1984 George Orwell Themes

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1984 George Orwell Themes

1984 - George Orwell (1949)

Dystopian novel on the consequences of 

• totalitarianism (= a political system in which those in power have complete control and do not allow anyone to oppose them) 
• mass surveillance
• repressive regimentation (= extreme organisation and control) of people and behaviours within society)

Dystopian = 

relating to a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering, especially an imaginary society in the future, or to the description of such a society

1984 - characteristics

• Set in the year 1984 (35 years in the future when this book was published)

• Set in fictional London, in the nation of  Oceania (3 nations in total: Oceania, Eastasia, Eurasia)

• Society: Inner Party (the privileged, live in comfort & access to luxury goods) , Outer Party,

 (live in dilapidated circumstances, little control over space/property),  the proles (live in the slums, 

no one cares about them)

• Ministry of Truth = propaganda
• Ministry of Love = law and punishment
• Ministry of Peace = war
• Ministry of Plenty = rationing of food/supplies

• Telescreens (propaganda by Big Brother; Thought Police controls thought/

sees deviant thought), Room 101, Newspeak, Ingsoc

1984 - summary

• Winston - an average guy,  loyal member of the Party, belongs to the Outer Party
• Works for the Ministry of Truth, editing old newspaper articles to revise the past.

• O'Brien - a Party member  of the Inner Party with children who spy on others and report them to the Party; OR is O'Brien a member of the revolutionary group The Brotherhood
• Julia - Winston's colleague at the Ministry - a beautiful dark-haired girl he falls in love with. Is afraid she will report him for thought crime (thinking about her in a romantic way). Is she indeed an informant of the Party?

• Winston and Julia hit it off, find secret escapes, but....

• Romance is cut short and they are betrayed by whom?

• Love is not allowed; Sex is only for reproduction; Big Brother demands complete devotion: leader worship and patriotism - The Party exerts complete control of  body and mind and reality

NEWSPEAK

Fictional language of Oceania, the totalitarian superstate. 

Created by the Party to meet the ideological requirements of Ingsoc (English Socialism) in Oceania, 

Controlled language of simplified grammar + limited vocabulary 

->  limits  critical thinking/identity/free will

Thinking independently = thought crime + contradicts collectivism . 

NEWSPEAK EXAMPLES

rectify — the Ministry of Truth's euphemism for distorting a historical record

sexcrime - any type of sex that deviates from government assigned sex for procreation

thought crime  - describes the personal beliefs that are contrary to the accepted norms of society

thinkpol - the Thought Police, the secret police force of Oceania's government

unperson — an executed person whose existence is erased from history and memory

ROOM  101

THEMES

TOTALITARIANISM & COMMUNISM - A warning to the world after WWII what would be humanity's fate if totalitarian regimes seized power (Germany -> Hitler; Soviet Union -> Stalin). Orwell was an outspoken critic of Communism, wanted to expose the evils of totalitarianism and  promote what he called "democratic socialism":.

THE INDIVIDUAL VS COLLECTIVE IDENTITY - denial of individuality, eradication of independent thought through propaganda and terror. (e.g. Winston keeps a diary, wanders alone, falls in love, has a sexual relationship, insists on his own version of the truth, meets with the proles)

THEMES - continued

REALITY CONTROL - control through surveillance (telescreens/thought police), terror (torture, imprisonment, vaporization, spying by neighbours/coworkers/family), and propaganda/mind control (telescreens, destruction of historical evidence, rewriting facts, newspeak). 

SEX, LOVE AND LOYALTY - Love and romantic feelings forbidden; Big brother requires worship; sexual frustration can be controlled and used for war fever/leader worship)

CLASS STRUGGLE (COMPETING SOCIAL GROUPS; MARXISM HIGH/MIDDLE/LOW) - Winston reads Goldstein's book on class struggle; Inner Party / Outer Party / proles

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Task

In groups, discuss:

 How 1984 is still relevant today

Can you relate the 1984 themes to world issues today?

Can you come up with examples of Newspeak in today's world?

Create your own Newspeak words

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