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Orwell Made Me Queer

George Orwell(1903-1950) famously known for his work 1984, was a master of the prose. I posit that the words he had written in the opening chapter of Homage to Catalonia stands as a vivid painting of the landscape of a Catalonia swept up by revolutionary fervour. I dare say his description is even more haunting and real than the video documentaries produced on the Spanish Civil War. Here's a short example:

"The revolutionary posters were everywhere, flaming from the walls in clean reds and blue that made the few remaining advertisements look like daubs of mud.


Down the Ramblas(NOTE: La Rambla is a street in Barcelona), the wide central artery of town where crowds of people streamed constantly to and fro, the loudspeakers were bellowing revolutionary songs all day and far into the night.


And it was the aspect of the crowds that was the queerest thing of all. In outward appearance it was a town in which the wealthy classes had practically ceased to exist."
Homage To Catalonia Page 3, Chapter 1


Just in this brief passage in the onset of the book, you can witness his flair in describing places in his on way.The posters weren't plastered, or screams for attention, but the revolutionary posters flamed just like the inflamed heart of youth. The remaining advertisements didn't appear grey or vapid or banal in comparison but look like daubs of mud.

The streets are the artery of the town, which is a common enough expression used these days.

And Orwell had a propensity for using the word queer By the time I read this final line of the passage, I've spotted his queerness for using queer three times already. I felt a little queer myself.

Orwell's description goes beyond the cliché or the usual and is remarkable in its portrayal of Catalonia. This is the precursor surely to his depressing and frightening 1984 with its portrayal of what is now very commonly known as the Orwellian future... bleak, depressing and deadly. Even if you think he isn't the best descriptive writer, he is very good at describing cities. George Orwell died in 1950, but his works carry on the spirit of Orwell for us and future generations to marvel at the foresight and sheer dedication of the man to his ideals.

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