ATARNotes Text Guide: Nineteen Eighty-Four 9781925945195

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Preface Throughout high school , English was one of my strengths and was always something I was passionate about. I loved researching the texts that I studied, as well as investigating the author's lives. This really helped me craft high-quality essays and develop important skills that ultimately culminated in a 98.80 ATAR. George Orwell's world of Nineteen Eighty-Four is complex and fascinating to dissect. The different aspects of society and the constant obscurity of the truth can at times be difficult to follow. However, this Text Guide aims to direct your studies so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text and its contextual influences. This will allow you to appreciate why this text is so well known around the world. This novel explores a dystopic society in which significant control and censorship is exercised over its citizens. The iconic figure of "Big Brother" and his omnipresence emulates Orwell's fears for his own society, with his novel acting as a political satire of his own life experiences. Nineteen Eighty-Four follows the life of the repressed Winston Smith, who has to deal with the strict social hierarchy and regimented lifestyle inflicted upon him. Constant propaganda and invasive technological advancements perpetuate a life of fear for many people. These concerning themes are still prevalent within our contemporary society, which is why the study of Nineteen Eighty-Four is valuable in shaping our view of the world. Although English is not everyone's favourite subject, I do hope that this Text Guide sparks your interest in Nineteen Eighty-Four and encourages you to do your own further research. After all, English is arguably the most important subject to study (sorry maths!). This way, you can maximise your marks and distinguish yourself as an excellent writer. Good luck! -

Aleksandra Najdovska

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Section 1

A Nutshell Summary Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, presents a highly structured and restrictive society in which war, oppression, and surveillance are commonplace. The world is uncomfortable and ambiguous in its truth , run by a dominating totalitarian regime. T his is established largely due to Orwell's socio-historical context, with many aggressive regimes around the world. Orwell's aim as an author was to satirise his perceived reality and demonstrate a confronting but imminent reality. However, this universe is divided into three political super-states who are constantly at war: Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. The main plot follows the life of Winston Smith, a 39 year old man working a government job in a dila.pidated shell of London town, known as Airstrip One, in Oceania. His existence is relatively insignificant, as are the lives of everyone outside of the "Inner Party." Every aspect of his life is controlled : his thoughts, actions, and beliefs, both public and private. This is carried out through extensive forms of surveillance, such as telescreens, microphones, and cameras planted around the city. Thought Police are another measure to restrict the range and freedoms of opinions, as is the creation of Newspeak. Regular demonstrations of "hate" toward the opposing super-state are also required of everyone in Oceania. These methods are epitomised by "Big Brother" - the government's figurehead that aims to instill fear, uneasiness, and the overwhelming necessity to conform to the Party's ideals.

Newspeak: the official language of the Party, used to narrow the range of

Amongst his menial daily tasks, Winston begins to write in a diary about how he thought of hates his life and the circumstances under which he is forced to live. This act people in allows him to think for himself and imagine what life could be like outside of his Oceania. dreary reality, and as such is forbidden . However, the illegality of his actions does not deter Winston from carrying out his small, internal rebellion. Winston's occupation involves rewriting history, basically. It is his job to search the archives and amend any "mistakes" in predictions about weather or projections of the economy, amongst other things. This means that the government is always correct, retroactively . This helps to control the collective identity of civilians within Oceania, because it can also be used for larger scale lies - who's winning the war, who the war is against, and even the people's very existence. It is through this job that he meets O'Brien and Julia - two characters who are integral to W inston's character development. O'Brien is an Inner Party member and should be someone that Winston is fearful of due to his social status and influence. However, W inston thinks that O'Brien is more intelligent, and yearns to make a connection with this man because he believes O'Brien would understand Winston's qualms with his current state of existence. On the other hand, Julia is a young, attractive woman who works in the same building as Winston. Copyright © 2019 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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Retroactive: with effect from a date in the past, in hindsight.

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Things pick up when Julia slips Winston an unsolicited secret note that says "I love you." It catches Winston off-guard, but nevertheless he is smitten. He and Julia are faced w ith the difficult task of trying to meet in public. According to the laws of Oceania, their demonstration of an emotional connection is punishable by torture and death. Despite this, they begin a sexual re lationship, and privately defy the government's orders. They traverse the countryside in their love affair, making them dangerously happy. Winston finally feels as though he has found someone who hates and wishes to defy the Party as much as he does. This inspires him to take further action and transform his private affairs into a public rebellion. O'Brien invites Winston to his home, Winston taking this as a subtle invitation into the underground rebellion against the government, run by Emmanuel Goldstein. From this meeting, Winston is under the impression that O'Brien is part of the rebellion , even though he is a member of the Inner Party. Alongside Winston , we The Theory read The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivismby Goldstein, based on the global phenomenon of hidden truth and oppression through surveillance. and Practice of Oligarchical He is blown away by the revelations from the book, but before he can share or Collectivism: implement his knowledge, the Thought Police catch him and Julia and take them the book that away to the Ministry of Love for some intense torture treatment. O'Brien was explains the actually the one who turned them into the Thought Police, having only pretended to be a part of the "imaginary" secret rebellion. structure of Oceania's society. Essentially, this outlines a society where everyone plays an essential part, but is governed by a select few with . immense power.

Within this ministry, Winston is tortured to the extent that his humanity is taken from him . They break his bones and teeth, and use electroshock and starvation methods, all in an attempt to coerce any information that he has about the uprising and about Julia. It also acts as a government power exercise; they simply want to break the mental capacity of their citizens, so that they can tell them anything that they want, and the civilians will actually believe it, even if it's something as obviously wrong as "2 + 2 = 5". Winston is finally taken into Room 101 , designed to confront him with his greatest fears and strip his identity. His head is almost placed in a cage with rats , but he tells them to do it to Julia instead . Thus, the government took his last shred of integrity and forced him to betray the one person that he loved most. Once he is released from the Ministry, Winston is but a shell of his former self. He and Julia pass each other in their new lives, but do not acknowledge the other's existence - just how the Party wants it. He no longer imagines a new life free of restrictions. Instead, he sits in the bar and just accepts his contrived reality. His soul is broken and he accepts this life that is everything he once hated. His depressing character trajectory and the hopelessness of the novel is poignantly encapsulated in the final line of the novel: "He loved Big Brother."

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Section 2

Background Information Learning about Orwell's contextual influences will help you develop a holistic understanding of his texts. Orwell's works are heavily influenced by the various social and historical events of his time, and these contextual factors can shed light on the the meaning of various symbols and prophecies throughout the novel.

