‘A Hanging’
Reading for Understanding and
Analysis Questions & Answer Scheme
Lesson 1
Paragraphs 1 & 2: Establishing the setting
• In this section you will learn how Orwell:
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Uses pathetic fallacy to create atmosphere.
Uses first person narrative.
Uses imagery and vivid description.
Uses language to convey his attitude.
1. Comment on the positioning of the
word ‘it’- what is the effect?
• By placing the word ‘it’ right as the first word
of the essay, Orwell makes the reader
question what was happening that day. The
word it creates a sense of mystery around the
event that will be described in the essay.
2. a) The writer uses the weather to create an atmosphere
(the pathetic fallacy) : analyse the following word choice:
• “sodden” – sodden means absolutely saturated
with water, it suggests that the landscape was
soaked but also creates a bleak atmosphere of
misery.
• “sickly”- sickly is an unpleasant way to describe
the colour being given off by the light. It has
connotations of ill- health and creates an uneasy
atmosphere at this point in the text.
b) Analyse the imagery “a sickly light,
like yellow tinfoil” for effect.
• The simile“a sickly light like yellow tinfoil” has an
unhealthy denotation. Both "sickly" and "yellow" are
adjectives normally related with illness and decay
hence the writer is insinuating the sunlight is
abnormally off-colour; this reflects the unnaturalness
of the situation taking place in Burma. Under usual
conditions "light" and "tinfoil" are gleaming but to
propse they are unhealthy looking is to suggest all is
not well in the prison. I believe that Orwell's portrayal
of a tense ambience helps the reader to understand
that an aberrant event is about to take place,
consequently this provokes anxiety and a slightly
nervous reaction towards the overall situation.
3. ‘We’ is simply the use of first person narrative in the
plural. Why do you think Orwell chooses the word ‘We’
over the word ‘I’?
• Orwell does not want to feel accountable or
responsible for the heinous act of taking a life.
He wishes to create a sense of collective
responsibility among all the men who were
involved. ‘We’ is also useful in creating an ‘us
versus them’ attitude in order to highlight the
contrast between the guards and the prisoner.
4. Analyse the imagery “the condemned cells…like
small animal cages” for effect.
• Again another effective simile, "double bars
like small animals cages" is an example of the
awful conditions in which these men live. To
compare a human's cell to an "animal cage" is
upsetting as the individuals in question are
dehumanized; they are as insignificant as
rodents. For this reason, a strong arousal of
sympathy is provoked from the reader for
them.
5. What do you think is the writer’s attitude towards
these prisoners in the first paragraph? Support your
answer with some reference towards the text.
• They are ill/ poorly treated- “sickly… small
animal cages… condemned”
• They are dehumanized- “brown silent men…
squatting… “
• Any sensible comment explaining that he feels
some degree of sympathy towards these men.
6. In paragraph two Orwell observes the prisoner and
his guards in vivid detail. Write down all the adjectives
used to describe the prisoner.
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“puny wisp”
“shaven head”
“vague liquid eyes”
“thick sprouting moustache”
“quite unresisting”
“arms limply”
“he hardly notices what was happening”
7. Explain in your own words what
Orwell meant by the description• A) A puny wisp of a man- this makes us visualise a
physically weak man. This is effective as the man
is a convicted criminal, yet Orwell describes him
in a way that makes him seem like the victim.
• B) Vague liquid eyes- once again, Orwell’s
description of the prisoners eyes makes him
seem almost innocent and certainly not like a
dangerous convict. Making us question the
harshness of his impending death.
8. What do you think is Orwell’s attitude towards the
man who was to be hanged? Explain and support your
answer from the first three lines of the paragraph only.
•
One prisoner had been brought out of his cell. He was a Hindu, a puny
wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes. He had a thick,
sprouting moustache, absurdly too big for his body, rather like the
moustache of a comic man on the films.
