PlanetPapers.com RSS Feedhttps://www.planetpapers.com/ Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, in relation to Satire and what infulenced the satire George Orwell, author of the brilliant political allegory Animal Farm was once quoted to say: "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly against Totalitarianism and for Democratic Socialism, as I understand it." Orwell saw his role as a writer to be the objective conscience of a society - he was trying to express the truth in a particular political system as he saw it. 1984, Orwell’s most famous book and perhaps one of the most important and dark political satires ever written is parodying many different institutions that existed all around the world in 1949 when he wrote the book. At this time, totalitarianism was a stalking fear. With Nazi Germany in the recent past and Russia and China in the present, 1984 was not only a savage social comment, but even a prophecy of what could occur in as little as 35 years time. Some of the satirical techniques used by Orwell in 1984 are irony and pathos, parody of literary works and exaggeration. In the story itself, Orwell portrays a dystopian and totalitarian state in which the government monitors and controls every aspect of human life to the extent that even having a disloyal thought –that is, a thought against the government, which is also called “The Party”– is against the law. The mysterious head of government is the all knowing, all seeing, all giving, beloved Big Brother. Again, ironically he is described as “...a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features." Who else springs to mind’s eye but the face of Joseph Stalin, whose terrible dictatorship destroyed the lives of millions? The day to day life is controlled by the ever-watching “Telescreens” in which people are watched for every hour of every day. Just by looking in some way “guilty”, for example a nervous twitching or talking in your sleep, you will be sent off to the ministry of love to be tortured and interrogated until you are “reborn”. Big brother must wear you down mentally by brainwashing and physically, by extreme violence so that when they do decide to kill you, you have learned to “love” big brother. This is why Winston comes to the conclusion that “To die hating them, that was freedom” As the novel progresses, the timidly rebellious Winston Smith, the protagonist of 1984, sets out to challenge 2005-03-06T07:11:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-by-George-Orwell,-in-relation-to-Satire-and-what-infulenced-the-satire-6042.aspx 1984: the end of time This date stands as a prediction, as a warning. Now, we know things didn’t exactly happen as they were detailed, can’t we give another meaning to the title, is it not just ironical? Orwell was definitely aware that this date would not be accurate, that this could not just be considered as a deadline, but a warning to open our criticism and vigilance, this title is nonsensical, you have to transcend the date to come to new questions, did it really need to be dated, as Orwell knew this would not be accurate, is it not a sign? It occurs through a study of the book that dates and time are a great 2001-09-26T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-the-end-of-time-3774.aspx 1984 1984 is a political parable. George Orwell wrote the novel to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse. The first paragraph of the book tells the reader of the "swirl of gritty dust....The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats." Just from these few lines Orwell makes it clear that there was absolutely nothing victorious abuot Victory Mansions. Every image the reader recieves from Winston Smith is pessimistic. Hate week, for example, is a big event in Oceania. The citizens prepare for it like Christmas. Instead of jolly songs with family and friends over punch, Hate week is celebrated with fists in the air while chanting about death, Goldstien, and whatever the party wanted the citizens to disgust. Winston hates the party and Big Brother. He hates the "pure" ones, also. Everthing about Winston's life drives him closer and closer to a suicidal point each day. What makes things worse, hte Party makes Winston think that he is crazy for wanting to be free to think and for wanting to remember. These simple things are taken for granted today. George Orwell devilishly illustrates the brutality that man can be capabel of when he is given such power. The people of Oceania are forced to love Big Brother. There is possibly no one that loves Bill Clinton, besides his family. there are several that love to makes fun of him, but on the political mainstream love is not involved as it is in Oceania. The setting in itself is an extremely important part of the novel. Winston lived in a "dark, gray drab jungle." Posters of Big Brothr were everywhere. The telescreen could see and hear asmost everything that Winston did. However, Winston could hide from it long enough to write in his diary even though he knew he would get caught eventually. Winston was alienated before Julia. He didn't have much contact with other people; he was constantly hungry both physically and emotionally. However, it is ironic that Winston enjoys the work he does but he hates the falsification. 