Take a photo of a barcode or cover
harriet_dolby 's review for:
The Road to Wigan Pier
by George Orwell
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This was a book of two halves, combining two things i find interesting- history and philosophy, and this is arguably how the book was divided. The first half explored the plight of the working class- through staying in deprived northern areas, following miners into the bowels of the earth and meeting those in lodging houses- demonstrating the dire living conditions resulted out of industrialisation. Whilst the second half built upon these findings, using this factual and anecdotal evidence to fuel his political message. Written in the midst of the spanish civil war, with an ever increasingly divided europe, Orwell presents socialism as the solution, an antidote to fascism and a means to raise living standards. In this latter half, Orwell also delves into the potential criticisms of socialism- the necessity of a mechanised world in order to have a functioning socialist system- a topic ever present today with globalisation threatening a homogenisation of cultures whilst art being undermined by the systematic nature of mechanisation- as seen with ai. Yet Orwell also looks into the concept of class, with the 1930s (as arguably the 2020s are too) seeing a turning point for class identity, as in the 1930s the once upper middle class began to fall in status and power (linked perhaps to the disintegrating empire as well as the growth of an interventionist, and therefore higher tax, state) yet still trying to grasp onto their public schoolboy identity- these individuals being those most likely to succumb to fascism and thus should be the target for socialist messages. Whilst, when it comes to the socialist messages themselves it is imperative that the target audience- the proletariat- are not alienated or ostracised by the ‘socialist rhetoric’ spouted by bourgeoise intellectuals. Thus in this rather succinct book, Orwell raises the problem and offers the solution, whilst acknowledging his own middle class background, he strives for a more far-reaching and appealing socialism to use as the only weapon left against fascism.