The good thing about George Orwell, compared to the other anti-American types out there, is that he's a very engaging writer and actually makes you care about the plight of the average miner and the unemployed in England in the 1930s. He also is capable of recognizing the problems with "his" political party and engages in a good run down of both why the upper class in Britain think the poor smell bad, and why they think that Socialists are assholes. For some reason he doesn't engage the issue of Socialists smelling bad, but maybe that's a modern phenomenon unique to skinny white kids on college campuses.
It reminded me a little of The Jungle, which is certainly not the most imaginative comparison ever, since they're both socialist writers writing about the disgusting conditions faced by the working class. The Jungle put me off meat since high school, and now I'm definitely not going to be using any coal any time soon. Except for when it's used to make my electricity and heat. I need those things so I won't smell like a socialist.
Ok, for your last word you get one clever moment of English Major Interpretation: the title is "The Road to Wigan Pier", but Orwell points out early on that Wigan Pier (as such) no longer exists. So the book is about how being in the working class is a road to Nowhere. Get it? Yeah, I'm smart. They didn't even mention that on Wikipedia or nothing.
---
Oh, The Jungle. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteCliff Notes?
Yeah, the other reason The Jungle is a good comparison is that if you hated the Jungle and thought it was long and boring, you'll think the same about this.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, get the cliff notes. I won't secretly think I'm better than you. I'll quite publicly think I'm better than you.
No no. I just figured you got your insight from Cliff Notes. Like the people in my high school English classes.
ReplyDeleteBut you can still think you're better than me.
I'm happy to say I came up with my insight All By Myself. I should write the Cliff Notes, I'm so awesome.
ReplyDelete