The Life of George Orwell George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25th , 1903 in Motihari, India. He was born into the Sahib class - a term used amongst native Indians when addressing a European of an official , colonial status - due to his British father's occupation within the Indian Civil Service. He worked in opium quality control at a time when Britain had a monopoly over the industry. Britain used opium for many years within their colonies, and traded frequently with China for economic gain (and as a way to subdue their citizens). Orwell's mother was the daughter of an unsuccessful Burmese teak merchant. He was the middle child, with an older sister and younger brother. Orwell was shy and somewhat withdrawn child. He was often sick with bronchitis, and was distinct from his classmates in England, where he moved in 1904, due to his relative poverty and intellectual talent. He enjoyed reading anything from science fiction to ghost stories to classic literature. His time at school was largely responsible for forming his views on the social hierarchy in England. He stood out as one of the poorest among his schoolmates at his private preparatory school in Sussex and began to identify with the working class (though Orwell described his family position as "lower-upper-middle class") while detesting any form of authoritarian rule. These views were solidified due to the prevalence of totalitarian regimes during his lifetime. Following his primary education , Orwell attained an academic scholarship to Wellington for one term, and Eton College (a very prestigious school) for the following four and a half years. He left Eton without a diploma, citing bitter memories from his times at the institution. Alongside his time at school and the social stigma surrounding his fami ly's financial situation , Orwell's political views were formed through his service in Burma's Imperial Police, as well as his experience in Spain. He joined the Imperial Police in 1922 as an Assistant Superintendent, as he was unable to follow through with his education due to financial reasons. It was at this point that he began writing . He was exposed to the shameful actions of the British in the Far East and developed a strong aversion to British imperialism (and imperialism more broadly). It also encouraged Orwell to explore the lives of the poor around him. By 1927, Orwell left the imperial force due to a misalignment between his and their core values, as well as his contraction of dengue fever. Copyright © 20 19 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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Imperialism: extending a country's power and influence through colonising other countries.

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Following this, Orwell moved to Paris in 1928, during which time he experienced great financial hardship due to his (at the time) limited success as an author Uust you wait George!). He ended up moving to London following the stock market crash of 1929 and was homeless until 1931. During this time, Orwell was given a first-hand experience of class injustice, continuing to empathise with the Anarchism : working class. He embraced anarchism, and supported the abolition of all govthe belief in ernment power. He published a few essays and a novel at this point, but from abolishing all here he worked under the pseudonym 'George Orwell' instead of Eric Arthur societal Blair. The name was a combination of the then reigning monarch George V, organisation as well as the Orwell River near where he used to live in Suffolk, England . He and order on a adopted this name as to not shame his family within society due to the honest, voluntary basis. but confronting content of his life experiences. In 1937, Orwell spent several months fighting in the Spanish Civil War in support of the left-wing Republican government. This was on the opposing side to General Francisco Franco's fascists, who were actually supported by Hitler and the German army at the time. Orwell volunteered to be a part of an 'anti-Stalinist' unit and was actually shot in the throat during war.

Fascism : a

radical right-wing

His experience in this unit was a defining moment in his political awakening. He w itnessed a division within the Left, even though they were supposed to be united in this war against fascism . He developed a hatred for totalitarianism and communism, while gaining a deeper appreciation for socialism. Overall, Orwell can be described as a social democrat with leftist sympathies.

ideology

In his personal life, Orwell married Eileen Maud O'Shaughnessy in 1936, and characterised perhaps surprisingly considering the subject matter of 1984, he undertook propaby ganda work for the BBC during WWII. He produced broadcasts for India and Asia dictatorships, to aid the war effort, and became very familiar with the manipulation of informaextreme power, tion w ithin society. Winston 's occupation in Nineteen Eighty-Four in the Ministry oppression of of Truth is fundamentally based on these experiences. Following his resignation citizenry and in 1943, Orwell began to write for the Socialist newspaper, Tribune. He adopted strict a baby boy with his wife, named Richard Horatio Blair. During a bombing raid , regi mentation. Orwell and his fam ily lost their home, and to add further grief, his wife died the following year. Orwell continued to write as he raised his son , publishing some of the most famous works in literary history such as Animal Farm in 1945. On June 8, 1949, Orwell published his most famous text, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and it was immediately well -received by readers and critics alike. In October of the same year, while his health was rapidly declining, Orwell got remarried, this time to Sonia Brownell , from his hospital room. Orwell passed away on June 21 , 1950, little over a year after publishing Nineteen Eighty-Four, leaving a legacy of powerful literary satire and enduring textual relevance.

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Political and Historical Landscape The historical era during which Orwell lived was full of volatile politics and confronting global issues. These contextual influences are largely reflected in the dystopian world created by Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four. There were several distinct totalitarian states during Orwell's time. These governments were centralised and dictatorial; they required complete subservience and loyalty to all that the state stood for. Control , observation , and manipulation were often used as tools to create such a compliant populace.

Totalitarianism: a centralised government system that

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requi res complete subservience to

Hitler's Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union are two prominent examples of dictators. such authoritarian control at the time. Both states relied on the complete destruction of individuality to triumph through the use of violence and manipulation. The features of these parties are reflected in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell's "Thought Police" can be seen as a direct contextual link to Hitler's Gestapo and Stalin's NKVD (The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs). Furthermore, propaganda was prominent; it was used to simultaneously demonise the enemy, while promoting party ideology and glorifying the leader. This is particularly prominent in the novel with the idolised Big Brother acting as an enduring symbol of the Party. Orwell was personally affected by his context, and this political upheaval greatly influenced the life that he led. The idealistic and political problems in the Spanish Civil War saw him volunteering for the left-wing Republican Government. However, this led to his disillusionment with the Left, as they were too divided in their fight against fascism . His earlier service in Burma also prompted him to develop a distrust of what he called the "machine-age capitalist society" that later blossomed into a firm adherence of Socialism. Orwell's war service in propaganda at the BBC further illuminated the prevalence of political manipulation of widespread information that he so despised. He felt betrayed because the administration was turning against the county. As a result of these political and historical issues, Orwell created the dystopia that is Nineteen Eighty-Four as a warning to contemporary societies about the dangers of such authoritarian control. Ironically, the novel was published in the same year that Mao's Communist government in China was established. This was another nation that had imposed "iron curtains" upon its citizens, exercising continuous restrictions of liberties that Orwell believed would continue way into the future. This proposed endurance of conflict rose due to the fact that Orwell's whole existence was shrouded by war. In his lifetime, he witnessed both world wars, the stock market crash, as well as civil and ideological conflicts. The confronting, prophesied themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four were, to Orwell, a seemingly inescapable reality.

