George Orwell's "Such, Such Were the Joys " starts off with his family moving to England from India and as it progresses he describes adapting to his new boarding school life that promises to be full of challenges. Orwell argues that the use of guilt and violence as an effectual device as a means of controlling people. [2] In the essay he receives a grant to a respected private school called Crossgates where the headmasters practiced using guilt to control boys. [1] Throughout the essay, the headmasters were a big inconvenience for boys that were less fortunate, always giving them a hard time about decisions they make instead of being supportive. This brings me back to Orwell's argument as the headmasters used guilt and violence to control the boys. .
Bingo and Sim were the main headmasters in the school and found that the best way to maneuver the boys was to psychologically control them. [1] Bingo used this technique many times, for instance when Bingo picked on poorer boys by saying "'Do you think that's the sort of thing a boy like you should buy' " (Bingo 277), Bingo aims the boys vulnerability with guilt to control actions they do not approve of. "'You know you're not going to grow up with money don't you? Your people aren't rich. You must learn to be sensible. Don't get above yourself!' " (Bingo 277) Bingo again emphasizes on the boys spending, but this time in front of the whole school, which brings me back to them using guilt in reminding him that he is poor. .
Furthermore Orwell describes the headmasters as being violent and intimidating. "It was very difficult to look her in the face without feeling guilt, even at moments when one was not guilty of anything in particular." (270) This emphasizes how facing headmaster Bingo made them feel guilty even though he does not do anything wrong. In addition to my previous example, Orwell describes an actual encounter with Bingo, "'Do you know what I am going to do to you if you wet your bed again?' she added, turning to me.