George Orwell was the surname of Arthur Blair who was a political change fighter and advocate, literally critic, novelist and an essayist. The reasons to why he changed his name is not known. Blair was born in Eastern India in a region namely Bengal, in June 25, 1903. This area was largely dominated by the British. His parents were Ida Mabel Blair and Richard Walmesley Blair who were civil servants (Merriman 5). However, his mother later moved with him together with his sister to England in an effort bettering their lives. Blair was a bright student and managed to win a scholarship to Eton College. He did well and graduated but he still could not find a job. He therefore decided to return to his home country India with a view of getting a job. That was not easy duty for him since there was a lot of brutality in the operation hence he moved to England again as a freelance writer. Other life events of Blair includes being a militia man in the Spanish Civil war, which led to him being shot in the neck making him change his opinion regarding imperialism. The impacts of imperialism on his own life led him to writing two books that focused on oppression. The “Animal Farm” which was published on august 1945 and the “A Hanging” which was published in the year 1931 depicts social injustices resulting from poor leadership.
This essay will examine the impact of George Orwell’s life experience on the two works The “Animal Farm” and the “A Hanging”. The easy will also critically examine the effects of social injustices and oppression on his work.
In the short story “A Hanging”, George Orwell recounts an incident in Burma where he was working as a policeman and criminals could be put to death. What he sees does not move him until he becomes aware of the fated man who sidesteps to shun a puddle when he is frog-marched to the scaffold or gallows. On the rally to the gallows, a diminutive dog comes into view and runs in the direction of the prisoner. George Orwell expresses his feelings by saying he had never understood the essence of destroying the conscious of a healthy man. Therefore, it is clear that the author is degraded by what he was experiencing and witnessing hence he decides to share his feelings through the work of art. His main purpose for writing the short story is therefore to express how besmirched he feels (Merriman 17).
The short story “A Hanging” is also a mirror to societal injustices. To begin with, the author describes the cells that the prisoners use as animal cages. This depicts that they are in very bad condition which are unworthy for human beings. For example, George says “We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages. Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot of drinking water” (Orwell, 1). This is brought out clearly when the author describes the state of the cells, “We were waiting exterior the condemned cells, a line of sheds fronted with dual bars, like insignificant animal cages.” We also see this apparent when he is recounting the way it took the effort of six guards to guide a “puny wisp of a man.” He says, “It was like men managing a fish that is still living and may skip back into the water.” It is therefore evident that the author intends that the audience understands the superintendent and the guards are humane towards the prisoners. This is evident as the superintendent gets very upset since the putting to death process is running late and he says, “For God’s sake hurry up, Francis.” And “The man should have been dead by this time.” This shows how desperate the Suprintendent is to get the inhumane act to an end. These events bring out the themes of societal injustices powerfully.
Lastly, Symbolism is a very important tool in style development and Orwell does not leave this out. He has greatly manipulated symbolism to develop his setting. The most conspicuous symbol in the tale is the appearance of a dog. The dog seems to mind the prisoners well being and even defend him unlike his fellow humans who take part in the process of killing him. When the Hindu prisoner is being executed, the dog “Jumps up on the prisoner and licks his face” (Merriman 23). The dog is also used to symbolize sympathy for its reaction was similar to those of George. The is also seen when the dog arrives at the execution site “But when it got there it stopped short, barked, and then retreated into a corner of the yard, where it stood among the weeds, looking timorously out at us.” (Orwell 12)
Another work by Orwell is the novel “Animal farm”. To begin with, “Animal Farm” was published at the height of World War II in 1945, in England and again in 1946 in the United States. The major reason behind Orwell composition of the book was to give a warning to dictatorial governments and rulers by expressing the significance of the dangers presented by Stalinism government (Briggs 23). The novel tells the story, which implies that animals are taken for, granted, abused and neglected by the famer in Manor Farm. However, this did not last forever as the animals decided to revolt and control the leadership of the farm. In fact, they went a step further to degrade their former human master completely. The capability of the animals to labor as a team harmoniously and the pride in their achievements made them apprehend that they can realize a fairer farm that could suitably accommodate each animal if they toil collectively. Everyone in the farm was fed well and happy for quite some time. Nevertheless, the animals decided that it was essential for them to formulate rules and regulations to enhance governance hence they come up with 7 commandments which stated ways in which all animals have equal favor and they were created the same that's why they should receive the same treatment. For rules to be executed and executor is very primary (Merriman 23). Thus, the pigs were selected to be the leaders and rules executors of this equal society. All the other animals agreed that the pigs would be proficient to uphold the ‘utopia’ and the commandments. However, the pigs slowly started to make changes to the directing rules and they eventually become superior to other animals. All the animals retained the seven commandments and derived much satisfaction in their equity.
Thus, the fundamental annotation of the text is exceptionally motivating and it is an appealing discussion about the philosophy of clarification and communism. Furthermore, interpretation of the novel is enormous. This is so because it brings about the temperament of humankind and their incapability to shun the unrestrained behavior of greed and power. This shows how dangerous communism could be. Additionally, the text is in uncomplicated English, which allows the author to show the desperation and the starkness displayed by animals present excellently, and as much as their livelihood is better, it is easy to note aggravation, frustration, and irritation as things begin going wrong. One can easily find themselves associating with the animals that are ‘lesser’ and abhor the pigs. “Animal farm” is therefore a quality tale since a story that is so meaningful and relevant is said in a way so simple. Orwell manages to make the reader look at the all state in an objective and contemplative manner, yet its opinion is strongly felt and still leaves room for the reader to give their own opinion in relation with this multifaceted subject.
Leadership and corruption is the most outstanding theme in the novel “Animal farm”. This is evident when the pigs take over as they purport that they are working in a farm of equal animals to ensure order yet they made themselves rulers in many corrupt ways. Thus, it is important to note that the novel’s setting is coherent with what the title suggests ‘a firm of animals’. In many years the animals were forcefully subjected to tears, sweat, and blood of working hard to satisfy humans who oppressed them greatly. Ironically, this did not end even when the animals took charge. Therefore, the theme reflects that corruption and poor governance is a real problem even in our society today and it is not easy to change the system. In fact, it is transferable to different governments.
Conclusion
Orwell exclusively expresses his thoughts and feelings on the Russian situation using these two works. He uses the animals and the farm as his basis to take the position of people. This way, he actually communicated most of what he intended. Napoleon pushed himself to the leadership position right after the revolution which is a similar situation as Stalin and everyone who opposed the idea was ejected from the community (Briggs 34). It did not take long for Stalin to lead since guards were always by his side. In the animal farm, the end product of their leadership was not very different from the leadership of MR. Jones that triggered the revolution. In general “Animal Farm” is a very persuasive book that covenants with some very composite concerns but does it in a technique that most persons can understand, which makes it a true model or classic, and also elucidates why it is a book of all times. The “A Hanging” on the other hand condemns human acts that destroy humanity. It emphasizes that human beings must learn to look after one another and try to understand the essence of each individual in society. Thus, both the short story “A Hanging” and the novel “Animal Farm” powerfully shows the social realities that we live with daily in very figurative and creative forms. After critically analyzing these works, it is evident that George Orwell was focused on addressing social injustices he faced in his life through these works.
Works Cited
Merriman, Amy. George Orwell Literal Works. New York, NY: Prentice- Hall international, 2005. Print.
Briggs,Michael.Harmonious Relationships are Hard Earned. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print
Orwell, George. "A Hanging." .1931.Print
