1984 Satire Analysis

Satirical Analysis of 1984 and “A Modest Proposal”

Satire is a common form of writing used by authors to highlight issues they see in their societies. George Orwell and Jonathan Swift are two famous satirical authors because of their works 1984 and “A Modest Proposal,” respectively. These authors use the satirical device diminution, as well as some other devices, to highlight the idea that their societies excessively submit to those in authority just for the sake of survival.

Written in 1948, 1984 came three years after the end of World War II. 1984 is author George Orwell’s satirical take on the German Nazi Party, which held control of Germany from 1933 to 1945, according to History’s article “Nazi Party.” The Nazi Party “ruled Germany through totalitarian means” just as the Party ruled Oceania as a totalitarian oligarchy in 1984 (History). Both the Nazis and the Party in Oceania tried to control every aspect of their citizens’ lives. The Nazis promoted German pride and tried to force citizens to conform and relinquish their freedom with the threat of labor or death camps and through constant monitoring (History).

In 1984,

He uses diminution to illustrate that some sacrifices can be too great when others rule our lives. Swift makes light of the idea of consuming children, such as, “I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs” (Swift). Eating children is unthinkable in our society, but Swift states it as though it is a simple afterthought. This can teach us that sometimes people make too large of a sacrifice when they conform and allow others to dictate their lives. The messages from Orwell and Swift held sway in their relevant times, and the lessons from them have an impact today; we cannot allow our government to limit our freedoms and force us to make unacceptable sacrifices, lest we lose our freedom