• Orwell has a sympathetic attitude towards the
man. He describes him at appearing weak,
innocent and even comical. He does not seem to
believe that the man is capable of committing a
grievous crime. By describing the man in a
comical light, Orwell suggests his own nerves
over being involved in the hanging of the man.
9. Explain how the writer uses sentence structure and word
choice in the sentence “Two of them…tight to his sides” to make
the behaviour of the guards seem brutal
.
• Orwell uses a list to describe in detail all of the things
that the guards did to the man- “handcuffs, bayonets,
chains”- the lists of steps taken by the guards to secure
the prisoner seems exhaustive and quite unnecessary
as he fails to resist any of their attempts, thus making
the guards seem brutal.
• Word choices- rifles, fixed bayonets, handcuffed him,
lashed his arms, tight to his sides.” The many weapons
seem unnecessarily violent as the man is not resisting
the officers. ‘Lashing’ his arms sounds painful and
seems brutal especially after the prisoner had been
described as weak and innocent.
10. Explain how Orwell makes the expression “careful,
caressing grip” memorable. You should refer to two
techniques.
• Alliteration- ‘Careful, caressing’ the harsh
consonant sound of ‘Ca’ makes clear the force
used by the officers as they gripped the prisoner.
• Word Choice- “caressing” – this is an unusual
word to describe how the guards held the
prisoner. Normally caressing has loving or
romantic connotations suggesting that the
guards did in fact show some compassion and
respect to the prisoner as they led him to the
gallows.
11. Analyse the imagery “it was like men handling a
fish…water” For effectiveness.
• This image is effective as it suggests how
nervous the guards were in handling the
prisoner. They believe that he could escape at
any given moment and handle him in an
awkward manner, despite him not resisting.
This imagage, therefore, suggests that the
prisoners felt uncomfortable in taking this
prisoner to his death.
12. Analyse two examples of word choice from the end
of the paragraph to explain the prisoner’s attitude to
what was happening.
• “unresisting”- the prisoner has lost all fight
and determination to live.
• “limply”- the prisoner is too weak to resist the
guards.
• “hardly noticed”- the prisoner no longer cares
what happens to him. The conditions of the
jail are so horrific that death perhaps seems
like the only escape.
Summarising our Learning
• The pathetic fallacy is important in the story
because…
• The writer uses first person narrative to
suggest…
• The writer writes in vivid detail to…
Lesson 2
• We will read paragraphs 3-6: Establishing Key Characters
• In this section you will learn how Orwell:
• Establishes the character of the superintendent.
• Establishes the character of Francis, the Head
jailer.
• Introduces the role of the dog.
• Uses incongruity to create black humour.
1. Analyse the word choice ‘desolately’. What is
unexpected about using this word to describe a
‘bugle call’?
• ‘Desolately’ suggests that the bugle call is weak,
lonely and lacking in any hope. This is very
unusual as normally bugle calls are loud, proud
and can be heard all around  This suggests that
even the bugle call was depressing and miserable,
as though it is aware of the horrors taking place
in the jail. This foreshadows the miserable events
in the story.
2. Referring closely to the text in paragraph 3, comment
on how Orwell uses word choice to describe the
behaviour and character of the Superintendent.
• “moodily prodding the gravel” – this suggests he is
unhappy/ uncomfortable with the job he is about to
do.
• “army doctor”- doctors take an oath to protect life so it
is ironic that he should be responsible for taking a life.
• “grey toothbrush moustache and a gruff voice.”- he
seems harsh and rugged, a contrast to the sensitive
look of the prisoner.
• “he said irritably”- he seems very keen to get on with
the hanging. This may be because he is morally against
what he is doing, and cannot relax until the hanging
has been performed.
3. What do you think is Orwell’s attitude towards the
Superintendent? Refer to at least on example of word
choice to support your answer.
