George Orwell, the pen name of Eric Blair, was born on June 25, 1903 in Motihari India to Richard and Ida Blair. In 1904, Orwell and his mother moved back to England so Orwell could grow up according to the Anglo-Indian custom. In his lifetime, Orwell attended several schools, but decided not to continue his education in 1921. Therefore, Orwell went to work for the Indian Imperial Police Force. Orwell worked there for five years, but finally resigned because of his growing dislike of British imperialism. In 1928, Orwell moved back to England and decided to become a professional writer. Eventually Orwell became a success and picked up the name George Orwell. During this time, Orwell had adopted the views of a socialist and traveled to Spain to report on their civil war. Not only did he report, but also he fought alongside the anti-Fascists in Barcelona. His experiences in the war intensified his hatred toward imperialism and communism.
English: Grave of Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell...
The square in Barcelona renamed in Orwell's honour
English: River Orwell Shore Looking towards Felixs...During this time, Orwell had come to view himself as a political writer. Many of his books reflected his animosity of communism and totalitarianism. In one of his most famous book, 1984, he tries to warn the world of the dangers of living in a totalitarian state. An analysis of plot, characterization, setting, tone, and irony in 1984 demonstrates how Orwell was a passionate opponent of totalitarianism.
In Book 1, Orwell created a totalitarian world where the political party tries to control everything, including thought and emotion. Winston, the main character, is struggling with his unorthodox thoughts. He keeps breaking the rules, at first starting out small, but eventually getting increasingly dangerous. "...but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp" (Orwell 9). Winston is...