Eric Arthur Blair, commonly known under the pseudonym George Orwell, led a fascinating life, from working as a member of the Indian Imperial Police Force, to experiencing poverty firsthand in both London and Paris, to fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell’s diverse life experiences gave him very strong political opinions that carried through to his writing career, during which he addressed issues such as education, poverty, and communism. George Orwell was a master of the modern political satire, through which he powerfully illustrates the political and social issues of the twentieth century.
A Clergyman’s Daughter, published in 1935, is a witty satire criticizing both English society and religious life. Orwell uses the life of the main character, Dorothy Hare, to display social injustices. He was particularly critical of the often very minimal distinctions between different religious denominations in England (Means 55). Additionally, Orwell used the novel to illustrate the negative influence of money on the working class and the education system. Dorothy is treated similarly to a slave by her father, forced into a life of performing chores and menial labor for her father with little return for herself (Orwell A Clergyman’s Daughter 3). Orwell uses Dorothy as an example of the exploitation of the working class in England, which at the time was forced to do strenuous work for minimal pay, the root of much of the poverty in England. At the end of the novel, although Dorothy’s journey is so eye-opening, traveling though poverty, homelessness, incarceration, and education, Dorothy once again ends up in the care of her father, and is sent back into the life of virtual slavery she started with. However, rather than being opposed t...
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Glover, Beaird. “Animal Farm.” Masterplots Fourth Edition. 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
---“Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Masterplots Fourth Edition. 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Greenblatt, Stephen J. “Animal Farm.” Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen and Kevin Hile. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 1-23. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Means, A. L. A Student’s Guide to George Orwell. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2005. Print.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Times Mirror, 1949. Print
---Animal Farm. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945. Print.
---A Clergyman’s Daughter. University of Adelaide. E-book. 5 Dec. 2013.
Ranald, Ralph A. “1984.” Novels for Students. Ed. Deborah A Stanley. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 233-255. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” George Orwell: Critical Essays. London: Harvill Secker: 2009. 270-286. Print.
One of Eric Blair’s most important influences in writing was his childhood which he later describes as a lost paradise. Blair spent most of his childhood in England where he appreciated nature. He would later look back at precious England before the war destroyed it in Coming Up for Air. He was also a precocious boy, writing his first poem at the age of four. In Why I Write, Orwell said, “I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer” (Flynn 12). But his childhood wasn’t perfect, and one of the starting points of his pessimism was life in school. At St. Cyprian’s school he experienced what he describes as terror. Unfortunately the young Blair kept wetting his bed, and eventually the headmaster beat him for it. It was a starting point of his pessimism, and he left St. Cyprian’s with “failure, failure, failure – failure behind me, failure ahead of me” (Flynn 24). In Eton it wasn’t easygoing either, because he slacked off and did no work. In the end he finished second to last in his class, forcing him to take on service in Burma.
“1984.” Novels for Students. Ed. Deborah A. Stanley. Vol 7. Detroit. Gale, 1999. 233-255. Gale
1. Orwell’s thesis is that cause and effect are closely related, which is implied and stated.
Eric Blair, known to his readers under the English pen name of George Orwell (1903-1950), was a man familiar with the roles of government. He served with the British government in Burma under the Indian Imperial Police. Returning to his European roots, Orwell also sided with the Spanish government as he fought with the Loyalists in their civil war. It wasn't until he wrote professionally as a political writer that Orwell's ideas of government were fully expressed. Orwell, in his political writings, was extremely contradictory. He was a critic of communism, yet he also considered himself a Socialist. He had hatred toward intellectuals, but he too was a political writer. It is only natural that a man of paradoxes would write of them. In his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell develops his Socialist Utopia as a paradoxical society that ultimately succeeds rather than flounders.
Reilly, Patrick. Nineteen Eighty Four - A Student's Companion to the Novel. Boston: Twayne, 1989.
Orwell was an English novelist marked for his writings on social justice awareness, oppositional criticisms on totalitarianism/authoritarianism, and commitment to democratic socialism. Born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, Bihar, British India on June 25, 1903, Orwell is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and the allegorical novella Animal Farm. A man of unwavering convictions and powerful views on social justice, Orwell addressed many of the major political movements of his time to include fascism and communism.
Winston Smith, the protagonist of Nineteen Eighty-Four and one of the last free men in Oceania wants nothing more than to remember history before Big Brother. Big Brother tries to control the public and how they view the truth with numerous surveillance techniques. Big Brother maximized the control the political ruling class had over the residents of Airstrip One by utilizing the creation of Newspeak, a variety of propaganda, and constant surveillance of citizens by the use of telescreens and the thought police.
?All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I
And he debates that the end of the Cold War is “an ideal context for a reassessment of Orwell 's political ideas” (Newsinger ix). Newsinger gives us a map of Orwell 's intellectual terrain, and deftly orientates the reader around the key Orwellian debates which run around the idea of war and revolution against inequality and dictatorship. He examines how Orwell 's politics developed in a changing world. Newsinger 's argument is that, although Orwell 's politics shifted throughout his lifetime, the one constant was his unwavering socialism. What detractors - and even some admirers - have missed is that he never ceased to write from within the left, attacking the betrayal of the revolution rather than the revolution
George Orwell is considered to be one of the most creative and expressive political writers of the twentieth century, particularly for his views opposing communism and totalitarian regimes famously expressed in his novel, 1984. Orwell perceived communism as, “A new, dangerous form of totalitarianism, a powerful tool for controlling the masses.” Orwell’s hatred towards communism began with communist leader, Joseph Stalin whom he referred to as, “a bloody-minded master” (Rossi 1). Orwell’s views solidified during his participation in the Spanish Civil War; throughout his experience, Orwell was subject to communist propaganda, which led to his distrust of authority and established hatred of fascist and communist governments (Rossi 2). Orwell’s views, along with his participation ...
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.
... Orwell Biography - A Biography of George Orwell." George Orwell - Complete Works, Biography, Quotes, Essays. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. .
The article talks of George Orwell’s motivation behind writing, including the uglier sides of it. Orwell speaks of many points for the thought process of an author. It may be a tiring, draining process but is fueled by love and passion, though the kind of passion can vary. He states writing should never seem like task, or chore to do. However, it is not wholly a selfless endeavour; writing by some merit is driven by vanity, a sense of need to be remember or leave an impact of the world. Personal conflicts are a tightrope to be balanced on in writing, for the personality and opinions of the author must bleed in and color the words yet not overwhelm and consume the piece. The article states that aesthetic enthusiasm is another force behind the writing, this be the appeal a story brings to a wide audience through beauty within and surrounding the writing. The ways all these clash and blend to create a story, as Orwell says, “It can be seen how these various impulses must war against one another, and how they must fluctuate from person to person and from time to time.” Most of all, writing is a creative process that one must love with an intensity, or else what is the point to begin with?
George Orwell investigated themes of power, totalitarianism and leadership in relation to Marxist theories throughout his novels yet seemed to direct them at a range of audiences. Investigate the extent to which Orwell alters his communication of the lies he wishes to expose and how they are conveyed to the reader through literary devices.