• Orwell may believe that the Superintendent is a
pessimistic and short tempered man• “moodily”
• “irritably”
• “for God’s sake hurry up”
• These all suggest that the Superintendent is
irritable and keen to perform the hanging.
4. What do you think is Orwell’s attitude towards
Francis, the head jailer? Explain and support your
answer with reference to the text.
• Orwell may believe that the head jailer, Francis, is eccentric
or weird• “in a white drill suit and gold spectacles”
• “he bubbled.”
• “waved his black hand”
• These all suggest that Francis is not just racially different to
Orwell, but also acts in an unusual and different manner.
Despite their obvious differences, the man bond over the
shared experience of the hanging.
5. Explain how Orwell uses sentence structure to draw
attention to the arrival of the dog as a turning point in
the story.
• “A dreadful thing had happened- a dog, come goodness
knows whence, had appeared in the yard.”
• “A Dreadful thing happened”- by placing this at the opening
of the sentence the writer creates suspense regarding what
had happened.
• Parenthesis- “come goodness knows whence” provides us
with additional information regarding the shock/ unexpected
nature of the dog’s arrival.
6. Explain why all of the following descriptions of the
behaviour of the dog are inappropriate to a hanging.
• A) “bounding amongst us…leapt round us”suggests happiness & excitement.
• B)”loud volley of barks”- suggests how
unmissable the dogs presence was.
• C) “Wild with glee”- suggests extreme happiness
as a particularly depressing time.
• D) “pranced around us”- suggests the joy of the
animal.
• E) “dash for the prisoner… tried to lick his face”suggests that the dog does not discriminate thus
showing up the men.
7. Explain in your own words the reaction of the people
in the crowd in the last sentence.
• Everyone stood aghast, too taken aback even
to grab at the dog
• The crowd are stunned to the point where
they cannot do anything to restrain the dog,
and watch on in shock.
Summarising our Learning
• The Superintendent is important to the story
because…
• Francis the Head Jailer is important to the
story because…
• The dog is important to the story because…
Lesson 3
Paragraphs 7-10: The moment of realisation
• In this section we will learn how Orwell:
• Uses the behaviour of the dog to draw our
attention to the situation of the prisoner.
• Uses a retelling of a vivid detail to draw attention
to his point of view.
• Has an epiphany- a moment of realising the
truth/ a turning point/ seeing a mystery revealed.
1. Explain in your own words the Superintendent’s
attitude towards the dog in paragraph 7.
• The Superintendent is horrified by the
presence of the dog at the hanging. He
desperately wants the dog to be removed as
quickly as possible.
2. The happy behaviour of the dog is continued through
word choice. Explain how context helps you understand
the meaning of the word ‘gambolled’.
• “it danced and gambolled just out of his reach,
taking everything as part
of the game.”
• Gambolled means- to jump around in a playful
manner.
• “danced and game” helped me to work this
out as they both suggest the fun and playful
nature of the dogs movements.
3. Explain how the following two things take
away from the ‘formality of the hanging’:
• A) the language of the superintendent (paragraph 7).
• "Who let that bloody brute in here?" said the superintendent angrily.
"Catch it, someone!"
• The Superintendent is supposed to be in control of this situation, but the
presence of the dog surprises him and leaves him seeming flustered and
pleading to anyone to help remove the dog.
• B) the actions of the dog.
• “it danced and gambolled just out of his reach, taking everything as
part
of the game”
• The behaviour of the dog contrasts the sombre atmosphere of the
hanging. It is uncomfortable to watch the dog being so playful when
a man is about to lose his life.
4. Explain what Orwell does to begin getting
personally involved with the incident of the
hanging.
• Orwell helps to restrain the dog by using his
handkerchief to keep the dog back.
5. In what way is the situation of the
dog similar to that of the prisoner?
• Just like the prisoner, the dog is being held
against his will. He is being restrained and not
allowed his full freedom- just like the man
who is about to be hanged.
