Jeremy Bunda
Mr. Waits
English 10 H Period 6
25 April 2014
Synthesis Essay First Draft
Living through the war and its enormous political shifts, Eric Blair was a figure whose pessimism was significantly impacted by the postwar period. But what was born of Blair was a more significant person known as George Orwell, who challenged the political views of his time by writing 1984, which stands as one of the most powerful political novels of the Modernist era written to expose the horrors of totalitarianism and impact the political thinking of the 20th Century.
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.
Eric went to Burma in 1922 and become a probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police. His experience in Burma, his guilt of oppressing the Burmese...
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...the emotion does not speak for itself. In the end, the tyranny of 1984 only becomes repugnant while Animal Farm is tragic. But in spite of Lewis’s harsh criticism towards the novel, 1984 is a remarkable novel itself alone, possessing a strong voice in politics. According to Deutscher himself, “Few novels written in this generation have obtained a popularity as great as that of George Orwell’s 1984. Few, if any, have made a similar impact on politics” (Deutscher 500). However, like Lewis, Deutscher also dismissively criticizes the novel for its too much horror and lack of originality. The former causes the reader to focus only on the horror-stricken events of the story and not the main idea of the author’s political views. The latter is taken from Deutscher’s claims that the Orwell only borrowed the elements of the story of 1984 from the book We by Evgenii Zamyatin.
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
At a time when nothing seemed to be in order, George Orwell wrote a book about complete control over everything. The world was at war for the second time when Orwell wrote this book about a controlling country ruled by an evil man named Big Brother, and a man named Winston who fought against the corruption. Orwell changed the world with his work which put tragic events in perspective for people who were not directly affected by the struggles of war and violence. George Orwell, as a democratic socialist, used the Russian Revolution and World War II, his abuse in school, and his role as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War to write his dystopian novel 1984.
In an afterword by Erich Fromm he writes the question that every reader should be trying to answer, “can human nature be changed in such a way that a man will forget his longing for freedom, for dignity, for integrity, for love—that is to say, can man forget that he is human?” (318). Orwell provides evidence for both sides and this one quote could be discussed in great detail. Although, when 1984 is spoken of it is only referenced within a context of “thought police,” “doublethink,” and “Orwellian” (Geoffrey).Yet, there is so much more substance within the book. There is human betrayal, love, loyalty.
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.
Eric Arthur Blair was an influential political writer of his time, and his work still applies today. Animal Farm and 1984 (Nineteen Eighty Four) are two of the most commonly known books written by Blair, also known as George Orwell. “Orwell remains one of the most read and most quoted authors of the twentieth century. His two best-known books, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, remain in print and have sold over 30 million copies” (Rossi). During his writing career Orwell wrote mostly about political writings, especially his exposure of Communism, Fascism and Imperialism.
The Life and Works of George Orwell Eric Authur Blair, better known by his pen name, George Orwell, was born on January 23, 1903 at Motihari in Bengal. Orwell was brought up in what he considered a less fortunate family when it came to money. Only a few days after his only son's birth, Orwell's father, Richard Blair, retired from his position as a minor official in the Indian Customs with a small pension. The lack of wealth in his family growing up caused Orwell to see the world in different class distinctions. Everyone and everything Orwell faced in the earlier stages of his life, he immediately judged based on its place in the different financial levels of society.
Eric Arthur Blair, who used the pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist who was born on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, India. George Orwell is famous for two particular novels called Animal Farm and 1984, which were both written based on his hatred for totalitarianism. The society in which he based both novels on is written to warn about the dangers he believes could be instilled in our society if totalitarianism takes over once again. The first experience he had that influenced his choice in writing was Jack London’s 1903 book, The People of the Abyss. This novel made Orwell curious enough to buy ragged clothes and go and live among the poor in London and later wrote a book called Down and Out in Paris and London. Orwell faced many atrocities
Television has affected every aspect of life in society, radically changing the way individuals live and interact with the world. However, change is not always for the better, especially the influence of television on political campaigns towards presidency. Since the 1960s, presidential elections in the United States were greatly impacted by television, yet the impact has not been positive. Television allowed the public to have more access to information and gained reassurance to which candidate they chose to vote for. However, the media failed to recognize the importance of elections. Candidates became image based rather than issue based using a “celebrity system” to concern the public with subjects regarding debates (Hart and Trice). Due to “hyperfamiliarity” television turned numerous people away from being interested in debates between candidates (Hart and Trice). Although television had the ability to reach a greater number of people than it did before the Nixon/Kennedy debate, it shortened the attention span of the public, which made the overall process of elections unfair, due to the emphasis on image rather than issue.
