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The relationship between religion and morality
Relationship between religion and morality
Relationship between religion and morality
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, one of the greatest Indian leaders, followed his chosen principles and personal values devoutly. He was pure vegetarian, lived humbly and in simple attire, and promoted equality among all. Mahatma Gandhi’s blind commital to his following of his ethics was criticized by some people, one of whom was George Orwell. George Orwell wrote a passage making the argument that people should accept human imperfection (for life and love) than “loyally” adhere to “sainthood.” Orwell uses strong, noticebly-patterned diction and specific passage structure, to effectively develop his position. George Orwell uses strong, noticebly-patterned diction to highlight his argument, that choosing human imperfection is better in some situations …show more content…
This tailored details demonstrate that the author wants to focus on “loving” imperfection as better than “loyal” “sainthood.” This repetition technique emphasizes the author’s key idea that choosing human imperfection for “love” is better sometimes than sticking “loyally” to “sainthood,” no matter what. The author shows his passionate tone and strong feelings about …show more content…
In the beginning, Orwell accepts with his opposing side, with “this is unquestionably true;” however, then, talks about his counterexample, about Gandhi, and rebutts the original claim. Lastly, he ends the passage with his opinionated, supported statements (a transformation of the original claim). This structure shows the reader two things, that the author took the time to consider the opposing side’s views and that the author put deep thought into how he was going t validate his claim. This structure strengthens his argument, by debunking any possible arguments against his, and by allowing him to form some supporting evidence. In addition, by using the “-- I think--” after his example of Gandhi, he is transitioning to his opinionated thoughts. This smooth transition allows the reader to hear the author’s perspective (voice) clearly, to analyze both sides (views) presented, and to follow the author’s thought process
The time frame of this article is in 1946, a year after World War 2 has ended. Orwell takes the current situation into consideration when he appeals to his audience. Therefore, he addresses areas of politics in combination with recent events to try to persuade his audience while inducing a connection between the reader and his article. Orwell writes, “Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face…”. The reader makes a connection with the article because they can remember the previous experience of the topics in their time frame. However, Orwell uses pathos to finally convince the audience of his argument when he writes “Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, and the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets”. This technique is highly effective because readers automatically feel a sense of pity and sadness which in turn persuades the audience of the argument and convinces them to agree with Orwell’s
1) The device Orwell uses to introduce his thesis are chiasmi. The first chiasmus is “A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks” and the second chiasmus is “It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” Both sentences are examples of chiasmus since they reverse key terms in their clauses, the key terms being “drinking” and “failure” in the first, and the state of the language and “foolish thoughts” in the second sentence. 2)
This is an important example of the foolishness of writers that do not understand the metaphors, similes, and symbolic expressions to help the reader understand their ideas in the writing. I also agree that writers do not use words “precisely”, which can confuse the reader. Many writers are not fully aware of the meaning of the words they choose, which Orwell breaks down in the writings he is analyzing. Clarity in the writing process is conveyed with great accuracy by Orwell to make this second point.
Orwell argues that society is completely oblivious to the constraint that is involved in every day life. There is no individual in society and that everyone remains the same. “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?” (46) Not only does a limiting of words show society that by controlling methods of co...
Orwell, George. “Reflections on Gandhi.” Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. Ed. Sonia Orwell. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1950. 93-103.
The tone of Orwell’s essay is formal. Throughout the entire essay, Orwell is informative and professional to achieve ethos. Orwell stays professional even when he is expressing his feelings, for example, in this passage, “In our time it is broadly true that political writing is bad writing. Where it is not true, it will generally be found that the writer is some kind of rebel, expressing his private opinions and not a ‘party line’. Orthodoxy, of whatever colour, seems to demand a lifeless, imitative style. The political dialects to be found in pamphlets, leading articles, manifestos, white papers and the speeches of undersecretaries do, of course, vary from party to party, but they are all alike in that one almost never finds in them a fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech.” Orwell does not veer off topic and continues to be
I think that Orwell’s use of strong but subtle ethos and pathos arguments in his depictions of the world that Winston lives in is effective in convincing the reader against totalitarian governmental structures.
Howe, Tom. "George Orwell." British Writers Volume VII. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribner, 1984. 273-287.
Brown, and Oldsey. ed. Critical Essays on George Orwell. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1986.
