George Orwell

Historical Background  Written in 1948  Plot and theme reflect the events of communist Russia at this time  Stalin supreme power in Russia  Brought changes such as forced labor those who resisted were sent to labor camps  Unskilled workers became controlled by a minority of loyal skilled bureaucrats who enjoyed certain privileges restricted from the masses  classes widened = new elite

The USSR  Stalin names Russia “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” (USSR)  Stalin named it and proclaimed it “the most democratic in the world” - not even close to the truth about the country  Elections were a mockery (one party, dictatorship)  Communist party built like a pyramid of power with privileges for an elite few  Stalin remained in power until his death in 1953  Some elements of the plot of 1984 parallel this history

Television  It was a new invention just becoming popular after WWII  The first BBC broadcast was in 1937 and TV was first demonstrated to America in 1939  Orwell recognized the enormous potential of this communication tool  He imagined that the TV could one day not only broadcast propaganda nonstop, but that it could transfer back the images of action happening in front of the screen – allowing broadcasters to spy on its viewers

The Author – George Orwell  Born 1903 in India, grew up in England  After school, joined civil service  Was a sergeant in the police force  Saw British imperialism first-hand in India, was appalled at the oppression he witnessed  Chose to live among the lower classes for one year  Became a socialist, moved to Spain, was kicked out by Communist Party  In 1945, wrote Animal Farm, a political satire  1984 published in 1949

Reaction to Novel  Bleak ending: readers and critics took it as an attack on socialism and Communist Russia  a prophesy of what would happen if communism spread to West  Significance to title? NOTHING! Orwell simply transposed the last two numbers of the year that he finished the book!

Orwell: Political Performer  In his 1946 essay, “Why I Write,” he says that “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”  Next book was Animal Farm: fable about the events during and following the Russian Revolution. It was liked by critics and public.

 A novel of psychological terror that warns us about a future where the government controls everything and individual rights are taken away  The novel was a response to Totalitarian governments (Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, etc.)  The world of 1984 is a negative utopia --- a dystopia.  The main character, Winston Smith, tries to rebel against society  He begins his rebellion with the simple act of writing in his journal --- which is illegal

What’s this world like?  All citizens are monitored by telescreens which are present in all homes and workplaces  The government is represented by Big Brother, a figure who “sees everything”

 Laws are enforced by the Thought Police, who arrest and “vaporize” anyone who even thinks disruptive thoughts  History is constantly rewritten so that the predictions of Big Brother will never be wrong  Citizens are constantly asked to show their allegiance by engaging in rallies and meetings to support Big Brother  Hatred for the enemies of Big Brother is encouraged through the use of propaganda  The society of Oceania is constantly at war with other countries --- or so Big Brother says.

Creation of 1984  His work on 1984 was interrupted by his treatment of tuberculosis  Docs ordered him NOT to spend more than an hour a day  He couldn’t find a typist who would travel to secluded home in Scotland, so he typed it himself and collapsed upon completion of book.  He was bedridden for the following 2 years.  Many critics claim that his failing health may have influenced the outcome of the novel, and he admitted that they were probably right.  1950 – he died of TB

1984 the novel  Published in 1948  Set 36 years in the future  Orwell’s dark vision into the future about how the power of the state could come to dominate the lives of individuals through cultural conditioning  Genre: Science Fiction  Apocalyptic Satire: Apocalyptic=end times, Satire= vices ridiculed, usually through humor  Therefore, it is a novel that ridicules the ills of a futuristic society  Orwell states that his book was explicitly written “to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society they should strive after”

Brief context of plot  Main character: Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party from Oceania (fictional state of England and America)  Outwardly, he lives as a good party member, in complete conformance with the wishes of Big Brother (leader of the Inner Party)  But, as the year 1984 begins, he decides to keep a journal with his true feelings – his hatred for Big Brother  Winston works at the Ministry of Truth and his job is to alter, or “rectify”, past new articles that have been “proven” false  Begins to plot a conspiracy, falls in love…read to find out the details!

THEMES –1. Big Brother 1. The power of Big Brother: face as the symbol of power that is completely inescapable – hypnotic hold over people, face is everywhere. Winston reads: “Big Brother’s function is to act as a focusing point for love, fear, and reverence, emotions which are more easily felt toward an individual than toward an organization” (76). -Orwell uses this figurehead for tyranny to powerfully illustrate the effect totalitarian govt. can have on the human spirit.

