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Essay / Orwell's Political Views and Perspective on Imperialism
George Orwell continues to be one of the most frequently cited and beloved British authors of the 20th century. Even years after his death, he is still celebrated by people around the world. The political consciousness that permeates his writings makes him a reference for most readers. In particular, most readers consider him one of the main literary protagonists of the Cold War. This is confirmed by the Socialist Party of Great Britain in stating that “Orwell was an excellent, if somewhat confused, journalist who became famous for the simple writing style evident in his essays; his successful attempt to make political writing an art; his famous satires on totalitarianism; his search for objectivity and honesty in journalism is described more graphically in Homage to Catalonia (1938)” (1). Orwell's writings became a source of great controversy during his lifetime. 1984, his latest novel, is the definition of a “canonical text” centered on conservative anti-communism. His miscellaneous work, The Collected Essays, allowed readers to understand the context of Orwell's books. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay As World War II drew to a close, Orwell was finishing his novel, 1984. The book became famous, such point that its key phrases and titles are still used to show the dangers of excessive government control. The ideas developed in his book expressed the dangers he witnessed through the fascism of Italy, Spain and Germany, as well as the communism of the Soviet Union (Socialist Party of Great Britain 1) . “1984” are ideas developed by Orwell to express the dangers he saw at mid-century in fascism in Germany, Italy, and Spain and in communism in the Soviet Union (Christie 1). It is argued that future generations will continue to use Orwellian terms to fight against authoritarian governments. Furthermore, future generations might also use these terms to denounce democracies that use Big Brother techniques under the guise of self-preservation. Orwell criticized individuals who accepted, or even repeated, the party line, regardless of party values and leadership style. No one would have ever imagined that Orwell's essay, which praised the common toad, would become famous sixty years after it was written. At first, the article was written to fill a newspaper column. The article had all the characteristics associated with Orwell's writing style. In particular, “he focused on unglamorous subject matter, unnoticed details, evil reflections, and belief in humanity” (Paxman 1). The article is not about the toad, but about spring, which is the most promising time of the year. This essay is one of many articles Orwell wrote that criticized governments and their leaders. After reading this article, the question one asks is why would he write an article focusing on controversial political issues? George Orwell was initially known as Eric Blair and was the son of a government official who oversaw the opium trade. He was born in India, but transferred to Burma as an Imperial Police officer (Biography 1). “The son of a British civil servant, George Orwell spent his early days in India, where his father was stationed. His mother brought him and his older sister, Marjorie, to England about a year after his birth and settled in Henley-on-Thames. His father remained inIndia and rarely visited him (Biography 1). At first he showed no signs of liberal ideas, but over time he began to change his views. It was as if something had interfered with his conscience, causing him to adopt a liberal outlook. Blair grew to hate the dirty work of breaking strikes and maintaining order among the local population. After going through these situations, it is likely that Blair began to develop a hatred towards what the government was doing. It became clear to him that he could not continue to belong to a regime that oppressed others. At that time, prisons were overflowing and villages were being destroyed and burned. When someone sees other individuals experiencing too much suffering at the hands of their people, they can be affected. In this case, Blair understood that enough was enough and that he could not continue to be part of the imperial government. It might have been wise for Blair to refrain from writing about controversial political issues at the time. However, his experience in Burma led him to adopt a liberal outlook and begin to criticize governments. Five years in Burma were enough to transform Eric Blair into George Orwell, a man who hated imperialism at all costs. As Chen writes: "Five years in Burma transformed Eric Blair into 'George Orwell,' a man who hated the imperialism I served with a bitterness I probably cannot express clearly" (1). Christie adds that "Orwell's political lines began to be fueled by the growing hatred he developed towards imperialism. He decided that he was going to satirize the British colonialists' absurd claims of racial superiority” (1). Traveling to Burma and later changing his mind about the actions of the British imperial government proves that Orwell did