Tone In George Orwell's Essay 'A Hanging'

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George Orwell employs tone in his essay, “A Hanging” to contribute to theme of the essay. Orwell employs a gloomy tone in his essay. This tone can be seen after the warders had encircled the gallows and the noose was put around the prisoner’s neck. The prisoner then began to cry, “a high, reiterated cry of “Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!” not urgent and fearful like a prayer or cry for help, but steady, rhythmical, almost like the tolling of a bell” (667). By calling out to his god, the onlookers may have felt his pain and thought about their god and whether they were being judged for not intervening in the man’s hanging; the same could be said for that of the reader. This example signifies the inherently wrong nature of taking another person’s life,