A HANGING – GEORGE ORWELL

1. A HANGING – GEORGE ORWELL

2. GEORGE ORWELL - BIOGRAPHY • Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author. • Themes in his work include social injustice and an intense opposition to dictatorship. • He wrote works in many different genres including novels, essays, journalism, and poetry. His most famous works are the satirical novel Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). • A Hanging is an essay which reflects his experience of witnessing capital punishment, as well as his moral and ethical opinion about it.

3. A HANGING - CONTEXT • In the 1920’s the south-east Asian country, Burma, (now known asMyanmar) was part of British Empire. • As a young man, George Orwell enlisted with the Indian Imperial Police and quickly attained the rank of Assistant District Superintendent.

4. A HANGING - CONTEXT • During his time as a British police officer in an Asian country, Orwell experienced, first hand, the social inequalities present in a country ruled by a foreign power. • These experiences went on to inform much of his written work including his essay, A Hanging. George Orwell

5. SUMMARY - NOTE • A Hanging is a reflection on one of the many legal executions witnessed by Orwell as a chief of justice. • Orwell’s detailed observations of the prisoner and the events leading up to his eventual death illuminate the ordinary reality of death and highlight his stronganti-capital punishment sentiments.

7. WRITER’S PURPOSE - NOTE • When producing a written piece of work all writers will have a particular purpose in mind which they wish to communicate to the reader. • In A Hanging, Orwell makes a social comment about capital punishment. • Through his clever use of language techniques such as imagery, symbolism, tone and word choice Orwell evokes the reader’s sympathy for the prisoner’s plight.

8. CAN THE PUNISHMENT EVERFIT THE CRIME? • Capital punishment – The Death Penalty. • What is your opinion on capital punishment? • Give reasons why you feel this way. • For what crime might the prisoner be being executed?

9. CAN THE PUNISHMENT EVERFIT THE CRIME? • Orwell omits to mention the prisoner’s crime as he does not want the reader to make any judgement about the whether or not the death penalty was justified. • By focussing solely on the process of killing another human being Orwell exposes the brutal reality of capital punishment – writer’s purpose.

10. Aim – to understand how Orwell creates sympathy for the prisoner. What do you know so far? Name 2 others texts that George Orwell wrote. What issues was he mostly interested in? Where is ‘A Hanging’ set? What type of writing is it? What was Orwell’s purpose in writing this piece? What is the prisoners crime?

11. Annotating • This is a longer text than a poem so you need to keep your annotations organised. • Create a colour key for the following aspects: • Setting • physical description • Contrast

12. SYMPATHY FOR THE PRISONER - SETTING • The setting described in the opening lines of the essay immediately highlights the poor conditions in which the prisoners are kept. • “A sickly light…” – connotations ofprisoner health (also sickly) • “small animal cages” – inhumaneconditions, like the prisoner is more of an animal than human • “ten feet by ten feet and was quite bare” –cramped and basic, the prisoner has no luxury which could make us lose sympathy for him.

13. SYMPATHY FOR THE PRISONER – PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION • “squatting” – continues animal image • “a puny wisp of a man” – suggestsmalnourishment/ neglect/ weakness/ someone who could not do any harm. • “sprouting moustache, absurdly too big for his body.” Comic image further emphasises the prisoner’sfrailty / defencelessness.

14. QUESTION • How does the description of the prisoner compare with the descriptions of the guards in paragraphs 2 and 4? In what way does this comparison contribute to the writer’s purpose?

15. CONTRAST – GUARDS AND PRISONER • The prison guards are described as; “tall Indian warders” and one, in particular, as a “fat Dravidian” • These descriptions of healthy, well-fed guards contrast with the ill treatment of the prisoners . In doing so Orwell stimulates the reader’s sympathy – writer’s Purpose

16. On the post it note - Write your name then sum up Orwell’s purpose in writing this essay and at least 2 ways that he achieves it.

17. SYMBOLISM – THE DOG • Why do you think Orwell decided to include a detailed description of the dog’s appearance in the prison yard?

18. SYMBOLISM - NOTE • By noting that the dog goes directly to the prisoner instead of the officials Orwell uses symbolism to suggest that all people are equal regardless of their circumstances. • The reaction of the prison officials to the appearance of the dog demonstrates their underlying discomfort at having to take a life – “Everyone stood aghast…” • This symbolises Orwell’s further belief that not only is capital punishment wrong, it is also against human nature to kill another person.

