Friday, April 13, 2007
1984 by George Orwell
Post your comments about what the dystopian setting reveals about modern life and about how characters respond to the corrupt, flawed, inhumane setting. (For more explanation and guiding questions look below or at the hand out I have you on Friday, April 13.) Use the open response form. Your first comments based on the first 100 pages (or more) of the book are due by Wednesday April 25. (You can either post them yourself or email them to jcook@gloucester.k12.ma.us.
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Hamlet’s Dilemma & Dystopian Fiction
In the novel, 1984, the narrator talks of a world in which our modern surveillance and law, has expanded so much, that it has taken over. The setting of this story is Britain, which has been renamed Airstrip One. The three major aspects of modern life that has grown to a point where it controls human life are the government, the laws, and surveillance. The government in modern Britain is a democracy where people vote who they want to be elected as their leaders. They then select one person to represent their entire country, who is called the president. Each branch of the government, including the president’s branch, has a system called check and balances. This is so that not one sole branch can completely control the entire country. The government in Airstrip One is completely different. One sole person named Big Brother rules as what is very similar to a dictator, but is not called that. He is instead considered as the leader of what seems the entire region of what is called Oceania. Oceania includes Airstrip One, which is considered just a part of Oceania as a whole. Countries are not even really considered independent, and are instead considered just a part of the whole region. In Oceania, Big Brother rules over everyone and everything. The different branches of government seemed have to evolve into what is called Ministries. The Ministries do not keep in checks and balances to make sure not one rules over everything, but keeps everything that Big Brother rules over under the order of Big Brother and the laws he has set up. These Ministries have the power to change anything that has happened in the past by changing history taught to people and even making people believe what they teach is right, who have already been taught other wise. One of the Ministries, called the Ministry of Truth, changes everything that is predicted wrong by another Ministry; which predicts future events under the name of Ingsoc, the major company of Big Brother, and Big Brother himself. The Ministry of Truth even has the power to even change newspapers or magazines that show false predictions made by Ingsoc. The laws of Big Brother are what keep everyone doing what Big Brother wants them to do. The laws here are extreme versions of the laws they have in Britain. Even common laws have evolved into what almost seems to be a form of communism. One of the most extreme laws is the law that one cannot think about going against the decisions of Big Brother. This crime is called “thoughtcrime” and is one of the most punishable and worst crimes one can commit. If one is caught committing this crime, they can be taken away and disappear forever. No one really may ever know where the person has gone or what has happen to them. To make sure the people of Oceania follow these rules, there are surveillances everywhere which are called “telescreens.” These “telescreens” act as is they were cameras and allow Big Brother to watch the every move of his people. This sort of critique is not likely to happen these days because there are too many people who believe in the current laws and would fight to keep anyone from ruining their rights. I completely disagree with the implied critique in “1984.” People should not be watched over 24/7 and they should be able to think what they want to.
Winston Smith, a man who works in the time of 1984 where there is no privacy and everyone is always being watched, is the main character of the story. The narrator follows Winston through his days, explains his inner thoughts, and explains the experiences Winston has in this tolitarean state. Winston is one of the very few people in the world he lives in that thinks different. He consciously understands what is going on and completely understands how Big Brother is trying to brainwash everyone. Winston risks being different without showing it on the outside because he knows he will be instantly vaporized for thoughtcrime. Winston already knows that the Thought Police are most likely on to him because they catch everyone who thinks different. Everyday, Winston writes in a journal, just so he can remember what is truly going on in the world. Winston is against erasing history, changing facts, and making people believe everything that one person wants them to believe. Winston feels as if he should tell someone, but the only thing he can do is look around. Look around at the people he works with, people who are against what Big Brother is doing, and people who are the enemies. He feels if he can spot these three things, he can stay around long enough to see a special group of people assemble, and turn things into a normal state. Winston does not respond, but instead is forced to hide his thoughts within his thoughts, and simply wait around. He is almost forced to be mechanical about the way he lives, while still having a mind of is own, unlike most of the people in the book.
