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Individuality In A Dystopian Novel 1984

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In his dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell presents the dismal quality of life under a totalitarian government to illustrate the lack of control individuals have over their existence. Individuality is controlled and influenced by society as a whole. The pervasive influence of societal expectations blurs the line between personal desire and expected aspirations perpetuated by cultural norms. This places a strain on Winston’s relationship with his wife Katharine, as he struggles with her contradictory attitude towards sex. He recalls how “as soon as he touched her she seemed to wince and stiffen,” and describes her as “a jointed wooden image”(Orwell 66). He would rather remain celibate than experience the horror and embarrassment of her …show more content…

She continually subjects herself to regular “performances” because “they must produce a child” (Orwell 67). Katharine eagerly ignores her obvious discomfort in order to fulfill her duty to the Party, incapable of distinguishing between her personal wishes and societal expectations. The illusion of freedom of choice is often masqueraded as unimpeded freedom.Society relies on conformity to succeed and maintain order-as much as uniqueness and individuality is praised, it creates conflict and discomfort. Revolution and change are wholly dependent on standing apart from the crowd-something that would be blatantly obvious within the uniform world of Oceania. During the Two Minutes’ Hate, Winston’s mind wanders, as it often does, to the history of the Party and life before Big Brother. While he asserts that he participates in the daily chanting, saying “it was impossible to do otherwise,” there is a moment he is vulnerable, when “his eyes might have

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1984 Passage Analysis FRQ 2 The Two Minute Hate is an event planned by the Inner Party that stirs up a sense of patriotism and loathing against the common enemy for the people of Oceania. Winston, a member of the outer party, attends this event as a part of his daily routine. In the excerpt, George Orwell creates a violent, vivid imagery, and presents a descriptive comparison in order to achieve an atmosphere of madness and savagery through the narration of Winston. Orwell begins by presenting the sights that Winston sees during the event which illustrates the intense reactions of the people.

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In 1984 and “Harrison Bergeron”,complete faith in the government allows the government to implement practices from which the governors benefit, and not the ones governed. In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the people are governed by one ruling party, which controls all aspects of life and supported by almost all its citizens. The main character of the book is named Winston Smith and throughout the book, he begins to question the party and their doings. In the beginning Winston starts perform small revolts of his own, but as the plot progresses, his revolts become bigger and bigger. His biggest revolt was forming a sexual relationship with a woman, something that is strictly forbidden by the Party.

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The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform.

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The aforementioned quotes illustrate the extent of Winston’s desire for change and revolution, which can be inferred by the structure, language, and context present in the quotes. For example, the leading quote displays Winston’s desperation for change, as seen by the use of “hope” and the simple sentence structure of the statement. The use of “hope” shows that Winston’s desires hinge upon the proles, thereby illustrating the extent of his nonconformity; he is willing to place the burden of his own humanity upon the undereducated masses of society, because they are not restricted by the party’s orthodoxy, as opposed to viewing them as mindless cattle. Similarly, the simple sentence structure of the leading quote displays the certainty of

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Throughout the novel, Winston constantly references the fact that ‘Today there were fear, hatred and pain’ and that in this society of Ingsoc ‘No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred’ and this is displayed in many, various ways. An example of this is when Winston writes about when he went to see a film stating that the ‘Audience were much amused by shots of a great huge fat man trying to swim away with a helicopter after him’ and that ‘there was a wonderful shot of a child’s arm going up up up right up into the air…and there was a lot of applause from the party seats’. This displays the extent to which

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Do people live in a society where thoughts, relationships, and emotions are manipulated by those in power? The novel, 1984 written by George Orwell, warned Westerners of the dangers of a totalitarian government. When the book was written in the late 40’s, it was considered to be a futuristic novel, which described how societies would be controlled by those in power in the years to come. Orwell removes all sense of individuality through the power of mind control, power over the citizens’ love and sexuality, and receiving torture for not following the official rules.

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The injustices he faces on a day to day basis cause a repressed rage and even further a purposeful feeling of resentment towards both the party and the entire idea of orthodoxy. He felt that his rage was an “undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp. Thus at one moment Winston’s hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party and the thought police”. (page 16) During the two minute hate Winston finds himself feeling resentment towards the party by feeling a sense of discomfort due to the nature of following rules blindly.

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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.

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–‘Nearly every aspect of the society presented in 1984 by George Orwell is controlled, including the most natural impulses of sex and love’. People are encouraged to supress their sexual desire, sex was only to reproduce, it was a duty to the Party to make a child, who will end up being a Party

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When Faced With Tyranny When one is faced with an oppressive government, they can lose control over all aspects of their daily lives. It is also easy for one to lose authority over themselves when faced with a stronger force. What might one’s response be when they possess little to no control over their lives? Many people may blindly follow society, but others might choose to disobey the rules. In 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith’s defiant nature and curious attitude display that one may turn to rebellion when faced with tyranny.

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During a daily exercise known as the Two Minutes Hate, all Party members view a video usually featuring a speech denouncing the Party’s ideals and advocating for freedom and democracy. Even though Winston secretly supports these principles, he feels compelled to and even cannot avoid joining the frenzy of the Hate, entering a blind but abstract rage. He mentions that, “And yet that rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp. Thus, at one moment Winston’s hatred was not not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police….(Orwell 14). This is how Winston’s fear differs from that of other people’s.

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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.

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