George Orwell and the Influence of Stalinism on His Works

George Orwell, born under the name Eric Arthur Blair, was born in British India in the

year 1903. When Orwell turned one, his mother moved him and his older sister to England, where

about four years later, he attended a private school in which he learned about the English class

system. This school, a Roman Catholic convent, was run by recently exiled French nuns.

Although Orwell’s mother wanted her children to grow up and learn in a public school, the family

could not afford the fees. The only option for Orwell was to get scholarship money in order to pay

the fees. Orwell not only entered into competitions, but the headmaster of the school made a

private deal with his mother that stated she would only have to pay for half of the normal fees.

Orwell studied at Eton until he was able to pass the entrance exam, and this is where he became

very opinionated about the subject and attempted to make a career out of teaching and also

writing about his political views on the side.

George Orwell also lived a certain lifestyle that contributed to his political views and his

social views. He began to serve other people in hopes to diminish the guilt that he felt about his

character and who he was becoming. It was by “immersing himself in the life of the poor and the

outcast people of Europe” in which he thought he could do so (George Orwell 7). These

experiences allowed Orwell to come up with ideas for books to write that would not only become

well-known books later on, but he also wrote as a way to get his thoughts out of his head.

George Orwell began teaching at an all boys school at The Hawthorns High School in

West London. While he was teaching here, he was waiting for his first book to get published,

...

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... Stalin betrayed the

Allies by invading the Germans and then the Allies being forced to join Stalin, in order to defeat

Hitler.

George Orwell lived a life full of hardship and defeat, but he managed to maintain

strength to get through the tough times and to make the best out of what he was given. Orwell is

a well-known author in the world today, and his book, Animal Farm, is even read in high

schools, even though it was originally banned when it was first published.

Works Cited

“George Orwell.” Britannica School. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

“Historical Context: Animal Farm.” EXPLORING Novels. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

“Orwell, George.” Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 1183-1187. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.