Marrakech George Orwell

Prior Knowledge Discuss what you already know (if anything) about: Marrakech George Orwell

George Orwell Born Eric Blair (George Orwell was his pen-name) in a British colony in India Moved to England aged 1 and went on to study at Eton Couldn’t afford university so joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma and started writing his travel essays Fought in Spanish civil war Famous for his works “Animal Farm” and “1984”

Marrakech A city in the northwest African nation of Morocco Was once the capital Is a former Imperial city Language is Arabic and French due to colonialism

Colonialism The practice of nations colonising other territories For example, Britain colonised India The colonial power gains political control over another territory to expand their power France colonised Morocco in 1912 Often the indigenous people suffered and became impoverished, some rebelled

Imperialism Imperialism means to extend your power via colonisation Marrakech became one of four imperial cities in Morocco However the end of colonialism and therefore imperialism was inevitable

Marrakech by George Orwell Non-fiction Travel writing 1939 (just before start of WW2) Describes the culture and customs of Morocco

Themes Racism Poverty Treatment of Women Effects of Imperialism

Section One – Life and Death Description of funeral procession Drastically different from British conventions “corpse” distances us from the dead body, dehumanising, and depicts the colonial view that the natives are not individuals – not even really human By beginning with an image of death it creates a nauseating and unpleasant atmosphere

Section One Lexical Choice – ‘Rag’, ‘rough’, ‘lack’, ‘dump’, ‘fling’ – brutal language. Does this suggest an uncaring attitude? Is it simply indicative of the number of dead / poverty etc? Use of four simple verbs summarises the lives of the inhabitants of Marrakech: ‘Rise’ – born ‘Sweat’ – work ‘Starve’ – live in poverty / hunger ‘Sink back’ – die Use of present tense – gives the sense that this pattern will be repeated. Orwell sees them as part of the earth – belong to it, work on it, are buried in it.

Section One Sentence Structure Parenthesis “All men and boys, no women” Introduces the idea that women are inferior, unimportant. Repetition / minor sentence – No gravestone, no name, no identifying mark of any kind. Use of rhetorical questions and 2nd person narrative: “Are they really the same flesh as yourself? Do they even have names? Or are they merely a kind of undifferentiated brown stuff, about as individual as bees or coral insects?” Draws attention to the racist attitude of government / leaders of colonies such as Morocco.

Section One Personal Response (Orwell is critical of Imperialism as it serves to impoverish the natives) Reader almost automatically compares the funeral procession to that of his or her own culture. Some disgust may be experienced (“walking over skeletons”, “flies”, “corpse”) Sympathy is evoked by the way Orwell simply summarises their lives. Also from the fact that they are unable to visit the graves of their loved ones. Some anger may be felt towards the leaders / government who benefit from the poverty / work of the native people.

Section One Key Quotations “As the corpse went past the flies left the restaurant table in a cloud and rushed after it, but they came back.” “The people have brown faces…Are they really the same flesh as yourself? Do they even have names? Or are they merely a kind of undifferentiated brown stuff, about as individual as bees or coral insects?” “They rise out of the earth, they sweat and starve for a few years, and then they sink back into the nameless mounds of the graveyard and nobody notices that they are gone.” “No gravestone, no name, no identifying mark of any kind. The burying-ground is merely a huge waste of hummocky earth, like a derelict building-lot.”

Section Two – Meeting with Arab Worker Narrative Technique Use of first person narrative – makes the account more authentic / believable Orwell makes use of anecdote – describes an incident when he was feeding a gazelle. Orwell uses this to draw attention to the hunger / poverty of the Arab worker and others in similar positions.

Section Two Word Choice Approach of Arab worker is careful and cautious; he is uncertain of Orwell’s reaction. He ‘sidled’ towards him and spoke ‘shyly’. Use of direct speech adds authenticity – “I could use some of that bread” He watches Orwell feed the gazelle with ‘quiet amazement.’ It is as if he has never seen anything like this before. He cannot believe that a person is sharing / giving away food to an animal.

Section Two Sentence Structure Concluding sentence – simple and thought provoking “This man is an employee of the Municipality” – Direct message. Implies the blame for man’s poverty / hunger lies with the government

Section Two Personal Response Shock that the man, who has a job, is that hungry Sympathy for plight of the Arab worker Anger towards government

Section Two Key Quotations “Sidled” & “Shyly” He looked from the gazelle to the bread and from the bread to the gazelle, with a sort of quiet amazement, as though he had never seen anything quite like this before. This man is an employee of the municipality.