Themes – 2. Freedom/Enslavement  Set in Oceania – totalitarian state ruled by BB  Controls citizens down to their thoughts  Monitors them through spies and telescreens  Facecrime – someone doesn’t have the right facial expression  Thoughtcrime – being overheard talking in your sleep or accused of “bad thoughts” toward BB  Any act of free will is punishable  Only proletarian ghetto is free – they are also starving and live with crime – calls them “proles”

Themes – 3. Appearance/Reality  Everyone appears to be loyal to BB, but through Winston, we know that is not true  The Party cannot allow people to have a perception of reality that is different from theirs

Themes – 4. Loyalty/Betrayal  Party destroys loyalty between people: coworkers, friends, and family (children are encouraged to turn their parents in for thoughtcrimes, etc.)  Party outlaws sex for pleasure because it could lead to love, connection, and personal loyalty – these threaten Party control  Marriage is simply an arrangement between man and woman for procreation  Betrayal – no one can be trusted – you can be accused of a thoughtcrime at any time. Therefore, people don’t talk about anything personal or trust

Themes – 5. Utopia/Dystopia  1984 is clearly a dystopian book  Instead of being a society that is a triumph of human spirit and creativity, the society the Party has created is full of fear, torment, and treachery that will worsen over time.  Again, Orwell wrote this as a warning of what COULD happen if we strive for Utopian ideals

Themes – 6. Patriotism  Blind Patriotism of Hitler and Stalin inspired Orwell’s Big Brother  As in real totalitarian regimes, the focus is on winning over the children to promote their policies – they could be trusted to obey and blindly follow without conspiracy

Themes – 7. Information Control  Manipulation of the masses by controlling the truth  Ministry of Truth – where Winston works- creates collective amnesia by erasing and rewriting history, always casting favorably on the Party  Winston can see this manipulation and his rebellion is motivated by his hunger for truth  Orwell was aware of propaganda-driven movements such as early 20 th century socialism

Themes – 8. Degradation of Language  Oceania’s official language: Newspeak  Want to reduce critical thinking ability by reducing meaning of words (“doubleplusgood”) because a smaller vocabulary= less opportunity for deviation  Enables party to cover up crimes and policy shifts with certain catchphrases

Themes – 9. Personal Rebellion  Any type of defiance is reduced to a personal level: diary, renting a room, falling in love  Things that someone not living under totalitarianism would take for granted  With the crushing of personal rebellion (that we’ll see), so is any hope for the future

Themes – 10. Triumph of Drudgery  Overall atmosphere of 1984 is dreary, depressing, murky  Moments of color and power occur during Party rallies and celebrations  Proletariats are obsessed with the lottery and getting drunk  The Party is fine with this b/c they have no intellectual stimulation or culture; no position to rebel  Orwell had a fear of a state of perpetual war (post WWII London) and that it would lead to a reality of drudgery in the world  Soviet Communism promised the liberation of the masses, but its actions mirrored the philosophy of Oceania: “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.”

AUTHOR’S STYLE  Point of view: 3 rd person, but through the eyes of Winston (3 rd person limited)  We only know what he knows and we make the same judgment of characters that he does  His opinions are well known to us as readers (not to others)  Some of Orwell’s personal judgments of class, etc. parallel those of Winston

Setting  The original title was 1948, but Orwell switched the last 2 letters so it was set in the future –but still close enough into the future to be frightening  Takes place in London, which is now part of a country called Oceania  Oceania is continually at war with another one of the superpowers, Eastasia or Eurasia  Enemies can change overnight, but the Party will just rewrite the history so no one will remember things any differently  Perpetual state of war consumes most of the state’s resources and food/clothing/goods are rationed, just like they were in England during WWII  Winston lives in what was England –a drab, grey, decaying urban area

Language and Meaning  Orwell was very aware of the power of language, so he has the totalitarian govt. create a new language - Newspeak  Basic idea is to take words that refer to ideas that Party disagrees with and strip them of their original meaning or eliminate them  Newspeak also adds words, such as “oldthink” referring to how people thought before the revolution  Party’s most famous slogan: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH  Orwell’s point is that language can be misused to mislead people

Structure  3 parts plus appendix  Part 1: sets up Winston’s world – we see through his eyes/thoughts to understand his loneliness and why he takes the risks he does  Part 2: he connects with people that he thinks are like him, has an affair, attends underground meetings  Part 3: climax (I don’t want to give it away)  Appendix: explains the development and structure of Newspeak

Thought crime – thinking anti-party thoughts Inner Party/Outer party – those closest to Big Brother and those on the outside Proles – the lower classes who live in a separate part of the city  Doublethink – the ability to believe two contradictory things at the same time  Newspeak – the language of Oceania  Ingsoc – Oceania’s form of government

Winston Smith – the protagonist  A normal, insignificant, lonely man in a wordl that is devoid of creativity and color  Feels that something is missing in his life and wants to break free  Constantly paranoid that he will be discovered and arrested for Thought Crime  Was once married  Works in the Records Department