Essay/Term paper: 1984

Essay, term paper, research paper:  College Papers

1984 is a political parable. George Orwell wrote the novel to show



society what it could become if things kept getting worse. The first



paragraph of the book tells the reader of the "swirl of gritty



dust....The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats." Just from



these few lines Orwell makes it clear that there was absolutely nothing



victorious abuot Victory Mansions. Every image the reader recieves from



Winston Smith is pessimistic. Hate week, for example, is a big event in



Oceania. The citizens prepare for it like Christmas. Instead of jolly



songs with family and friends over punch, Hate week is celebrated with



fists in the air while chanting about death, Goldstien, and whatever the



party wanted the citizens to disgust.



Winston hates the party and Big Brother. He hates the "pure" ones, also.



Everthing about Winston's life drives him closer and closer to a



suicidal point each day. What makes things worse, hte Party makes



Winston think that he is crazy for wanting to be free to think and for



wanting to remember. These simple things are taken for granted today.



George Orwell devilishly illustrates the brutality that man can be



capabel of when he is given such power. The people of Oceania are forced



to love Big Brother. There is possibly no one that loves Bill Clinton,



besides his family. there are several that love to makes fun of him, but



on the political mainstream love is not involved as it is in Oceania.



The setting in itself is an extremely important part of the novel.



Winston lived in a "dark, gray drab jungle." Posters of Big Brothr were



everywhere. The telescreen could see and hear asmost everything that



Winston did. However, Winston could hide from it long enough to write in



his diary even though he knew he would get caught eventually. Winston



was alienated before Julia. He didn't have much contact with other



people; he was constantly hungry both physically and emotionally.



However, it is ironic that Winston enjoys the work he does but he hates



the falsification.



1984 is a satire of the upper class. The members of the Upper class



believe that they have supeiority over the common people. They are



always wanting more than what is given to them. Very much like O'Brien



telling Winston in hte Ministry of Love that it wasn't good enough just



for him to say that 2+2=5; he had to believe it with his entire being,



to know that 2+2=5 or 3 or whatever the party said.