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The death of the freedom of thought is the death of humanity.

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The death of the freedom of thought is the death of humanity.

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Winston Smith, our protagonist, is the representation of this theme. Throughout the novel he stands opposed to the totalitarian government, forming his own thoughts about the past, the present, and the future. His ideals do not line up with the central party's and he is free. Eventually he is caught and tortured for an unspecified amount of time, as the party tears his mind apart and puts it back together in their own way. Eventually, he cannot form his own thoughts; he doesn't just think, he knows that the party is all powerful and will never fail. With Winston's acceptance of the way the world is, he ceases to become human and the novel ends.

This theme is evident in the world today. Authoritarian states, such as the Soviet Union, have tried to destroy human nature and thought and eventually fail. We can look to authoritarian governments today - China, for example, and rest assured that eventually the people will rise up. While Winston ultimately fails to stand up for what he believes in, we know that the human desire for freedom always prevails (also evident in the novel, as the appendix is written in normal english and talks about the totalitarian state in the past).

This novel is so important to read because it ultimately shows the flaws and strengths of human nature. There is only so much pain we can take, as evidenced by Winston's eventual defeat, but we can have hope knowing that he held on to his own thoughts, his own humanity, for so long. This book shows the dangers of an all-powerful government and the ultimate goodness of human beings - fighting until the very end for their own humanity.

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Orwell uses hyperbole to emphasize the post-reality world of 1984. For example, Winston talks about Julia and says "she had torn her clothes off, and when she flung them aside it was with that same magnificent gesture by which a whole civilization seems to be annihilated". Winston exaggerates about her, showing that her singular act of ripping off her clothes will lead to the very destruction of the society. He uses this in order to emphasize the importance of rebellion and defiance in a world of oppression and control, showing that even the small acts can lead to the destruction of tyranny.

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George Orwell integrates parallelism into the novel in order to mimic the all-powerful control and manipulation of the party, mirroring hypnotism. For example when discussing the lottery for the proles, he says "It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant". By describing millions of people as simply 'them', Winston draws a distinct between 'us' and 'them', the party insiders and the outsiders. This shows the successful indoctrination of the party, dividing people so they are weak and cannot overthrow the government.

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Orwell uses irony in the novel to show how Ingsoc warps reality. Winston thinks to himself "No one who had once fallen into the hands of the Thought Police ever escaped in the end. They were corpses waiting to be sent back to the grave." This uses irony, as it describes human beings as corpses, just awaiting the time where they are sent back to the grave, implying that they are already dead and waiting to disappear from existence. Orwell uses irony in this example and throughout the novel to show how the party always defies exceptions in their search of absolute control.

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In discussion about Julia, Orwell uses symbolism to display Winston's desires. The narrator comments "A kind of fever seized him at the thought that he might lose her, the white youthful body might slip away from him!". 'White' and references to youth symbolize purity, Winston's one distraction away from the darkness of the party. Orwell uses this symbolism of white and Julia in general to represent purity, a rebellion against the dark side of the party in hopes of a new world, a better world, which gives Winston and the audience hope for a better future.

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Orwell utilizes juxtaposition heavily throughout the novel in order to show the post-truth and post-reality society of 1984. For example, Winston comments "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth". By juxtaposing lie and truth Orwell shows the complete control of the party, able to turn lies into truth and alter the past to fit their narative. Juxtaposition makes the novel more enjoyable, as it shows the complete control by the party, shows in the party slogan: War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength.

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"He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in the monstrous world where he himself was the monster."

This song and quote represents Winston's internal conflict - believing he is truly a monster. He works for and assists the lying and tyranny of Ingsoc, and he sees himself as a problem. Only through defying the party, he believes, he will stop this endless cycle of oppression.

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"Winston’s greatest pleasure in life was in his work"

On the lighter side, this quote represents the pride Winston takes in his own work. Through years of labor, he believes he has perfected his job and is the best at it - only recently he has seen that every action he takes is helping the spread of misinformation and the destruction of truth the party engages in.

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"The past, he reflected, had not merely been altered, it had been actually destroyed"

The song, for Winston, represents the sheer control of Ingsoc. They won the battle for control over a third of the world, and now they are we writing the past. The victor gets the spoils, and Winston recognizes that the party has the party to and is destroying the very past.

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“If there was hope, it must lie in the proles”

This sound invokes the term 'riot', which connects to Winston's desire to rise up against the party to the liberate the country for the future citizens of Airstrip One, of Oceania, of the world. Despite his subjugation, he maintains hope, hope in the everyday citizens to rise up against tyranny.

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“The next moment he was doubled up by a violent coughing fit which nearly always attacked him soon after waking up”

Soon after Winston wakes up he starts to feel pain coughing constantly. This upbeat song reminds me of Winston each morning, tired and lazy due to his hatred of the party and the party's mistreatment of their tired, demotivated staff. Winston's physical pain, to me, is symbolic of his growing hatred of the party and pain in being subjugated to their rule, even helping them as an employee.

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“He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear”

Winston feels alone in a world where it seems like only he has thoughts against the party, hopes to rebel against tyranny. Like Celine Dion says, "All by myself/Don't wanna be/All by myself/Anymore". This song reminded me on Winston, as he doesn't want to be alone anymore - and the second he thinks someone else feels the way he feels (O'Brien and especially Julia), he latches onto them.

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#7: Hamilton Cast - The World Was Wide Enough

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#7: Hamilton Cast - The World Was Wide Enough

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"“For whom, it suddenly occurred to him, to wonder, was he writing his diary? For the future, for the unborn”

Winston ponders why he is writing this journal and for who; he finally realizes he isn't writing it for himself or his comrades, he's writing it for the future generations. This reminded me of this Hamilton Song, where Hamilton, in the grips of death, says "I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me", like Winston's silent rebellion is for the future generations to rise up and achieve freedom he knows he cannot have.