Section Three – The Jewish Quarters Narrative Use of second person narration – involves reader. Theme Shows isolation and deprivation Jews suffer – overcrowding, lack of sanitation, disease, poverty etc.

Section Three Imagery Image of children evokes sympathy: “sore-eyed children cluster everywhere in unbelievable numbers, like clouds of flies. Simile – dehumanises children. Emphasises large numbers and inability to see the children as individuals. Lack of sanitation: “Down the streets there is generally running a little river of urine.”

Section Three Imagery/ Word Choice Market area – difficult, unhygienic conditions/work – “dark fly infested booths that look like caves” Carpenter – description evokes sympathy “prehistoric lathe” – old / basic “turning chair legs at lightning speed” – demonstrates skill / mastery / hard work “thanks to a lifetime of sitting in this position his left leg is warped out of shape” – physically deformed from years of repetitive work.  Orwell creates the sense that history will repeat itself – the same pattern of behaviour / suffering will continue: “At his side his grandson, aged six is already starting on the simpler parts of the job”

Section Three Incident with cigarette – anecdote – emphasises poverty – cigarette seen as an unattainable luxury. Word Choice – “frenzied rush”, “clamouring” – conveys desperation Blind man – “crawling, groping in the air” because he had “heard a rumour of cigarettes” Used to emphasise just how poor and desperate the Jewish people were. Orwell lists the trades Jews work at – shows they are similar to other inhabitants. References to Hitler – topical, written at the beginning of WW2.

Section Three Direct speech – conversation between Orwell ad Arab, View (wrongly held by many Arabs and Europeans at the time) – wealthy, in control, cunning, greedy. Stereotypical view encouraged by Hitler.   Minor Sentence – “A good job Hitler isn’t here” Comparison to women burned for witchcraft – v. effective. Both were wrongly accused/victimised/persecuted: “In just the same way, a couple of hundred years ago, poor old women used to be burned for witchcraft when they could not even work enough magic to get themselves a square meal”.

Section Three Personal Response Sympathy – plight of Jews, their living conditions and quality of life. No one cares. Guilt? Appreciation for our own comforts?

Section Three Key Quotations “Sore-eyed children cluster everywhere in unbelievable numbers, like clouds of flies.” “The Jews were only allowed to own land in certain restricted areas” “Down the centre of the street there is generally running a little river of urine.” “Working in dark fly-infested booths that look like caves.” “Every one of them looked on a cigarette as a more or less impossible luxury.” “In just the same way, a couple of hundred years ago, poor old women used to be burned for witchcraft when they could not even work enough magic to get themselves a square meal.”

Section Four – Racist attitudes / Treatment of women RACIAL PREJUDICE Description of farm labourers We recognise the importance of the work carried out but not the workers We are unlikely to take notice of the workers unless they are white “a white skin is always fairly conspicuous” Racist attitude that Orwell feels we are all guilty of “In a hot country…chances are that you don’t even see him [a labourer ploughing a field]…He is the same colour as the earth and a great deal less interesting to look at”

Section Four Orwell draws attention to the racist / stereotyped attitudes of the tourists: “where the human beings have brown skins their poverty is simply not noticed” “What does a Morocco mean to a Frenchman? An orange-grove or a job in government service. Or to an Englishman? Camels, castles, palm trees, Foreign Legionnaires, brass trays and bandits Sympathy is evoked for the hard-working inhabitants and criticism is levelled at tourists / visitors “One could probably work here for years without noticing that for nine-tenths of the people the reality of life is an endless, back-breaking struggle to wring a little food out of an eroded soil”

Section Four Language Land worked on is “desolate”, a “treeless waste” Word choice – “frightful labour”, “slowly”, “stalk by stalk” No tools – “Everything is done by hand” Simile – “Long lines of women, bent double life inverted capital L’s” creates image of the “back breaking struggle”. Plough – “wretched wooden thing” “frail”

Section Four TREATMENT OF WOMEN   Considers plight of women in Marrakech. Emotive language used to evoke pity – “poor old creature”. He draws attention to the contrast in size between the size of the women and the size of the load they carry. Orwell’s generosity towards the women is probably unprecedented: “She answered with a shrill wail, almost a scream, which was partly gratitude but mainly surprise” Orwell’s action is unheard of. It is almost as though he is breaking a law / going against the normal order “violating a law of nature”

