Literature Analysis #2
1984 by George Orwell
1. Winston
Smith lives in a time where every aspect of life is controlled by the political
party in charge of the nation. He lives in London in the nation of Oceania,
Winston lives his life under constant watch by the party in charge. He one day
buys a diary to keep his thoughts in and from that day on realizes that he will
be caught for his thoughts against the party. He falls in love with a dark haired
girl from his work named Julia, and his hatred for the government and the oppression
that he lives under begins to grow. He is captured by the government and
tortured to the point where he no longer loves Julia and lives with the fact
that he must live by and obey Big Brother.
2.
Throughout the story technology is a reoccurring aspect that is used to
suppress the citizens in Oceania. Technology is represented as evil and used
only to control and manipulate the citizens to act the way the party leader
wishes them to. This portraits a sense of danger in the use of technology, not
knowing the true potential that technology might have on our lives. It also
shows technology as a new source of power and that with this access to new
powerful inventions the world must be careful to use them for uses beneficial
to all of humanity.
3. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength." The slogan of the party in the novel is an example
of the authors tone being pessimistic and dark. The story is very gloomy and dreary,
the author uses this to increase the dramatic tension and the feeling of
hopelessness that the reader experiences from the story. "He who controls
the present controls the past." another dark quote from the story that
shows just how controlling the government is and how much power their new technology
gives them.
4.
Ambiguity-
The story has a mysterious and dark feeling throughout the whole plot and helps
to create the exposition that the author sought to create. The novel leaves
things unanswered for the reader to thing about and be puzzled by while reading
to help keep a feeling that they, similar to the characters in the story, are
being left out of the truth that is held back from them by those of higher rank.
Indirect
characterization- George Orwell gives brief physical explanations of the
characters in the novel but leaves the mentality of each character open to the
reader to interpret. He has the characters act in a certain way and say certain
things but for what reasons and how they say them is often left open for the
reader to decide.
Evocative-
this novel elicits many emotions form the reader throughout the story. most notably
the feeling of hopelessness and oppression. It gives the novel a stronger
message and lets the reader relate to the characters in the story more accurately
when they experience and emotion similar to one that the character is subject
to.
Irony-
Winston gets caught by the party once he begins his affair with Julia, and his
punishment is that he is tortured to the point where he now hates Julia and
loves the party. This is ironic because when he first meets Julia his hatred
for the party grows and then he is captured. Now he hates Julia and believes
that the party is correct.
Mood- much
like the tone this novel produces a feeling of depression and hopelessness.
These feelings build on the plot of the story and make the story produce a more
powerful message to the reader.
