Having lived in totalitarian societies such as Spain and Russia, George Orwell was able to experience the abominable lengths that the governments around him were willing to go to secure and extend their mass amounts of power. He showcases and explores the major flaws of a totalitarian government through his writing, making it clear to the reader that it is not his government of choice.
In an essay by John Rodden, I learned a lot about Orwell’s life and how he came to be a writer. Born in India in June of 1903 Orwell, born as Eric Arthur Blair, lived until 1950. He attended St Cyprian’s in England and eventually moved on to Eton College, one of the most elite boarding schools in England. While in college he did not work on his writing as he …show more content…
According to a 1997 survey published by Waterstone’s, his two most famous works --the political satire Animal Farm and the dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four -- are ranked second and third, respectively, as the greatest English- Language books of the last century. Within these great works he has coined a many phrases and words such as my favorite, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Although creative writing became what he was most famous for, the idea of it was not always easy for Orwell. Known as one of the greatest essayists of the twentieth century, his early writing was purely based off of his personal experiences. Burmese Days, one of his early novels, was based off of his time in Burma. Along with this came many compelling essays such as “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant.” He strongly admired writers such as James Joyce and D. H. Lawrence for their ability to expand beyond their personal experience and bring many other aspects into their writing. He eventually resigned from his job as a policeman and pursued his goal of becoming a famous author. He focused all his attention to denouncing totalitarian governments and their corruption starting in his book Homage to Catalonia. In this he talks about his time in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and about the distorted reporting of the actual events
In an essay by John Rodden, I learned a lot about Orwell’s life and how he came to be a writer. Born in India in June of 1903 Orwell, born as Eric Arthur Blair, lived until 1950. He attended St Cyprian’s in England and eventually moved on to Eton College, one of the most elite boarding schools in England. While in college he did not work on his writing as he …show more content…
According to a 1997 survey published by Waterstone’s, his two most famous works --the political satire Animal Farm and the dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four -- are ranked second and third, respectively, as the greatest English- Language books of the last century. Within these great works he has coined a many phrases and words such as my favorite, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Although creative writing became what he was most famous for, the idea of it was not always easy for Orwell. Known as one of the greatest essayists of the twentieth century, his early writing was purely based off of his personal experiences. Burmese Days, one of his early novels, was based off of his time in Burma. Along with this came many compelling essays such as “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant.” He strongly admired writers such as James Joyce and D. H. Lawrence for their ability to expand beyond their personal experience and bring many other aspects into their writing. He eventually resigned from his job as a policeman and pursued his goal of becoming a famous author. He focused all his attention to denouncing totalitarian governments and their corruption starting in his book Homage to Catalonia. In this he talks about his time in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and about the distorted reporting of the actual events