The setting in 1984 is created to show a complete rundown, destroyed London. The novel takes place in London, in the country of Oceania. The mainland is referred to as “Air Strip One” is really the mainland, England. At this time London has become an unsafe, changed place. It has become ugly and destroyed and some of the people live in wooden, shack-like houses. London also is in chaos most of the time with the governments “polices” checking in on people. The main character, Winston Smith, lives in a flat which over looks a part of the now chaotic London. The novel contains some parts which somewhat describe our modern world today, however a lot of it is too extreme. In Oceania one cannot think differently, speak out against “Big Brother” or really have any free thoughts. Being an individual and liberate in Oceania is extremely frowned upon and may get you killed. A similarity between the novel and modern world is the surveillance the government does during a time of war. The United States government does keep an eye on radical or outspoken groups if they believe they are a threat to the nation. Also, in past history the United States has banned freedom of speech with laws during times of war. The surveillance in the novel is a powerful control the government has over the people. Surveillance takes away every single part of privacy one has, nothing is confidential and people are very vulnerable in that way.
The characters in the novel differ in reactions to the restrictions in their life’s. The main character, Winston Smith, is one of the characters who questions the way London is being run and the entire, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” concept. From the beginning Winston is different from most of the other people around him. He disobeys the laws and keeps a secret journal in where he shares his thought about the corruption Oceania is poisoned with. At first he is reluctant in his questioning and believes the Thought Police will find him, however after a certain point the becomes liberated in writing, Winston’s character tries very hard to resist being an individual and rebel, for he does not want face the consequences. The fact that he keeps a journal and writes in it alone may get him killed is because his curiously intensifies. It seems that Winston starts to resist the party and their control. He no longer excepts the things they say, he questions everything and wants to know why. Another character, who differs from Winston completely, is Julia. Julia works with Winston in the Fiction Department. Although they becomes romantically connected, Winston states the firs time he saw her, he hated her which is confusing. Julia is a rebel who is outspoken and honest on her thoughts of current Oceania. She knows she is a rebel and welcomes change, while Winston at first tries to convince himself nothing is wrong in Oceania and to avoid questioning things. She has had several sexual experiences which she is proud of. However, in Oceania sex is illegal, along with free thinking proving her strive to be an individual . In the novel a coworker of Winston, Syme, does not question the Party system and government. He appears satisfied doing his work and living in the life he has, showing no thoughts of ever changing it.
In the novel 1984, there is a major party in London which controls basically the peoples lives and how they live, and even their form of language is taken under controlled. A man named Winston, who is a former worker for this party disagrees entirely with the parties commands and he is finding a way to stop it. The aspects of modern life appear throughout the novel are the way a government can have control over a nation, yet the Big Brother party goes beyond what is needed to make a good nation.. No one can go against the rules of human society. This novels function has warning to the modern reader because it is showing the reader how things have changed and how or what they can do to help their own society and that people have rights and they don’t need to be controlled by a more powerful source for everything that they do. People have to follow through with a lot of ones rules in their own societies but also have a right not to be watched their whole lives and be told what to do for every thing. 1984 shows this by allowing the reader to read the perspective of a young man who is a member of the party named, Winston Smith. He keeps a diary of his thoughts and experiences of being watched under video surveillance. I think that the video surveillance throughout the whole novel is bad. I disagree with the fact of being watched under it. The implied critique because its not right for a party to have that much rule over the people. The party goes beyond a certain extent by controlling every move a person does.
The main character, Winston responds to the dystopia by writing down his thoughts in his diary. Winston suffers the thoughts of this dystopia because he doesn’t agree with his own party and their rules. You can see very clearly at the beginning of the novel that Winston dislikes the totalitarian control and is trying to force himself from it because in his diary he writes over and over again, “Down with big brother, Down with big brother.” Winston thinks that he can conger up scams to help him defeat the big brother party and free Oceania from its strict controlling ways. Big Brother is another character that takes place in the novel. He is a mysterious character who doesn’t talk much, yet he is the controller/ the main leader of the party. Big brother responds to the flaws in the his world by placing complete control over one another. Big brother doesn’t see what is wrong with the world because he has complete control over everything there is. He has made his own utopia.