1984 is a satire of the upper class. The members of the Upper class believe that they have supeiority over the common people. They are always wanting more than what is given to them. Very much like O'Brien telling Winston in hte Ministry of Love that it wasn't good enough just for him to say that 2+2=5; he 2001-06-16T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-3509.aspx 1984: Summary <div class="sub-title">Summary</div> The Story starts, as the title tells us, in the year of 1984, and it takes place in England or how it is called at that time, Airstrip One. Airstrip One itself is the mainland of a huge country, called Oceania, which consists of North America, South Africa, and Australia. The country is ruled by the Party, which is led by a figure called Big Brother. The population of Oceania is divided into three parts: 1.The Inner Party (app. 1% of the population) 2.The Outer Party (app. 18% of the population) 3.The Proles The narrator of the book is all-knowing and he is not participating in the action of the book himself. The protagonist is Winston Smith, a member of the OuterParty, working in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, rewriting and altering records, such as newspaper-articles, of the past. The action starts when Winston develops critic thoughts against the ruling dictatorship of the party, for the first time. Doing so he buys himself a book, a rare thing these days, to use it as a diary. As individual expression was forbidden by the Party, having a diary was a crime, which could even be punished with death. There were so-called telescreens in each room, showing propaganda and political pamphlets, which had a built in camera and microphone, in order to spy on the people. Therefore keeping a secret book was not only forbidden, but also very dangerous. When Winston makes the first entry in the diary ,he thinks about an experience he has made during the Two Minutes Hate, a propaganda film, that was repeated each day. During this Film he caught the eye of O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party, of whom he thought that he might alos stand critic to the regime, or that at least there is a bond of some kind between them. After the reflection, he finds that he has written the sentence :"Down with Big Brother" all over the page. In the same night Winston dreams about, his mother and sister, who had starved to death in the war, because he had been so greedy. Then he dreams of having sex with a girl he has seen in the Records Department, during the Two Minute Hate. Early in the morning Winston is waken up by the harsh voice from the telescreen. During the performance of the exercises, Winston's thoughts move back 2001-04-04T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-Summary-3130.aspx Vision of Society in 1984 <center><b>‘The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc’. (Emmanuel Goldstein in ‘The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism’, ch.3). Discuss with respect to George Orwell’s vision of society in Nineteen Eighty-Four.</b></center> Orwell’s society displays a threatening projection of a totalitarian system into the future. Indeed it is a regime very similar to the tyrannies of the 20th century and strongly echoes Stalin Russia or Nazi Germany. The dominant mood inside this repressive system is one of threat and suppression due to the systematic persecution and oppression of non-conformists. As Goldstein explains in his ‘Oligarchical Collectivism’ there have always been three classes: the high, the middle and the low with the middle and the high constantly changing their respective position. Eventually this movement was identified by historians as being cyclical. In an attempt to interrupt this recurring pattern the Party is essentially focussing on the problem of Stability. Indeed Stability becomes paramount in Oceania as well as in the other two superpowers Eastasia and Eurasia. In short it is the problem of how to keep things the way they are and maintain a hierarchical society without risking an overthrow of the established system. Several devices and attitudes have been conceived to achieve this aim. First of all the Party constantly controls and monitors its subjects. A crucial device in this scheme is the telescreen which, by being able to send as well as to receive information, allows a constant surveillance of all Party members. In addition other institutions such as the Thought Police or the Spies have been contrived to guarantee a maximum of surveillance. Moreover different concepts of thinking such as ‘Thoughtcrime’ and ‘Crimestop’ have been introduced in an attempt to detect and/or prevent any digression from the Party principles as soon as possible and thus eliminate any potential non-conformists. Even the expression of one’s face is subject to scrutiny as it might for example hint at a resentment felt towards Big Brother or might even indicate a possible future ‘criminal’ (in Oceania this concept is referred to as ‘Facecrime’). Although the system tries to suffocate all possible opposition from the very beginning, the Inner Party has nevertheless to confront several problems which directly threaten stability. Paramount among those is the industrialisation and the consequent introduction of machinery on a large scale which tended 2001-03-05T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Vision-of-Society-in-1984-2977.aspx 1984 and The Left Hand of Darkness The two books Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Left Hand of Darkness help to define humanity and truth. Humanity is the condition, quality or fact of being human collectively. The definition of truth is things as they are, things as they have been, and things as they are to come. Truth cannot change because it does not reflect a personal perspective. These books illustrate how humans relate towards themselves, friends, enemies and humanity as a whole. Truth allows humans to stand-alone. When they find truth they are able to be one against the whole. "Being in a minority even a minority of one did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad."