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Prose style of george orwell
Prose style of george orwell
Short note on george orwell's writing style
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In Why I Write, by George Orwell, actual elements of Orwell’s personal life are explained with respect to the development of his writing career. Unlike Shooting an Elephant, which could easily be a representation of Orwell’s real Burmese experiences in 1936, Why I Write is explicitly about his writing career, and it is justified to claim that Orwell is the speaker. In the early stages of his writing, Orwell emphasizes that he wrote for everyone but himself; the styles and techniques that he chose for his short stories and poems were tailored to an audience who loved flowery, thrilling writing. Orwell uses the Latin term vers d’occasion, meaning “written for a special occasion.” Writing was not for personal fulfillment, or even pleasure. In …show more content…
Focusing on the fleeting concept of writer’s motivation, Orwell challenges readers to find the same drive while reading this work, so they can apply it when they read other pieces. Orwell wants his audience to practice the motivation to read, in order for his audience to do justice to authors by digging deep enough in written works to find the message that was so politically, demonically driven. The purpose of this piece was to inform an audience of readers about the struggles of a writer. Since writers and writing are the subjects of the paper, Orwell would not likely be addressing this community because it is probably a struggle they already know. Orwell goes to great depth trying to explain his own writing journey and the general realizations he has gleaned from them, and in doing so, he speaks to an audience of readers who enjoy reading material that has this same depth. Orwell know’s that an author’s purpose is important to his audience because of the detail he goes into, comparing the writing process and the struggle for finding motivation to differing ideas and …show more content…
Orwell’s differing techniques in one work illuminates what he is talking about in the other. The political purpose that is explained in Why I Write reveals aspects of Shooting an Elephant that were previously overlooked. Quite explicitly, the speaker in Shooting an Elephant vocalizes the dissent he feels for the British empire. The political purpose in this work may have been to voice the opinion that no people should be subject to oppression. Even though the Burmese people jeered at the speaker for his European heritage, the speaker still saw beyond the prejudice to consider the underlying reason behind this foul treatment; he even went to the extent to agree with them and join in on the fight against the empire. This level of maturity that Orwell instills in his main character voices his opinion for freedom even louder than a character or storyline that outright fought against the literal British empire, or any other oppressive regime. By incorporating this political purpose so deeply within his story, Orwell preserves a writer’s integrity of creating meaningful work that voices an opinion but is still tactfully crafted. In Why I Write, George Orwell touches on these different types of writing, writing that is crafted and writing that is produced. “You’ve turned what might have been a good book into
Every person wants to become successful, or grow older, and admittedly, with those wants, your writings grow. In this composition, Orwell states that there are four great motives for writing, which are: sheer egoism, the desire to remembered; aesthetic enthusiasm, to gain pleasure; historical impulse, to find the hidden truth; and finally, political purpose, to persuade people's thoughts. These motives are proof of Orwell's wants in life, he indulges in swaying people's minds and getting them to think in a predetermined
The works both titled “Why I Write” by Joan Didion and George Orwell each aim to inform an audience of an obvious topic, their reasons for writing. These essays are written 30 years apart so there is a difference in time period besides the contrast in each writers’ personalities that could affect their motives to write. Orwell wrote his essay first while Didion’s essay served as a response to Orwell’s ideas. Although these essays share a title, they are different in multiple ways. In addition, they do have many similarities as well.
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” George Orwell: Critical Essays. London: Harvill Secker: 2009. 270-286. Print.
Many people can relate to receiving an essay paper back in which they believe that the grading is unfair. Grammatical errors, style, and subject are areas that receive the most attention. However, it may not be the writers’ work that is ineffective, maybe it 's the English language itself that is lacking in quality. Similarly, George Orwell in " Politics and the English Language" convinces the audience that the causes of the decline in the English language are the vagueness and meaningless of prose that is receiving impact from political jargon. Orwell effectively persuades the readers by addressing opposing views, providing examples that offer support to sub-claims, and creating reader connections while simultaneously
Every day, each individual will look back on decisions he or she have made and mature from those experiences. Though it takes time to realize these choices, the morals and knowledge obtained from them are priceless. In George Orwell’s nonfictional essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, a young Orwell was stationed in Burma for the British imperial forces, tasked to deal with an elephant who destroyed various parts of the village Moulmein while its owner was away. Backed by second thoughts and a crowd of thousands, he finds himself shooting the elephant and reflecting that it was not justified; however, it was a choice pushed by his duty and the people. Written with a fusion of his young and old self’s outlook on shooting the elephant, Orwell’s essay is a sensational read that captivates his audience and leaves them questioning his decision.
Howe, Tom. "George Orwell." British Writers Volume VII. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribner, 1984. 273-287.
Chen, Anna. George Orwell a Literary Trotskyist? 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 .
“Shooting an Elephant” focuses on society by pressure. In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell is pressured by the native people to shoot and kill the elephant, even though the elephant is no longer harmless. In the beginning of the essay, the natives repeatedly attack Orwell every day. When the elephant goes insane, the natives go to Orwell for help. The natives were constantly pressuring Orwell as he said, “For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the “natives,” and so in every crisis he has got to do what the “natives” expect of him” (Orwell par. 7). Orwell is pressured by society to do the opposite of what he feels is morally
In George Orwell’s essay, “Why I Write”, he states that he writes because he has a
Orwell speaks of how he is so against imperialism, but gives in to the natives by shooting the elephant to prove he is strong and to avoid humiliation. He implies that he does not want to be thought of as British, but he does not want to be thought the fool either. Orwell makes his decision to shoot the elephant appear to be reasonable but underneath it all he questions his actions just as he questions those of the British. He despised both the British Empire as well as the Burmese natives, making everything more complicated and complex. In his essy he shows us that the elephant represents imperialism; therefore, the slow destruction of the elephant must represent the slow demise of British Imperialism.
Orwell’s writing showed he practiced what he preached. His use of metaphors created a picture in the reader’s mind. His essay stated clearly and concisely what is wrong with English writers and what is needed to be done to repair it.
I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." So ends George Orwell's poignant reminiscence of an incident representing the imperialist British in Burma. Unlike Soyinka, who wrote about colonialism from the African's point of view, Orwell, like Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness, presents the moral dilemmas of the imperialist. Orwell served with the Imperialist Police in Burma while it was still part of the British Commonwealth and Empire. His service from 1922 to 1927 burdened himwith a sense of guilt about British colonialism as well a need to make some personal expiation for it (Norton 2259). "Shooting an Elephant" chronicles an incident in which Orwell confronts a moral dilemma and abandons his morals to escape the mockery of the native Burmans. He repeatedly shoots and kills an elephant which had ravaged a bazaar and scared many Burmans even though "As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him" (6).
From the beginning of the narrative “Shooting An Elephant,” George Orwell creates a character with a diminished sense of self. The character narrates, “I was hated by large numbers of people -- the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me” (Orwell, 58). All he wants is attention and it is evident that even negative attention is better than being ignored. He hates working for the British as a sub-divisional police officer in the town of Moulmein. He even makes it known to the audience that, “Theoretically -- and secretly, of course -- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (58). The character knows he does not want to be in this position, as a Anglo-Indian
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.
“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write because there is some lie I want to expose and some fact I want to draw attention to.” 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. Literature is an essential part of society in the present day and enables the communication between multiple parties in a written form.