SETTING:
1984 is a novel that portrays what could lie ahead in the future, based on the modern era. In Oceania nobody has privacy because everyone’s thoughts and actions are seen by the government. The story takes place in what used to be called Britain except it was renamed and is now governed by the dictator Big Brother. The people of Oceania are brainwashed to believe that whatever Big Brother says is true. Two minutes a day is dedicated to a video that all the people watch and express their hatred towards whoever Big Brother features it on. If the government says a false statement or denies ever being allies with another country, every piece of evidence is destroyed and rewritten. Some people are vaporized if the government sees them as a threat, meaning their existence is completely erased from history. Big Brother and his government control their people and keep their power because of the fear they create.
Personally, I do not think that future will be anything like that of 1984. Lately the world has been spiraling out of not only our government’s control but other countries government’s control as well. Even though today we have surveillance cameras in some places, it would be against human rights to have them in people’s homes. Having someone able to read your thoughts and watch your actions takes away the elements that make you a human being. Every person has different opinions on situations but in Oceania you are not allowed to unless you want to be vaporized. Anything against the government can be detected and could result in death because of it. This sort of life could never actually happen because if circumstances got as bad as Winston’s, there would be a rebellion against the dictator.
CHARACTERS:
Winston, a government official, responds to everything he stands for in an odd manner. He does everything he is supposed to do for his job but at the same time breaks some laws when at home. Winston knows that there are flaws in his world but still goes on working for the Ministry of Truth anyway. His way of revenge against Big Brother is by keeping a secret journal where he writes about how awful the government is. Winston knows that the government is corrupt, but it is out of his hands to do anything about it. He has to hide his thoughts from people in fear they might discover that he is secretly against Big Brother. Always avoiding eye contact and trying to give off the impression that he is for the government’s ways will not save Winston from the Thought Police. They are able to read his mind and know that although he may work for the Ministry, he is against their policies. Eventually Winston will get caught acting the way he has been, and be taken in by the government.
In 1984, the author, George Orwell, is trying to depict his idea of what the future may be like. Having written this novel in the mid 1900's, 1984 was the future to Orwell. The first setting is the apartment complex, Victory Mansions in Airstrip One (formarly known as London). However, it is anything but victorious. "The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old mats." The main character, Winston Smith, is clearly unhappy with these types of living arrangments. He is forced to used the stairs because the lift was never in service. He has to rest often beause of "a varicose ulcer above his right ankle." At every landing, there is a poster with a large face and words reading "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." In every apartment in the building, there is what Winston calls a "telescreen." This is how the "Thought Police" see what everyone is doing. Winston hates the telescreen for this reason. In chapter 4, Winston is at work in the Ministry of Truth building. There, he alters official documents using a "speakwrite." He talks into the contraption and it records what he says.In chapter 8, Winston is walking down an extremly poverty striken alley. "-girls in full bloom...youths who chased the girls, and swollen waddling women...old bent creatures shuffling along...barefooted children who played in puddles..."
There are a few similarities between George Orwell's version of the future and actual reality. Telescreens are described similarly to televisons. However a telescreen never shuts off, it can only be turned down, and it is only there to spew out propaganda towards any against the Party. Winston's apartment is described as any other apartment in nowadays that is in a run-down, poverty filled city. The only difference between Thought Police and real police is that Thought Police are out to get anyone who shows any sign of being against the Party. Regular police officers just arrest people for not following the law.
Besides the poverty, propaganda, and no privacy, Orwell's future isn't that bad. It's not like your being watched all day every day. Plus if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.
The charcters are sadly forced to live in the terrible conditions they do or else the will be "vaporized." Show any sign that you're against the Party and you'll be put out as disloyal. The Party has even turned people's own children against them. Mrs. Parsons, a character Winston helps in the begining, is afraid of her own children! Who would want to live like that? Winston states very clearly his opinion about this flawed, corrupted world. Writing over and over in his journal "Down with Big Brother." Its even illegal to have a journal because record keeping is against the law.
