'A Hanging' Essay Plans Flashcards
Introduction
TART AT THE START AND B.O: A Hanging by George Orwell is a short text written in 1931, which aims to persuade the reader against capital punishment.
PEEL #1: Pathetic fallacy and imagery.
Sets the scene. “A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard.” This reflects the mood of the people involved. “a row of sheds, fronted with double bars, like small animal cages” simile shocks the reader by highlighting mistreatment of prisoners. Sympathy.
PEEL #2: Contrast between characters.
Description of the prisoner then jailer. “He was a Hindu, a puny wisp of a man with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes.” Shows of unkempt and mistreated the prisoner is, no dignity. Contrasts with “the head jailer, a fat Dravidian in a white drill suit with golden spectacles” implies the idea of the weak being killed off by the strong. Creates sympathy.
PEEL #3: Orwell’s epiphany.
“I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness of cutting a life short when it is in full tide.” Orwell cannot put his feelings of shock and anger into works. “All the organs of his body were working - bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming - all toiling away in solemn foolery.” Use of structure emphasises that he is a healthy, functioning man who’s time to die is not yet. Highlights stupidity of capital punishment.
PEEL #4: Villainous characters
Irony. “One man I recall, clung to the bars of his cage when we went to take him out… My dear fellow, we said, think of all the pain and trouble you are causing to us, but no, he would not listen.” Highlights the ignorance and lack of human decency from the jailers. This creates a villainous character and therefore evokes sympathy towards prisoner.
PEEL #5: Final line’s tone.
“We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. The dead man was a hundred yards away.” Orwell leaves reader in a sense of disbelief at the lack of respect from guards, but may be a coping mechanism. Neatly summarises message at end, leaves reader with lots to think about.
Conclusion
Repeat intro, by referring to x, y and z, Orwell effectively creates a sense of anger, shock and sympathy from the reader, highlights inhumanity of capital punishment, wrongness, pointlessness etc which therefore convinces them and achieves his purpose through his own experiences. Refer to question.
Methods of Improvement and Reminders
We are the reader, not the audience. This is a short essay, not a play. Put in context and refer to the question in your topic sentences.
