Literary Context: Another Satire
By: Skylar Murphy
George Orwell is a well-known satirist in English literature. His works display an intricate art that demonstrates his ability to include innuendos and facades that uncover the fraudulency that he witnessed in his life. (Higgins 866-868) Orwell had an eye that was capable of seeing through the corruption of the social structures around him. That endowment accompanied with his aptitude in creative intelligence produced some of the most widely known political masterpieces. (Knapp 1-6)
In literature alone, satires have subtly changed in history to include more than just fables based on clearly fictional characters and circumstances. Satires can now contain some of the most chillingly realistic stories that can, at times even rival non-fiction accounts. Their purposes change depending on the message that the satirist is trying to convey. However, one reoccurring theme of most satires lies in its composition. According to the Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, that theme is that satires are “A work of wit, satire employs such resources as irony and invective, diminution and derision, innuendo and allusion, parody and pastiche in order to expose malpractice and corruption, folly and vice” (Higgins 866-868). The beauty of these works is how they convey their messages to the masses. (Rosen 1) The way that the satirists metaphorically produce a work that will help their readers to achieve the same sense of realization as they themselves see, it comes across as just one of the highest forms of intellectual art that can be experienced throughout time.
In one of his most well-known works, Animal Farm, George Orwell makes evident his unbelievable talent of satirical undertones by exposing the tormenting times from World War II. Orwell showcases what Knapp coins as, “an allegory concerned with the limitations and abuses of political power” (1-6) which allows the reader to see the destruction of corruption, without being too graphic for readers of any age. It was through this mild dilution that George Orwell was able to share with the world how dangerous political corruption can be in the hands of those with power.
Perhaps the most haunting foreshadowing that George Orwell has given the world lies in his famous work on Nineteen Eighty-Four. His political satire in Animal Farm only gave the reader a sneak peek at Orwell’s consciousness of the importance of preserving liberty. In this fictional futuristic novel, Orwell uses his aptitude in seeing through the mirage of political corruption within his own life to foretell a future for postwar England. He used his then current, “social and political fabric of British culture” to portray an impending society based on the path they were following. (Knapp 1-6) His satire parodies the conditions of his time to show the truly fatal path of allowing evil to persist under the pretense of what is good.
Through his works, Orwell encourages his readers to uncover the fraudulency in the world around them to protect their liberties and freedom. He utilizes satirical literature to not only help illustrate his cause, but also to make his works readable for all ages. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel that exemplifies his talents and skills to employ and equip its reader for the battle against the corruption of the social structures around them.
References:
Higgins, Ian. "Satire." Higgins, Ian. Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature. London: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd / Books, 2003. 866-868. Library Refence Center: EBSCOhost. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.
Knapp, John V. "George Orwell." Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-6. Literary Referecne Center: EBSCOhost. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.
Rosen, Ralph M. "Efficacy and Meaning in Ancient and Modern Political Satire: Aristophanes, Lenny Bruce, and Jon Stewart." Social Reseach 78.1 (2012): 1-32. MasterFILE Premier. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.
George Orwell is a well-known satirist in English literature. His works display an intricate art that demonstrates his ability to include innuendos and facades that uncover the fraudulency that he witnessed in his life. (Higgins 866-868) Orwell had an eye that was capable of seeing through the corruption of the social structures around him. That endowment accompanied with his aptitude in creative intelligence produced some of the most widely known political masterpieces. (Knapp 1-6)
In literature alone, satires have subtly changed in history to include more than just fables based on clearly fictional characters and circumstances. Satires can now contain some of the most chillingly realistic stories that can, at times even rival non-fiction accounts. Their purposes change depending on the message that the satirist is trying to convey. However, one reoccurring theme of most satires lies in its composition. According to the Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature, that theme is that satires are “A work of wit, satire employs such resources as irony and invective, diminution and derision, innuendo and allusion, parody and pastiche in order to expose malpractice and corruption, folly and vice” (Higgins 866-868). The beauty of these works is how they convey their messages to the masses. (Rosen 1) The way that the satirists metaphorically produce a work that will help their readers to achieve the same sense of realization as they themselves see, it comes across as just one of the highest forms of intellectual art that can be experienced throughout time.
In one of his most well-known works, Animal Farm, George Orwell makes evident his unbelievable talent of satirical undertones by exposing the tormenting times from World War II. Orwell showcases what Knapp coins as, “an allegory concerned with the limitations and abuses of political power” (1-6) which allows the reader to see the destruction of corruption, without being too graphic for readers of any age. It was through this mild dilution that George Orwell was able to share with the world how dangerous political corruption can be in the hands of those with power.
Perhaps the most haunting foreshadowing that George Orwell has given the world lies in his famous work on Nineteen Eighty-Four. His political satire in Animal Farm only gave the reader a sneak peek at Orwell’s consciousness of the importance of preserving liberty. In this fictional futuristic novel, Orwell uses his aptitude in seeing through the mirage of political corruption within his own life to foretell a future for postwar England. He used his then current, “social and political fabric of British culture” to portray an impending society based on the path they were following. (Knapp 1-6) His satire parodies the conditions of his time to show the truly fatal path of allowing evil to persist under the pretense of what is good.
Through his works, Orwell encourages his readers to uncover the fraudulency in the world around them to protect their liberties and freedom. He utilizes satirical literature to not only help illustrate his cause, but also to make his works readable for all ages. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel that exemplifies his talents and skills to employ and equip its reader for the battle against the corruption of the social structures around them.
References:
Higgins, Ian. "Satire." Higgins, Ian. Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature. London: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd / Books, 2003. 866-868. Library Refence Center: EBSCOhost. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.
Knapp, John V. "George Orwell." Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-6. Literary Referecne Center: EBSCOhost. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.
Rosen, Ralph M. "Efficacy and Meaning in Ancient and Modern Political Satire: Aristophanes, Lenny Bruce, and Jon Stewart." Social Reseach 78.1 (2012): 1-32. MasterFILE Premier. 26 March 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.lamar.edu>.