Austin Barnhill George Orwell, 1984 Part 1 reading journal chapter 1-8 1. Summary: In this first part of the novel Orwell takes a focus on his world building. He uses the chapters to explain the way the society under Big Brother works and why the party is able to control people the way they do. On important aspect of these chapters is the theme of knowing one’s history, as our main character Winston works in records and has a job of altering historical documents to coincide with party wishes, but he himself wants to know the truth behind history as a way to prove the corruption of the party. Another important aspect of these chapters is Winston’s rebellion its affects on him as these rebellious acts reveal what Winston want more than anything free to understand and think his own thoughts.
In the novel “1984” by George Orwell, nonconformity throughout a society is presented through the point of view of its main character, Winston. In Oceania, the society is heavily ran by their government. “Big Brother” is a closed party which always watches the people of Oceania as a way to keep control. They work to keep the people in check and fear them in order for them to be more easily manipulated. Creativity and any form of individuality is practically forbidden due to the government’s fear of being overthrown.
In “1984” George Orwell conveys many themes. The theme I’ll be focusing on is individuality/Freedom of thought and speech. The entire plot of the book is based around Winston’s individuality. The book is based on his need for freedom of speech. The need for freedom of thought is what lands many different characters in jail.
The theme of conforming to others while questioning inwardly is very popular in most dystopian societies. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he uses this theme with the two main characters: Winston and Julia and by them joining the Brotherhood together. The idea of conformity and inward questioning is a big threat to the Party’s power and their control over the people, because they seek power over the proles. In 1984, the main character, Winston, conforms with the populace, but inside feels deep hatred towards the Party.
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 permissibility of abortion is a topic of popular debate. The discussions presented by Judith Jarvis Thomson and Rosalind Hursthouse provide two unique viewpoints on the matter. In her essay “A Defense of Abortion”, Thomson presents an argument for the moral permissibility of abortion even if the fetus is granted the right to life, and provides the famous violinist scenario, to illustrate that the right to life does not come with the right to use someone else’s body in order to survive. On the other hand, in the chapter “Women's Rights and Wrongs”, Hursthouse focuses on the concept of virtue and how it applies to the decision to have an abortion. Hursthouse believes Thomson fails to address ways in which abortion is permissible because she
Conformity Essay Rough Draft While reading books through an obedience lenses, readers search for which characters are compliant to a more powerful character, their reasoning, and how it impacts their actions and mindset. The focus book of this lens was 1984 by George Orwell, as Winston recognizes that almost all Party members are utterly loyal to the Party, yet attempts to rebel against the Party with the help of Julia and O’Brien, resulting in severe personal consequences. Rebellion shows disobedience that the Party works to revise through different forms of imprisonment and torture, leaving victims-like Winston and Julia-practically apathetic and emotionless. It is incredibly important to view books through an obedience lenses, particularly because of the relevance to society’s current state of affairs. By obeying authority figures because of fear of punishment, people can lose their sense of individuality and humanity, as evidenced by the characters in 1984.
Out of the many themes in George Orwell’s 1984; the human condition, fear, morality, and the concept of a natural moral barometer and how it differs from a societal moral spectrum, I have chosen to illustrate conformity in this piece. I felt like this motif would be shown the most natural in a governmentally regulated newspaper. I wanted to stay as true to the novel as possible so I adopted Orwell’s newspeak words like “doubleplusungood”, “goodsex” and “Sexcrime” which is human intercourse involving the physical connection between two of it’s members. Through the use of the literary elements my class has studied this year, I also illustrated the tools Big Brother has used to indoctrinate conformity. I utilized the use of pathos in the war
Winston Smith is the protagonist of George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984. Winston is described as concerned and anxious throughout the book, especially in the first chapter, where he is introduced to the reader. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons why Winston is concerned and the quotes from chapter 1 that support this claim. As the novel opens, Winston is shown to be preoccupied with a sense of foreboding.
Joseph Goebbels once said,”Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their freewill”. This statement is proven to be true in 1984. The author, George Orwell, creates a fictional dystopian society in which the population is manipulated into thinking they live in a great world, whereas the government has full control over them. In 1984, George Orwell’s prime message, supported by the article called Liberty in North Korea by Hae Re, was the lack of individualism gives power to the applicable leader, which is conveyed using the characters speech and symbolism. Orwell’s dystopian society showed the author 's message through what a character was saying and symbolism.
Throughout “1984”, Winston wishes to achieve freedom, individuality, and a rebellion against the Party. However, he realizes his goal is unattainable due to the seemingly invincible nature of the Party and its control over society. The quote, “In any case the Party was invincible. It would always exist, and it would always be the same. You could only rebel against it by secret disobedience or, at most, by isolated acts of violence such as killing somebody or blowing something up” (Orwell 192) exemplifies Winston's realization of the immense power of the Party.
Throughout the whole book Winston remains in this sort of fear and hate relationship with the party. He hated the party but at the same time they have so much control and so much power he knew he couldn't voice these opinions to anyone because Winston knew “You had to live did live, from habit that became instinct in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized” (Orwell 4). Living like this was not specific to just Winston. Every citizen besides the elite lived in constant fear and complete submission to the party which made revolt basically impossible.
Every human being is born with the chance to be unique and individual; a quality that is vital to the survival of society. When people conform to be like everyone else they lose their sense of human spirit as it what makes the human species different. At the beginning of the novel when Winston is writing in his journal and actively rebelling he is unique and has his own thoughts, but as his story progresses his views change and the Party slowly succeeds in taking away his individuality. Winston continuously rebels and has his own beliefs and thoughts even though he knows that “the two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of independent thought” (PAGE NUMBER). The
Sex creates an extremely exclusive bond between two individuals; it’s an unspoken contract of trust and love. Not only are sexual experiences private, but they also fulfill humanity’s instinctual desire and promote individuality. However, when this intimacy is either erased or condemned by society, individuals lose touch with that vital part of their humanity and individuality. In 1984 by George Orwell, sexuality plays an important role in both Oceania’s totalitarian government and Winston’s rebellion against his oppressors; as he explores his sexuality, Winston revolts against the Party’s manipulative political control, the destruction of individuality, the absence of human connection, and the practice of sexual puritanism.
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
