George Orwell's Writing
George Orwell is best known for his fiction writing, particularly
Animal Farm and 1984. In 'Shooting an Elephant' he demonstrates his
talent in non-fiction writing. Not everyone was familiar with the way
in which the British Imperial rule worked and Orwell uses his
rhetorical language to bring the readers of his essay into the
immediate world that was that of an imperial officer.
Orwell?s essay is written in the first person perspective. This was
done deliberately by Orwell to make the reader feel closer to the
action taking place. By writing in the first person instead of in say,
the third person, Orwell allows for himself to show his feelings. This
is what makes it a personal essay rather than just a man telling a
story. With this personal viewpoint exposed, Orwell was able to touch
on his own feelings about imperialism and the Burmese people as he
tells the story, thus adding to the immediacy that the reader feels to
his worlds. He is a British police officer in Burma, but says that he
was against the British in the oppression of the Burmese. Orwell uses
particular diction and language choice to convey the fact that he
feels almost stuck in the middle in the whole situation. Orwell says,
?All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I
served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried
to make my job impossible.? He calls the Burmese ?little beasts?
showing his dislike but then choosing the adjective ?evil-spirited? to
describe these little beasts? shows that he understood why they
treated him like they did. They themselves were not evil but they were
evil-spirited towards him. Orwell conveys this stuck in the middle
feeling to show the ...
... middle of paper ...
...ousand Burmans would see me?reduced to a grinning
corpse?And if that happened it was quite probable some of them would
laugh. That would never do.? This is more irony employed by Orwell.
This irony ties right in with the constant metaphors to the theater
and to him feeling like a ?puppet? and a ?dummy?. He feels so much
like he has to please the Burmans but he will not stand for letting
them be pleased by him dying. It?s ironic that either he or the
elephant, both symbols of imperialism, must be killed for the Burmese
to smile.
Overall, Orwell employs these rhetorical tools such as metaphors,
symbolism, and irony, as well as choosing to write in the first person
perspective, deliberately to bring the reader into the immediate world
of a colonial police officer. His choice of language and rhetoric
makes the story that much more relatable to the reader.
Star Wars also tells of a similar story; the most unlikely set of people can stop an entire evil empire. The movie begins with Princess Leia’s capture by the evil empire. In an attempt to save herself and her mission plans, she sends two robots, R2D2 and C-3PO, to deliver a message to the illusive Ben Kenobi.
got to pay the price for victory! You can always go further than you think you
In his article titled, “Star Wars and the Roman Empire,” Martin M. Winkler writes on Lucas’ trilogy and compares the storylines in the films to the Roman empire while placing focus on the similarities
Winston is rebelling because he was born before The Party came into power, and he vaguely
Having studied George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', I intend to discuss the type of Government envisaged by Orwell and to what extent his totalitarian Party, 'Ingsoc', satirises past regimes. I will also discuss Orwell's motive in writing such a piece and how his writing style helps it become clear.The main theme of Nineteen Eighty-Four concerns the restrictions imposed on individual freedom by a totalitarian regime. Orwell shows how such a system can impose its will on the people through manipulation of the press, the elimination of democracy, constant supervision (courtesy of the Telescreens) and more. Orwell also shows how the state has more subtle methods for imposing its authority, such as the manipulation of language and control of the media.
wanted live free in the world like other people, but during that time the government
it has operatives all over keeping an eye out for cops or law enforcement, this
Tragic events occur daily around the globe in 2015, these occurrences have become routine. The world has considerably changed in the past five years; this is mainly due to the Arab spring (A term that symbolizes the fall of oppressive regimes in the Middle East. While in the Middle East the Arab Spring is TAKING PLACE, in America gun control is a major issue. One of the many letters written by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty Four is that of oppressive governments and the basic freedoms of humanity. This specific article and 1984 share similarities in how both discuss the nature of humans. The main themes they discuss are: Death, Loss of innocence, as well as hope.
When George Orwell’s epic novel 1984 was published in 1949 it opened the public’s imagination to a future world where privacy and freedom had no meaning. The year 1984 has come and gone and we generally believe ourselves to still live in “The Land of the Free;” however, as we now move into the 21st Century changes brought about by recent advances in technology have changed the way we live forever. Although these new developments have seamed to make everyday life more enjoyable, we must be cautious of the dangers that lie behind them for it is very possible that we are in fact living in a world more similar to that of 1984 than we would like to imagine.
Holm, Hans-Henrik. "STAR WARS." Journal of Peace Research 23 (1986): 1-8. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
George Orwell published 1984 in 1949, the same year that the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb. The arms race that followed the Soviets' development of nuclear weaponry quickly escalated into the Cold War, which raged for the next four decades as the enormous ideological gulf separating capitalism and democracy from totalitarianism and Communism led to mutual hatred between the United States and the Soviet Union, the world's most powerful nations. During the long decades of the Cold War, perhaps no book better captured the moral objections against totalitarian Communism than 1984, written by Orwell originally to warn the world of the dangers of authoritarian regimes. Depicting a horrifying near-future of governmental oppression, slavery, and alienation, 1984 created a sensation upon its initial appearance, sounding the alarm that the atrocities committed under Communism upon human material security and freedom were possible not only in Russia and Eastern Europe, but in the West as well.
invaders. However, the ultimate fate of this regime was placed back in the hands of the
of history. Winston struggles to face the state of Oceania and ultimately loses everything in the end.
Thinking back into history, many important events have occurred in history since the publication of 1984 by George Orwell in 1949. In no specific order there would be the Holocaust, The creation of the United Nations, NATO (North Atlantic treaty Organization), and even The Iron Curtain being established. After 1984 was published huge events also occurred in history. There was the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the creation of the Berlin Wall, and the destruction of the Berlin wall, Joseph Stalin dies, and Khrushchev gains power....etc, etc. No matter when a book is published the events in history will always surround it, such as this book.
In Why I Write, by George Orwell, actual elements of Orwell’s personal life are explained with respect to the development of his writing career. Unlike Shooting an Elephant, which could easily be a representation of Orwell’s real Burmese experiences in 1936, Why I Write is explicitly about his writing career, and it is justified to claim that Orwell is the speaker. In the early stages of his writing, Orwell emphasizes that he wrote for everyone but himself; the styles and techniques that he chose for his short stories and poems were tailored to an audience who loved flowery, thrilling writing. Orwell uses the Latin term vers d’occasion, meaning “written for a special occasion.” Writing was not for personal fulfillment, or even pleasure. In