Hanging Essay

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George Orwell’s “A Hanging” is a descriptive essay about capital punishment in narrative. Orwell, a visitor from the European establishment, gets the opportunity to participate in the execution of a Hindu man. He shows that his attitude toward execution is not only brutal but also immoral. The setting of this essay is taken place that morning in Burma prison. Orwell develops his essay through characters that perform their job responsibilities, through an appearance of a dog to show humanity, and through the inner conflict of the narrator as he participates in and observes the execution. Orwell uses a dog as a device to demonstrate humanity towards capital punishment. The dog’s unexpected appearance at the hanging makes the officers think of themselves. As the dog runs up to the prisoner being executed, the hanging is interrupted. The dog does not recognize a difference between the prisoner and the officers; the dog sees the prisoner as a human being who is able to love or be loved and play with the dog. Even though one of the jailers tries to turn the dog away, the dog returns again and again. Orwell state: A dog, come goodness knows whence, had appeared in the yard. It came bounding among us with a loud volley of barks, and leapt round us wagging its whole body, wild with glee at finding so many human beings together. It was a large woolly dog, half Airedale, half pariah. For a moment it pranced round us, and then, before anyone could stop it, it had made a dash for the prisoner and, jumping up, tries to lick his face. Everyone stood aghast, too taken aback even to grab at the dog. The appearance of the dog symbolizes humanity and empathy for the prisoner. The observation of the dog’s action makes people aware of the reality of what is happening. The characters recognize what they are doing as colonial officers, but they cannot express what they think about

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