The Hanging George Orwell Analysis

The hanging was a short story written by George Orwell in 1931. The setting is Burma in 1931 during a sodden morning. The story is told by a narrator who is not active in the hanging and has little experience in hangings. Orwell uses dialect to give characteristics of the people in the story. The story revolves around a condemned man. His name is not told, his background is not told and the reasoning for him being a prisoner and being sent to the gallows remains a mystery. The man ends up being hung. The narrator shares concern with the idea of killing someone that is in the prime of their life and not ready to die which provides support for the theme of the story; the death penalty.

In George Orwell’s short story “A Hanging”, there are many uses of rhetorical devices and uses of imagery in order to get an emotional response from the readers. These rhetorical devices all contribute to the overall theme of the short story. Orwell begins the short story with strong imagery to portray a dark, inhumane setting of the Burmese jail. Orwell writes about the jail yard, in which holds the prisoners, as “a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages” to provide the reader with imagery and a feeling of empathy towards the prisoner. This imagery and use of the words “like small animal cages” are likely used to show a slight glimpse of how the prisoners are treated in captivity. The short story describes a Burmese prisoner who is about to be hung for a crime that is unknown to the reader. The reason that the reader may not be given knowledge of the crime the prisoner committed is likely because Orwell wanted the readers to give sympathy on the prisoner and view him like they would any other man. Orwell also use...

... middle of paper ...

...ily on the negative, creating a mood that is very depressing, and creating character profiles modeling certain characters to seem either or heartless, or innocent. He also uses a word choice intended so the reader will feel a certain way toward one thing or another. The use of narrative writing instead of persuasive writing makes it harder for the reader to detect the theme of the story and Orwell’s point of view. The use of descriptions and lack of facts and detail in the story make the reader think what Orwell intends without Orwell actually writing his view or referring to anything directly. Orwell’s lack of facts and his use of description pollute any real judgment reading this narrative. He presents his argument very carefully and words it even more carefully. The whole story is written very well, and has great power to influence against capital punishment.