Analysis Of Marakech By George Orwell

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More often than not, in modern times people take for granted the things they have and where they came from. When eating, a person rarely ever thinks about the farmer that produced the food, or the bus driver that drove him to work. This theme of “disappearance” is a main concept in George Orwell’s essay “Marrakech.” When psychoanalytically looked at or, in other words, looking at the personality, state of mind, feelings, and motivations of the author, the essay shows the degradation of humanity. It also shows Orwell’s reaction towards the postcolonial relationship between the whites and native Moroccans. George Orwell uses his essay, “Marrakech,” to open the reader’s eyes about what is taken for granted and the poor treatment of humanity through using several “snapshots” of Moroccan life and by analyzing his own feelings towards the situation.
Although there are several messages that are conveyed through this essay, one of the main ones that Orwell focuses on is the idea that the Moroccans are being severely mistreated, to the point that they are worse off than animals. In order to get the reader to understand this concept, Orwell describes several scenes of city life in Morocco. One of these scenes describes a situation in which black women are carrying firewood, and as he says, “though they had registered themselves on my eyeballs I cannot truly say that I had seen them”( Orwell). By this he means that this poor treatment of women has become so common in Morocco that he does not feel any sympathy anymore. Not only does it not register in his mind, but it also does not register in his heart either because it has become such a commonplace situation in Morocco that it seems like the new “status quo.” This is becau...

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...becomes a persuasive essay in an attempt to make the reader understand the problem and want to fix it.
Several messages are conveyed through Orwell’s “Marrakech” such as the low status of the natives and their colonization of the mind; however, the way he delivers these messages are ultimately through describing scenes of life and by analyzing his thoughts and feelings about these scenes. Ultimately, his whole essay becomes persuasive, because by showing that even he, a visitor of Morocco, can succumb to being blind to the native’s ill-treatment, the readers are vulnerable too. As a result, he wants the reader to open their eyes and fix the problem all around the world, not just in Morocco. Although “Marrakech” is an essay showing snapshots of life in Morocco, Orwell uses it to make the readers comprehend and desire to fix the problem of the degradation of humanity.

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