(Pg.171, Nineteen Eighty-Four) This fact allows Winston to fight against the party. Truth is a powerful weapon that can defeat all odds. "One voice speaking truth is greater force than fleets and armies, given time." (Pg. 27, The Left Hand of Darkness) Genly Ai knew that eventually the people of Winter would accept the truth, however it would only take time. Truth cannot be changed by man but can only be distorted. This fact is illustrated in both books. "The shortcomings are in the messenger, not the message." (Pg. 106, The Left Hand of Darkness) Genly Ai knew that sometimes when the responsibility of the truth is on one person it could get distorted. The truth can also get distorted when the people holding the power are in charge of keeping the truth. "Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth." (Pg. 62, Nineteen Eighty-Four) When truth is distorted one loses the freedom to decide if one wants to support truth or untruth. When people's friendships go untested they believe a friend would do anything for them, but when the trials come the trials end in betrayal. Winston believes he will stay true to Julia no matter what happens. "If I could save Julia by doubting my own pain, would I do it? Yes, I would." (Pg. 184, Nineteen Eighty-Four) After Winston betrays everyone except Julia, he still believes he can withstand his torture and not betray Julia. "You have whimpered for mercy, you have betrayed everybody and everything. Can you think of a single degradation that has not happened to you? Winston 2000-12-07T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-and-The-Left-Hand-of-Darkness-2646.aspx Nineteen Eighty-Four: An examination of totalitarian rule in Oceania Having studied George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', I intend to discuss the type of Government envisaged by Orwell and to what extent his totalitarian Party, 'Ingsoc', satirises past regimes. I will also discuss Orwell's motive in writing such a piece and how his writing style helps it become clear. The main theme of Nineteen Eighty-Four concerns the restrictions imposed on individual freedom by a totalitarian regime. Orwell shows how such a system can impose its will on the people through manipulation of the press, the elimination of democracy, constant supervision (courtesy of the Telescreens) and more. Orwell also shows how the state has more subtle methods for imposing its authority, such as the manipulation of language and control of the media. Propaganda also plays a central role within the Party's infrastructure and it is used to gain support for Big Brother, stir patriotism and induce hate towards the chosen "enemy" country. Workers in the Ministry of Truth work to change the past, making Big Brother seem to have always been right. Also, the Party seeks to stifle any individual or "potentially revolutionary" thought by introducing a new language, Newspeak, the eradication of English and the deployment of "Thought Police" who terrorize Party members by accusing them of "Thought Crime" (ie. to think a crime is to commit a crime). The introduction of this new language means that eventually, no-one is able to commit thought-crime due to the lack of words to express it. This is a frightening concept – the restriction of your thought could destroy your personality if the ability to think for oneself was erased. Words are a weapon as far as the Party are concerned, but the war is not physical; it is a war against truth - The Ministry of Truth, minitrue, re-writes history and falsifies documents, the Ministry of Peace, minipax, makes war, "It's a beautiful thing, destruction of words... You haven't a real appreciation of Newspeak, Winston... Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we will make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it." (Syme to Winston -p46) Nineteen Eighty-Four may not be known to everyone, but there are certain phrases and expressions that have actually gained common usage in the English Language. Examples of this would be Newspeak, thought-crime, Big Brother, unperson and doublethink. All of which relate to 2000-03-08T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-An-examination-of-totalitarian-rule-in-Oceania-1736.aspx 1984 It has always been man’s dream to see and understand the future in an attempt to prepare himself for events which will eventually unfold. This hope is the premise for futuristic novels like George Orwell’s 1984, which, step by step, moves through the life of a rebellious citizen trapped in a world of deceit and propaganda. Very few people have been exposed to such a treacherous environment as Oceania, where Winston, the main character, resides. Therefore, it was necessary for the author to interject certain literary devices to allow for the ability to better relate to a character in Winston’s situation. To accomplish this, Orwell utilizes the theme of individuality versus tyranny, foreshadowing, and irony, in order to fully extract all possible motives behind Winston’s actions. Many countries, such as the United States, are founded on principles of individuality reigning over tyranny, more specifically, the freedom of choice. However, in the futuristic Oceania, run by “Big Brother”, such freedom and individuality is, for the most part, completely suspended. To act impulsively, or choose to oppose Big Brother, is a “thoughtcrime” of dire consequence. This is the basis behind the Inner Party’s control of Oceania. Winston however, from the commencement of the novel, showed that he was not willing to conform to such a tyrannical society. From his writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary as the novel opened, to his relationship with Julia, which was considered sexcrime in Oceania, Winston proved his thoughts were antiparallel to those of the Inner Party. The fact that Winston was so ready to rebel was quite courageous in that he knew people who opposed The Party, or were to educated, like Syme, were vaporized. The members of the Inner Party recognized the abilities of an educated man to see through the propaganda of Oceania, and would therefore tolerate nothing but ignorance. Winston, however, continued to oppose the state, and commited, in many ways, both thoughtcrime and sexcrime. He joined the Brotherhood, run by Oceania’s first public enemy, Goldstein, and even reads a book published by the man. This action follows Winston’s open attempt to befriend O’Brien in a society which would not condone such outward behavior. The reasoning behind the condemnation of friendship was that it was believed that friendship could lead to alliances that would threaten the reign of the Inner Party. Winston’s barrage of individualistic actions lead The Party to arrest him, 2000-01-09T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-1564.aspx 1984 Review Nineteen Eighty-Four is a compelling novel, written in the period just after W.W.II. It details the life of one