“Don’t Let It Happen”
by Matthew Orrell
ENG 112 Professor Dollieslager
George Orwell is considered to be one of the most influential writers of all time. His writings were a large contributor to stopping Britain’s overseas adventuring with essays like Shooting an Elephant. He also taught lessons about social injustice with Books like 1984 and Animal Farm and essays like politics and the English Language. Orwell was able to influence a mass amount of people using his books. During Orwell’s early Career he had a defining moment in his life which gave him direction and purpose. With this event as a foundation, his later experiences in life made Orwell a person with tremendous influence and gave him a powerful message: Oppression exists because oppressed do not stop oppressors.
In George Orwell’s early life, he worked in Burma as representing the British Raj. He was in charge of a town with a few thousand and represented the British Empire. He opens his situation with information from a sub-inspector saying an elephant had gone "must" and needs to taken care of. With this information, he requests a mahout and a bigger rifle and goes on his horse to investigate. Once he has arrived in an area of the elephant’s carnage he comes across a dead man to which the locals refer to as a “Koolie” (which to the locals who also happen live almost “rock bottom” is the equivalent to an unwanted dog). After continuing forward, he finds the elephant in the rice patties eating. The elephant has calmed down and his sun inspector hands him five cartridges and the rifle. At this point about a two thousand Burmans have surrounded him and they were waiting to see if he will shoot the elephant. Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant after all the elephant is an important and valued tool. The mahout is nowhere to be seen and after waiting, Orwell ultimately decides to shoot the Elephant. Once shot the elephant continues to stand and slowly sags down and continues to die. “He states that he shot the elephant simply not to look like a fool.”
“Shooting an Elephant” was a defining moment for Orwell. His actions and experiences there forever shaped him. His new ideologies about Oppressors and Oppressed originated from working as a representative of the British Raj. He devised that Oppressed are only that way by choice and if you do not want to be oppressed then you must not allow oppressors to happen. As a representative of the British Raj, he was alone and there were thousands of Burmans around him, yet they did not revolt and kill him. He describes that when you are put in a place of power “your face wears a mask and grows to fit it” along with “when a white man forms tyrant”. They acted like oppression was normal and unavoidable. This Oppressed and Oppressor’s mindset became highly influential in Orwell’s novel 1984.
Orwell’s essay because popular during 1930’s as Orwell begins to educate the British population about the British government’s overseas adventuring. Britain, in turn, begins to lose their appetite for being an empire and later is surpassed forcibly by Germany. Orwell predicted this based on his time in Burma, he even goes as far as to state in his essay “Far less did I know it was a great deal better than the younger empires to supplant it.”
In another of Orwell's writings "Politics and the English Language," Orwell explains how the changes in language have been slowly confusing, misleading, and burying people in useless information. In his essay, he introduces a series of rules that boil down to don't use: dying metaphors, Verbal false limbs, pretentious diction, and meaningless words (Eric Blair, 1946). The big one was meaningless words, this issue is so widespread in the modern world that it is probably impossible to remove it from our society. The use of meaningless words is greatly expressed in his book 1984 with the new/revised version of English known as “Newspeak”. His voice of reason with not misusing language is apparent in Orwell’s resignation from BBC in which he says:” I am tendering my resignation because for some time past I have been conscious that was wasting my own time and the public money on doing work that produces no result.” (Blair, Eric 1943)
Now that Orwell has resigned from the BBC he turns to make something that does produce a result. During 1944 through 1945 he wrote the book to address people’s positive attitude towards Stalin and the Soviet Union. The book itself reflected Orwell’s disenchantment with Stalinism. And showed what totalitarianism does to a noble philosophy. In his book, it resembles the events leading to the Russian revolution in 1917. Showing how one revolution led to an oppressive totalitarian system. The farmer Mr. Jones is meant to resemble Tsar Nicholas II the Russian emperor whose reign ended in 1917. Old Major is meant to resemble Lenin with his communism or Old Major’s animalism. Like Lenin, Major was not able to see this to the end and his ideologies are later corrupted and eventually were turned into the society where “all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others (Blair, Eric 1945) (Daniels, 2018).”
Why I write is an essay that is about Orwell’s young life and his ideas that make true driven writers. The concepts: Sheer egoism, Aesthetic enthusiasm, Historical impulse, and Political purpose, with political purpose being used as anything that influences societies direction. The essay is also a culmination of Orwell’s work before 1984. He later explains that he will write another book soon which will ultimately become the dystopian fiction 1984 (Blair, Eric 1946).
"1984' was George Orwell’s final book. The book was a culmination of his ideals and warnings about future society. In George Orwell’s 1984 He writes about a totalitarian society known as Oceania. In the book, there are many themes about oppressors and oppressed, and the brainwashing of society. He designs the main character Winston Smith as a reflection of himself in the book. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, editing old news and making propaganda for the government. Each message was tailor made to the current events and if the message didn’t help the governments it would be changed. Similar to Orwell’s time with the BBC he was sent a letter about changing his tone of voice trying to make it more attractive than his normal tone (Clark, JB). Orwell and Winston Smith, later on, both think negatively about their time helping make propaganda for the government (Blair, Eric, 1949).
After Orwell’s work in Burma, his many books and essays, and his work with BBC during WWII his intent was set. With his understanding of society and governments. He used his books and essays as a way to deliver his message to people around the world. His understanding of the problem with the world can be solved with his final message:
“Don’t let it happen”
-George Orwell 1903-1950
Extra Fact: When Orwell left the BBC he left a void that would that would need to be filled. They listed the requirements as: “The Department needs a man of exceptional literary capabilities: artistic and musical expertise would be an advantage; for in our service in English to India, we endeavor to give the best "cultural" material that Britain can provide.” This was very interesting showing that Orwell could fill all of these requirements and more. The BBC had a great appreciation for how Orwell did his work and to the standards, he did it (Rendall, RA, and LF Rushbrook Williams).
Works Cited
Blair Eric. “Orwell's Resignation Letter.” Received by Mr. Rushbrooke Williams, 24 Sept. 43AD. Rpt. In “Archive - George Orwell at the BBC - Orwell's Resignation Letter.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/archive/orwell/7430.shtml .
Clark, JB. “Memo Criticizing Orwell's Voice.” Received by Eric Blair, 19 Jan. 1943. Rpt. In “Archive - George Orwell at the BBC - Memo Criticising Orwell's Voice.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/archive/orwell/7427.shtml .
Daniels, Moran. “Animal Farm.” Animal Farm: The Russian Revolution | Critical Essays | CliffsNotes, Cliff Notes, 2 May 2018, www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/animal-farm/critical-essays/the-russian-revolution .
Orwell, George. “1984.” Secker and Warburg, 1949.
Orwell George. “Animal Farm.” Secker and Warburg, 1945.
Orwell, George. “George Orwell: Why I Write.” Orwell.ru,1946. http://orwell.ru/library/essays/wiw/english/e_wiw
Orwell, George “Politics and the English Language.” Horizon, 1946.
Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” Online Literature.com, 1936, www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/ .
Rendall, RA, and LF Rushbrook Williams. “Memo on the Resignation of Eric Blair.” Received by Fenton, 29 Sept. 1943. Rpt. In “Archive - George Orwell at the BBC - Memo on the Resignation of Eric Blair.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/archive/orwell/7431.shtml .