George Orwell's "A Hanging"
In George Orwell's "A Hanging", Orwell tells the story of what it was like to witness a man being hung. In this narrative there is a progression of emotions that can be seen in Orwell. In the beginning, Orwell sees the prisoner as an animal and his killing just a job that must be done. Then, Orwell experiences a realization about life when there is an incidence with a dog. This is the turning point in which Orwell realizes that it is not acceptable to kill a healthy human being. When the "job" is done and the man is dead, Orwell and his colleagues proceed to laugh and drink. At this point, Orwell is psychologically disconnecting himself from the harsh reality of what just happened. In this distance, Orwell finds solace. Orwell creates an effective argument against capital punishment by connecting the reader to the hanging, just as Orwell unintentionally became connected when the dog ran into the scene. The essay starts out by describing the day as being "a sodden morning of the rains," (19). Orwell describes the prison cells "like small animal cages" (19). Orwell continues with gloomy descriptions of the atmosphere. This creates a sa
Orwell's essay goes on to describe the rest of the hanging. With this undeniable appeal to ethos (humanness), Orwell is able to very effectively pass on the strength of the pathos that he felt that day. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2001. The dog unintentionally yet very effectively created a connection between the prisoner and the prison workers. Just as the prison workers began to escort the prisoner to his death, a happy and spirited dog ran up to them. Orwell began to look at the prisoner from behind. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind" (1107). In an essay titled "Meditation 17", John Donne wrote about the same realization he had about human life. Orwell attempts to break the barrier of disconnection that his readers have to the hanging, just as his barrier was broken by the dog. And yes, he tried to disconnect himself, but the human connection was there and real, and that is exactly what Orwell intended to create with the prisoner and his readers. When the prisoner stepped aside to avoid a puddle, Orwell realized that this man is human just as he is; Orwell would have avoided the puddle also. More importantly, the fact that Orwell chose to mention the irony of what this boy said to him shows that Orwell himself understood the importance of his disconnection. The man's body was in perfect working condition. When George Orwell witnessed that hanging on that day, something unusual happened.
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Acceptance Essays
