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Down and Out in Paris and London : Orwell, Undrinkable Tea, and the Class System

Down and Out in Paris and London : Orwell, Undrinkable Tea, and the Class System. Eric Schumacher, HIS 3970. Hey there, history buffs! My name is Eric Arthur Blair, but you may know me better as George Orwell, the political author that championed

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Down and Out in Paris and London : Orwell, Undrinkable Tea, and the Class System

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  1. Down and Out in Paris and London: Orwell, Undrinkable Tea, and the Class System Eric Schumacher, HIS 3970

  2. Hey there, history buffs! My name is Eric Arthur Blair, but you may know me better as George Orwell, the political author that championed the lower class and abhorred totalitarian forms of government. Orwell is just my pen name. You know, I wrote plenty of books and essays before I died of tuberculosis in 1950. 1984 and Animal Farm were my most widely read and acclaimed. But, Down and Out in Paris and London was my first book length release. It was released in 1933. It’s about the years I spent living in extreme poverty in Paris and London and I’m awful proud of it, because I believe it gives the reader some insight into what life what like for the downtrodden in urban Britain during the Great Depression. It’s that outdated British class system and people’s pre-conceived notions about members of different classes that was a’causin’ the trouble! Aw, shucks. There I go a’ramblin’ again. I hope you enjoy this brief PowerPoint about my book as much I did! *NOTE: I doubt George Orwell actually spoke like an old prospector.

  3. Paris Map of Paris, France during WW I, http://swirlygirl.typepad.com/photos

  4. The Rue Du Coq d’Or • The Paris slum where Orwell lived as he worked as a plongeur and • other jobs while he lived in Paris, where DOPL begins. • Ethnically diverse neighborhood with a wide variety of people. • Where Orwell begins to go days at a time without eating. • Began as an “object lesson in poverty, and then the background of my • Own experiences – George Orwell (DOPL, chapter 1, page 5). • Orwell changed from a simple observer to becoming part of the • impoverished lifestyle, which would begin his journey back to • England and through the streets of London. Present day Rue Du Coq d’Or http://www.terresdecrivains.com/IMG/jpg/orwell.jpg

  5. Hotel X • Orwell worked as a plongeur and noticed serious distinctions betweenthe • class of people who eat at the restaurant and those who worked there. • The waiters could fake their class. Properly dressed and mannered, they • could put on an illusion of elegance for the customer. • Where Orwell notes the connections between race, ethnicity, and class. • In France a Frenchman is higher than an Englishmen, but an • Englishmen seems higher than a Russian or an American • Where Orwell learned about the inescapability of the class system • Orwell was unable to look for another job while working as a • plongeur because his job absorbed all of his time and energy, • even though he was barely making enough money to get by. • It is hard to improve one’s situation with no morale and • without a decent meal. http://www.dustylens.com/Vulture-Dishes.jpg

  6. London Booth’s Poverty Map of London (1898-1899), http://mubs.mdx.ac.uk Pink - Fairly comfortable, Good ordinary earnings Red - Middle class, Well-to-do Yellow - Upper-middle and Upper class, Wealthy Black - Lowest class Vicious, semi-criminal Dark Blue - Very poor, casual, Chronic want Light Blue - Poor ,18s to 21s a week for a moderate family

  7. The Spike • “Spike is slang for “casual ward.” It usually has poor beds, food, and tea, but • it is a place to stay. Provided poor sleep because of the noise and crowds. • Group home where people with no money may stay the night but are locked in • until morning. They were designed to keep the poor off the streets at night. • Here Orwell learns the class distinctions even among the tramps, based on • what kind of tramp each person was. • Skreevers are higher than moochers, etc. • Orwell begins to think these institutions are part of the reason for the tramps’ • vagrancy. They force all the tramps to migrate and spend more time walking to • the next spike than looking for work. Orwell’s disdain for authority comes • through. Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward by Luke Fildes (1874) Not in Orwell’s time, but the right-hand portion made It on our edition of Hard Times, so I had to include it. http://www.jim3dlong.com

  8. The Tramps • Came from all over the United Kingdom and had varied occupations before • tramping. Orwell noted that few women were tramps. • Orwell also notes the tramps’ demoralized, humiliated, and unhealthy state • are really all that separates them from normal society. • A simple change of clothes made Orwell feel more • at home with them. He was afraid of being • discovered as higher class because of his accent. • He wasn’t. • Tramps were often regarded as criminals. • Church groups frequented some of the lodging • houses for the poor. Other organizations traded • free tea and bread in exchange for • listening to a church service. • Orwell’s disdain for religion • comes through. http://www.old-picture.com

  9. The Talk A gagger--beggar or street performer of any kind.. A moocher--one who begs outright, without pretence of doing a trade. A nobbier--one who collects pennies for a beggar. A chanter--a street singer. A clodhopper --a street dancer. A mugfaker--a street photographer. A glimmer--one who watches vacant motor-cars. A gee (or jee--it is pronounced jee)-- the accomplice of a cheapjack, who stimulates trade by pretending to buy something. A split--a detective. A flattie--a policeman. A dideki--a gypsy. A toby--a tramp. A drop--money given to a beggar Fuhkum--lavender or other perfume sold in envelopes. A boozer--a public-house. A slang--a hawker's licence. A kip--a place to sleep in, or a night's lodging. Smoke-- London. A judy--a woman. The spike--the casual ward. from DOPL – Chap 32, page 186, Penguin Books, 2003.

  10. Thanks for stoppin’ by! If you want to read more of my work, pay a neighborly visit to www.george-orwell.org. You can find my complete works there and read them all free of charge, now that’s a socialist idea! Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear?

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