A Clockwork Orange Diction Analysis

It is hard to improve upon Anthony Burgess’ classic opening line to his masterpiece. With this bold, taunting question, A Clockwork Orange’s protagonist, 15-year old Alex, opens the door for our descent into a terrifyingly grim world where ultra-violence and apathy pervade a shocking totalitarian society. The book is partly written in a Russian-influenced argot called nadsat which serves to minimize the horror of the violence depicted. It revolves around a devastatingly simple premise; when state authorities seek to reform young criminals like Alex, Burgess asks- what’s the cost?

In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, the author begins with a definite statement about his views toward British Imperialism. Orwell uses pathos to appeal to the readers emotions about his situation and also uses logos when trying to decide on shooting the elephant. His powerful technique of illustrating the message, “Imperialism was an evil thing” and that it affects both the oppressor and the oppressed is effective with the use of description, classical appeals, extended metaphors, and rhetorical devices.

In many ways an author uses diction, imagery, syntax, and tone to elaborate parts of the story, and to contribute to the novel as a whole. In The Blind Side, the author, Michael Lewis, tells a story of how an everyday family in Memphis comes together and takes in a homeless 16 year old, who later becomes a famous football player. Although each literary device helps convey different things, when they all come together they are able to create the emotions, tones, relevance, and the purpose of the novel.

There are countless times within The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini where powerful diction is used to convey a certain image, or idea; in many instances Hosseini chose violent diction to control how the audience perceives a character and their actions. This is shown in the quote, “I was on the ground laughing, Assef straddling my chest, his face a mask of lunacy, framed by snarls of his hair swaying inches from my face. His free hand was locked around my throat” (Hosseini,303). The use of the word “straddling” shows the control Assef has over the situation; he is not just on top of Amir, his is completely pining him to the ground. This creates a vivid image for the readers to view the scene with. Another example is the use of the word “lunacy”

This is a literary analysis on the novel 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 is a more recent classic dystopian novel. Written in 1949, it's based in the future year of what is presumed to be 1984. It focuses on the life of Winston Smith, a member of the newly established Party that rules over a territory called Oceania and that is led by a man called Big Brother. This novel provides a rather frightening insight into a dystopian socialist environment. Although it is based in 1984, the social commentary it provides is most definitely applicable in this day and age. This novel analysis will touch briefly upon a few different subjects, such as symbolism and style, and the theme of the novel.

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery. The society of this novel was a dystopia and it is how George Orwell viewed the world. In the novel 1984, Orwell portrays the acts of betrayal and

George Orwell’s 1984 and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies have both stirred up the critics of their times, being each of their author’s most famous novels. After reading the books I felt they shared a similar tone, however their messages seemed very different. Superficially, that would be a true statement, however after reading beyond what is presented on the pieces of paper that constitute both novels, one would realize a shocking resemblance between the two. 1984 is a pure reflection of a totalitarian dictatorship where people are brainwashed to believe the government is oh so gloriously divine, turning them into no more than followers trapped in a box of ignorance and naivety. However, Lord of the Flies focuses on how one’s innate human evil takes control in times of disorder and chaos. Although these two messages seem different, they carry a lot of similarities which is why I decided to look further into:

Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally to

In Politics and the English Language, Orwell writes, “In certain types of writing, particularly in art criticism and literary criticism, it is normal to come across long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning. Words like romantic, plastic, values, human, dead, sentimental, natural, vitality, as used in art criticism, are strictly meaningless, in the sense that they not only do not point to any discoverable object, but are hardly ever expected to do so by the reader” (Language that Manipulates, 238). Orwell asks the reader to evaluate a scenario in order to point out one or more of the ways society takes words for granted. Orwell carefully exaggerates the issue of vocabulary apprehension and usage, thereby drawing light to the impending consequences of a seemingly small societal issue. This is particularly evident in the story when the character Syme is tasked with creating a new version of the Newspeak dictionary and one day informs Winston of the fact that “Newspeak is the only language whose vocabulary gets smaller every year” (Orwell 52). This information exaggerates the slow process of language devolution and helps to enlighten unaware readers of the detrimental changes taking

In “How ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ Changed My Life”, Ethan Gilsdorf compares the differences in nerd culture today and when he was a young adult. The purpose of this article is to analyse how Dungeons and Dragons and, by extention, games in general have changed over the years. He writes to other old D&D players and newer players, showing how the game has and hasn’t changed over the years. The genre is part narrative, part analysis, switching between the two to better explain his point. Gilsdorf has uses his personal experience to help the reader understand the differences in D&D from over twenty years ago and the game now.

Likewise, in the text, society is a struggle between the inferior proles and the superior Party with Big Brother being victorious every time. Although 1984 and Mean Girls are fictional storylines, they both portray the reality of school life in the world today. The social order seen in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, portrays the exclusion, pressure, and aggression between classes, directly paralleling the societal structure of today’s school systems.

How Does 1984 Conform to, or Deviate From, the Conventions of Dystopia, and For What Purpose?

The writer and teacher, Lindsay Rosasco, creates strong diction through the use of informal word choice. Her diction style relates to her audience, who are teenagers in high school. She is trying to convince them that she is not out to get them, she just wants the best for all of them. Rosasco doesn’t use a higher level of vocabulary or more grandiose style because if she did, then teenagers could turn away from the text and she is writing like how the students talk. By doing this, she lets the readers know that she understands how they live. In her first paragraph, she tells the readers to, “read this with an open mind, an open heart, and minimal eye rolling please.” She realizes that teenagers aren’t the most accepting people and eye rolling

A Clockwork Orange is set in a dystopian society, controlled by a restrictive, tyrannical government and denotes a substantial disaccord between the citizens and the state. The novel is narrated by fifteen-year-old Alex, who speaks in a fictitious argot known as Nadsat. Alex and his ‘droogs’ (5) – Dim, Pete, and Georgie – venture the streets in ‘ultra-violence’ (5), attacking, robbing, and raping whoever they please. One night, Alex is arrested amidst another criminal act, putting his ‘ultraviolence’ to an end. In prison, Alex is offered to take part in an experimental behaviour modification treatment, known as the Ludovico’s Technique (91) – an aversion therapy believed to eradicate his violent tendencies – in return for a reduced sentence.