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Communism and Socialism Communism and socialism were dominant ideals during Orwell's time, and though they are often conflated, Orwell had differing attitudes towards each. Following Socialism : a World War I, socialism and liberal philosophies increased in popularity among social the intelligentsia - a class of educated people who engage in complex mental organisation labours. Socialism involved the ownership of goods and services in the hands of theory that society, rather than complete government centralisation or it being the property of advocates individuals. This was in contrast to capitalism, which advocated for the individual comm unity ownership of assets, with the majority of resources owned by only a handful of regulated people in society. Some of these ideas are adopted in contemporary developed means of societies (e.g. the provision of education and health services), but this can also production, lead to clear social inequalities. However, it is important to note that Orwell lived distribution, and in a different time when attitudes to these ideologies were somewhat different from today's. exchange.

Communist Manifesto: a political pamphlet by philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

The industrial revolution was already in full swing, but now the world was dealing with its unforeseen consequences. Rapid industrialisation allowed for the more efficient development of weaponry and resources. This facilitated a rapid growth in the desire to colonise and urbanise society, along with contributing to the beginning of WWI. Once WWI concluded, a rise in totalitarianism during the interwar period resulted in greater tensions within Europe and around the world . Along with the Great Depression, these events catalysed the initiation of WWII and sent the world into yet another long, bloody war. Among these issues came the rise of communism. As per Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto (1848), there can be no great social change without a power struggle. If there is no tension between social classes, there would never be any need for great change or revolution. As a result, many people turned to violent revolution whenever they wanted societal change. It was seen as the only viable option to overturn to ownership of land, minerals, and factories from the capitalists. In comparison, socialism (or at the very least, the democratic socialism advocated by Orwell) never encouraged violence, but instead prompted change through education and good will.

presenting an analytical approach towards class struggle and capitalism.

Something else to note is the term 'national socialists,' abbreviated to 'Nazi.' Hitler's political party was called the National Socialist German Worker's Party. However, they were violently opposed to communism and left-wing politics. Instead, they were right-wing fascists. This can provide some explanation as to Germany wanted state ownership for the good of the people, though communist philosophy was far removed from Nazi ideologies. Orwell criticised the flaws of many ideological systems. While he is often viewed as a social democrat with left-wing sympathies, he was very critical of communism as it manifested in places like the Soviet Union, due to their authoritarian brutality. Orwell provided honest remarks both criticising and praising socialism - he believed in "a post-industrialised society" built on socialist principles as being able to "improve the condition of the common man."

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Socioeconomic Conditions There were also vast societal and economic changes that influenced Orwell's views and predictions for the future . The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 destroyed the stock market for many investors, and actually catalysed the declining economic conditions and the rise of Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany. The overbearing nature of totalitarian rulers like Hitler greatly contributed to Orwell's political views as evidenced in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Additionally, Orwell experienced a life of poverty while travelling through Paris. The poor standard of living also resonated with him as a member of the working class.

A Rise in Technology One major socioeconomic change was a rapid rise In technology and mod- Subjective ernisation, which involved the transition from a traditional society into a modern framework : the one, with new developments and advancements that were facilitated by rapid in- contextual dustrialisation, advancements in technology and an overall increase in production influences efficiency. It was hoped that this would lead to social progress and development, (social, as well as economic benefits in terms of trade and supply of resources. How- historical , ever, as expressed by Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four, there was no telling how emotional) that far these new technologies could go, and how much control they could exercise affect an over the human population if taken into the wrong hands. For example, through author's the character of Winston, Orwell demonstrates distrust towards the telescreen , perspective and and the abundance of cameras and microphones around the city represent a by extension, larger theme of a repressed collective identity, which cultivates a fragile version their writing. of human nature that is expected to be blindly loyal to its government. This is the potential future of technological power that Orwell feared.

Cultural Changes As with any historical era, there were distinct cultural factors that influenced Or- Existent ialism : well's subjective framework. In the years following WWI I (after 1945), there a philosophy was a distinct rise in existentialism . This involved the belief that life is absurd, which and that there is no definite meaning to life except the value imposed upon it by emphasises an the individual. Popular novelists of the time included Albert Camus and Simone individual de Beauvoir. This ongoing quest for non-existent meaning is reflected through existence, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, as a result of Orwell's cultural influences. choice, and freedom.

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The World of Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Guide George Orwell cultivates a strange, though scarily realistic world through Nineteen EightyFour. There are many facets of the novel that are unique and can , at times, be confusing or uncomfortable to follow (although this is somewhat intentional). The novel is a Juvenalian satire, wh ich is a specific type of satire that comments on individuals or institutions through negative, exaggerated depictions. It is a bitter, ironic criticism of his society as he saw it, emanating a generally pessimistic tone. It is named after the writings of Roman satirist Juvenal, who w rote in the late first and early second centuries. His satire was bitter, harsh, and attacked human error, in contrast to 'Horatian satire,' which typically demonstrates an element of humour. This section is designed as a bit of a checklist in case you find yourself forgetting the details of Orwell's world. It will allow for a smoother read, a better grasp of the information as you read through it, enabling you to draw your own conclusions and opinions. A more in-depth analysis of these features can be found in the key themes and structural features analysis.

World Building There are three super-states in Nineteen Eighty-Four - large and powerful federations of nations constantly at war with one another. These are superstates are Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. The disputed territory is a large portion of Africa and some smaller parts of Asia; Northern Africa, the Middle East, India, and Indonesia.

• Oceania takes up most of the Western hemisphere: Australasia, the British Isles, and as southern Africa. London is the capital , and where Winston Smith resides. This state's ideology is English Socialism or 'lngsoc.' • Eurasia has territories across Continental Europe and Russia, including Siberia. Its ideology is Neo-Bolshevism, which combines elements of nationalism and Bolshevism (the form of communist Government in Russia after the 1917 Revolution). • Eastasia covers China, Korea, Japan, and Indochina. They follow a dogma known as the Obliteration of the Self, or Death Worship, which involves a detachment from individual identities. Even though the nations are constantly at war with each other, their ideologies are essentially very similar, as outlined in Emmanuel Goldstein's fictional book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. However, all three super-states control their citizens to make them ignorant of this reality. Something else that may be confusing is the nature of the war. At several times in the novel, Oceania is warring with a nation, and allying with the other. For example, Oceania was at war with Eurasia from roughly July 1980 to 1984, but just before Hate Week, it changed to Eastasia. In fact, Eurasia was now Oceania's ally in their fight against Eastasia. However, the premise of this is that no matter the state of war, the citizens of Oceania are blindly loyal to their government, and in an act of doublethink, legitimately believe that they have been at war with Eastasia the whole time. After all, the citizens of Oceania must follow the binary oppositions: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength ."

