Literature Analysis #2

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.