Section Four Metaphor – women compared to “beasts of burden” – women are dehumanised / mistreated Women are seen as less important than fathers, sons and even family donkeys: “it is quite usual to see a father and a grown-up son riding ahead on donkeys and an old woman following on foot, carrying the luggage” Again, idea of invisibility of native people – women in this case – is considered. Women “hobbled” past with wood: “Firewood was passing – that was how I saw it”

Section Four Emotionally moving description of the old women: “For the first time I noticed the poor, old earth coloured bodes, bodies reduced to bones, and leathery skin, bent double under the crushing weight. Orwell was infuriated by overloading by donkeys. The donkey’s life is similar to that of the old women / native people: “After a dozen years of devoted work it suddenly drops dead, whereupon its master tips it into the ditch and the village dogs have torn its guts out” – brutal, emotive language

Section Four Racism of white colonialists is considered. Repeats idea of invisibility. “People with brown skin are next door to invisible” Points out way people may be angered by animal cruelty but fail to notice harsh treatment of human beings.

Section Four Personal Response Sympathy for plight of women who are not valued and over worked Shock/anger at this Neanderthal treatment of women or the animal cruelty

Section Four Key Quotations “Where the human beings have brown skins their poverty is simply not noticed.” “The reality of life is an endless, back-breaking struggle to wring a little food out of an eroded soil.” “Long lines of women, bent double like inverted capital Ls, work their way slowly across the fields, tearing up the prickly weeds with their hands…” “All of them are mummified with age and the sun, and all of them are tiny.” “Poor old creature” “I stopped her and put a five-sou piece (a little more than a farthing) into her hand. She answered with a shrill wail, almost a scream, which was partly gratitude but mainly surprise”

Section Four Key Quotations “She accepted her status as an old woman, that is to say as a beast of burden.” “But what is strange about these people is their invisibility.” “Then for the first time I noticed they poor old earth-coloured bodies, bodies reduced to bones and leathery skin, bent double under the crushing weight.” “After a dozen years of devoted work it suddenly drops dead, whereupon its master tips it into the ditch and the village dogs have torn its guts out before it is cold.”

Section Five – Senegalese Soldiers Image of storks – symbol of birth. Suggestion of change? Re-birth. Contrasts with the image of death which opens the passage. Then follows a moving description of the Senegalese soldiers. Orwell’s admiration / sympathy is conveyed through his word choice / description of the men’s harsh treatment and discomfort - “Splendid bodies… feet squashed… slumped under the weight of their packs…sensitive black faces…”

Section Five Soldier looks at Orwell repetition helps to convey Orwell’s surprise that the soldier is not filled with hatred towards white people: “Not hostile, not contemptuous, not sullen, not even inquisitive” His “shy wide eyed” look is one of “profound respect” – provokes surprise and curiosity in Orwell and the reader. “taught that the white race are his masters, and he still believes it”. The black soldier has unquestioning obedience to his white leaders despite being treated harshly.

Section Five Emotive language evokes pity: “This wretched boy…actually has feelings of reverence before a white skin” The word “actually” demonstrates Orwell’s surprise at this fact. ‘But’ at the beginning of the next paragraph signals a turning point “How long before they turn their guns in the other direction?” - inevitably this cannot go on “Stowed” - coloniser hides or suppresses the fact that they are exploiting these people who outnumber them greatly within their subconscious, fearful of confront it. ‘flock of cattle’ – blind obedience emphasised

Section Five Personal Response Sympathy for oppressed soldiers who are being used by colonisers and are taught to obey Anger towards government/ imperialists who let this happen

Key Quotations “As the storks flew northward the Negroes were marching southward” “Their splendid bodies were hidden in reach-me-down khaki uniforms, their feet squashed into boots that looked like blocks of wood, and every tin hat seemed to be a couple of sizes too small.” “They slumped under the weight of their packs and the curiously sensitive black faces were glistening with sweat.” “It was the shy, wide-eyed Negro look, which actually is a look of profound respect.” “He has been taught that the white race are his masters, and he still believes it.” "How much longer can we go on kidding these people? How long before they turn their guns in the other direction?“ “Every white man there has this thought stowed somewhere or other in his mind.”