In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster teaches readers the meanings behind commonly used symbols, themes, and motifs. Many readers of all ages use this book as a guide to understanding messages and deeper meanings hidden in novels. The deeper literary meanings of various symbols in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are explained in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. By using Foster’s book, readers can better understand the symbols in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Art is way of expression. People can use actions and art or express themselves in ways other than speaking. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, symbolism holds a big significance. The trees mentioned throughout the book symbolize Melinda’s changing “seasons” (her “growing” as a person). People, like trees, go through phases, they freeze in the winter, becoming nothing but lonely limbs without leaves covered with white slush.
George Orwell’s 1984 is a novel that follows the thoughts and choices of Winston Smith in a dystopian society called Oceania which is located in post apocalyptic Europe. Time and time again—readers are reminded of the dangers and risks of being caught by the Thought Police; therefore, in order to survive, one must always hide their thoughts from the government. However, it was not a surprise, but a matter of time, before the government grabs a hold of Winston for his thoughts or his affair with Julia—a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League—due to his spiraling and repeating curiosity of the Ministry of Love. However, what did cause controversy was the insidiousness and betrayal of O’Brien, whom is a member of the government and who Winston and
The five symbols from Lord of the Flies are the island, conch shell, the glasses, pig head, and the beast. The island is a battlefield for the boys. The rest of the world is at war with the, and the boys at war with each other. The sounds and the actions that the boys make are compared to a cannon and the drum boy banging his drums (“Lord of the Flies”). In the novel, Roger pushes a boulder, and it makes a rumbling sound as it rolls towards Piggy about to kill him.
In Orwell’s novel 1984, Winston is having subversive thoughts against the Party and as he is having a secret love affair with Julia, they share the same rebellious thoughts against the government. Foremost, from where Winston work he can see the slogan “Ignorance is Strength, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery” and he can clearly see the huge “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” poster along the corner. The slogans and the big brother poster symbolizes how the government brainwashes the citizens making them to constantly think of the government and compressing their thoughts of rebelling against the government, which makes Winston feel oppressed because the government is taking away his freedom of thinking, and he feels he is being watched over every
Some things mean and stand for something more than what they literally are, they are called symbols. The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is about a group of British boys getting stranded on an island, they begin making their own civilization at first but slowly conflicts arise and everything falls apart resulting in two dead bodies and one missing. In the end the boys are rescued but by then they have lost innocence. In this novel, many things, objects and ideas, are given more meaning than they have in a literal sense. In real life an example of a symbol may be a handshake, a handshake may symbolize respect, peace, and it is a type of greeting.
In 1984, a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, proles are represented as being generally incompetent in the ability to think and rebel against their stolen rights. However, as the story progresses, Winston comes to a realization that proles are the only ones with the character of human beings and the strength to gain consciousness to overthrow the party. Through this characterization of the proles, Orwell satirizes the detrimental effects of Stalin’s totalitarian government in employing total control and perpetual surveillance of the people in USSR to maintain an established hierarchy. The nature of how the system views the proles is clearly visible through the treatment and description of the proles in the eyes of Winston.
Secondly, the Proles i.e. the working-class citizens cannot antagonize the Party to free themselves since that would lead to oppression and bondage. Finally, the Proles must totally embrace ignorance; to oppose the Party is paramount to incapacitate the society. Each of these ideas are ironical because the indication is in contradiction to the real life of those who are living in Oceania. A symbol is any object, person, place, or action that is meaningful, and that also illustrate something larger than it does, such as a standard, a viewpoint, an opinion, or a significance. Symbolism is obvious in 1984; the telescreen is an emblem of the physical and psychological power the government exercise over the people, and the piece of coral Winston
In 1984, George Orwell allusion to Shakespeare is intentional. Shakespeare comprises on the complexities of feeling and the ambiguities that exist inside of the human quandary. Shakespeare composes of a world where there is finished disunity and a feeling of complexity in everything human. In 1984, it is not the same world of the Big Brother, there is less freedom and human achievements. Shakespeare depicts our current reality on which sad collisions build what it intends to be mankind.
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.
At this point Julia and Winston have yet to betray one another, but Winston believes that the beating they will receive with have him or Julia turn on each other. “Room 101 said the officer” Winston was taken into a room which was called “ Room 101” which is where they take people and torture them not of it was physical torture like beatings. Winston feared rats so when he gets dragged down into the room I originally thought they were gonna kill him but he isn’t scared of death. The room could be a symbol in the story it could represent people’s worst fears. I looked up the meaning of a rat and it says it symbols depravity which means wickedness.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four Orwell presents the sexual and analytical desires of a dystopian fiction as a means of force in order to achieve political and spiritual renewal. Erika Gottlieb suggests that Winston’s desire to keep a diary is a result of his obsession in order to establish and maintain the truth as ‘Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.’ It is an attempt to defend private memory against the party’s efforts to control and rewrite history. In order for the party to retain absolute power for Big Brother, they primarily concern themselves with dominating citizens through the control of their experience of memory, history and relationships in order to eliminate freedom, individualism and autonomy. Language and
Camille Brule Mrs. Schroder English IV Honors 26th April, 2018 Smashing Symbols Symbols are utilized by authors to convey meaning and hidden themes to readers as a way to get a point across without being overt. Symbols in literature don’t have to be physical objects, they can be names, people, events, or ideas. George Orwell consistently utilizes symbols throughout 1984 as a way to add another layer of depth to the book. The books overall feeling is dark and secretive, by adding symbols Orwell challenges the reader to read between the lines to fully appreciate the message behind 1984.
In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell, one of the three slogans of the INGSOC party was "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.” The English Socialist Party of Oceania wants complete control over all of the citizens and most importantly, their minds. On my poster, I have included three symbols below the slogan representing each phrase. “War is peace” and “freedom is slavery” connects perfectly with the concept of doublethink. Regardless of both of the phrases being contradictory in meaning, they are both considered to be the same in the minds of the Oceania citizens.
The more intelligence you have the more power you will have over everyone. They were always saying how everyone was equal. In the story nobody’s equal like when the pigs were leaders over everyone. How the pigs got to sleep on the beds and all the other animals had to sleep outside. The next example is that the pigs got to wear the cloths.