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The Ministries There are four ministries set up in Oceania under the lngsoc Government (English Socialism). They act in strict accordance with the mandates of the Party, and are the quintessential tool for repression of the population. The names of the ministries are clear paradoxes, and thus are the most notable forms of double- Paradox: a think in the whole novel. seemingly

Ministry of Peace (Minipax)

absurd or contradictory

The Ministry of Peace is ironically responsible for matters of war. Oceania is in statement. a perpetual state of war against both Eurasia and Eastasia at different times, so the function of this ministry is vital. They also direct the welfare of the population , Doublethink: the ability to and are in charge of the armed forces such as the army and navy. maintain two

Ministry of Love (Miniluv) The Ministry of Love maintains law and order within Oceania. In a streak of black comedy, Orwell refers to this ministry as "the most frightening one" because it is responsible for the torture and vapourisation of disloyal persons, or people who do not conform to the Party's ideals.

beliefs simultaneously which vastly contradict one another.

Ministry of Truth (Minitrue) The Ministry of Truth actually rewrites history to suit the Party's wishes regarding how they wish to be portrayed. They are in charge of education, entertainment, fine arts, and news broadcasts. This ministry, which is the largest and most important for indoctrination, disseminates propaganda to control the thoughts and actions of the people of Oceania.

Ministry of Plenty (Miniplenty) The Ministry of Plenty controls all matters of the economy. This is particularly important due to the rationing of many resources and food among the Outer Party and proles.

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Social Hierarchy There is a very prominent social hierarchy in Nineteen Eighty-Four, designed to further control the lives of the populace.

The Inner Party This is the highest social tier (under "Big Brother") and only makes up about 2% of the population. This upper class has more privileges than any other class; they have a better quality of life, aren't subject to rationing , live in secure neighbourhoods, and are actually able to turn off their pervasive telescreens for small periods of time. However, if those in the Inner Party do not conform to the lngsoc policies, they will still be vapourised and turned into an "unperson," just as any other insignificant person in society would be.

The Outer Party The Outer Party is responsible for implementing the policies and ideals of INGSOC in their government issued occupations. This artificial middle class is subject to strict rules and restrictions that they must fulfil without question. They are spied on via telescreens, cameras, and microphones, and while they are allowed the vices of cigarettes and "victory gin," they are actually supplied fake versions of the goods. They are forced to live in dilapidated houses, are subject to rations, and have nearly no pleasure in life. These members of society are also required to demonstrated sustained patriotic feelings toward the government and Big Brother. According to history, it is this class that is the most dangerous for the maintenance of government control. They are well educated, but do not hold enough power in society, so they are the most likely to start a revolution.

The Proles Proletariats: the collective working class.

The Proles, short for proletariats, are the working class in Oceania that constitutes about 85% of the population. They perform the majority of menial tasks and hard labour, leading the poorest quality of life out of the social tiers. The Inner Party keeps these people entertained by providing various vices, including alcohol, gambling, and pornography that they call "prolefeed." The people of this social class are uneducated and thus are considered harmless animals by the Party. Otherwise, they too get vapourised. For these reasons, they are free from a lot of the omnipresent surveillance around the city and are disregarded. This has actually allowed them to retain the ability to be happy or feel human emotions, but their capacity to incite a revolution is highly limited due to their lack of resources and education. Even though they are financially poorer than the other classes, they are much richer in their values and ideals. As Orwell observed, "if there is any hope, it lies in the Proles."

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Tools of Surveillance There are many tools of surveillance used to repress the collective populace in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Big Brother is the omnipresent figurehead used to coerce and manipulate the fragile individuality of Airstrip One's citizens. The Thought Police (also known as "Thinkpol " in Newspeak) are the secret police who discover and punish any adverse political thoughts and actions disapproved of by the Party. They are very intimidating, and very powerful. The telescreen is a hybrid between a television that broadcasts Party news, propaganda, and videos, and a security camera that watches and listens to people while they are in their own homes. Such cameras and microphones are also placed in public areas to further monitor and control the population . These tools of surveillance are all explained in more detail in the structural features analysis.

Language The perversion and limitation of language in Nineteen Eighty-Four is perhaps one of the most confronting facu lties of control within Oceania. Not only does the Party suppress individuality through surveillance, torture and execution - in line with typical measures of totalitarian control - but it also controls the use of language to literally narrow the range of thought. In the long term, this could ultimately prevent any thoughts of revolution or rebellion , simply because it is not a thought that the people of Oceania will be capable of. This can be seen most prominently with the example of Newspeak. Sometimes it can be hard to read Nineteen Eighty-Four because to us, it is almost in a foreign language. This new version of language aims to ''cut language down to the bone." The three simple vocabularies (A, 8 , and C) are explained in detail in the Appendix chapter analysis. This restriction of language enables doublethink. Essentially, the people of Oceania are expected to be so loyal to the Party that they will accept contrary opinions or beliefs simultaneously because they have been so thoroughly indoctrinated. This goes so far that the Party even expects its citizens to believe "2+2=5." In addition to the direct language restriction in the novel , Orwell also embraces different tones throughout the narrative to emulate the desired atmosphere of each chapter, and how effectively language and thought is manipulated. For example, the novel is written in third person narration, which implies an omnipresent, all-seeing figure . This replicates the overbearing nature of surveillance within Oceania. There are deliberate undertones of propaganda throughout the novel , such as the 'story within a story' of Emmanuel Goldstein's novel, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. Sentences are balanced, and the whole pretence changes such that we are aware that we are reading an analytical work of history and politics. As responders, we can gather that this is written by someone else in this case, O'Brien. The tone is unlike the slightly more colloquial nature of the rest of the novel, and thus has a large impact on Winston. Once again, these overarching ideas will be addressed in more detail in the structural features and key themes analyses. However, if you do find yourself getting stuck as you read Nineteen Eighty-Four, this section is a good refresher to get your own analysis back on track!

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Section 3

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis Part I George Orwell structured Nineteen Eighty-Four in three sequential parts. The first section of Nineteen Eighty-Four details Winston 's life as a government employee in the Ministry of Truth. The key themes of surveillance, control, and deceit are established as we learn about Oceania and Big Brother. We are also introduced to several other main characters, including Julia and O'Brien .

Chapter 1

English Socialism (lngsoc): The Party in Ninenteen Eighty-Four.