some self-analysis. He observed the atrocities directed at the locals and decided that it wasn't fair at all. To gain a deeper insight into Orwell's works, one must delve deeper into his experiences as a police officer. For example, while in Spain, Orwell remembered the conditions on the battlefield. At first he was fascinated by the fact that the workers had taken over the city of Barcelona. It becomes clear that Orwell was arguing that the rich were cruel because they exploited the poor. In Barcelona, he meets a working class that is quickly becoming a class apart. It seems that Orwell wanted the poor members of society to rise to the occasion and start taking advantage of the opportunities available (Chen 1). Venturing into controversial political topics and issues was an opportunity to enlighten the public about what was going on. However, the emotion he experienced subsided after being put on the front line. “Orwell's writings were the source of as much controversy during his life as when left and right fought over his literary corpse after his death (Chen 1). » Orwell disliked the conditions soldiers faced on the battlefield. They had to deal with muddy trenches, the terrifying presence of rats, soggy canoes, human excrement and lice infestations. What kind of government lets its citizens face such conditions in the name of fighting its enemies? Additionally, Imperial soldiers had outdated weapons and inadequate training. If the government wanted them to defeat its enemies, wouldn't it have trained them well and given them superior weapons? His experience in Spain can help us answer the question of whether Orwell focused on political topicscontroversial. It is clear that he viewed senior government officials and leaders as individuals who only cared about themselves. In particular, they wanted the British Empire to fight its enemies to advance their personal goals. These experiences led him to criticize dictators for their selfish nature and treatment of their subjects. Orwell's essays also help provide answers to the question of why he preferred to cover controversial political issues. One of these essays, “Shooting an Elephant,” tells us about an experience he had in Burma. He sees an elephant gone mad and using his knees to thresh a pile of grass. He aims at the elephant and decides to pull the trigger, but the beast seems to remain standing. However, a mysterious and terrible change occurs in the elephant's body and every line of its body changes. Suddenly the elephant appears struck, shrunken and immensely old. At this point, questions will likely begin to cross readers' minds. What did Orwell want to represent after using the elephant as an example? What message did he want to send to the public? Evaluating the essay closely, one can conclude that Orwell was representing a political issue. (Paxman 1). Paxman says: "Atom bombs are piling up in factories, police are roaming the cities, lies are blaring from loudspeakers, but the earth continues to revolve around the sun, and neither dictators nor bureaucrats, no matter how deep, -they. they disapprove of the process, are capable of preventing it” (1). In particular, he wanted to demonstrate that the imperial project underway in Burma was in vain. Earlier, Orwell had said that a white man's life in the East had proven this. be a struggle and you couldn't laugh about it. In his bibliography it says "Orwell took all kinds of jobs to make ends meet, including working as a dishwasher" (1). He goes on to say that he killed the elephant so as not to look like a fool. It becomes clear that Orwell hated imperialism because he recognized that imperialism would not be successful. Having experienced the difficulties faced by white men in the East, he addresses the issue to make his discontent known. Orwell's position on the issue of imperialism paints the picture of a man who seems to know all of its negative effects. He believes that Eastern countries must have the opportunity to govern themselves and make their own decisions. He took it upon himself to try to raise awareness of the downsides of imperialism. Looking at Orwell's writing style, he had his reasons why he wrote the essay praising the common toad and other texts. For example, when he wrote his essay, he was referring to the political season of spring, but not to toads. This is confirmed by the Orwell Prize "I mention the laying of toads because it is one of the phenomena of spring which attracts me most deeply, and because the toad, unlike the lark and the primrose, does not never had much momentum. poets” (1). The article also adds that "As for spring, even the narrow, dark streets around the Bank of England cannot quite rule it out." It infiltrates everywhere, like one of those new toxic gases that pass through all the filters” (Orwell Prize 1). Furthermore, when he was a young boy, he wrote for the pleasure of writing by inventing stories or describing scenes. “However, as he grew older, his writing began to evolve and he began to focus primarily on political issues” (Wengraf 1). Furthermore, Wengaf writes that "Orwell did not become an activist within and in the labor movement, and.