The novel, 1984, is a dystopian story of corruption and describes the dangers of a totalitarian government. The story highlights Julia and Winston’s journey to bring down the party and Big Brother. It is clear that the novel, published just four years after World War II ended, was designed to inflict fear. Orwell’s vision of the tyrannical style of government demonstrated in 1984, serves to enforce the notion that power and manipulation are treacherous. Throughout the novel, Orwell uses unique diction, and sense of fear in order to appeal to pathos and logos and represent his idea of an authoritarian society.
In his influential novel, 1984, George Orwell uses a myriad of literary techniques, including themes, imagery, and motifs, to characterize life in post-revolution Oceania; he contrasts monotonous diction and curt sentence structure with vivid diction to emphasize the incompatibility of the bleak landscape of the city with the curious, emotional landscape of the human mind. During this passage (the first three paragraphs of page 126), Winston and Julia finally meet up in a secluded, forested area, where they talk and have sex. Directly after the two wake up from their nap, they part ways, Julia leaving first and Winston twenty minutes later, as not to get caught together. Orwell depicts a calm mood in this scene by using peaceful diction.
In 1984 by George Orwell, the theme of danger following totalitarianism appears through various literary devices, tone, and syntax. For instance, on page 267 Orwell writes, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows”(Orwell 267). To elucidate, this citation emphasizes the importance of intellectual freedom and the ability to express thoughts and ideas freely. Specifically, the use of simple mathematical concepts highlights the basic nature of this right and how it forms the foundation of all other freedoms.
“No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred.” Everyone has experienced fear before, but not everyone has experienced the kind of fear that can be put into one specific category of emotional manipulation. Winston Smith, the main protagonist of the controversial but captivating novel, 1984, is one of the select few. The question we want to try and ask ourselves is why the author of this book, George Orwell, decided to use fear more as a weapon than just a simple symbol when warning us about the future. Throughout the story, Winston battles emotionally with the effects of the Party, the harsh government home to Winston’s world, Oceania.
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
“It’s a beautiful thing the destruction of words” Syme firmly declares(Orwell 1). The Party seeks to narrow the range of thought leading to a decrease in thoughtcrime. Syme is dedicated to the Party and specializes in language, so he is a firm believer in getting rid of Oldspeak. In George Orwell's 1984, Syme utilizes dismissive diction and logos to convince Winston of the beauty in destroying a language.
Winston, the main protagonist in the novel “1984” once said a society based on hate would not survive. This is a true fact; a society based on hate would indeed not survive. While Winston was being tortured, he told his torturer, O Brien, that a society that forbids friendship and does not permit love for anything besides big brother would not survive. The reason why this type of society would not survive lies evident throughout human history. Multiple nations around the world including Russia, China, France , and even the United States have al collapsed due to problems in those societies or unfavorable dictatorship.
Language: “The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall.” (2) “Day and night the telescreens bruised your ears with statistics proving that people today had more food, more clothes, better houses, better recreations... Not a word of it could be proved or disproved... It was like a single equation with two unknowns” (74) L(1) George Orwell, the author of 1984, uses figurative language within this quote with a perfectly crafted simile.
In 1984 George Orwell utilizes forceful verbs, words with negative connotation and figures of speech to create an anxious mood. Orwell’s use of evident verbs enforces the mood of anxiety. The verbs “gazed” (3), “hovered” (5), and “scrutinized” (4) all impose the mood of anxiety. The verb “gazed” (3) provokes the feeling of not only being watched but stared at. Orwell does this knowingly, causing a mood of anxiety towards readers because one does not feel at ease when being watched or “gazed” at.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the main theme is of conformity to the wants of society and the government. Themes of dehumanization of our species, as well as the danger of a totalitaristic state are repeatedly expressed. Orwell demonstrates this theme by using setting and characters in the novel. The setting helps to convey the theme because of the world and kind of city that the main character lives in. Winston’s every move is watched and controlled by the governmental figurehead known as “big brother”.
Why is it important to learn about World War 2? World War 2 (WW2) was an event that took place during the time period from 1939-1945. It was a continuation of WW1 but lasted 2 years longer. More people died during WW2 and the extermination of Jews and other races was a big part of the German ideology. This is why the Nazis persecuted specific human races; like Jews, Gypsies and Serbs, homosexuals and those who had disabilities.
In 1984, Orwell paints a nightmarish picture of a totalitarian system gone to the absolute extreme. He believed that totalitarianism and the corruption of language were connected and he integrated it into the novel by using language as the ultimate weapon of destruction. Big Brother uses the power of language to oppress, persuade and control the people of Oceania. The official language of Oceania is Newspeak, which the party use to control its subjects and outlaw subversive thoughts.
Nineteen eighty-four is a highly constructed dramatic experience which effectively delineates totalitarianism and controlling governments within Oceania, revealed through its respectable language. The language used by Orwell critics how the dystopian land of Oceania was during the time of the cold war. Within the last paragraph of 1984, Orwell effectively depicts the dystopian world of Oceania and shows that through the extreme control of human nature by using INGSOC’s, the representation of big brother and the act of dehumanisation, portraying that the government is purely a one sided and controlling government. Through Orwell 's use of techniques, he prompts the reader to question the ideals totalitarianism and government control. Thus, the audience is informed that the totalitarian government has a vast amount of capabilities, that can be used ultimately to control the minds of individuals in 1984.
Language and thought were always seen as two different processes, where thought was always taken as the main process. Language was just seen as means of communication, a process of expressing our thoughts to other people, and so, a thought came first, which means that language was developed as that thought was put to words. But then, we later realized that the way a person speaks affects the way they think, and that people of different languages think in different ways. That is why in George Orwell’s 1984, the INGSOC Party used language to manipulate and eradicate personal thought for political purposes; they developed a new language called Newspeak, with the intention and aim of obtaining total control and make any other thought impossible. The Party’s replacement of Oldspeak by Newspeask made many thought words impossible and was therefore used as a mechanism of control.
Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is quoted as saying, “The limits of my language means the limits of my world,” a sentiment heroically displayed in the novel 1984, written by George Orwell. Within the confines of the story of Winston, a man living in Oceania under the complete and total control of the Party, Orwell accurately displays the limited language forced upon the citizens and explains the inexplicable way the party destroyed the past in order to completely control the future of its members. Furthermore, Orwell intricately examines the devolution of language and the subsequent effects on the intellect of citizens and their personal belief systems. Upon reviewing and examining Old English and Middle English prose, it has become blatantly