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"the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the party to pieces”

Winston believes the human, animal desires (sex, freedom, prosperity, speech) will ultimately be the downfall of the party. The party can control our actions and even our thoughts, but cannot destroy our inner animal instincts, as the song shows deep desire to "run free", representing freedom from political oppression.

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Winston Smith is the protagonist of the novel. He is an older man, physically bruised from years of hard work and mentally bruised from being force fed state propaganda.He's being told his reality isn't real and the past can be changed on a whim.

Winston is an admirable man. He is scared to break rules, out of fear of repercussion, but still does so. He breaks rules not for his own advancement, but out of a feeling of obligation and sense of duty to liberate his country from this tyranny. I would like to know Winston, as I admire his strength. However, I would have to be careful, as his actions could alert the government and he seems closer and closer to mental instability.

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The novel takes place in Airstrip One, modern day London, in a large totalitarian empire called Oceania. This empire stretches from the British Isles to North America and Oceania in the Pacific. The government rules with an iron first over the people, restricting all rights (speech, press, even thought is a crime). A symbolic big brother, with his huge eyes, always watch, creating an eerie tone of despair and constant uncertainty. The only thing certain is tyranny.

I would not like to visit this cruel world, and I will do everything in my power to ensure our world does not replicate the totalitarianism of 1984.

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1984 uses third person limited narrator. This means that the narration follows a single character, Winston Smith, as we get to see his thoughts and actions while still using third person pronouns, describing Winston as 'he' rather than ever using 'I' except for displaying the thoughts of Winston

This third person limited narration contributes to the eerie mood of the novel, as we get to see the totalitarian world from Winston's eyes, while still getting to observe from an outside perspective how he acts and looks.

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The novel represents, for me, a totalitarian state at its peak form. This can be found on a smaller level in our recent past. Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler both built cult of personalities around them, subjugating millions of people to state propaganda about the superiority of their people and the power and admiration of the state. This is replicated in the novel by the figure Big Brother, always watching, and the seemingly unstoppable power of the Ingsoc party and state.

Furthermore, today, 1984 can be seen in a country like North Korea. They are isolated from the world, with no freedom of press or speech. Access to truth is limited, and the country's leader is idolized, with statues and pictures of him at every corner; this is shown in the book, as big brother's giant eyes seem to be on every building, every street, everywhere.

1984 serves as a warning to today's world: do not turn to authoritarianism and restrictions on freedom to project strength: it leads to the death of freedom and liberty.

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Eric Arthur Blair was born in Motihari, India, in 1903, and shortly after moved to England with his mother. He was always a writer, starting poetry at 4 years old. Orwell went to boarding school and Eton College.

When college was over, his family was broke, so he joined the India Imperial Police Force and spent 5 years in Burma. Afterword, Eric started publishing books about the plight of the working class and the harsh British colonial policies in Burma under the pseudonym Orwell.

Orwell joined a Spanish volunteer regiment to fight during the Spanish Civil War. Eventually, his health declining and he started working at the BBC as a producer. He felt like he was spouting propaganda, so he quit and started writing for a socialist newspaper. Towards the end of his life, Orwell published 1984 and Animal farm, criticizing totalitarianism and Soviet-style communism.

https://www.biography.com/writer/george-orwell

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1984 concerns a world divided into 3 empires, with our story taking place inside of Oceania (modern day North America, Oceania, and Great Britain). A totalitarian government rules over the life of Winston Smith, as he struggles with the suppression of thought and action under the government's strict regime. He constantly lives in fear, fear of the government. He eventually gets involves with a secret organization, with the goal of bringing down Big Brother, the symbolic head of Oceania's government.

An interesting fact about 1984 is that it was written directly after the clash between Nazism and Stalinism, and the book serves as a reminder of the dangers of totalitarian rule. Also, a common misconception of Orwell is that he is a critic of socialism. No, quite the opposite: he was a socialist, criticizing the Stalin-esque totalitarian Soviet Union.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nineteen-Eighty-four

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Setting: The story takes place in Airstrip One, modern-day London, in an empire called Oceania. The world is dominated by 3 world empires, fighting over the neutral zones between them. Oceania is dominated by a totalitarian government always watching over the people, personified as the "Big Brother" figure.
Time Period: The story takes place in 1984. This is an age of perpetual war between Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. The party, Ingsoc has rewritten history and reality to serve their needs.
Main Characters:
Winston Smith is the protagonist of the novel. He is a man who continuously questions the motives and actions of the central party, increasing acting against this government. He is strong-willed and strong-minded.
Julia is a strong, intelligent woman who works in the same building as Winston. She also is fed up with the party's doctrine and gets involved with Winston's resistance.
Big Brother is a character never actually met, but always present. His face is plastered all over the city, watching over the citizens, always.
Situation: The Year is 1984. The one party, Ingsoc, rules over an empire with an iron fist. Some people strong enough to realize the subjugation of the innocent, and seek to stand up against this government.

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My knowledge of 1984 started freshman year when I was assigned it in English class. I half-read the novel, not knowing the story behind it or the importance of it. Ever since then, it was on my reading list.

In a world increasingly turning to populism and strong central governments, it is important to recognize how increasing state control can escalate. 1984 serves as a warning to anyone promoting war, increasing government control, totalitarianism... it can and will lead to the destruction of freedom and what makes our society prosper.

So far the book is interesting, and even though I somewhat know the ending of the novel, I look forward to seeing how it builds up to that moment.