Every day, each individual will look back on decisions he or she have made and mature from those experiences. Though it takes time to realize these choices, the morals and knowledge obtained from them are priceless. In George Orwell’s nonfictional essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, a young Orwell was stationed in Burma for the British imperial forces, tasked to deal with an elephant who destroyed various parts of the village Moulmein while its owner was away. Backed by second thoughts and a crowd of thousands, he finds himself shooting the elephant and reflecting that it was not justified; however, it was a choice pushed by his duty and the people. Written with a fusion of his young and old self’s outlook on shooting the elephant, Orwell’s essay is a sensational read that captivates his audience and leaves them questioning his decision.
By using the device repetition of words such as “one does not seek perfection, that one is sometimes willing to commit sins for the sake of loyalty , that one does not push…friendly intercourse impossible, and that one is prepare in the end…”(Lines 16-18). Using “one does” singles out the people showing how it only takes one person trying to achieve sainthood to throw humanity off balance. Although a saint should try to avoid materialistic substances like alcohol and tobacco, they should try doing the morally right action over the religious right action. If committing sins will be helping stop an inhuman act, humans should stop trying to achieve perfection and take the fall.
Gandhi’s speech on the eve of his historic march on March 11, 1930, was intended as his last speech to his followers. He highlighted what his followers should do in the event that he was arrested for his crimes. They were to continue to try to attain Swaraj (self-governance, i.e. the country rules itself) with non-violence and truth. Instead of violence, he wanted them to cause civil disobedience by breaking small laws, such as owning and selling illegal salts, as well as purchasing or making them. He wanted the employees of the Government (British rule in India) to stop working in protest, in an attempt to undermine it. Gandhi asked for the taxpayers, and all who were cooperating with the Government to stop cooperating, doing things such as not sending their children to public schools or keeping titles. He also asked for them to have self-confidence in the goal of Swaraj, and to become leaders, while stressing non-violence and truth. Gandhi also asked his followers to continue to follow local leaders; to ensure that leadership at all levels in India was not changed all at once. At the end of his speech Gandhi tells his followers that is they are always truthful and non-violent while trying to make India self-governing, they will always be victorious, even if
Orwell manipulates the audience’s perception of sainthood by mentioning a very popular and saint-like person, Gandhi. Many believe he is a symbol of wisdom, peace, and life-fulfillment. Thus, many will respect his sayings and his life choices. So, when Orwell reveals to the audience that Gandhi has actually “behaved in an inconsiderate way to his wife and children…on three occasions,” it is shocking. Orwell emphasizes this emotion of surprise by stating proof as to how Gandhi has misbehaved, such as letting his family die. Much like a court trial, the side with the most shocking evidence is what persuades the jury to support that side. The emotion of surprise catches people off-guard and vulnerable to whatever is going to happen next
He describes, “I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro” (60). He is dealing with the internal conflicts of who he should align with: himself, the British, or the Burmese. If he were to acknowledge his beliefs and align with himself, he could be the start of an uprise. Surely, others would follow. He even confirms his “thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny” and says, “Ask any Anglo-Indian official, if you catch him off duty,” referring to the hatred of the English empire (58). By expressing his dislike for the British, Orwell is finally attempting to stand up for his beliefs. The fact that his character is unable to execute his beliefs, though, highlights him trying to not look foolish in the presence of others. Clearly, he is in an unbearable circle of self-deprecation and doubt. By the end of the narrative, Orwell’s character regrets his decision to shoot the elephant. This ultimately represents Orwell’s uncertainty as he goes through life. He, like all of us, is struggling to predict which path is the best for him to go down as he ventures through his existence. Because of this, his actions for shooting the elephant are justified. He is just trying to accomplish all that he can while simultaneously dealing with his own questions of identity. This allows Orwell to be seen as a humble individual who is just trying
Based on the two essays, George Orwell is a vivid writer who uses a unique point of view and strong themes of pride and role playing to convey his messages. His writings are easy to pick out because of the strengths of these messages. Just like politicians in government, people with power turn corrupt to stay in power and keep their reputations. Anyone who takes on power must be prepared to live with the consequences of his actions. Orwell knows this challenge well and conveys this principle in his writing. After all, his narration is based on real life experiences and not fictional fantasies.