6. How do the actions of the dog at the end of
paragraph 8 form a contrast to the behaviour of
the prisoner?
• “dog still straining and whimpering.”
• The dog attempts to resist his restraints and is
vocal about his dissatisfaction with being
bound, yet the prisoner remains silent and
does not resist the men.
7. How does Orwell draw attention to the
prisoner as a being, full of life, in paragraph 9?
• At each step his muscles slid neatly into place,
the lock of hair on his scalp danced up and down,
his feet printed
themselves on the wet gravel.
• Orwell uses a list of all of the bodily functions of
the prisoner that were working perfectly at that
moment in time. This suggests that he is in
perfect physical condition yet he is about to have
his life ended.
8. ‘He stepped slightly aside to avoid a
puddle on the path’
• A) What technique does Orwell use (twice) to
suggest this detail was memorable?
• Orwell uses alliteration to suggest that this
moment was engraved in his mind.
• B) Why do you think Orwell would remember this
seemingly minor incident?
• This was his moment of realisation where he
really understood that this mans life was about to
be over despite the fact that he was still very
much alive.
9. Re write the first sentence in paragraph 10
using as many of your own words as possible.
• It is curious, but till that moment I had never
realized what it means to
destroy a healthy, conscious man.
• Until that point in time, I hadn't given much
thought to the bizarre nature of killing a
person in peak physical condition.
10. Explain how this sentence forms a link (or
turning point) in the structure of the essay.
• It is curious, but till that moment I had never realized
what it means to
destroy a healthy, conscious man.
• “till that moment” links back to the previous paragraph
where he did not show massive concern for the welfare
of the prisoner or seem to get emotionally involved.
• “healthy conscious man” suggests the writer is about
to talk about all of the ways in which the prisoner was
healthy, which he does in the next paragraph.
11. Explain in your own words the
“mystery” Orwell “saw”.
• The mystery was that when you are actually
there in the flesh, it seems so wrong and
unnecessary to end the life of a healthy and
fully functioning human being.
• Our brain still reasons, even moment before
we are destroyed.
12. Analyse the image of ‘cutting a life short
when it is in full tide’ for effectiveness.
• ‘Cutting a life short’- just as cutting someone
would be violent and painful, Orwell struggles
with the painful realisation that he is
embroidered in the violent hanging of the
prisoner.
• ‘full tide’- just as waves would be strong and
powerful at full tide, the prisoner is strong and
seems indestructible, however in mere minutes
his life will be destroyed.
13. Explain how the word ‘puddle’ is
developed in paragraph 10.
• Extended metaphor• From ‘puddle’ to ‘tide’
• This suggests that this man is just one life,
however the loss of this one life contributes to
the greater issue that ‘man killing man’ is
fundamentally wrong.
14. Explain how Orwell uses three features of
sentence structure to draw attention to how the
prisoner was ‘alive’.
• All the organs of his body were working
--bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues
forming--all toiling away in solemn foolery.
• List- suggests the quantity of bodily functions
that were working properly.
• Parenthesis- adds additional information
about the physical adequacy of the prisoner.
• Anti climax- ‘Solemn foolery’ despite all of
these, the mans life will still be ended.
15. In what way is Orwell and his group and the
prisoner “a party of men walking together”?
• They were sharing the same experience,
seeing the same setting and living together in
the same world at that point in time.
16. Analyse the expression ‘a sudden
snap’ for effectiveness.
• Alliteration of the letter ‘s’ suggest the
quickness of the hanging, that it would be
over in seconds and the prisoner would be
gone forever.
• Onomatopoeia- ‘Snap’
Summarising our learning
• The incident with the puddle is important
because…
• The mystery which Orwell sees is…
• ‘Cutting a life short when it is in full tide’ is an
important metaphor because it explains…
Homework- Disgust at the hanging
• Complete questions 1-11 that relate to
Orwell’s disgust at the hanging.
• Due- Thursday 19/03/15