Use of Literary Devices in 1984 Essay

Discuss and illustrate how Orwell political and social views are shown by the choices of themes characters, language narrative style in 1984

Comment on distinctive features of the novel.

Commenting on how effective you find it in warning about the dangers of totalitarianism.

Nineteen eighty four was released in 1948. It is a satire that depicts Orwells extreme perspective of a future controlled by totalitarianism. In the novel the world is split up into three main super powers Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, Orwell began to think of the implications of dividing the world up into what he called zones of influence in 1944 as a result of the Tehran conference the first world war two conference held by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. From the onset of the novel Orwells paints a very bleak picture of the world through the eyes of the main character Winston, the atmosphere is wholly depressing and the reference to decay these vista of rotting nineteenth century houses is a image that would have struck a cord with readers from the early 1950s having just been through the second World War. Orwells description of his unlikely hero Winston Smith is also one of desolation. His face naturally sanguine, his skin roughened by coarse soap and blunt razor blades and the cold winter that had just ended. The constant presence of the telescreen and the imagery of Big Brother and the Slogan Big Brother is Watching you provides a ongoing level of stress knowing that all of Winstons words and movement is being watched and scrutinised, this allows the reader to share the feelings of pressure and paranoia. The manifestation of Winstons Physical aliments varicous ulcer and his overall frail demeanour must be a result of living in a society were you are unable to trust or communicate freely with others. I believe that the main positive theme in nineteen eighty four is trust, Orwells message of mutual trust and common decency can be seen throughout his works but not more so strongly than in nineteen eighty four, it is the objective of the inner party to make individual distrust one an other and for them to place that trust in the party and its teaching.

We have cut the links between child and parent, between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dare trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer

Winstons job at the Ministry of Truth requires him to falsify documents and alter records in order to make the Party appear infallible. At the beginning of the second World War Orwell was employed as a Producer of weekly news reviews for the BBCs India Section. These reviews were anti-fascist propaganda. Orwells first hand experience of how propaganda can be used to effect mass groups defiantly informed his writing of nineteen eighty four, but the way in which Orwell prompts the reader through the questions Winston asks himself is brilliant and subtle. The act of re-writing history through constant alteration and destruction of opposing documents and evidence, enforces the parties hold over the population from generation to generation.

It was not true, for example, as was claimed in the Party history books, that the Party had invented the aeroplanes. He remembered aeroplanes since his earliest childhood. But you could prove nothing. There was never any evidence.

The dilemma that Winston is faced with is both frustrating and confusing, he knows on his own mind that historical events which have been altered by the party are now fact, and with every generation the teaching of the party are passed down without any question of there validity. Although Winston is able to acknowledge that what the party is doing is wrong he still find satisfaction in it.

but the important thing is that he enjoys himself doing it

With a faint feeling of satisfaction Winston laid the fourth message aside. Winston's greatest pleasure in life was in his work. Winston was good at this kind of thing

Orwells time spent serving as a policeman in Burma after leaving Eton saw him develop anti-imperial attitude and a true hatred for the Empire due to ruling over people who he felt despised him, he identified with the Burmese and other oppressed races and wrote in the second part of The Road To Wigan Pier that in order to hate imperialism you have to be part of it despite his political views he was highly regarded by his superiors. I believe these early experience of Orwells are reflected in this part of the novel where Winston is performing the work of the a regime he disagrees with, however there is no real sense of anger towards the party from Winston at this point only dismay of what is being done.

The start of Winstons relationship with Julia gives a break in the tension of the overall story the picture created by the language used by Orwell of the country side where their first real meeting takes place is a lot softer the bluebells had cascaded onto the ground. They had seemed to have fallen of their own accord. He took her hand the complete opposite of the earlier descriptions of Winstons home and grim view of London.

I felt lifted at this point in the story and was pleased that Winston and Julia had found one another, because the reader is so closely connected to Winstons thoughts the character of Julia is very prominent. She must genuinely love him because she is so much more capable than he is.

Her acts of rebellion are thought out she makes herself a figure in the community and a model citizen in order to avoid detection. Julia does not fully want to commit to Winstons crusade of over throwing the party she is a realist and even though she hates the party she does except that this is just the way things are and would be happy to continue with Winston as they were, Julia is truly scared by there meeting with OBrian Julia had turned a shade paler, so that her freckles were showing I believe that Orwell uses this as an indication to the reader that the pair are already in trouble, up until this point there has been no hesitation in Julia actions. Orwell provides the reader with details of Winston and Julias life as there relationship develops, but very little is explained about the party itself how it began or its real motives?

The only information the reader has is what Winston discovers throughout the story and his own theories on what is happening and why.

The mystery of the party creates the ongoing suspense and once Winston has received Goldsteins book from OBrien the reader finally feels that they will get some answers.

Winstons reading of the book The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism takes up most of Chapter nine I believe that Orwell uses this to slow down the story in order to get across the anti totalitarian message. The book deals with different political theories, class struggle and social political issues also the views of Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky, but stays within the context of the story. When Winston has reached the end of the book and it is clear that the other two states are basically the same as Oceania Orwell make escape impossible for Winston and Julia.

Inevitably Winston and Julia are caught which is what Winston had predicted from the start when he began writing in the diary. Winston is taken to the ministry of love, were he meets Parsons who had previously been described as an enthusiastic party member imprisoned because he used the word God in a line of poetry because it rhymed. In the meeting of these two characters Orwell deals with the oppression of writers in a totalitarian regime. Orwell had previously spoken of this in his essay in 1947 the prevention of literature he said

"Even under the tightest dictatorship, cannot the individual writer remain free inside his own mind and distill or disguise his unorthodox ideas in such a way that the authorities will be too stupid to recognize them?"

Winston undergoes "reintegration," which is mostly overseen by OBrian, again question about the party and its motives are answered we learn that there is no grand plan and that parties only seeks power for the sake of it, ironically as the Prole woman sings for the joy of singing as Julia had observed. When Winston is dreaming of the golden country he imagines OBrian being there his torturer and friend this in itself is an example of double think being able to hold to opposing ideas at the same time. When Winston is confronted by his fear of rats and in an act of self preservation shouts out do it to Julia not me he commits a selfish act and even though the self is supposed to be reserved for use by the party only and he should be punished he is spare I believe this to be a flaw in the story. By the end totalitarianism has won over humanity, When Winston meets Julia and they admit to betraying one another they repeat each others phased as did Mr Charrington does earlier in the novel this is a subtle way of showing they have been fully indoctrinated into the party. The story ends with Winston loving Big Brother.