GEORGE ORWELL’S NINETEEN EIGHTY FOUR PART 1 CHAPTER 1

PLOT SYNOPSIS Winston Smith, Party member Oceania introduced as protagonist Dystopic / post-apocalyptic world Individuality denied Constant surveillance acts as controlling force (Big Brother, Telescreens) ‘Pillars’ of society are Ministries (Truth, Peace, Love, Plenty)

Winston engages in rebellious / criminal act of opening diary – attempt to store meaning in increasingly meaningless world Julia and O’Brien also introduced Julia is anti-sex league member – personification of everything Winston despises O’Brien is Inner Party member – represents hope that there is alternative to ‘political orthodoxy’

Substitute for emotional expression is Two Minutes Hate directed at enemy of the Party – Goldstein Party Slogans are provided (War is Peace...) Winston’s character develops with passionate expression in diary (Down with BB) Winston knows he will be apprehended by thought police, charged with thoughtcrime and vaporised

CHARACTERISATION – WINSTON SMITH 39 Has varicose ulcer on right ankle Fair hair, naturally optimistic expression Physically broken down Psychologically conflicted Party rebel Works at Records Department in Ministry of ‘Truth’ rewriting history / falsifying records

READER POSITIONING – WINSTON SMITH Reader positioned to feel sympathy for Winston who is presented as an ‘everyman’ struggling to attain some degree of authenticity in hostile / unreal world

CHARACTERISATION – JULIA Works for Fiction Department Presented to reader through Winston’s eyes as orthodox party female ardently anti-sex and completely indoctrinated by Party Propaganda Of interest in novel’s opening because Winston is attracted to her and repelled by her in equal measure

READER POSITIONING – JULIA Reader is positioned to associate Julia with danger – works as foreshadowing to further development of plot

CHARACTERISATION – O’BRIEN Inner Party member. Holder of important position Perceived through Winston’s eyes as possessing some latent unorthodoxy

READER POSITIONING – O’BRIEN Reader positioned to believe O’Brien could represent source of hope for Winston Foreshadows that reader will be manipulated as Winston is – increases reader sympathy, allegiance with Winston

THEMES Dehumanisation / Repression of Individuality / Isolation Power of the State / Political Control The nature of language and truth

SYMBOLS Big Brother Two Minutes Hate

QUOTES It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH A day never passed when spies and saboteurs acting under his directions were not unmasked by the Thought Police

QUOTES The Brotherhood, its name was supposed to be The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in At this moment the entire group of people broke into a deep slow rhythmical chant of B-B!...B-B!

QUOTES DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER The Thought Police would get him just the same You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word Theyll shoot me i dont care theyll shoot me in the back of the nect i dont care down with big brother they always shoot you in the back of the neck...

LANGUAGE FEATURES AND DEVICES Foreshadowing Satirical description of totalitarianism Third person narration favours Winston’s point of view Language is jargonistic. Use of capitalisation for emphasis Paradox and irony (War is Peace...) Flashback device to fill in earlier detail of Two Minutes Hate (used throughout to represent memory / dreams)