek outside the self, to break free from its confines and truly experience life. As brilliantly explained by Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) in the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society, “And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” There is certainly a valid degree of truth to this statement. Many of us have at one point become inspired by...
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...The Consequences of an oppressive British Imperialist system and its effect on the psyche of the Indian Population Presented by: Renato Abate / #0530456 Presented to: Diane Labross 300-301-LA: Integration Seminar in the Social Sciences Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 The existence of vast imperial strength and its steady maintenance has always been attributed with a tyrannical system of government accompanied by an oppressive method of control over the native population from the days of expansion of the Roman Empire in Europe or the Qing Dynasty in China. The use of excessive force and the application of various methods of segregation which limit revolt have always been viewed as a necessary means to maintain order among enormous populations that inhabit regions all over the globe. The British Empire was able to utilize such methods during its extensive domination of the Indian subcontinent and reap the financial and material benefits from the mid seventeenth century with the founding of the East India Trading Company until the establishment of Indian independence in 1947. However, the use of these methods over many generations brought about the unified will to revolt among the Indian population, provoked by the negative psychological strain which stems from an extensive period of suppression. The discussion relates to the unvarying inability of an occupying nation to install a foreign government that attempts to preserve social stability over native inhabitants through...
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...Love in George Orwell’s 1984 Love can play many roles in society. It can bring many people together happily or it can tear families apart so they will never speak to ach other again. Love can also be a political force. It can be an act of rebellion by individuals. It can also be a means to control individuals. This is what has occurred in George Orwell’s book 1984. George Orwell was born on June 25, 1903 as Eric Arthur Blair, in Bengal, India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair, was an administrator in the Opium Department of the Indian government. (Mullen 3) Eric, his mother, Ida Mabel Limouzin Blair, and his older sister left India for England in 1908. (Flynn 9) In England the family lived as a “shabby-genteel family,” in his own words, at Henley on Thames. This was a happy time in his life and an inspiration for some of his writing, such as the essay, “Such, Such Were the Joys.”(Mullen 3) Also at this time Eric first showed signs of poor health. His mother recorded in her diary her concern for his bronchitis and a weak chest. (Flynn 11-12) In 1911 Eric went to St. Cyprian’s prepatory school. He was eight. (Flynn 19) Eric’s family kept him there at a great sacrifice to his family but at reduced fee because the headmaster hoped Eric would be able to win a scholarship. At the age of thirteen Eric went to Eton College after winning two scholarships. Eric was at Eton from 1917 to 1921. (Hopkinson 276) Eric praised Eton by complimenting its tolerant and civilized atmosphere...
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...Gerhard Hernandez Writing Composition 1013 Alyson Martin 01/27/2014 Traveling can be a broadening experience. Nowadays, people are traveling for many reasons Vacations, business, entertainment and many other things. I think that the most important part of traveling is how it can broaden and open your mind. The most frequent arguments for traveling broadening the mind are that you get to interact with different cultures and experience a lot of new things. Obviously how much it broadens your mind depends on how you travel rather than when or how often you do it. In my case, traveling has really made an impression on my life, I have learned so many things by doing it that I would do it again without thinking about it. The most amazing trip I have ever had was the first time I visited the United States of America. That was such an amazing experience, I learned as much as I could. First of all, I thought I already knew how to speak English until I had my first real conversation with an American, by the time we finished talking, I was so disappointed that I started talking to every man I could talk to and had my parents make me order the food in restaurants and fast food places, that was very funny and difficult at first but it became easier throughout the days. Also, I never thought there was going to be such a big difference between cultures, people were so different, I really thought that I was in another world and got pretty impressed with the clean environment...