After reading the other comments posted on this website, there were new thoughts and theories that I could explore. When Tuany stated, “The novel contains some parts which somewhat describe our modern world today, however a lot of it is too extreme” I began to think about the likeliness of Winston’s world actually occurring. Although George Orwell takes bits of our everyday lives (like the surveillance cameras for instance) and amplifies them, to me it seems impossible. No society would ever let their country get to that extreme and no government could possibly gain that much control. Also, there are no governments that I know of that could afford to pay for millions of telescreens and hire or get the people living there to install them into every household. Even in the rare chance that a world like that did occur there would definitely be a rebellion against those in authority. Throughout history there have been numerous uprisings and coup d’etat’s against governments that are not nearly as bad as the one described in 1984. Most of the people in this novel are completely brainwashed and stupid enough to believe the lies that the politicians tell them. In our world today there are many intelligent people who would not forget something that happened a day later. To me this novel seems a little far fetched, but I suppose I can not rule out a future like this entirely.
P.S. I am having trouble with this google account, it takes me 20 minutes to be able to post a comment. It is really confusing and I’m so frustrated that I want to smash my computer right now.
In reference to 1984, I agree with Jess Laurie’s comments on Winston’s motives and the surveillances throughout the novel. In the beginning of Winston shows to be a very conflicting character. For example, he joins in the Two Minute Hate and feels compelled to the join the crowd in their mob mentality. Yet, following that he uncontrollably begins to write over and over in his diary, “Down with Big Brother, Down with Big Brother.” It appears the Winston truly wants to rebel against the totalitarian form of government, but for his own safety and wellbeing he knows better. He is aware of how the Thought Police could discover his thoughts of rebelling and like the others, he could simply disappears at night.
In her response Jessica also makes a good point when stating that the novel is a warning to modern readers. The novels over-the-top control by the government can explain how some societies in the world are really governed. It urges people to make changes when they see wrong doing as well as warns them of how much power a government can have if nothing is done. The surveillance in the novel is also over the top. Privacy simply does not exist and everything one does is watched by Big Brother. The People have no control over their lifes because of it and some have excepted it. While others, find ways around it. Such as Winston, he turns things around in his room and write in his diary out of the camera shot.
I agree with some of the points that Tuany L made responding to the novel 1984. London has became an ugly and unsafe place for all of the people that live there. The government does face a lot of chaos because of the government and their usage of the surveillance camera’s. Her response to the part of the U.S government and how it keeps an eye on what is going on during the war is a good point and it shows how it relates to 1984. She also states the fact that back in the day when we had no freedom of speech or any righting votes for many people how it also has a relation towards the fact that all the people in Oceania does not have the right for freedom of speech.
Tuany states a interesting point when she describes how Winston and Julia differ from each other. Winston is suppose to be part of this party but yet goes against it and breaks all of the rules. He keeps a secret diary and is always questioning everything that has to do with Big Brother. Then she talks about how Julia is a rebel and she does not seem to care what rules she breaks. She makes a point how Julia is outspoken and does not seem to care what people think towards what her true feelings towards Oceania are.
Through out the rest of the novel, 1844 the world that the characters live in is still corrupt. The peoples lives are run by video surveillances. The aspects of modern life is controlled by the government, their laws and the fact that they are being watched by video. In modern day Britain, they have their own right to vote for their leaders and own rights to freedom. In 1984, the people did not have any control over what they said, though or their actions because the government was too powerful over the common people. This novel warns the readers how jailed and basically trapped in their own bodies by a government. They had no say in anything and they couldn’t control their own lives. In the modern world, this shows people that they have a lot more freedom and a right to elect their leaders to govern their society fairly. In modern day it is relevant to show the other countries around the world that still face these problems and how some of the people do not have a right to elect their ruler, and in which that ruler simply takes over and controls their whole society. I strongly disagree with the video surveillance in 1864 because there is no need to have cameras watching over a whole society of human’s 24/7. The people have no privacy to go where they want to go or think what they want to think. One government is in control of what they do for all of their lives. People need freedom to an extent and the people in the novel suffered severely from this corrupted world. Nothing has changed with Oceania from the beginning, the people still have no rights or any freedom they are still being jailed and tortured if they go against Big Brothers rules.