The first chapter of Nineteen Eighty-Four immediately establishes an unnatural tone, which permeates the entire novel. The first line, "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen ," emphasises this, with its skewed image of time. The common idea of 'normality' has been altered, and is continually modified throughout the novel in order to suit the political and ideological doctrines of the government, lngsoc (English Socialism). Their main principles are Newspeak, doublethink, and the mutability of the past. (The confronting thing about this chapter is how close it seems to reality. Even though it isn't exactly how the world turned out, it still demonstrates a confronting truth about totalitarian concerns and omnipresent surveillance.) The first chapter introduces us to Winston Smith, a 39 year old government employee. He leads a mundane life in the dilapidated city of Airstrip One, Oceania, formerly known as London . Urban decay is prevalent, such as in the ironically juxtaposed "victory mansions" that are rat-infested and smell like cabbage, which can be attributed to Winston's poor quality of life as an Outer Party member. Orwell establishes the setting in a similar way to that of Aldous Huxley in his 1932 novel Brave New World. Huxley was actually one of Orwell's professors, and thus influenced Orwell's interest and writing in the dystopic genre. He describes the world as "cold," and as if there was "no colour in anything." In establishing the tone of the novel and highlighting the intense human condi tioning within Winston 's world, Orwell projects his personal concerns for his real-life society. Initially, Winston has arrived home for lunch from his duties at the Ministry of Truth . The omniscient propaganda is immediately established, with Winston addressing Hate Week, the telescreens, the multiple ministries, posters of Big Brother with eyes that follow people everywhere, and the mantra "Big Brother is Watching You." The latter is a motif throughout the entire novel. It is clear that in Winston's world, citizens are coerced and controlled through various propaganda and media censorship tools, which ultimately creates a collective identity in an imperfect world.

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Winston, with his na·ive desire for privacy, sits in an alcove within his home that cannot be seen by the telescreen. It is here that he pulls out "a penholder, a bottle of ink and a thick, quarto-sized blank book" - a diary. Thus, begins his private rebellion against 'lhoughtcrime," since diaries encourage freedom of thought that is suppressed in Winston 's society. This catalyses a change in Winston 's psyche, as well as his actions throughout the novel. As stated by Winston, "To mark the paper was a decisive act." Though he is uncertain, he continues to write in a fearful ramble and stream of consciousness. He suddenly stops, at which point he clarifies the reason why he began writing. He was somewhat inspired by O'Brien, whose political orthodoxy is questioned by Winston (Though, as we will later discover, this proves to be a critical flaw in Winston 's judgement) . He retells the events of the Morning Hate to which everyone must conform , and how he felt connected to O'Brien's underlying spirit. At the end of the chapter, Winston reveals his innermost thoughts that he projected onto his diary through the epizeuxis: "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER." This gives us a sense of his panicked, but rebellious thoughts, which will ampligy as his story unfolds.

Chapter 2

Back in Winston 's flat, he reminisces about a confusing dream he had seven years ago. In the dream , O'Brien told "we shall meet in the place where there is no darkness." This also foreshadows the events that take place in Part 3 of the novel, in which O'Brien meets Winston in Room 101 in the Ministry of Love. This thought is interrupted by the telescreen , which announces Oceania's success in the war on the Malabar Front. Once again, Winston feels overwhelmed by the Party doctrines and immense surveillance over his life and individuality. As he states, "nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull." But the Party is even trying to control that. For Winston, there is no privacy, and in Oceania this has severe consequences; 'lhoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death." He finishes up writing, clearly filled with paranoia as he places a speck of dust on the hidden diary. Though seemingly futile , this will alert Winston if the Thought Police have accessed his diary, and therefore, his rebellious thoughts.

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a

person or thing that precipitates an event. Stream of consciousness: a

style of writing that emulates the continuous, uninterrupted flow of inner thoughts. Epizeuxis:

In this chapter, Winston is alarmed by a knock at the door, worried that it is the Thought Police who have caught him in his private rebellion. His fatalistic attitude is clear in this respect, as he is instantly resigned to his fate. However, he instead finds Mrs Parsons, his neighbour, at the door asking for help. He goes to their similarly dilapidated house in order to fix the plumbing. While there, he watches the Parsons children who have been indoctrinated with Party ideologies and go around the house screaming , "You're a traitor!... You're a thought criminal!" They are constantly on the lookout for political unorthodoxy, even in their own parents, as reflected by Mrs Parsons' "helpless fright." This foreshadows Mr Parsons eventual imprisonment later in the novel.

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Catalyst:

repetition of a short word or phrase in quick . succession. Fatalism: a

philosophy that stresses the feeling of powerlessness to do anything other than what is placed upon us by the universe as our destiny.

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Chapter 3 Winston's mother appears in his dream on a sinking ship, alongside Winston's sister. She disappeared twenty years prior in a political purge, and he felt responsible for her suffering, as he felt that their lives had been tragically sacrificed for his own. As a continuation of this vivid dream , he dreams of a serene landscape, the "Golden Country." Here, he sees "the girl with dark hair," Julia, coming towards him to hastily make love. Due to the forced repression of libido in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston confines these desires deep within his psyche, which materialises in his dreams through the Golden Country. It is treated as a mystery that Winston both craves and distrusts. Winston awakes with the word "Shakespeare" on his lips, an archaic name from a time now forgotten.

Mutability: something that has the tendency to change easily.

Winston is woken up at 7:15 a.m. by an "ear splitting whistle" coming from the telescreen. Even though he is unwell and physically limited, he is forced to participate in the "Physical Jerks" for the day. Through his struggle and exercise, he tries to bring his mind back to his dream and childhood, but cannot recall much because of the mutability of the past. With the existence of fact only through memory, and the Party controlling that memory, Winston cannot recall the details of his own history, let alone that of his country. It is at this point where Winston acknowledges Oceania's changing alliances. Though, public knowledge suggests that Oceania has always been at war with the same superstate, this contradiction exists only in Winston's mind, the knowledge of which is a thoughtcrime punishable by vapourisation. This reality control is characterised as "He who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." The past had not been altered, but in fact destroyed in order to maintain the image of the Party. Once again, Winston's train of thought is interrupted by the lady from the telescreen , calling everyone to action. They were required to bend down and touch their toes, which Winston despised. Nevertheless, due to the conformity instilled within him by the Party, he is required to follow through. The "shrewish" voice calls out to Winston : "6079 Smith W! Yes, you! Bend lower, please!" She refers to him as comrade, further instilling the military image and cultivating a collective identity to encourage Winston to participate. Eventually he does so successfully, for the first time in several years.