man, Winston Smith, and his struggles with an undoubtedly fascist government. The book is set approximately in the year 1984, in which Winston's society is ruled by a governing force known as "The Party". At the head of this government is a fictional figure known as Big Brother, to whom all citizens must love and respect. In this society, privacy and freedom do not exist. People are constantly monitored by telescreens, and subjected to a constant barrage of propaganda. Any devious thought or action is dealt with by cruel and deadly punishment. Winston is a worker in one of the government agencies. His job: to rewrite the past so that The Party, specifically Big Brother, appears to be omnipotent. From as long as he can remember, he has despised The Party and what it stood for, although he doesn't reveal his true feelings to anyone around him. When Winston begins a torrid love affair with one of the young women in his agency named Julia, he finds someone else who shares in his beliefs. The two have several meetings throughout the book, in which they discuss their hatred for the government. They join a secret alliance called The Brotherhood, who's specific purpose is the end of The Party. Through the literature of The Brotherhood, they learn about the inner workings of The Party and how it accomplishes its stronghold on the people. The world as Winston knows it comes crashing down when he and Julia are arrested by the thought police, a faction of the government which deals with those who do not agree and abide by the ways of The Party. They are taken to a prison unlike any other. Winston is constantly tortured and beaten, until he confesses to crimes which he didn't commit or never even happened. If the party just killed Winston right away, they might run the risk of making a martyr out of him. Instead they re-educate him with the morals of The Party, using such techniques as pain, starvation, and using Winston's greatest fear against him. Once re-educated, he is introduced back into society. But he is not the same person, just a hollow shell. Winston had once said in the novel that if he could die hating Big Brother, then he would have won. 1999-11-18T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-Review-1194.aspx Nineteen Eighty Four From the very beginning Winston and Bernard make them enemies of their society. These characters risk their lives to try and recapture what we take for granted today. Winston and Bernard try to keep their individuality and recapture through their jobs, and the way they live. Both 1984 and Brave new World show us that we must be careful to protect our ideas and way of life. Through the two main characters, Winston and Bernard, the authors show the readers that once tyranny takes hold reality and individuality are lost. Winston attempts to keep in his individuality through the apartment he rents. The apartment, which was rented from the owner of the antique store, is one way he makes himself different. The antique store owner could sense how Winston was different from the others, and he showed that when he said, "There's another room upstairs that you might care to take a look at." (81) Winston is instantly charmed by the rooms nostalgic look and furnishing.! At first it was, "a wild, impossible notion, to be abandoned as soon as though of."(82) One thing that leads to him later renting the apartment is the fact that their is no visible telescreen. The owner told Winston the he never had one because, "Too expensive. And I never seemed to feel the need of it somehow."(82) In truth their was a telescreen behind the etching, which leads to the capture of Winston and Julia. The apartment was a huge symbol of the past to Winston. The apartment is decorated with relics of the past: a double bed, a metal etching of a church, a bookshelf filled with ancient tomes. Winston and Julia use these items as constant reminders of the past they are longing for. They believe that they can safely enter this world, separate from the one of the Party and Big Brother. In their mind it is a safe haven, in reality it is a rat, pest and filth ridden slum. It is not even safe from the Party. As it turns out there was a telescreen in the apartment. It was hidden behind the etching of the church, that Winston thought was so nostalgic. In the end Winston and Julia could not control their own lives, just like society where no one has a control. Bernard didn't have a nostalgic apartment, what he had was a way of life contrary to 1999-11-18T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-1195.aspx The Party's Denial of a Persons Natural Rights The novel 1984 touches on many disturbing aspects about the denial of a person's natural rights. In today's society people are granted certain rights which the government or anyone else can not take away. These rights are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In the novel 1984 the government which the people of Oceania live under has taken away all of the rights of people, including natural rights. The right to life has been taken away in the sense that a persons life is the party. A person is born for the party, works for the party, and dies for the party. Liberty is taken away by not allowing the privacy of thought or action. To coin the phrase "Big Brother is watching you". The right of a person pursuing happiness is unquestionably taken away because all forms of pleasure (games, sex, laughter) are illegal. The government promotes hate and unhappiness. The life of a person living in Oceania is strictly controlled. A person does not choose what they do for a living, or who they associate with. The party is the center of everybody's life. The only reason anyone marries or has children is so that the children can live for the party. The children grow up learning how to defy and betray everyone for the party. Children will tell on anybody, even their parents if they see them acting in a unorthodox or peculiar way. When Winston was in the Ministry of Love he discovers that a co-worker of his, a man by the name of Parsons, who had been turned in for thoughtcrime by his own daughter. This