George Orwell Biography | List of Works, Study Guides & Essays
George Orwell is the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair: essayist, novelist, literary critic, advocate and fighter for political change, and man of contradictions. Blair was born on June 25, 1903, in the Bengal region of Eastern India, which was a British territory. He was the son of Richard Walmesley Blair, a civil servant, and Ida Mabel Blair. Their only son was the middle child. Blair excelled academically there but faced many hardships in its puritanical, cutthroat environment. Blair’s academic prowess continued in secondary school at Eton, a renowned secondary school (more recently famous for Prince William's attendance there). Blair/Orwell thus became devoted to the problems of class and government power long before he wrote Animal Farm. Blair tried his luck in Paris briefly but found he could not make a living there as a writer. From 1934 on, Orwell thrust himself fully into the writer’s arena. In 1940, Orwell and his wife moved to central London, where he worked as a reviewer.
George Orwell | British author
George Orwell, pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair (born June 25, 1903, Motihari, Bengal, India—died January 21, 1950, London, England), English novelist, essayist, and critic famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949), the latter a profound anti-utopian novel that examines the dangers of totalitarian rule. Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell never entirely abandoned his original name, but his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, appeared in 1933 as the work of George Orwell (the surname he derived from the beautiful River Orwell in East Anglia). In time his nom de plume became so closely attached to him that few people but relatives knew his real name was Blair. The change in name corresponded to a profound shift in Orwell’s lifestyle, in which he changed from a pillar of the British imperial establishment into a literary and political rebel. Early life He was born in Bengal, into the class of sahibs. Against imperialism Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four
Animal Farm: Biography: George Orwell
Average Overall Rating: 3.5 Total Votes: 2417 George Orwell was born near the turn of the century in Bengal, India . Not being an Indian native himself, he went to school in England . For a significant portion of his life, he served as a British policeman of sorts (like his father and grandfather) with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. , he knew how oppressive Stalin's regime had become. even as far as his homeland England. Animal Farm was written at a very inopportune time, for everywhere, even in the United States , respect for the communist government was growing, after their valiant defeat of Nazi Germany. " of anti- communist sentiment and soon even encouraged this outrage, although this was not Orwell's intent. that he considered hypocritical. Surprisingly, Orwell was a socialist. -- he distrusted the leaders who lived in mansions while the common folk slaved in the fields. communism , he thought, was just another way for the elite to control the majority of peasants.
History - Historic Figures: George Orwell (1903 - 1950)
George Orwell - Author, Journalist
George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, and critic most famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949). Synopsis Born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, Bengal, India, in 1903, George Orwell, novelist, essayist and critic, went on to become best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Early Life Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell created some of the sharpest satirical fiction of the 20th century with such works as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism and communism. The son of a British civil servant, George Orwell spent his first days in India, where his father was stationed. According to one biography, Orwell's first word was "beastly." Like many other boys in England, Orwell was sent to boarding school. After completing his schooling at Eton, Orwell found himself at a dead end. Early Career Personal Life
Animal Farm Power: Leadership and Corruption Quotes
At last the day came when Snowball's plans were completed. At the Meeting on the following Sunday the question of whether or not to begin work on the windmill was to be put to the vote. When the animals had assembled in the big barn, Snowball stood up and, though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep, set forth his reasons for advocating the building of the windmill. Then Napoleon stood up to reply. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it, and promptly sat down again; he had spoken for barely thirty seconds, and seemed almost indifferent as to the effect he produced. At this Snowball sprang to his feet, and shouting down the sheep, who had begun bleating again, broke into a passionate appeal in favour of the windmill. Who needs to speak eloquently when you have a pack of attack dogs?
Honest, Decent, Wrong
“Animal Farm,” George Orwell's satire, which became the Cold War “Candide,” was finished in 1944, the high point of the Soviet-Western alliance against fascism. It was a warning against dealing with Stalin and, in the circumstances, a prescient book. Orwell had trouble finding a publisher, though, and by the time the book finally appeared, in August, 1945, the month of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, the Cold War was already on the horizon. “Animal Farm” was an instant success in England and the United States. The revision began almost immediately. Howard Hunt at least kept the story pegged to the history of the Soviet Union, which is what Orwell intended. As ferociously fresh as it was more than half a century ago, “Animal Farm” is a parable about would-be liberators everywhere. This is the opposite of what Orwell intended. Writers are not entirely responsible for their admirers. Orwell's army is one of the most ideologically mixed up ever to assemble.
George Orwell - Author, Journalist
George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, and critic most famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949). Synopsis Born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, Bengal, India, in 1903, George Orwell, novelist, essayist and critic, went on to become best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Early Life Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell created some of the sharpest satirical fiction of the 20th century with such works as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. The son of a British civil servant, George Orwell spent his first days in India, where his father was stationed. According to one biography, Orwell's first word was "beastly." Like many other boys in England, Orwell was sent to boarding school. After completing his schooling at Eton, Orwell found himself at a dead end. Early Career After leaving the India Imperial Force, Orwell struggled to get his writing career off the ground. To support himself, Orwell took on all sorts of writing work.
Animal Farm: Napoleon | Character Analysis
While Jones' tyranny can be somewhat excused due to the fact that he is a dull-witted drunkard, Napoleon's can only be ascribed to his blatant lust for power. The very first description of Napoleon presents him as a "fierce-looking" boar "with a reputation for getting his own way." Throughout the novel, Napoleon's method of "getting his own way" involves a combination of propaganda and terror that none of the animals can resist. Note that as soon as the revolution is won, Napoleon's first action is to steal the cows' milk for the pigs. Clearly, the words of old Major inspired Napoleon not to fight against tyranny, but to seize the opportunity to establish himself as a dictator. Napoleon's greatest crime, however, is his complete transformation into Jones — although Napoleon is a much more harsh and stern master than the reader is led to believe Jones ever was.
