George Orwell was born as Eric Arthur Blair on June 25th, 1903 in Motihari, British India. He described his family background as strictly “lower-upper-middle class”. This label did not have much of a significance until his enrollment in St Cyprian’s School at the age of eight. As a scholarship student, he was constantly reminded of his class difference from other rich students by teachers. He resented how students were treated based on their place in the social hierarchy. These childhood experiences were the first in shaping Orwell’s strong hatred towards class systems. At the age of 19, George Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. There, he first handedly witnessed the brutality inflicted on the Burmese people. He detested British Imperialism and Colonialism, and felt that his job went against every one of his beliefs. After living in London and Paris for a few years, George Orwell went to Spain as a journalist. After his arrival, he decided to join the militia because it seemed to be the right thing to do given the time and circumstances. The Spanish Civil War was a fight between Fascism and Socialism that erupted due to huge social differences between people in Spain. The two opposing sides were the Republicans (who represented the poor), and the Nationalists (who represented the wealthy classes of Spanish society). His experiences in the militia were very conflicting. Orwell valued this experience because it introduced him to a classless society, where everyone in the militia was equal. On the other hand, Orwell gained a lasting sense of the horror of armed conflicts in which neither army can- or is willing to- defeat the other. He noted in one of his books how there was very little fighting on the front line, and that the enemy was the last of an average soldier’s fear. George Orwell was severely wounded in the throat after several days at the front, and was sent to a hospital nearby. There, he observed the poor conditions and lack of proper treatment that soldiers were receiving. Orwell realised that the government was indifferent of the fate of the heroes. Another shocking piece of information hit George Orwell while he was in the hospital. Word was out that the government had betrayed the POUM ( a Spanish communist political party that Orwell fought for), and was capturing all of the party’s militiamen. Although Orwell was able to escape from Spain, many others were not so lucky. People were thrown in prison, and tortured inhumanely. From this, George Orwell began to have faith in democratic socialism, where no one has the power to control others. Between 1941-1943, George Orwell worked for BBC’s Eastern Services as a radio propagandist in India, during the Second World War. The British were afraid that the Indian subjects would no longer be loyal to the Empire, thus propaganda encouraging Indian loyalty. As an anti-imperialist, Orwell found himself in yet another conflicted situation. This job shaped George Orwell’s belief in freedom of speech, and freedom of press. George Orwell passed away on January 21st, 1950 in London. Orwell’s journey did not end here. The novels that he had written throughout the course of his life still impact us today.
George Orwell’s life experiences briefly presented in the first part of this video were almost entirely captured in his writing. Shooting an Elephant is an essay written by Orwell during his time in Burma as a police officer. It documents an event in which George Orwell is directed to tame an elephant’s rampage. With his gun in hand, and a crowd of people following, Orwell finds himself in a dilemma. He realises he is in a position of power, but feels uneasy from the pressure of having the whole population of the quarter watching him. Although it seems like Orwell has the power, he is really being controlled by it. This symbolically hints at the fact that by limiting the freedom of others, the British are forcing themselves to act a certain way to maintain authority. The elephant must be slain so that Orwell’s pride can live. (SLOW DOWN) He thinks “A sahib ( which is a polite title for a man) has to act like a sahib; he has got to appear resolute, to know his own mind and do definite things, implying that the Burmese people will see him as weak if he changes his mind about slaying the beast. (SLOW)From this, we can say that the British have created a proud image, but are also trapped by having to live within that image. Shooting an Elephant gives readers a peek at Orwell’s ideas against British Imperialism and Colonialism.
Another well-known novel George Orwell wrote is Animal Farm. It is a satirical tale against Stalinism and the Russian Revolution, and his first book in which he tried to fuse political purpose with artistic purpose. The story takes place on a farm ruled by animals. Old Major, a prize winning boar, gathers the animals together and speaks about his dreams of living on a farm with no human beings to oppress and control them. When Old Major dies a few days later, two other pigs Napoleon and Snowball assume command. As the plot progresses, the animals on the farm begin to resemble more and more alike with humans. The tension between Snowball and Napoleon also begin to build up. Napoleon is jealous of Snowball, and trains the dogs to become loyal to him. Napoleon eventually assumes power. The rule that Napoleon established in the beginning, “All animals are equal”, evolves into “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, changing the farm’s government structure so that the pigs will have ultimate power in deciding for the rest of the animals. Orwell’s attitude towards Stalinism was shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. There, he realised how soldiers were the government’s minions to be thrown away after their purpose has been served. Orwell once said that “It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way the rich exploit the proletariat.”
1984 sets in a world divided into three superstates where all three powers are constantly at war with one another. None can defeat the others, and none are willing to try. Power is maintained through constant conflict and the threat that if citizens overthrow their governments, they will be crushed by the other world powers. George Orwell’s distrust for useless political wars can be seen as a direct consequence of his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War. The class hierarchy of Oceania, the superstate 1984 is set in, consists of the Inner Party (upper class), Outer Party (middle class), and Proletariat (lower class). This system is directly derived from his hatred of hierarchical class systems he experienced as a child at school and as a young adult in the Burmese police force. The main character, Winston Smith, also resembles George Orwell in many ways. Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the everchanging version of history the state insists on. Smith secretly opposes the Party’s rule, and realised that he is in danger of being caught by the Thought Police for being a “thought criminal”. The thought police work hand in hand along with the government’s constant surveillance of the people, through telescreens. Propaganda of the state through telescreens constantly brainwash the citizens. What is worse, is that the people are unable to escape this propaganda, as the screens cannot be turned off. This is ironically displayed in modern society, where we are unknowingly being watched over all the time as we use our electronic devices, and watch television. Orwell’s revulsion to propaganda and governmental efforts to control thought were almost certainly heightened by his experience as a radio propagandist for the BBC during the Second World War. The error of hierarchical class systems; The horror of politically induced warfare; and the need for a free and unbiased media are three major themes in 1984 that tie to George Orwell’s personal experiences.