Higher English - A Hanging

Quotes For Setting

“animal cages” and “condemned” (repetition) highlight the dehumanising atmosphere and the fate of the prisoner.

Quotes For Contrast

“puny wisp of a man”, “6 tall Indian warders”, “like men holding a fish” (juxtaposition highlighting differences)

Quotes for Symbolisation

“wild with glee” and “licked his face”

Quotes for Turning Point

“unspeakable wrongness”, “ i had never realised what it meant to destroy a healthy conscious man”

Quotes for Execution

“suddenly there was a clanking noise”, “dead as a stone” (indicating the finality of death and the mechanical nature of execution)

“A Hanging” by George Orwell is a non-fiction essay...

Orwell reflects on his time in Burma and criticises capital punishment. He shows it is morally wrong through personal experience, using techniques like imagery and tone to highlight its brutality.

Orwell uses setting to show the horror of prison life...

The simile “animal cages” shows prisoners are treated like animals. Repetition of “condemned” highlights their hopelessness, showing Orwell's view that the system is inhumane.

Orwell contrasts the guards with the prisoners...

The prisoner is “a puny wisp of a man” – weak and dehumanised. Guards are “six tall Indian warders”, showing a power imbalance. The simile “like men handling a fish” shows the cruelty Orwell condemns.

Orwell introduces a dog to symbolise innocence...

The dog “licked his face”, showing it sees the man as human, not a criminal. It’s “wild with glee”, contrasting with the grim scene. Orwell uses the dog to show capital punishment is unnatural and wrong.

The turning point is when the prisoner steps aside...

Orwell realises “what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man”. The word “destroy” and phrase “unspeakable wrongness” express moral disgust. His tone shifts to emotional, making the reader reflect deeply.

Orwell describes the moment of death...

Onomatopoeia like “clanking noise, then dead silence” shows how fast life is taken. The simile “dead as a stone” reinforces how cold and final execution is. Orwell makes it feel unjust and shocking.

Orwell uses his personal experience to argue...

He never mentions the man’s crime, focusing on the cruelty instead. Orwell makes readers question their own views, clearly showing capital punishment is immoral and should not exist.