is a quite disturbing incident because Parsons was proud of his child and happy that he had been sent to the Ministry of love before he had committed any other thoughtcrime. He is a prime example of a person whose entire life was for the party and for Big Brother. Even though Winston and Julia were enemies of the party their lives were still spent doing work for the party. They would still participate in the two minute hates and would still do their jobs, which both helped the party brainwash more and more people. No one ever outwardly betrayed the party. Liberty can be defined as exemption from control of another, freedom from external restraint, and the power of choice. All of these definitions defy 1999-11-16T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Party-s-Denial-of-a-Persons-Natural-Rights-1176.aspx 1984 There is a reoccurring theme in the novel 1984, by George Orwell. The main character, Winston Smith is often fantasizing about his utopia, and dreaming about past events. In a world where everyone is controlled and everything is decided for you, Winston relies on his subconscious mind to maintain his sanity. Winston works rewriting the past in a department for the Party. His memories of the past are usually the opposite of the Party's version of the past. Winston is very confused about whether or not he is losing his mind. His dreams reveal the reality of the Party and the truth of the past, enabling him to trust his own instinct of what is right and wrong, keeping it clear in his mind what the past was really like. In one dream Winston envisioned his mother and his baby sister sinking into a well or lowering off the side of a ship - he wasn't quite sure. He felt as if they were being sucked towards death. He knew they were sacrificing their lives for his own. Winston realizes "...that his mothers death, nearly 30 years ago, had been tragic and sorrowful in a way that was no longer possible" (Orwell 28). He believed that the feelings of tragedy, privacy, love, and friendship were things of past times. The memory of his mother's death saddened him because he knew that she had died loving him, all the while he was too young and selfish to love her back. The loyalty his mother had for him does not exist in 1984. There is only fear and hatred and pain. Winston had another dream of the disappearance of his mother. He remembered a time of chaos and depression when he was about 10 or 12 years old. His father had disappeared sometime earlier. Food was scarce but his mother did what she could to comfort her children. Winston was always hungry, and that drove him to steal bits of food from his sister's plate. "He knew he was starving the other two, but he couldn't help it; he even felt he had a right to do it" (134). A chocolate ration had been issued and the family had a two ounce piece for the three of them. Winston, of course, demanded the whole piece. His mother responded by telling him not to be greedy. She gave him the majority of the piece 1999-11-15T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-1157.aspx Comparison of 1984 by George Orwell to the actual 1984 Since the onset of the United States, Americans have always viewed the future in two ways; one, as the perfect society with a perfect government, or two, as a communistic hell where free will no longer exists and no one is happy. The novel 1984 by George Orwell is a combination of both theories. On the "bad" side, a communist state exists which is enforced with surveillance technology and loyal patriots. On the "good" side, however, everyone in the society who was born after the hostile takeover, which converted the once democratic government into a communist government, isn't angry about their life, nor do they wish to change any aspect of their life. For the few infidels who exist, it is a maddening existence, of constant work and brainwashing. George Orwell's novel was definitely different from the actual 1984, but how different were they? They were different in 3 ways: government, society, and thought. 1984 starts out with a so called "traitor to the party," Winston Smith, walking through the streets nervously observing the video cameras that are watching his every move. He makes his way into his apartment and produces a journal from his coat pocket. He thinks that even this simple act of attempting to keep track of time and history could get him vaporized. This scene portrays the strong grip the government has on its patrons. A person either obeys them, or is killed, or put into a forced labor camp. After Winston starts an illegal affair with a younger woman he gets careless and "the party" finds out that he has committed what they call "thought crimes". A thought crime is the intent to do something illegal but not actually doing it. In Winston's world a thought crime is just as severe as a physical crime. They arrest him and his girlfriend and torture them until they realize what they did was wrong and that they love "the party" and will never do anything to hurt it again. The two governmental systems were different in a very major way. The actual government of England in 1984 was a democracy. This democracy's foundation was made up of a parliament and a prime minister. Most other nations of the time had the same set up. In Orwell's novel an oligarchic state existed. Airstrip One, which is the area we call England, was home to Winston and the central government of 1999-07-02T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparison-of-1984-by-George-Orwell-to-the-actual-1984-724.aspx Telescreens and technology in 1984 Through out George Orwells 1984, the use of telescreens is very efficient and effective for the Party. On the other hand it plays a very hard role on our main character, Winston. Through out the novel, he lives in fear of the telescreen and is ultimately taken by the mighty power that is the Party, all in help by the telescreen. The watchful eye of the telescreen is not totally fiction though, in many places it all ready exists. Winston is a worker who's job is to change history to make sure that its "correct" by the Parties