A Hanging George Orwell

George Orwell was a well-known author during the mid-twentieth century whose books 1984 and Animal Farm are often studied in high school literature along with many of his short stories, including his essay called “A Hanging”. In the story, George Orwell describes an incident when he worked in Burma, where a young and healthy Hindu prisoner was executed before him and considers the meaning of this man’s death and if it was right. Orwell includes many details throughout the story to explain his personal views on the subject of the death penalty and provides an argument for his thoughts against it. He uses items such as the prisoner’s actions before execution, his upsetting death, and a dog representing his desire to free the prisoner himself

For example, he mentions the prisoner, who committed an unknown crime, stepping around a puddle instead of walking through it, even though he is about to die. Orwell says, “It is curious, but before that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man” (Orwell). This is the most important detail he includes because author uses this to remind us that the prisoner was still very much alive. The prisoner still uses reason, even though he knows he is doomed. Other details Orwell incorporates about the prisoner in “A Hanging” include the “animal cage” cell he was held in, his “fish-like” movements while being restrained, his emotionless gait and stance, his act of urinated in his cell out of fear, and his cries for Ram just before he died. These all contribute to a feeling of sympathy toward the prisoner, and overall improves Orwell’s argument against capital

After the execution, Orwell and the workers went to eat breakfast at the same time as the other prisoners—during which they talk to each other about past prisoners and executions. Orwell listened as they described the acts of the prisoners as pathetic. For example, one of the workers named Francis described an incident in which a prisoner clung to the prison bars when they tried to remove him for his execution. Francis says they tried to convince him to let go and told the prisoner to “think of all the pain and trouble you are causing us” and later says the man was “very troublesome” (Orwell). Everyone listening to the story was laughing, even Orwell himself. This adds on to the author’s criticism of the death penalty, even though he was one of the ones laughing. By using connotative diction to create a somber scene and represent his thoughts against the death penalty, he creates an ironic situation. We know what he truly believes, but the other characters in the story do not. He also acts very unexpectedly, because the readers anticipate him to argue against their jokes or at least mention what he believes, but he does not. There are various examples throughout the story where the author utilizes words with a negative