The word humanity refers to the human race as a whole and the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love and have compassion. In our modern world, we take human nature for granted, but in George Orwell’s 1984, he shows us a society in which there is no humanity, and those that fight for it die trying. The totalitarian government, known as the Party, uses isolation, fear, and lies to destroy the humanity in their citizens and maintain absolute power over Oceania. The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. By creating a totalitarian government in the novel 1984, George Orwell is able to express how important humanity is to not only Winston but also
Society is made up of multiple factors including individuality and opposition. George Orwell’s 1984 is a novel that depicts a communist dystopian society. Orwell wrote this novel to show what will happen to society under Communist control—more specifically, Joseph Stalin’s control. Orwell presents the reader with a protagonist, Winston, and through Winston, the reader can see the effects of extreme, forced conformity in a society. Through 1984, the reader can conclude that a society as a whole cannot thrive when constrained.
1984 is a novel in which its government has total control over what you do, how you think, and how you behave, George Orwell’s renowned novel prophesized his view of a 1984 dystopia. An ordinary, middle aged man named Winston Smith has gone about his life living the way everyone in Oceania did, doing what they were told without questioning anything, all while under the complete and utter control of their totalitarian government. He soon discovers the truth, and struggling to keep his secret, Winston goes on to find a group that fights the dictatorship. Despite how perfect the people in oceania may think their lives are, they are unaware of how the government portrays misleading information to them that they accept as facts, slowly shaping them
In an excerpt from “1984” by George Orwell, one can see the variety of informal and formal language, along with the use of imagery, visuals, figurative language, and repetition throughout the passage. Orwell depicts the main character, Winston, and the beginning of his journey towards the party, and loss of his personal identity. This excerpt represents the beginning of Winston’s reintegration process in the Ministry of Love. Winston’s values start to gradually disappear, as the party becomes a more influential and trusting ideology in his life. Orwell portrays the idea that as an individual one can feel powerless, and will do anything to reconnect with others, even if this means agreeing with something they would never dare to think of (2
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 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
As the world watched World War II emerge as one of the biggest wars in the history of the universe, George Orwell wrote 1984 to criticize the totalitarian approach of the socialist leaders in countries like Germany and the U.S.S.R. The book was written in 1948 when the act of communism became a dangerously threatening type of government to the citizens all over the world. In 1984, Winston, the main character of the novel, reflects on London’s dystopian society by creating his own diary, which is an act that brings him immense threat to the quality of his life. Even today, many citizens face the same types of situations that Winston experiences throughout the book. There are obvious parallels between the novel and America in 2016 in concepts
The novel 1984 by George Orwell reveals the destruction of all aspects of the universe. Orwell envisioned how he believes life would be like if a country were taken over by a totalitarian figure. Nineteen eighty-four effectively portrays a totalitarian style government, in which elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation with very little citizen participation in the decision-making process of the legislative body. Although the authors ideas are inherently and completely fictional, several concepts throughout his book have common links to today’s society which is somehow a realist perspective. Orwell integrates devices such as irony, satire, and motifs to illustrate the life unfulfilling life of Winston Smith.
In today's century, John Steinbeck and George Orwell have an influential mark on American literature. One of John Steinbeck's most known novel is Of Mice and Men. This novel is about two characters, George and Lennie, who are migrant workers that move from ranch to ranch struggling to earn a living during the Great Depression. On the other hand, George Orwell's most prominent novel is 1984. 1984 tells the story of man, Winston Smith, a man living in Oceania, a dystopian society, finding a way to escape the tyranny of Big Brother. John Steinbeck and George Orwell are greatly affected by the state of society in their lifetimes. Both authors use their novels to highlight the themes of control and the affects of change
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.
George Orwell’s 1984 has resonated with many who have experienced first-hand what life is like under a dictator. The novel describes how everything is controlled and monitored by the government and how even mere thoughts can be detected by ThoughtPolice. Readers get to experience Oceania’s system of ruling through the eyes of an Outer Party member, Winston Smith. At first, Winston is adamant to destroy The Party and its figurative leader Big Brother, but eventually is captured and converted into a lover of Oceania’s system of government. Children, although not playing a significant role in this book, are mentioned as devious little spies. They have the power to send even their own parents to the Ministry of Love to be tortured and converted back to orthodoxy. In 1984, George Orwell is effective in persuading younger generations of their power through the use of scare tactics, pathos, and ethos.
Dystopia is a society of human misery in which squalor and fear are rampant as the government enforces absolute power over its citizens, controlling them both physically and mentally. Dystopian literature is a style of fictional writing that explores societies crippled by deprivation and oppression. Since the citizens live in constant terror, rebellion is a natural consequence for citizens who want to survive. Winston is a citizen of Oceania who refuses to accept the conditions in which he lives and fights back. Rebellion is an element of dystopian literature that George Orwell uses throughout the novel 1984.
Alice Walker once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Walker’s quote accurately describes George Orwell’s overall atmosphere in 1984, which is depressing, dark, and lonely. Orwell first creates suspense in the novel by leaving the readers questioning what is going to happen to Winston Smith, the protagonist. Secondly, he uses descriptive imagery to show the complete control the Party has over its members. The 1984 novel uses suspense and imagery in Winston’s everyday life to create the pessimistic atmosphere that Orwell desired.
Orwell’s novel 1984 follows many common characteristics of dystopia by the persuasion of propaganda, the brainwashing of citizens, and a uniform lifestyle is integrated to please Big Brother and the Party which highlights their power. The Party controls propaganda and expectations in Oceania to make the citizens think and act a certain way, which dehumanizes them. Because the Party and Big Brother are shown with a large amount of power, it signifies the dominance of their presence in Oceania. Stories like 1984 can reveal a pattern between it and other dystopian tales by their shared
The word ‘Dystopia’, which is the opposite of utopia, means a dark future where the negative aspects of modern society are maximized. It is also called retro-Utopia.