Commentary on 'A Hanging' by George OrwellDisregard for all the ethical expectations of humanity can be the result of pressure placed on a person to carry out his work, regardless of the consequences for those nearby. This was often the case in Europe during the 1900s, when the death penalty was still a common form of punishment. This decline in moral judgment and desensitization to the killing of other human beings is summarized in George Orwell's essay, "A Hanging," which revolves around the time he spent carrying out capital punishment in Burma under British rule. British. Orwell argues that the use of capital punishment causes those who work for the justice system to deviate from humanity and moral values ​​by dehumanizing their fellow citizens. Drawing on his personal experience of the issue, Orwell expresses his opinion on these deleterious effects of capital punishment through effective use of contrast, irony and symbolism.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayOrwell illustrates how capital punishment can cause those who carry it out to deviate from ethical and moral behavior through its use of contrast; notably between the physical appearance and the standard of living of prisoners and guards. First, Orwell's comparison of prisoners' cells to "cages for small animals", which contained nothing more than "a bed board and a pot of drinking water", illustrates the dehumanization of the prisoners and the deplorable living conditions they endured. Furthermore, the “little man” who was to be killed, juxtaposed with the “fat Dravidian in white exercise clothes”, illustrates the superiority of the guards over the prisoners and the drastic disparity in living conditions. The discernible differences between the imperious guards and the compliant prisoners are ironic since some guards are of the same ethnicity as those they execute. Furthermore, the contrast between Orwell's belief that "it is unjust to cut short a life" and the desire to "kill him quickly [and] be done with it" shows the extent to which the guards' job required them to to suppress their moral values. Furthermore, the solemn atmosphere and guilty tone before the prisoner's death, where the guards had "gone as gray as bad coffee", contrasted with the breakfast, where "everyone [chattered] happily", clearly shows how carrying out the death penalty desensitizes those working under government to the murder of fellow citizens. Orwell's extensive use of contrast presents his critique of capital punishment and the deleterious effects it has on those who work under it. Additionally, the use of irony throughout the essay allows Orwell to demonstrate how those who work for capital punishment suppress their moral values ​​and sense of compassion. . First, the irony of the prisoner stepping aside "to avoid a puddle" as he neared death reminds the narrator that he was "alive, as [everyone] was alive." Orwell's incorporation of this action is vital because it triggered the compassionate and moral side of the narrator, which was quiet before this moment. Subsequently, this shows how the guards were generally quite oblivious to what they were doing because it had become a bland routine. Additionally, after the execution, the commissioner stung the body and declared it "all is well" despite the fact that he was dead and therefore the opposite of all is well. This ironic statement demonstrates how obsolete the lives of prisoners had become for those who enforced the.