English

Literature
Unit 8

10EGB

Name: __________________
Level: ________
Teacher: ___________________
 George Orwell
About the author
Orwell began life as Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell was a
name he adopted later). He spent his early years in India as
a lonely boy who liked to make up stories and talk with
imaginary companions. He began to “write” before he even
knew how. At the age of eight, Orwell’s parents sent him to
a boarding school in England. He began to write poems,
and short stories as a way to deal with his boredom and
loneliness.
Later, instead of going on to university, he decided to take a
job in Burma with the Indian Imperial Police. Orwell wrote
about this experience in Burmese Days (1934) and in the
essay “Shooting an Elephant.” Returning to England to recover from a chronic lung
illness, Orwell began his serious writing career. Over the next two decades, he wrote
newspaper columns, novels, essays, and radio broadcasts, most of which grew out of
his own personal experience.

Writing Style
George Orwell's writing style is very direct, which means that his works are short but
goes to the point or the topic that it is about.
Six rules for writing:
1. Never use metaphors or similes
2. Never use long words when you can use a short one
3. Always cut a word when possible
4. Never use the passive voice if you can avoid it
5. Never use foreign or scientific words
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything
He describes settings and characters well, but with language that is as direct and
concise as possible. His style is to the point and contains very little emotional imagery,
leaving room for only facts. George Orwell only wrote a handful of novels, but the work
he produced was incredibly impactful and influential, and remains so to this day. Orwell
used his work to make social commentary and his direct and concise style continue to
make his work popular today. He had influenced countless other writers and will
continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
His work has been widely acclaimed and translated into many different languages and
he is second on the New York Times list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
Orwell’s writings still influence pop and political culture, as the term "Orwellian" has
come to mean authoritarian social practices. He is best known for his novel about a
dystopian society, 1984, and his allegorical novel Animal Farm.
Literary Works

 Burmese Days
 A Clergyman's Daughter
 Keep The Aspidistra Flying
  Coming Up For Air
 Animal Farm
 1984
 Down And Out In Paris And London
 The Road To Wigan Pier
 Homage To Catalonia

George Orwell's Influence on Popular Culture

The influence of George Orwell’s work has extended to popular culture as well. Several
words used in his novel 1984, and the film it was adapted into, have become part of
everyday, popular language. Such terms include:
Thought Police, a law enforcement branch set on suppressing all opinions that
contradict that of the government
Prolefeed, used to describe manufactured literature, music, and movies that are set to
control what the population is exposed to
Big Brother, an all-knowing, all-seeing dictator

ANIMAL FARM
It tells the story of Farmer Jones’ animals who rise up in rebellion and take
over the farm. Tired of being exploited for human gain, the animals—who
have human characteristics such as the power of speech—agree to create
a new and fairer society. The novel reads like a fairy tale, and Orwell
originally subtitled it as one, but it is also a satire containing a message
about world politics and especially the former Soviet Union. In a satire, the
writer attacks a serious issue by presenting it in a ridiculous, funny way.
Orwell uses satire to expose what he saw as the myth of Soviet Socialism.
The novel tells a story that people of all ages can understand, but it also
tells us a second story— that of the real-life Revolution. Since the
Bolshevik Revolution of the early 1900s, the former Soviet Union had
captured the attention of the world with its socialist experiment. This form
of government had some supporters in Britain and the United States, but
Orwell was against this system.
 The Russian Revolution
The revolution in Animal Farm has a lot in common with the real-life Russian
Revolution. Here is a quick introduction to that revolution. It will help you understand a
little of what Orwell refers to in the book.
IDENTIFYING ANIMALS