George Orwell's: A Hanging

A world famous Essayist, a Novelist, and Critic, George Orwell is a name most people have heard at one point in their lives. His work continues to be used for educational purposes and held to a very high standard by many. Best remembered for his twin satires on totalitarianism, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell was a major participant in the British socialist movement. Although championing a radical politics of collective ownership, he extolled tradition and love of country while drawing a sharp distinction between patriotism and nationalism ("ORWELL, GEORGE." ).

He was born into a poor but proud middle class family in Moti-hari, Bengal, India as Eric Arthur Blair. His surname, George Orwell, stuck with him after writing his first book Down and Out in Paris and London. This title was regarding his experiences of how his upbringing left him with feelings of great guilt, and how he then chose to live in squalor for a period of his life. With unemployment rates extremely high in the 1930’s he chose to join the labors and beggars and lived in low income lodging in London and Paris. He wondered the streets with professional vagrants and lived and learned their way of life. For Orwell this brought him closer to his roots and was an experience he has to live (“George Orwell.”).

Orwell was raised in England by his mother Ida, but he was often separated from his father Richard Orwell; who spent his time working in India. His reputation among the people led him to be known as young and eccentric but withdrawn by most people who knew him. Orwell made an interesting reputation for himself, as a brilliant but poverty stricken writer. His determination led him to many good things; Orwell was awarded two scholarships to what were ...

... middle of paper ...

...ell. Printer Publishers, 1991. 85-92. Rpt. In short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson and Marie Lazzari. Vol. 4 Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Feb. 2012

Orwell, George, and George Packer. Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays. Orlando:

Harcourt, 2008. 23-28. Print.

"ORWELL, GEORGE." Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts.

Oxford: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 08 April 2012.

"Orwell, George (pseudonym of George Orwell) (1903 - 1950)." The Bloomsbury Dictionary

of English Literature. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd, 1997. Credo Reference. Web. 12 March 2012.

Rodden, John. “View To A Kill.” AmGeorgean Conservative 10.9 (2011): 33. MasterFILE

Premier. Web. 08 Mar. 2012

Sheldon, Michael. Orwell: The Authorized Biography. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. 53-340.

Print.