A Hanging Orwell Analysis

A Hanging written by George Orwell was published in 1931 in the Adelphi, a British literary magazine. His essay describes the hanging of a Hindu criminal in Burma—where he served in the British Imperial police between 1922 and 1927. Orwell uses his essay to convey the idea that capital punishment is brutal and barbaric. Rarely has an author spoken out so powerfully about any conflict such as Orwell speaks out about capital punishment. Orwell’s abolitionist message in A Hanging is conveyed through the prisoner, the dog, the functionaries, and their actions, words, and body language. Through out Orwell’s essay he gives many different details and examples to help bring across his abolitionist message. However, the most effective way Orwell brings his message across is in the details that he gives of the prisoner. In A Hanging Orwell describes the Hindu prisoner as “A puny wisp of a man” Orwell uses this to show that the man is harmless and unthreatening. It lets us know that the man is not likely to be harmful to anyone. However the guards still chain him, surround him, and hold weapons on him. This is showing how harshly the prisoners were being treated. Another way Orwell proves that capital punishment is barbaric is when he deliberately omits …show more content…
This is shown in the essay when the reader figures out that the crime of the criminal is unknown. This shows that no matter his crime Orwell thinks that being sentenced to death is far worse than any crime a man could commit. Taking a living person’s life that thinks, breathes, and feels is inhuman and should not ever be done. For example Orwell realizes how wrong it is when the prisoner side steps the puddle. It hits Orwell that the man they are about to kill is a functioning person and that no one person should be able to determine his