Chapter 4 This chapter follows Winston at work in the Ministry of Truth. His job (to rewrite history, essentially) is vital in maintaining the image of the Party. He uses a "speakwrite," which turns his dictation into typed words, in order to destroy obsolete objects or "facts" of history. As aforementioned, not only is he altering history, he is literally destroying what it once was, in order to match the modern claims of the Party, because Big Brother can never be wrong. Once finished with the "incorrect" version of history, he routinely places them in the "memory hole," which incinerates the old piece of paper. 14 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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Winston is very good at his job in the Records Department and takes pleasure in doing it. He understands how important it is to the Party, "delicate pieces of forgery in wh ich you had nothing to guide you except your knowledge of the principles of lngsoc and your estimate of what the Party wanted you to say." It is important to note the lengths that Orwell goes to in order to demonstrate the terrifying rigidity of Winston 's world. Every process, function and item are specifically named, often contradictorily. Winston addresses a particular article that requires editing. Comrade Withers was a prominent member of the Inner Party and had received the Order of Conspicuous Merit, Second Class, for his work. However, since then, Withers had become an "unperson" - vapourised from the earth and now, according to records, never actually existed. To replace this man in the article, Winston uses Comrade Ogilvy, who had recently died heroically in battle and dedicated his entire life to the Party. Thus, he "imagined" Ogilvy and had turned him into facts from the past, when he didn't even exist in the present. This is the key contradiction in doublethink and the Party as a whole, all in an effort to pacify the "Proles" (proletariat).

Chapter 5 This chapter takes place in the cafeteria of the Ministry of Truth. We see that food is clearly rationed and of very poor quality, but must be eaten anyway because the Party is so generously supplying it tor its citizens. Other hygiene items are also limited, like razors. Winston sits down to eat with his comrade Syme, who details the glorious benefits of Newspeak. The Eleventh Edition is currently in production , and Syme is fascinated by the destruction of "unnecessary" words. He asks, "don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it." The use of Newspeak will ultimately transform the entire "climate of thought," as desired by the Party. As such, Winston believes that Syme is "too intelligent" for his own good, and will inevitably fall victim to the Thought Police, for "he sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people." Parsons, Winston's neighbour, also joins them in the cafeteria. A much simpler man, Parsons is someone who Winston believes is dull enough to be safe from the Thought Police. While they are there, an announcement is made over the telescreens about improvements in rations as part of "our new, happy life" in Airstrip One. Winston contemplates the change in rations over the past 24 hours. For example, he was sure that only yesterday, the chocolate ration had been reduced to 20 grams, but today it was seen as a victory when the ration was increased to the same amount. He struggles with this thought; "was he, then, alone in the possession of a memory?" This train of thought is stopped when he makes eye contact with Julia, whom he hasn't yet spoken to. He is concerned that he has committed facecrime whereby the individual is caught by the Thought Police due to their improper facial expression during an Oceania victory. However, he must get over this for the time being and continue with his work for the day. Copyright © 2019 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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Facecrime: .

wearing an

improper facial expression that alerts the Thought Police of impure thoughts against the Party.

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Chapter 6 We once again see Winston at home, using his diary as a form of therapy in his overtly controlled world. This time, he is recalling a night from several years ago that he spent with a prostitute. While being caught would mean a five-year sentence in an intense labour camp, it was quite easy to get away with. Consorting with this particular prostitute caused Winston to feel immense guilt. Intoxicated by her perfume (only worn by Proles), he was taken away by her seemingly youthful image. However, we find out that it was actually a lady in her fifties, though he continued with the service nonetheless. While writing this diary entry, Winston thinks about his wife, Katherine. While they were married, she was a frigid lady, blindly obedient to the rules of the Party. She saw it as her "duty to the Party" to have children and indoctrinate them with the same messages. However, since the pair could not do so, they were allowed to separate. There was to be no pleasure in the sexual act, as is indoctrinated into all Party members from their childhood. In Orwell's own historical context, many of Hitler's organisations used redirected "induced hysteria" as a result of sexual deprivation into "war-fever," ultimately increasing their loyalty to the Party. In addition, there is also the first mention of the Junior Anti-Sex League of which Julia is a member.

Chapter 7 This chapter follows Winston's thoughts on the Proles and their degree of power in any possible revolution. He states, "If there is hope, it lies in the Proles." He is more optimistic regarding the Proles, as they make up 85% of the population and are treated as deregulated animals by the Party. These "swarming disregarded masses" are the ones who have the power to make significant change in society. Introspectively, Winston realises the paradox of this situation; "until they become conscious they will never rebel , and until after they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious." Winston reads a passage from a children's history book borrowed from Mrs Parsons. It retells the history of Airstrip One as it used to be: a dirty London town run by nasty capitalists. Many of the circumstances that describe Old England are also seen in W inston's contemporary context. The only difference in modern life is its listlessness and bareness. In line with the theme of the mutability of history, Winston acknowledges while reading the history book: "the past was erased, the erasure was forgotten , the lie became truth:' There was one piece of information that Winston addresses which could have resulted in the deletion of history and thus the destabilisation of the Party's image. Three men - Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford - were prominent members of the Party. They were among the few people who were around in the "heroic early days" of the Party, and thus were almost ancient relics within Airstrip One. Then in 1965, they were arrested for crimes against the Party. Winston recalled that one day, he saw the three old men in the Chestnut Tree Cafe. Over the telescreens, a song began to play, causing the men to silently weep. "Under the spreading chestnut tree/ I sold you and you sold me:/ There lie they, and here lie we/ Under the spreading chestnut tree."

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These lyrics are based on a rhyme fami liar to Orwell in his childhood ; 'The Chestnut Tree' by Glenn Miller (1939). However, the lyrics are changed to demonstrate the absence of certainty and the widespread falsification of the past in Winston 's world. The second line had been changed to include "lie," emblematic of how Winston destroys any evidence of the three men's existence, thereby lying on behalf of the Party. Similarly, the original third line alluded to love, but this is not permitted for Party members. Winston further recalls that in 1973, he came across an article that mentioned the three men, which indicated that their criminal confessions were in fact falsified. Though this does not surprise Winston, he understands that this revelation would destroy the Party. Nevertheless, it was his job in the Records Department to "fix" this version of history and turn the three men into "unpersons." As Winston states, "I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY." He continues to ponder the three men and explores the meaning of freedom in a world where the Party forces its citizens to truly believe ideas such as, "two plus two equals five." Winston concludes, "freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted , all else follows."

Chapter 8 This chapter begins with Winston missing the afternoon activities in which he was supposed to participate at the Community Centre. Doing this too often may be picked up by the Thought Police as an act of defiance. Winston also chooses to walk around the Proles city as "ownlife" This implies individuality and eccentricity, which is also something the Party seeks to quell. His blue uniform is quite conspicuous among these people, and suddenly, the area is hit by a "steamer" (rocket bomb), but he finds shelter just in time. Winston continues to ponder the hope of rebellion that lies with the Proles, but feels let down when he realises that they are not conscious enough to care. The only thing they do care about is the Lottery, which in itself is fabricated by the Ministry of Plenty.

