In the novel 1984 we explore the dystopian fictional universe in which Winston Smith is living in. Winston is experiencing continued oppression against his free mind by a phantom group called The Party. The novel was written by author Eric Arthur Blair. Or more commonly known as George Orwell. Even though the setting of the novel is in 1984, the book has been seen by numerous people as a serious warning for where our society is heading in the present and in the future. The main warning element is The Party and their regime. How and why is the ( inner ) Party represented in this specific way?
The Party is the governmental system of the country Oceania and is headed by the intimidating leader Big Brother. The Party’s rise to power in the past
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The party is divided into two sub classes; The inner party and the outer party. Inner party members generally have access to more spacious living areas, private vehicles, servants and better quality food in comparison to the low quality gin and synthetic coffee and cigarettes. Their members are mostly made identifiable by their black overalls.
Orwell’s convictions on totalitarian states and control of the past has been mostly been formed as a result of his experiences in the past such as the Spanish civil war and his earlier writings. This reflects in his writings and has taken the form of The Party in 1984. Why George Orwell chose to write 1984 in this specific way mainly comes down to the reason he started writing in the first place. Some of his earlier writings, such as Homage to Catalonia explain his wariness towards totalitarianism. His early writings reveal some of the reasons why he wrote 1984. In his essay “Why I Write” he explains clearly that all the work he had written since the Spanish civil war in 1936 was written with the purpose of writing purely with the intention of antagonizing totalitarianism. A prime example of this purpose is Animal Farm, this was one of his writings that was an allegory of the Russian revolution expressed as an innocent
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
Nature of Betrayal in Nineteen Eighty-Four Renowned author, George Orwell, successfully creates a dystopian environment in his futuristic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell continuously utilizes the theme of betrayal in order to illustrate the narcissistic ideals of a totalitarian society, and to highlight the fragile nature of relationships and how easily they are broken. Treachery is prevalent in Orwell’s dictatorial society through government manipulation and the betrayal of the novel’s protagonist by characters, Julia and O’Brien. Orwell highlights the government’s manipulative reputation and their ability to promote betrayal amongst the citizens of Oceania, through the establishment of the Thought Police and Room 101. Trust is an unattainable, unachievable
One of the most notable themes in 1984 is George Orwell’s depiction of conformity. Conformity means to behave in accordance with socially acceptable conventions. In 1984, the party sets laws and brings in technology that forces the population into conforming. This is done so that they can control the population easier, and manipulate them into believing the party’s ideals. To do this, they firstly make everyone wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and live in the same conditions.
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
Winston Smith was not the only party member that knew about the changing of the past. People from all types of social status understood and obliged by that element in their society. In part two of 1984, Orwell showed the audience how easy it was to change the population’s minds and opinions. During Hate Week, an orator of the Inner Party, who was giving a rousing speech to the people, was handed a sheet of paper informing him that Oceania was now at war with Eastasia, not Eurasia. “He unrolled and read it without pausing in his speech.
Living through the first half of the twentieth century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Soviet Union. Fighting in Spain, he witnessed the brutalities of the fascists and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. In his novel 1984, Orwell paints a dark and pessimistic vision of the future where society is completely controlled by a totalitarian government. He uses symbolism and the character’s developments to show the nature of total power in a government and the extremes it will go through to retain that power by repressing individual freedom and the truth.
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.
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.
What is a hero? A hero is someone who has the ability to rise above challenges and is brave enough to sacrifice himself for others. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, by definition, Winston Smith can be considered the novels hero. This is because of his strength and bravery to go against the party. While reader can admire Winston, they can over exceed his actions.
George Orwell wrote 1984 back in the midst of World War II, which is alluded to multiple times in the book. He discussed what this world might turn into if we do not take action against the European leaders. The book depicts a over-controlling government, referred to as the Party, which is constantly spying on the citizens of the dystopian society called Oceania. One of the Outer-Party members named Winston Smith realizes the wrongdoings of the government and starts to rebel against them. Throughout the entirety of 1984, Winston can be seen as a hero by his defiance against the Party, his hatred toward the Party, and how he may have sparked a rebellion.
1984 by George Orwell makes several statements about control, security, and how governments should treat their citizens. However, a reader can also look at chapters 1-7 of the book as a statement on social classes and how the government keeps everyone in a certain social class. What values does the work reinforce? The book is mainly about control of the government.
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
by dividing the populace into sections in hopes of ultimately keeping members powerless. The society of Oceania is divided into four sections with Proletarian (at the bottom), Outer Party, Inner Party, and Big Brother (at the top). The Proles and Outer Party reflect the lower classes in the U.S. meanwhile the Inner Party and Big Brother represent the upper classes whom possess the most power in society. “But the proles, if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no need to conspire” (2). The Proles are comprised of the majority of the population of Oceania and if they wanted to have the potential of causing a change in their government.
Throughout 1984, Winston is forced to confront a society which rejects the central tenets of humanity and independent thought, and which presides over society through the dissemination of propaganda. Orwell’s novel explores the dangers of totalitarian government and absolute control and is a prophetic tale of power and control that must be heeded in modern times. Totalitarianism is employed to grant absolute power to the Party and ensure the deference of the
“In the end [sic] the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it” (Orwell, 2003, p.80). Throughout his novel, George Orwell often predicts the slow deterioration of both intellectual and social control as the omniscient “Party” undermines the public it serves by changing history and becoming the monarch source of all information.