standards. He meets a lovely girl Julia and falls in love. They together try to find life and happiness together, and also they want to find the resistance, or the group of people that they figured existed that will help see the end of the Party and Big Brother himself. In the search for the resistance something goes terribly wrong for them, and there discovered. After weeks or months of endless torture they are slit up, reconditioned and released again as good little Party members. All of this can be traced back to the usage of the telescreen. "A male security guard uses store surveillance cameras to zoom in on the cleavage of an unsuspecting sales manager" (Hancock 1995, 1) Are Americans willing to let government poke its lens into their business if it means more streets are safe? Can Americans live with the fact of being watched 24 hours a day to make sure there all in line and doing what there supposed to? Its as if Big Brother were here himself. Technology is improving day by day. As the electronic eyes shrink in size, Big Brother grows even bigger. (Hancock 1995, 1) Cameras can turn into instruments of abuse, even to effectiveness of telescreens that did in Winston and many of his kind. The wired society is a creeping phenomenon because there are no regulations or laws to protect against video surveillance. (Hancock 1995, 2) Our poor character Winston was subject to a harsher type of surveillance than what has been seen, but with no regulation the possibilities are very real that a system that did the work on the people of Big Brother can exist in our society today. George Orwell amazingly portrayed a anti-utopian world in witch everyone was caught up by the strong possibility that there being watched, and 1999-05-18T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Telescreens-and-technology-in-1984-685.aspx Truth and Darkness - 1984 and The Left Hand of Darkness The two books 1984 and The Left Hand of Darkness help to define humanity and truth. Humanity is the condition, quality or fact of being human collectively. The definition of truth is things as they are, things as they have been, and things as they are to come. Truth can not change because it does not reflect a personal perspective. These books illustrate how humans relate towards themselves, friends, enemies, and humanity as a whole while. Truth allows humans to stand-alone. When they find truth they are able to be one against the whole. "Being in a minority even a minority of one did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad."(Pg.173, 1984) This fact allowed Winston to fight against the party. Truth is a powerful weapon that can stand alone like unto an army. "One voice speaking truth is greater force than fleets and armies, given time." (Pg. 27 The Left Hand of Darkness) Mr. Ai knew that eventually the people of Winter would accept the truth, it would only take time. Truth can't be changed by man but can only be distorted. This fact was illustrated in both books. "The shortcomings are in the messenger, not the message." (Pg. 106, The Left Hand of Darkness) Mr. Ai knew that sometimes when the responsibility of the truth is on one person it could get distorted. The truth can also get distorted when the people holding the power are in charge of keeping the truth. "Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth." (Pg. 64, 1984) When truth is distorted one loses the freedom to decide if one wants to support truth or untruth. When people's friendship goes untested they believe a friend would do anything for them, but when the trials come they end in betrayal. Winston believed he would stay true to Julia no matter what happened. "If I could save Julia by doubting my own pain, would I do it? Yes, I would." (Pg. 186, 1984) After Winston had betrayed everyone except Julia, he still believed he could withstand and not betray Julia. "You have whimpered for mercy, you have betrayed everybody and everything. Can you think of a single degradation that has not happened to you? Winston had stopped 1999-05-18T14:00:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Truth-and-Darkness-1984-and-The-Left-Hand-of-Darkness-686.aspx Critical Review of 1984 By George Orwell 1984 by George Orwell is a story of a man's strugle against a totalitarianstic government that controlls the ideas and thoughts of its citizens. They use advanced mind reading techniques to discover the thoughts of the people and punish those who show signs of rebellion against the government. The novel is supposed to be a prophetic story, however, it was somewhat wrong in the date. Although some of the things described in the book are going on today, several things are not going to happen for some time to come. I believe that Orwell's purpose for writing 1984 was to express his feelings of how the governments would come to control everything and anything it wished to do. It is also possible that he wanted t tell of how mind control and torture techniques could be used to make an individual or an entire nation do what the government wanted. In his novel Orwell used the image of a man who stood in a shadow that covered his face. This was to make him anamous and unrecognizable. The figure was called "Big Brother" and this figure was placed on posters and put all over the place with the saying, "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." This was used to let the people know that no matter where they go the could not escape the watching eyes of the controling government. The government itself was very mysterious and had several parts that were very suspicious to the main character, Winston, who worked in one part of the government. It was divided up into four parts. The Ministry of Truth, where Winston worked, was incharge of education and the arts. The Ministry of Peace, which was in command of war. The Ministry of plenty, which controlled economic affairs. And finally the Ministry of Love, which concerned itself with law and order. Orwell also uses description of technology to show how the government controlled it's citizens. He constantly refers to telescreens that are in all areas and