Winston struggles throughout the whole novel with the fact that this government is brainwashing the entire society. Winston is smart and he knows how Big Brother works. Winston knows that he can not go against Big Brothers rules or else he will be sent to jail or even death. Winston disagrees very strongly with the dystopia. He thinks that it is horrible and he wants to do whatever he can do stop the control. Winston takes action by taking risks throughout the book. He meets a girl whom he falls in love with and they have many affairs in secret places where they will not be caught by any surveillances. When Winston is finally caught he is brought to a place where O’Brien I fellow friend of Winston is trying to brainwash him into loving Big Brother and agreeing with what he says. Winston falls for what O’Brien has to tell him and Winston is being brainwashed even though Winston will never at heart agree with how Oceania is controlled.
SETTING:
Although the setting did not change at all from page 1 to page 245, the main character’s story made a 180 degree turn. The ending of Winston’s life is exceptionally different from where he began. The government is still the same overbearing group that they were at the beginning and the people are still just as brainwashed. The civilians still do not have any rights, can be vaporized at any time, and are controlled by Big Brother and his Party. The Thought Police can read peoples thoughts and decide on whether or not they should be exterminated. Oceania is just as corrupt as it was at the start of the book, except the reader feels it more because of Winston’s changed state of mind.
CHARACTERS:
By the end of the novel, Winston had become a completely different character. He started off being a rebel but the story closed with Winston preaching his love for Big Brother. After being relentlessly tortured by the government officials, Winston was finally brainwashed like the rest of people of Oceania. It was somewhat disappointing to read that Winston failed to change anything in his society and ended up like a mindless robot. When Winston answered that 2 + 2 = 5, it was evident that he was a changed man. At first he was an intelligent human who knew how to dodge around the laws that restrained him. Even when Winston was caught and tortured, he still clung to his old beliefs and values until he finally had to let go. 1984 ends by taking away one of the last hopes the future of Oceania will have.
At the end of George Orwell’s 1984, the characters have faces tribulations, causing them to change. The main character Winston changes drastically from a follower to a rebel fighting the Party. He becomes an independent thinking and no longer believes what he is told like many of the people in London. However, his thoughts becomes too strong and it leads him to extreme paranoia. Winston begins to panic about every thought he has, believing that the Though Police will capture him. Throughout the novel Winston conveys to be an erratic and changing character. His thoughts for Julia are constantly changing. When first meeting her he states how he hates her because of the sexual thoughts he gives her, and later goes on to state how he hates all women because of the impure thoughts they give men. When Julia and Winston come together and begin to have a sort of relationship, his thoughts are always so conflicted towards her. His conflicting thoughts are most likely due to his inconsistent personality that seems to change in opinion and thoughts quite frequently. He is an unfaithful character who watches out for himself and does not really seem to emotionally care for others. For example, when he is being tortures by his greatest fear (rats) , he gives in to the torture and ask O’Brien to submit Julia to the torture, not him. Unlike Winston, Julia is passionate, independent, and self pleasing. She looks out for herself and understand what she must do to protect herself. She does not bottle up her sexual feelings or dismiss them in fear of the Though Police. When Winston and Julia begin their relationship, he is paranoid of being capture which she is hopeful of them being together. Julia is extremely open about love and emotionally feelings while Winston constantly changes how he feels towards everything.
In the setting on 1984, Oceania is split into parties, out breaking in complete chaos. London is in constant hysteria and chaos and no one seems happy. They appear to have settled to accept Big Brother and do not rebel. There is no human spirit and character in the Oceania no longer. The people are living in rundown shacks and fear spreads throughout the city. In the city, everything seems to circle around secrets and control of the Parties. There exist spies for the Thought Police and apposing parties to watch the civilization and be able to stop and threat of rebellion. The people have lost complete control and their rights. They must constantly watch what they say, how they act, and even personal thoughts they have, in fear of being captures. Oceania shows the people living in a post-war state. They have all suffered economical and emotional woos, and they are simply trying to rehabilitate themselves. However, the conflicting parties and Thought Police make that very difficult. They must also watch for Big Brother. He is constantly watching them, making them open and vulnerable to anything. Oceania is in a state of chaos where the people no longer have control.
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