Essay Sample on How Did George Orwell Impact Society

George Orwell is often described as a man of strong opinions who spoke his mind freely and wrote about what he felt strongly about. Such themes as fascism, communism, and imperialism were a few of the many political issues he addressed in his work. By speaking so freely about his beliefs, he was met with plenty of criticism and outrage from thousands. Many believe he was a pompous poor man who reflected such behavior in his works. In a time where free speech is no longer free, many look to the ideas and beliefs of a more efficient government, much like Orwell’s literature and ideology did. By the time he passed away, Orwell had educated and infuriated millions with his criticism of oppressive government. By better understanding his childhood and his beliefs and exploring the power that free speech has, we can see that Orwell’s works have left a permanent effect on society that continues to inspire and fascinate many to this day.  

To understand where Orwell’s viewpoints and opinions, we need to learn what his childhood consisted of. George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, India. He grew up in a lower-upper-middle-class family, his father was a lower-ranking British official and his mother was the daughter of a failed teak merchant. It is said that Orwell’s first word was the word “beastly” at 18 months old. About one year after he was born, his mother packed her things and moved him and his older sister, Marjorie, to England. In 1911, Orwell was sent to Sussex to attend St. Cyprian’s boarding school, which was custom for young men in England at the time. While at school, his teachers marveled at his intelligence and intellectualism. From a young age, Orwell was often afflicted with illness which he believed led him to make up stories and converse with imaginary peoples. This also led to him writing stories and poetry from a young age and he met some success at age 11 when he published a poem in a local newspaper. While attending St. Cyprians, Orwell noticed a power balance between the richer students and the poorer ones. He noticed teachers showing favoritism towards the more wealthy and fortunate students while casting a blind eye to students like Orwell. He was unpopular among the other students at the school and found comfort and companionship in literature. 

After his days at boarding school, Orwell worked hard for a scholoarship to Eton University which he won. However, it seems that he did not end up attending the college and took the next five years off, during which time he read and wrote. His family came from a humble background which did not allow him to further his education which led him to join the India Imperial Police Force in 1922 (George Orwell Biography, Editors). During his time as a writer, Orwell reflected on his years in the IIPF in an essay titled, “Shooting an Elephant.” In this essay, he describes the evil and opression of imperialism as well as the shame he felt during his time in India. At one point, he relays a story of an elephant that was reaking havock in the town, even killing one man, at which point Orwell borrowed an elephant gun from a friend in order to defend himself if necessary. However, as Orwell states, the British citizens became wild with excitement at the idea of watching the elephant being shot. In an effort to not look like a fool, Orwell regretably shot and killed the elephant (Shooting an Elephant, Orwell). He left the IIPF after five years of service and was determined to make a living as a writer (George Orwell Biography, Orwell). 

Orwell’s use of a dystopian society has created some remarkably interesting and amazing reading material. One of his most famous dystopian novels was 1984, a novel which follows the lower-class member of ‘The Party’ named Winston Smith. He becomes frustrated by the eyes of the party and its leader, ‘Big Brother.’ The novel was highly controversial in its time and has been repeatedly banned from bookshelves around the world due to its “pro-communist” and sexual content. Another famous dystopian novel by Orwell is Animal Farm, an anti-communist novel which follows a group of farm animals who take over their farm. This novel has been used in American schools to tutor students about the reign of Josef Stalin and the sufferings of the Russian people who lived under his rule. Orwell used his distaste for totalitarianism by creating the character ‘Big Brother’ who was a direct combination of Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler in his 1984 novel (About 1984). Orwell despised the entirety of a totalitarian government as he discusses in 1984, however, he had never lived in a totalitarian government. Instead, he used reports, literature, and his imagination to help him form an organized idea of the evil that a totalitarian govenment. Many have critisized his opinions as he simply had no basis in fact when discussing how the lives of those in a totalitarian society. Orwell writes, “The organized lying practiced by totalitarian states is not, as it is sometimes claimed, a temporary expedient of the same nature as military deception. It is something integral to totalitarianism, something that would still continue even if concentration camps and secret police forces had ceased to be necessary.” When Orwell wrote this, he was describing the opression and false information that is fed to the citizens in totalitarian countries. The exact definition of ‘totalitarianism’ is the absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution. In simple terms, it defines a government that has complete control of the output of information that is provided to the people of said government. These themes of constrictive news output and false news output is evident even in todays society. 

Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a reliable news outlet. From CNN to Fox News, everyone has a biased opinion rather than a passion to release truth and facts to the American people. These themes tie into the fear that Orwell had about the communist and totalitarian control of information. It would not be surprising if “1984” became a reality in the coming years. Instead of coming together and fighting against the politicians who would rather keep us apart, people would rather fight and complain about how the politicians are evil instead of actually doing something about it. Orwell spoke out against just that; he writes, “The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those that speak it.” Orwell wanted freedom of speech and a government that had the interests of the people in mind. He believed that the government had no interest in justice but instead wanted complete control over its people.  We no longer live in an actual democracy, instead we are slowly but surely headed on the road to a totalitarian government. Politicians lie and cover up the truth in order to gain power and respect from us (How George Orwell Predicted the Challenge of Writing Today, Gessen). It is no mystery that politicians would certainly rather argue and mock their opponents for not agreeing with them rather than listening to the outcry of the people. These rich politicians will call for taxation of the rich and support to the lower and middle classes all while eating out at michelin restaurants in their thousand dollar suits. If we, as a society, can find in ourselves the power to speak out against false information and speak up about the freedom of speech that we used to have, we can certainly achieve the goal that Orwell was trying to fight for. 

By better understanding his childhood and his beliefs and exploring the power that free speech has, we can see that Orwell’s works have left a permanent effect on society that continues to inspire and fascinate many to this day.  Without Orwell speaking out against oppressive and dictatorship governments, many would still be blind to the oppression and discrimination of the lower and middle class. As the numbers of poverty and homelessness continue to climb, we must look forward to a more equal civilization that everyone can thrive in. While it may sound unfair to some and like a paradise to others, we must work together in order to achieve Orwell’s dreams of equality and equity. Without the voice of George Orwell, our society would be bleak and misunderstanding towards those who suffer under oppressive governments. 

Works Cited

Gessen, Masha.  “How George Orwell Predicted the Challenge of Writing Today.”  June 10, 2018 www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-george-orwell-predicted-the-challenge-of-writing-today. 8 February 2022. 

Editors Biography.com. May 3, 2021. “George Orwell Biography.” www.biography.com/writer/george-orwell. 8 February 2022.  

Editors Cliffs Notes. “1984 George Orwell.” n.d. www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/about-1984. 8 February 2022.  

Editors The Orwell Foundation. “George Orwell on Fairness.” n.d www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-youth-prize/for-young-writers/george-orwell-fairness/. 8 February 2022. 

Wood, James. “George Orwell’s Revolution’s.” April 6, 2009. www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/13/a-fine-rage. 8 February 2022. 

Magill, Frank N. “Masterpieces of World Literature.” New York, NY. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data. 1989.