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...The Hell of Nineteen Eighty-Four. ). Did Orwell realise quite what he had done in Nineteen Eighty-Four? His post-publication glosses on its meaning reveal either blankness or bad faith even about its contemporary political implications. He insisted, for example, that his 'recent novel [was] NOT intended as an attack on Socialism or on the British Labour Party (of which I am a supporter)'.(1) He may well not have intended it but that is what it can reasonably be taken to be. Warburg saw this immediately he had read the manuscript, and predicted that Nineteen Eighty-Four '[was] worth a cool million votes to the Conservative Party';(2) the literary editor of the Evening Standard 'sarcastically prescribed it as "required reading" for Labour Party M.P.s',(3) and, in the US, the Washington branch of the John Birch Society 'adopted "1984" as the last four digits of its telephone number'.(4) Moreover, Churchill had made the 'inseparably interwoven' relation between socialism and totalitarianism a plank in his 1945 election campaign(5) (and was not the protagonist of Nineteen Eighty-Four called Winston?). If, ten years earlier, an Orwell had written a futuristic fantasy in which Big Brother had had Hitler's features rather than Stalin's, would not the Left, whatever the writer's proclaimed political sympathies, have welcomed it as showing how capitalism, by its very nature, led to totalitarian fascism? With Nineteen Eighty-Four, it is particularly necessary to trust the tale and not...
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...Analogy Examples Understanding the meaning of an analogy is key to the success of the analogy in communication. Some analogies will be understood by most people that speak the same language. Within small social groups of people, there are often shared analogies that bind the group together. Other analogies are only understood by people living in a certain region or country. Common Analogies and Their Meanings Analogy examples with corresponding meanings are the best way to show the meaning of the word “analogy.” The following is a list of some common analogies and an explanation of their meaning. * The relationship between them began to thaw. This means that the relationship was changing. * You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard. You must be pretty annoying for someone to say that. * I am going to be toast when I get home. This is usually said when someone is in trouble with their significant other. * He is like a rock. This means he is steadfast and strong. * She attended the celebrity roast. The person being roasted is being honored by people making harmless jokes about him or her. * I feel like a fish out of water. This implies that you are not comfortable in your surroundings. * She was offended when I said she was as flaky as a snowstorm. That isn’t a very nice comparison to make. * There are plenty of fish in the sea. Unless you really are a fish, this encourages you to move on and find another potential mate. * She was...
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...HISTORY 1500 WINTER 2014 RESEARCH ESSAY TOPICS 1. Select a crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution...
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...United States embassy in Tehran and attacked the building. Right after the storming of the embassy, the complex went into lockdown mode. Certain people were taught to get rid of specific documents that were stored in the embassy to make sure that important, classified information was not leaked. After a few hours, sixty-six Americans in the embassy were captured. The hostages were told that the only way they could be released is if the Shah returns to Iran to face trials. As the days went by, the hostages questioned whether or not they would get out of Iran alive. Brian Keenan, one of the hostages, spoke about how it was like by saying, “Hostage is a mutant creation filled with fear, self-loathing, guilt and death-wishing. Hostage is a man hanging by his fingernails over the edge of chaos, feeling his fingers slowly straightening,” (Watson, Stephanie). To be a hostage was terrifying because one did not know his/her ultimate fate. Months had passed and President Carter decided since economic sanctions were not compelling the Iranians to release the hostages, he was going to have to use military force. On April 25, 1980, the United States sent ninety-seven soldiers and eight helicopters for a mission to safely bring back the American hostages from Iran. Known as Operation Eagle Claw, the rescue mission seemed like a perfect plan on paper but quickly ran into problems once the team landed in Iran. Two helicopters malfunctioned while landing in Iran and another blew a hydraulic pump...
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...Travis Almeter Mrs. Peters 9/9/09 English 12 Response to Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell Part 1 Chapter 1-3 The world in which Winston's life takes place seems rather dark and dreary because of how cold and broken down things are. I think it would be quite creepy living with telescreens, Big Brother posters, and knowing that the Thought Police can be watching you at any moment. The slogans of The Party contradict the beliefs of modern American society. The Two Minutes Hate is almost cult-like with their anger and yelling. I was unsure who would be at his door so early in the book, but Winston was lucky that it was just his neighbor. The kids are out of control traitors in my opinion. It's absurd that children that young would want to go see a hanging. I find it hard to imagine how scared and alone he must feel because everyone else is so strongly supportive of The Party and he is committing severe crimes by writing in his journal against them. I think Winston may meet his mother later on because of the dream he had about her. It must be hard when you cant rely on your own memory. Sometimes what you think may be real is just imagination. I also think physical fitness in this society is important because of the stretches he is forced to do, but sanitation and personal medical issues like his ulcer are ignored. Chapters 4-6 The Party changing past news and facts to resemble truth of the current era is a waste of time and unnecessary. They are just trying...
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