Ownlife: seeking solitude and behaving eccentrically. This is discouraged by the Party, who

Eventually, he sees an old man walking into a pub, follows him in and offers him want uniformity beer. The outdated term, "pint," is used, which further entices Winston to question across its this man. Essentially, he wants to find out if life was better for Airstrip One citizens populace. before or after the lngsoc revolution. This would prove the deceit of the Party and inspire a possible revolution among the powerful Proles. Unfortunately, the man is incoherent and cannot remember details from the past. His ambiguous answers cause Winston to become impatient and eventually leave the man alone. Winston realised the sad truth that "when memory failed and written records were falsified - when that happened, the claim of the Party to have improved the conditions of human life had got to be accepted, because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested."

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On Winston's way home, he visits the old junk shop from where he purchased his old diary. Though conflicted upon entry, he chats to the store owner, Mr Charrington , and purchases a pretty coral paperweight. For Winston , "what appealed to him about it was not so much its beauty as the air it seemed to possess of belonging to an age quite different from the present one." K EY P OINT:

This paperweight holds significant symbolic value, which is explored in the Structural Feature Analysis on page 43. Winston then finds the "upstairs" room somewhat hidden from view. Interestingly, Winston sees that there is no telescreen in the room, to which the owner says they are "too expensive" and "never seemed to feel the need of it" In the room was an old painting of St Clement's church, sparking an old memory for Winston of a nursery rhyme. (This symbol will also be addressed in the Structural Feature Analysis!) When Winston left the store, he planned to come back the next month and rent out the room. As he walks back to his apartment at the Victory Mansions, he once again sees the "girl from the Fiction Department," Julia. He was alarmed and worried that he had committed "facecrime" yet again. He considers chasing and attacking her, fearing that she will report him to the Thought Police. However, he decides against it and just goes home. He has some spare time before the lights go out for the night, and so has a drink of Victory Gin and writes some more in his diary. It is clear that he has become fatalistically resigned to his discovery by the Thought Police. The slogans "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength," once again ring in his mind.

Part II Part 2 of this novel details Winston 's fleeting love affair with Julia and their more overt forms of rebellion against the Party doctrines. With Winston's comrades slowly getting vapourised, he becomes more and more radicalised. This leads to his alliance with O'Brien as part of the Brotherhood, until Winston is eventually exposed for his thoughtcrimes.

Chapter 1 This chapter begins with Winston at work on an ordinary day. Near his desk, Julia falls over and Winston feels compelled to help her up. As he grabs her hand, she slips a piece of paper into his palm . He panics slightly before he opens it, concerned that it is a letter from either the Thought Police or the Brotherhood. He tries his best to open it inconspicuously, which takes some time due to the high degree of surveillance and control. The letter says "I Love You." This came as a shock to Winston, who could not focus on his work for the rest of the day. He wants to meet with her again , and figures the best place to do so is in the middle of the canteen, since there should be enough noise from people's chatter, and they would be far enough from the telescreens.

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A week passes, and Winston is yet to see Julia again. After several failed attempts, he finally sits down with her for a brief minute. She quickly instructs him to meet her again at the Victory square after 8:30 p.m. He does so, but their meeting is interrupted by a convoy of Eurasian prisoners passing through the square. Nevertheless, Winston shuffles his way to Julia and they are able to stand shoulder to shoulder in the bustling crowd. Julia silently instructed him to take Sunday afternoon off work so that they could meet. She gave precise directions to the location, which we later find out is to the Golden Country. Before parting ways, they quickly squeezed each other's hands to cultivate some form of human connection which they have been deprived of for so long.

Chapter 2 Winston and Julia meet outside of the city, where telescreens are nowhere to be found . Clean, natural imagery contrasts with the dark, dirty, urban imagery that has been seen throughout the novel prior to this chapter. This is the first chance that the pair has to actually introduces themselves, though Julia clearly knows more about Winston than he does about her. He admits that he thought she was a spy for the Thought Police, which she found ironically amusing. In an act of defiance toward the Party and against her image as the perfect citizen, she tore off her Junior Anti-Sex League sash. This was bright red, symbolising the passion associated with the act of sex. She then pulls out real chocolate purchased from the black market, which Winston savours. The two eventually walk further into the countryside, which Winston recognises as being very similar to the Golden Country of his dreams. He also makes another of his dreams a reality as he and Julia remove their clothes and make love in the open . Winston recognises her dishonest nature and admits to her, "anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope." Their animalistic instincts take over, which until this point had been harnessed by the Party to further control its citizens' behaviour and loyalty. As Winston clarifies at the end of the chapter, to have sex was a "political act."

Chapter 3 Over the next chapter, we see Winston and Julia's fleeting interactions around the city and country. It is difficult for them to meet for more than half an hour at a time, and often their meetings are compromised by unsafe circu mstances, like patrolling officers showing up. They we re aware that they could not meet often or in the same place, such as the Golden Country, because this may alert the Thought Police. Julia calls this "talking by instalments." As they do so, she reveals more about herself and her role as a perfect Party member. She exposes her fagade as a star student, dedicated Junior Anti-Sex League Member, and trusted worker in the Fictions Department as a machine operator. In her opinion, she gets away with her actions because "if you kept the small rules you could break the big ones." W inston shares a story of his own about how he once contemplated murdering his estranged wife Katherine while they were alone on a hike. However, he did not follow through because he was not so politically radicalised at that point.

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Nihilistic: the belief that life is meaningless.

The end of the chapter sheds light upon Julia's inherent character. Though she also adopts a fatalistic attitude to life, she is still able to be optimistic in creating her own sense of freedom . This is juxtaposed by Winston's somewhat nihilistic attitude; he is more resigned to his fate because he is educated on the horrors of the Party. Julia doesn't necessarily care about that; she just wants to be free. "In a way she realised that she herself was doomed, that sooner or later the Thought Police would catch her and kill her, but with another part of her mind she believed that it was somehow possible to construct a secret world in which you could live as you chose."

