A tragic situation exists precisely when virtue does not triumph but when it is still felt that man is nobler than the forces which destroy him.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Orwell defines a tragic situation as one where virtue does not win, but people still feel humans are nobler than the forces destroying them.
- In plain terms
- It is tragic when good does not win, but we still believe people are better than the bad things hurting them.
- What can you take from it?
- Tragedy lies in the persistence of human dignity despite defeat.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does dignity persist in defeat?
- Is tragedy just about lost victories?
Another view
The definition assumes virtue is always felt even when not triumphant.
More from George Orwell
But is it really necessary, in 1947, to teach children to use expressions like 'native' and 'Chinaman'?
Permalink to quote #39 If you turn the other cheek, you will get a harder blow on it than you got on the first one. This does not always happen, but it is to be expected, and you oug…
Permalink to quote #41 This business of making people conscious of what is happening outside their own small circle is one of the major problems of our time, and a new literary techn…
Permalink to quote #38
Related quotes
Compassion is probably the only antitoxin of the soul. Where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless. One would rather …
Eric HofferEric Hoffer quote #54 Is it not clear that with all this we are bound to feel ill at ease in an age that likes to claim the distinction of being the most humane, the mildest, and th…
Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche quote #94 Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love.
Saul BellowSaul Bellow quote #1