even in peoples homes. They have been placed there by the government in order to see what is being said and discussed by the citizens. He also tells of an occurence that happens everyday called, "The Two Minutes Hate." This event happens everyday at a specified time in which people assembled in front of a large telescreen where they were show pictures of terrible events in their history and then 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Review-of-1984-By-George-Orwell-132.aspx The Ironies of 1984 The novel 1984, by George Orwell, has many examples of irony throughout it. The two major types of irony: verbal irony and situation irony, are demonstrated again and again in this novel. In the following essay I will discuss these types of ironies and give examples of each from the book. The first type of irony is verbal irony, in which a person says or does something one way, but the true meaning is the opposite. One of the first example of this irony is discovered when the main character, Winston Smith, uses the "Memory hole" to deposit things-one would think that this would be where things are remembered ("Memory"), but it's actually an incinerator. The next example of irony comes when you learn about the departments of Government in Oceania. The Ministry of Truth is actually the maker of lies for the history books, the Ministry of Love discourages love, and the Ministry of Peace is actually quite violent. The final example of verbal Irony can be seen in the name of the leader of Oceania, "Big Brother." The concept of a big brother is one whom is older and wiser and helps the "littler siblings"-this not the case with 1984's Big Brother. The Big Brother in this novel completely watches over every move a person makes keeping them controlled with fear. The next type of irony is Situation irony, which is when a character or a sequence of events appears to be headed one way, but it ends up as the opposite of what was thought. One example of this is Winston's general health. From the beginning of the book, it is shown how horrible his health is and is continually getting worse and more difficult, but as Winston gets involved with Julia then he begins a metamorphosis into a more healthy person. Another major example is the betrayal of many of the people whom Winston thought were his friends, such as Mr. Charrington and even O'Brien- -who both worked for the Thought Police. This book is stuffed full of irony, the entire plot of the beginning would makes the reader expect one reaction and instead, the reader gets twisted the complete opposite direction at the end for surprise. George Orwell uses irony as sort of an exhibit, making it virtually the "how to write irony" novel for me. Throughout the book, all of the irony used became negative and depressing, 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Ironies-of-1984-133.aspx 1984 Reading Journal <b>Summary Chapter 1 and 2</b> We are introduced to Winston Smith the main character of the story. Works at Ministry of truth. Ministry of truth is one of four government buildings in destroyed London, the main city of Airstrip One, a province of Oceania. Year is 1984 and three contries are at war, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is run by the party whose leader is Big Brother. Winston is sick of his life in the ruined city and decides to keep a diary. This is against the law in Oceania. He felt his feelings begin to hate Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of the enemy party. He also spots O'Brien, a party leader whose eyes he see's a bit of political sympthy. See's young girl who he dislikes. He feels it is only a matter of time before his though crimes are detected. A knock at the door he thinks is police. Mrs. Parsons, his neighbor is at the door and asked him to unclog a sink. He does it but smells sweat all over the apartment. Mrs. Parsons is a follower of party doctrine and a fellow employee at the ministry. The children are members of Spies, a youth that encourages spying and telling on traitors, including parents. Winston is revolted. He returns home and writes a couple more minutes before going back to work. He remenbers a dream where O'Brien tole him he would meet him in a place wher there is no darkness. He washes his hands and hides the diary <i>Reaction</i> Major ideas, conflicts and themes are introduced. We are shown how the earth has changed, into 3 main contenients. we are also introduced to the main character and how he fits into the new world. Also we are shown how the computer age has taken over peoples minds. The language is easy to understand, it has not really changed much over time. Seems like nothing left after nuclear war, just ruins remaining. We are introduced to Tom Parsons which Winston is contrasted with. The city is very drab. <i>Quotes</i> <li>"Big brother is watching you, the caption beneath it said" <li>"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever." <b>Summary Chapter 3,4 and 5</b> Waking from dreams, he remembers his mother and sister, and can barely remember their disappearence and feels responsible for there deaths. He has another dream where he is in the perfect countryside with the girl he had noticed eariler. 