'A Hanging' Quotations Flashcards
Pathetic fallacy in the opening lines reflects the mood of the setting.
“A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard.”
Simile emphasises the poor living conditions of the prisoners and dehumanises them.
“We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages.”
The powerful description of the prisoner emphasises his poor treatment and lack of dignity.
“He was a Hindu, a puny wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes. He had a thick, sprouting moustache, absurdly too big for his body.”
In stark contrast to the prisoner, the well kept, wealthy descriptions of the jailer shows the difference between them and evokes sympathy.
“Francis, the head jailer, a fat Dravidian in a white drill suit and gold spectacles, waved his black hand.”
Orwell’s epiphany begins, as he adopts a reflective stance.
“It is curious, but till that moment I had never realised what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man.”
Orwell’s language shows his inability to convey his outrage and shock at the brutal act of taking another human life, as he views an act of self-preservation.
“When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide.”
Personal pronoun involves the audience and aims to re-humanise the man and highlight the bigger picture.
“This man was not dying, he was alive, just as we were alive.”
Orwell uses a list, structure, to emphasise the human aspects of the prisoner.
“All of the organs of his body were working - bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, tissues forming - all toiling away in solemn foolery.”
Use of anaphora at the end of the paragraph, repetition, to highlight that this man has a contribution to make to society.
“one mind less, one world less.”
Simile to show the effects this hanging has, not only on the prisoner, but those who are forced to witness it. Highlights the human instinct of the wrongness of the incident.
“The Indians had gone grey like bad coffee.”
Irony following a discussion from the guards of a previous, troublesome, hanging emphasises the ignorance and lack of respect - creating villainous characters.
“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!”
To finish the essay, Orwell highlights the disturbing scene - potentially a coping mechanism for the atrocities which went on, while neatly summarising his message.
“We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. The dead man was a hundred yards away.”
