George Orwell - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages His mother, Ida Mabel, took Orwell together with his two sisters, Marjorie and Avril, back to England while their father could visit occasionally. Upon return, Orwell joined St. Cyprian’s school in Sussex and later to Wellington and Eton, an exemplary college. He made several friends both at school and at home, a major friendship he developed with Jacintha, from the Buddicom family. Both kids did activities together including reading and writing poems. While in St. Cyprian’s school, Orwell encountered many difficult situations. He did not like the boarding institution despite being on a scholarship. Later on, he wrote an essay titled “Such, Such were the Joys” that expresses the highs and lows at the school (Stansky and Abrahams 4). It was at the same school where he met Cyril Conolly who published most of his essays despite being his major competitor those days. Conolly had won the Harrow History Prize while Orwell was the runners-up. Later on, he joined Eton College where he collaborated with Roger Mynors in publication of a college magazine. He was very dormant in academic work utilising the greatest chunk of his time readings books from the most respected British authors. This resulted into failure in his studies (Stansky & Abrahams 9). After college, it was difficult for Orwell to proceed with studies citing the poor performance and lack of funds unless another scholarship opportunity arose. Consequently, his parents opted that he joins the imperial police where he served for five years. His first assignment was in Burma where he served in several localities rising to the position of an Assistant District Superintendent before he contracted dengue fever later in 1927. As a result, he was given a leave in which he opted to return to England where he changed his mind and decided to resign from the police. He changed gears and got into writing after self-evaluation and being fed up of working for a political structure he disliked. In his write-ups, he cited massively from his previous experiences especially in Burma. He was a great reader and a master of languages as he served the police service in Burma, his close ally in Burma, Roger Beadon praised him as an individual capable of learning languages very fast citing his ability to speak fluent Burmese. Among his first publications included the novel “Burmese Days” that was published in 1934, and several essays such as “Shooting an Elephant” of 1936. Thirsty for a rejuvenation in his new career. Orwell paid a courtesy visit to Gow of Cambridge for mentorship in writing. Later on, he met Ruth Pitter who was very instrumental in his relocation and later gave him the advice that shaped his career. He encouraged him to give his best on familiar topics. Charged with the self-adopted responsibility, Orwell started visiting places in order to acquire additional experiences that would boost his creative and story line development skills. Through the thoughts acquired, he successfully wrote his first essay published in 1933 entitled “The Spike,” almost the same time working on his first book, “Down and Out in Paris and London.” Orwell took an initiative to live among the destitute in the society to understand and focus on their plights. The write-ups on their plights culminated into a master piece of work, the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More