Eric Blair was a writer and critic, most know him by his pen name George Orwell. The reader can infer that Blair would choose such a name because Orwell was a river in East Anglia, Eric Blair was born in East India. Orwell’s writings are based off his experiences with poverty. George Orwell wrote a memoir called “Shooting an Elephant”, which was set when he was an Indian Imperial Police working in Burman. During the story he describes the troubles he faced and the reader learns his opinion on Imperialism.
My name is Eric Arthur Blair, but many of you may know me as the author George Orwell. Looking back on my lifetime I have had many accomplishments and I've made a big difference in many lives by using fictional and non fictional books to speak to the readers. In my lifetime I have been many things; a writer, a political critic, an enforcer, a prisoner, a teacher, a soldier, and most importantly a free-thinking individual. Of all my works, and the experiences that inspired them, my most powerful and influential pieces are the novels Down and out in Paris and London, Burmese Days, The Road to Wigan Pier, Animal Farm, and 1984. All five novels are significant to times of revolution, war, poverty and politics. Down and out in Paris and London was the first book I ever wrote and it is a fictional account of my experiences living in abject poverty. The Road to Wigan Pier, out of the five, was my only non fiction novel. It retells the events that took place in the coal mines of Northern England during the Depression. Burmese Days describes life in the Imperial Indian police force in Indian during the heyday of the British Empire. Animal Farm is a symbolic novel about the Russian Revolution and its purpose was to enlighten people on how what had started out as a revolution to attain equality for all morphed into a totalitarian rule which benefited very few. 1984 is a novel which prophesizes how life would be in the year 1984 and it was designed to open people's eyes as to how the government was manipulating their thoughts. It spurred people to make a difference before the government transformed them all into mindless drones that do exactly as they're told and believe exactly what they are told to believe. Now, I know what you're thinking; how could this autobiography be accurate if it doesn't reveal any failures that I have had? But I will tell you that I have had many failures. First of all most of my books were financially unsuccessful and I lived in poverty for many years. It was only when I created Animal Farm in 1945 that I earned a reasonable income for my efforts.
George Orwell’s dystopian political fiction novel 1984, initially published in 1950, still stands today as a timeless literary work, depicting, “not dramas of what life might be...but nightmares of what it is becoming” (Fromm 266). Though the novel is simple and easy to comprehend, it conveys a critical message, warning of the dangers of totalitarianism emerging from the well-intentioned construct of communism. Though the Second Red Scare most likely influenced Orwell’s composition of 1984, the themes and ideas are still relevant today. The novel also reveals multiple symbols and motifs which contribute to the relevance of the work. Consequently, one could argue the literary merit of 1984.
George Orwell’s intent in the novel 1984 is to warn society about the results of a controlling and manipulative government by employing mood, conflict, and imagery.
‘‘1984’’ was written in the period of intense depression, when the society tries to recover from the World War II. The unpleasant experiences Orwell had as schoolboy, policeman and soldier, urged him to introduce‘‘1984’’ as a warning to mankind against communism (Bossche,1984). The moment he decides to give chance his characters to represent Trotsky and Stalin , which immediately makes the author appear as a great communism criticaster. He declared : ‘‘Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it’’ (Orwell,1946)
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.
Eric Arthur Blair, or better known by his pen name, George Orwell, was an early 20th century European writer. He lived from 1903 to 1950, where at one point he became a police officer in Moulmein, Lower Burma. He was not accepted in this anti-European society where if a woman would walk through a bazaar alone, someone was bound to spit betel juice all over her dress. Orwell then explained in his encounter with an elephant. Because he was the police officer of the town, he was told that an elephant ran rampant through the town, killing an Indian man. The town wanted Mr. Orwell to kill the elephant because it killed a person of their town! Orwell was being peer pressured by the townspeople to shoot the elephant, and he took the shot. Was the life of the elephant worth the death of one Indian man? Orwell made that decision when he pulled the trigger of his rifle. Every last bit of the elephant was gone within hours. The townspeople needed the elephant more for themselves than to commemorate the life of the Indian man. Orwell was pressured to make a decision that he did not ...