19. SYMBOLISM – THE PUDDLE • What does Orwell suggest in his description of the prisoner avoiding a puddle while being led to the gallows?

20. SYMBOLISM – THE PUDDLE • Although the prisoner is being led to his death he instinctively avoids a puddle in order to minimise his discomfort; a seemingly futile action. • Symbolises human survival instinct and reiterates Orwell’s belief that taking life is against human nature.

21. Epiphany • In paragraph 10 there is a change in tone where, for the first time, Orwell openlystates his opinion on the events he witnessed. • “It is curious…” – Reflective tone where Orwell goes on to describe his own feelings on the subject. • “The unspeakable wrongness…” – Frankness of tone leaves the reader in no doubt about his opinion on capital punishment. • Clearly against capital punishment even though he never says this.

22. SENTENCE STRUCTURE – Para 10 • The parenthesis contains a list of bodilyfunctions - “bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissuesforming” – develops sympathy as it reminds the reader that the prisoner is a healthy human being who is not ready to die.

23. SENTENCE STRUCTURE- Last para • The final two sentences of the essay are designed for maximum impact. “We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. The dead man was a hundred yards away.” • The jovial scene of the penultimate sentence is contrasted with the nearby dead man. • The final sentence is a short statement which neatly summarises Orwell’s message.

24. Textual Analysis Questions Show how the writer’s use of language creates sympathy for the prisoner in the opening 2 paragraphs (4) Discuss how effectively the setting establishes the tone of the piece (2) Orwell uses ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ until paragraph 10. How effective do you think this is in relation to the purpose of the piece? (2) Show how Orwell’s use of language changes the tone of the piece in paragraph 10 (4) Show how the writer’s use of sentence structure makes his opinion clear in paragraph 10 (4) Discuss how effective the final lines are in relation to Orwell’s purpose (3)

25. IRONY • One of the predominant tones throughout the essay is irony. • For example, the prisoner dodging the puddle is ironic because he is going to die. Why does it matter if he gets wet? • Find and quote 3-4 further examples of irony in the essay. In each case explain how these examples relate to purpose of the essay. • (look at paras 12, 14, 17, 18, 23 and 24)

26. IRONY - NOTE • “The hangman, a grey haired convict…” – The authorities task the prisoners with killing other prisoners - Passing burden of responsibility – taking life unnatural. • “the same thought was in all our minds: oh, killhim quickly…” • Orwell appears to want the killing to happen even though he is against it. Indicates the discomfort of everyone in the vicinity.

27. IRONY (CONT.) • “He’s all right, said the superintendent” The prisoner is dead. Callous and uncaring statement – reader feels sympathy for the prisoner. • “it seemed like quite a homely, jolly scene” An absurd sentiment indicating the relief of the officials now that the execution had been completed. What does this tell you about their feelings towards capital punishment?

28. IRONY (CONT.) • “My dear fellow…think of all the pain and trouble you are causing us” Another callous statement directed at a doomed prisoner. The resulting laughter from this anecdote indicates a lack of compassion. The light-hearted atmosphere, after the killing, is a false emotion and acts as a coping mechanism for the men – emphasises inhumane practice.

29. QUESTION • In paragraphs 1 and 2 there are a number of examples of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification etc.) Task - • Quote 2-3 examples • Explain the comparison being made and how this contributes to the writer’s purpose. Use the ‘just as…so to…’ formula to assist in your analysis.

30. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (CONT…) • “…like small animal cages…” Describes prisoners’ living conditions. Evokes reader sympathy. Just as an animal cage is unsophisticated in design with no personal comfort, so to the prisoners are forced to live inhumanely, more like animals than humans. • “it was like men handling a fish which is still alive…” Continues comparison between prisoners and animals. Highlights the helplessness of the prisoner – sympathy. Just as a fish is slippery and struggles when caught, so to the prisoners react with fright and lack control over their situation.

31. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (CONT…) • “the Indians had gone grey like bad coffee…” Indicates the discomfort felt by the guards – emphasises dehumanising effect of the execution on the men – Orwell suggests that everybody involved in the execution is a victim. Just as coffee loses it’s strength over time, so to the Indians involved in the killing had been weakened emotionally by what they had taken part in.

32. QUESTION What is the purpose of the parenthesis in paragraph 10? How does this contribute to the writer’s purpose? (remember – what the parenthesis introduces and what effect this has on the reader in relation to writer’s purpose)