A Hanging

A Hanging

The essay "A Hanging" (1931), by George Orwell, recounts an episode from his life as a policeman in Burma, wherein he observes a criminal being put to death. He is unmoved by what he sees, until he notices the condemned man sidestep to avoid a puddle as he is frog-marched to the gallows. On the march to the gallows, a small dog appears and runs towards the prisoner.

Context

Britain conquered Burma over sixty-two years (1824-1886), during which three Anglo-Burmese Wars occurred, and incorporated it to its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as an Indian province until 1937, when it became a separate, self-governing colony; Burmese independence was attained with the Aung San–Attlee agreement. Aung San was assassinated after the agreement was formal, but before it took effect and Burma was independent on January 4, 1948.

Strongly interested in the life of the working class, George Orwell (born 1903 in India to a middle-class family, but raised in Britain) was an Assistant Superintendent in the British Imperial Police from 1922 to 1927. Obliged to enforce the laws of an imperial power with which he grows to disagree, it developed his dislike of totalitarian regimes. His criticism of totalitarianism bore the fruit of Nineteen Eighty-four and Animal Farm, from his Burmese years.

Discussion

Orwell paints a wonderfully intense picture of the man condemned to death, the jailers walking away, and the dog's unpredictable actions amidst the solemn occasion. The execution's formality allows the participants to automatically and thoughtlessly conduct their business. The condemned man's automatic action of side-stepping the puddle, important to one's own continuing comfort later in the day, makes Orwell begin to think about the difference between being alive and being dead, and the horror of what is being done in killing the man. He is alive, his toenails are growing, his blood is pumping, yet he avoids wetting his feet in that moment while in the next moment he will be dead, gone from the world. Ultimately, Orwell contemplates how tradition and ritual prevent participants from thinking about their actions. Such ideas resonate through Orwell's writing through to "Nineteen Eighty-Four".

External links

* [http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/888/ Text of "A Hanging"]
* [http://www.time.com/time/asia/traveler/021017/orwell.html "Orwell's Burma", an essay in "Time"]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hanging — is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck, although it formerly also referred to crucifixion. The preferred past… …   Wikipedia

  • Hanging by a Moment — «Hanging by a Moment» Сингл Lif …   Википедия

  • Hanging Rock — Typische Felsformation am Hanging Rock Höhe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hanging Rock, New South Wales — Hanging Rock is a locality in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire.This article is about the gold mining village of Hanging Rock on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Hanging Rock is a… …   Wikipedia

  • Hanging On by a Thread — Студийный альбом …   Википедия

  • Hanging on by a Thread — Álbum de estudio de The Letter Black. Publicación 4 de mayo de 2010 Grabación 2010 Género(s) Rock cristiano Hard rock Rock al …   Wikipedia Español

  • Hanging — Hang ing, a. 1. Requiring, deserving, or foreboding death by the halter. What a hanging face! Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves. [1913 Webster] 3. Adapted for sustaining a hanging object; as, the hanging …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hanging compass — Hanging Hang ing, a. 1. Requiring, deserving, or foreboding death by the halter. What a hanging face! Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves. [1913 Webster] 3. Adapted for sustaining a hanging object; as, the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hanging garden — Hanging Hang ing, a. 1. Requiring, deserving, or foreboding death by the halter. What a hanging face! Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves. [1913 Webster] 3. Adapted for sustaining a hanging object; as, the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hanging indentation — Hanging Hang ing, a. 1. Requiring, deserving, or foreboding death by the halter. What a hanging face! Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves. [1913 Webster] 3. Adapted for sustaining a hanging object; as, the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hanging rail — Hanging Hang ing, a. 1. Requiring, deserving, or foreboding death by the halter. What a hanging face! Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves. [1913 Webster] 3. Adapted for sustaining a hanging object; as, the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”