24 pages • 48 minutes read
Such, Such Were the Joys
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Literary Devices
Anecdote
Orwell uses anecdotes, self-contained stories a narrator usually has firsthand knowledge of, in “Such, Such Were the Joys.” Nearly the entire essay is composed of such moments related to the experience of his own younger self. By describing his direct experience of his time in a preparatory school, Orwell affords his essay a sympathetic quality, enhancing the persuasiveness of his overall argument.
Point of View
The point of view of Orwell’s essay vacillates between that of the younger Orwell (the main character of the anecdotes) and that of the older Orwell (the narrator or commentator of the essay). By utilizing the direct point of view of a child experiencing the abuse and manipulation of the preparatory school system, Orwell underlines the emotional toll the system has on students. By switching to the voice of his older “narrator” self, Orwell is able to lend an authoritative commentary to the trials the younger Orwell undergoes.
Tone
The tone Orwell uses is important, as it situates the events the essay explores within their proper context. The author incorporates elements of wry humor into the text. For example, he shares Sambo’s nonsensical assertion that young Orwell’s persistent ill health is a “stomach cough” that can be cured by eating less and undertaking extreme exercise. However, the overriding tone of the essay is bitter and condemnatory.
Irony
Orwell often uses the device of irony for levity, lending situations or ideas a humorous effect. One example of irony is the title of the essay itself, taken from a William Blake poem celebrating the innocence of children at play. “Such, Such Were the Joys,” the title declares, though this is immediately followed by descriptions of childhood despair over punishment for an unconscious disorder. Irony is also present in Orwell’s descriptions of the school administrators’ use of a Bible as a reference for their shaming of the boys. As the administrators’ moral flaws have been laid bare at this point, there is levity in the fact that they consider it appropriate to quote holy scripture while condemning the pupils.
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By George Orwell