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-Reading-Journal-134.aspx 1984 <b>1. Biography</b> George Orwell is the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, a British writer with political conscience. He was born in India but educated in England at Eton College. He served the Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922 to 1927. In sick health, he returned to Europe to live in poverty as a struggling writer. Orwell joined the Republican forces in the Spanish civil war, and wrote a chilling account of this experience. He went on to write many books, mostly autobiographical, and achieved successes as a brilliant writer. <b>2. Synopsis</b> The novel takes place in a theoretical and fictional dystopian totalitarian society. The story begins in London on April 4, 1984 after an atomic world war divides the world into three states. London is the capital of Oceania which is run by INGSOC(English Socialism). The controllers are called "The Party." The Party is divided into two sections, The Inner Party, and The Outer Party which are the "Rich" and the "middle-class." There is a third group of people called "The Proles," or "The Proletariat" which are the poor, and considered to be animals by the party. The main leader of this government is Big Brother. The novel is told in third person and partly first person, and is also divided into three parts. In the first part the main character and his conflicts with the world he lives in are revealed. Winston Smith is a bureaucrat who works for the government by altering history at the Ministry of Truth. He begins to ponder the reason things are so bad and commits a terrible crime. In the second part, he falls in love with Julia, and is taken in by a man named O'Brien, a member of the anti-party society called the Brotherhood. O'Brien turns out to be a true member of The Inner Party. Winston and Julia are captured and hauled off to the Ministry of Love (Minilove in Newspeak). Here, during the final part of the story, Winston is incarcerated and rehabilitated by The Party. O'Brien constantly tells Winston that Winston is crazy, and that he is trying to help him. During these sessions he reveals the true purposes of INGSOC. The party's goals can be summed up in their mottoes. "WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH(Orwell, 7)." <b>3. Theme</b> Under the rule of INGSOC, members of The Party are engrossed in their work. It is 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/1984-135.aspx Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Grim Prediction of the Future Nineteen Eighty-Four was written between the years of 1945 and 1948. Orwell got the title from switching the last two numbers of the publication date. In Orwell's criticism of a perfect society, his book became known as one of the greatest anti-utopian novels of all time. The book's message is so powerful that some say it went so far as to prevent the sinister future from realizing itself. Althought the book starts out as the story of a neurotic, paranoid man, it quickly turns into a protest against a quasi-utopian society and a totalitarian government. The book appears to be a satire at the start, similar to books such as "Gulliver's Travels", or Huxley's "Brave New World", but all too quickly the reader will "discover, quite unpleasantly, that it is not a satire at all." Nineteen Eighty-four is not simply a criticism of what Orwell saw happening in his national government with the coming of English Socialism, but a warning of the consequences of contemporary governmental practices, and what they where threatening to bring about. Perhaps the book seems so bleak because the events in the book are a somewhat logical projection from current conditions and historical environment that Orwell observed in 1948. Perhaps people would be more comfortable with the book if they could rule out in their minds the possibility of the prophecy becoming a reality. In a critique of his own work, Orwell called Nineteen Eighty-Four "A work of a future terrible [sic] because it rests on a fiction and can not be substantiated by reality or truth. " But perhaps this future is realizing itself more than Orwell thought it would. Orwell, more than likely, would have made note of, but wouldn't be astonished by, the fact that in 1983 the average American household spent over 7 hours in front of the television every night. The number is even greater for those households which currently subscribe to a cable service. Those families watch television for more that 58 hours a week. That is more that 2 days straight without sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom. He also wouldn't have passed by this magazine advertisement that could be seen in 1984: Is Big Brother watching? If you are tired of Government, tired of big business, tired of everyone telling you who you are and what you should be, then now is the time to speak out. 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nineteen-Eighty-Four-A-Grim-Prediction-of-the-Future-136.aspx Freedom and Liberty (a book review of George Orwell's 1984) Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. A Totalitarian society is a good example of such a society, because although it provides control for the people, it can deny them a great deal of freedom to express themselves. The fictional society in George Orwell's 1984 also stands as a metaphor for a Totalitarian society. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner party which governs the people of Oceania in order to keep them from rebelling. Current society in America is much more democratic. It contrasts with Orwell's society of 1984 because communication, personal beliefs and the people's loyalty to the government are all determined by the individual. In order to keep the people of Oceania in conformity with the desires of the governing Inner Party, the Inner Party controls several aspects of the people's lives. Communication, for one, is controlled for the benefit of the nation. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces the system. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven't a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thougtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. (p. 46)" One can detect from this quotation that the people of Oceania, as a group, have been brainwashed by the Inner Party to use only Newspeak. Syme, for one, understands the purpose of it, and he still complies with the system because he has been trained to do so. The concept of Newspeak is designed to control personal beliefs of the citizens by limiting their form of expression as Syme explains. But when the governing system is not followed, Thought Police are used to prevent thoughts that oppose the nation. "How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. (p. 6)" There is no doubt that - through both Newspeak and Thought Police - the 1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Freedom-and-Liberty-a-book-review-of-George-Orwell-s-1984-137.aspx