Chapter 4 Back at Mr Charrington's junk shop, Winston has decided to rent out the secret room , because privacy was a very valuable thing. In anticipation of the upcoming Hate Week, Winston and Julia's workloads have vastly increased. More propaganda has been perpetuated across Airstrip One, including some verses of songs Verslflcator: a made by a "versificator." A large Prole woman who lives below the rented room machine that was singing one of these songs as she was doing the laundry. She is a symbol produces songs of freedom and political unorthodoxy. and literature

When Julia finally arrived at the room , she reveals the food she bought from the black market, which usually goes straight to the Inner Party: real sugar, white that no member bread, coffee, and tea. An abundance of tea was available to Oceania, since of the Party has they had recently captured India, though Julia only addressed this as an offhand to engage in comment, emphasising her disinterest in the political state of the world and creative thought her resignation to the warring climate. Additionally, Julia surprises Winston with to do so. makeup and scent, only used by the Proles. She does this in an attempt to regain some individuality and emphasise her femininity; "In this room I'm going to be a woman, not a Party comrade." The pair fall asleep briefly, and wake to the sun coming into the room. A rat had crept into the room , and Julia throws something at it. Winston is very distressed by the rat, foreshadowing his experience in Room 101 : the Room 101. They are subject to their absolute worst fear. (which exploits the torture subject's worse horrors as the final step in conve rting them to love Big Brother). Winston exclaims, "Of all horrors in the world - a rat!" chamber in the for the proles so

Ministry of Love

where the final corruption of the mind takes place.

Julia and Winston begin discussing the paperweight. For Winston, "it's a little chunk of history that they've forgotten to alter. It's a message from a hundred years ago, if one knew how to read it." They also talk about the painting of St Clement's. Julia sings the next two lines of the rhyme about the church that Winston had initially tried to remember. She declared that one day, she would clean behind the painting, because it was probably infested with bugs. However, we know that she never got to do this, because that's where the telescreen was hidden in the room. Of course, neither of them knew about this at that point, otherwise they would have known of their impending doom to the Thought Police. That telescreen is the reason as to why the Thought Police knew that rats were Winston 's biggest fear, and as such could be used against him.

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Chapter 5 At the beginning of this chapter, we find out that Winston 's colleague Syme has been vapourised. As aforementioned, this was not a surprise to Winston; he thought that Syme was too intelligent for his own good. However, just as he was vapourised by the Party and became an unperson, so too does Orwell barely acknowledge his existance, spending no more than one paragraph on Syme's disappearance. This implicitly conveys that vapourisations were a regular occurrence that Oceania citizens were forced to accept, because in society's eyes, Syme and other unpersons never existed. Work for Hate Week is in full swing; even more propaganda is being circulated around the country, including the new "Hate Song" and various posters. Nevertheless, Winston and Julia continue to meet in the room above Mr Charrington's shop to seek privacy and pleasure. As Winston contemplates, "The process of life had ceased to be intolerable... the room was a world, a pocket of the past where extinct animals could walk." W inston and Julia begin discussing the viability of participating in a real rebellion. Admittedly, neither of them know where to start, and they doubt their efforts would take them very far, even as part of the elusive Brotherhood. In this conversation , Winston reaches a revelation. Julia "only questioned the teachings of the Party when they in some way touched upon her life." Whenever he tried to talk to her about the "principles of lngsoc, doublethink, the mutability of the past and the denial of objective reality," she would tune out, because it did not directly affect her freedom or pleasure. Thus, Winston concludes, "in a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it." lngsoc was indoctrinated before people were able to form their own opinions and principles, which alarms Winston as well as the reader.

Viability: whether something is realistic, or possible to achieve.

Chapter 6 This short chapter entails a brief meeting between W inston and O'Brien. W inston believes that the time for rebellion has finally come, because O'Brien invites him over to his house. While O'Brien states that it is to discuss the vocabulary in the newest edition of the Newspeak Dictionary, Winston takes this as code for an invite to the underground Brotherhood. Winston assumed he and O'Brien were on the same page, and they could take action against the Party, claiming that "the first step had been a secret, involuntary thought, the second had been the opening of the diary. He had moved from thoughts to words, and now from words to actions. The last step was something that would happen in the Ministry of Love."

Brotherhood: the secret underground movement against lngsoc, supposedly led by Emmanuel

Chapter 7

Goldstein.

Back at the junk shop room, Winston wakes up from another dream about his mother and sister. However, this dream actually frees him from the guilt that he felt of killing his mother, which he in fact did not do. The entire dream took place inside the paperweight that he bought a few chapters prior, another symbol of its capabilities of freezing history in time. Copyright © 2019 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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He also recalls the socio-political circumstances of his childhood. More prominently, he recalls a time where he demanded chocolate and took it from his sister, to his mother's dismay. On a micro level, this dream is symbolic of Winston's inherent desire for freedom of thought and self-expression. His desire to overthrow Big Brother and contest those in leadership positions is also clear. He tried to explain this to Julia, but as expected , she did not particularly care because she did not understand the implications of his dream. After some more contemplation, Winston realises that the Proles have remained the most humane through all the social and political changes. They had not hardened in tough times, and had held on to their primitive emotions. These represent everything that the Thought Police erase from those captured in the Ministry of Love. Winston and Julia eventually fall victim to this as well, though they are somewhat na·ive about the whole process at this point; they do not yet know the full extent of depressing control inflicted by the Party over its people. Winston claims that a mere confession of loving Big Brother is insignificant. He says to Julia, "if they could stop me loving you - that would be the real betrayal." This poignantly foreshadows what happens in Room 101 , where they punish people with their worst fears in order to penetrate their minds and really instil a "love" for Big Brother.

Chapter 8 Winston and Julia arrive at O'Brien's house, nervous. Initially, Winston doubts his faith in O'Brien as a conspirator, and worries that he just imagined it all. Nevertheless, they enter and begin to chat with O'Brien. As an inner Party member, he has the luxury of turning off his telescreen for short periods of time, highlighting the corrupt nature of the Party and its degrees of control. The floodgates open, and Winston admits to believing in a counterrevo lutionary movement to overthrow the Party, of which he wishes to be a part. He commits to assisting its ends, even submitting to a complete change in behaviour and character. This is what the Party wants for its citizens; however, Winston is only willing to do it for the counter-revolutionary movement. They call it the Brotherhood and as O'Brien explains, the name is the only tangible evidence of the organisation. Beyond that, it exists only as an unbreakable idea. Realistically, they will see no progress in their lifetime; "we are the dead. Our only true life is in the future." Nevertheless, they wish to follow through with their plans. O'Brien provides them with details of how to get a hold of Emmanuel Goldstein's famous revo lutionary book, which will explain how the society is governed. They are unsure if they will meet again, but if they do, it would be "in the place of no darkness" - a reference to the motif from Winston 's dreams.

Chapter 9 Essentially, this chapter explores Emmanuel Goldstein's book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. The chapter begins with Winston exhausted, following the 90-hour working week of Hate Week. What was most exhausting was the sixth day of Hate Week. Right in the middle of processions, it was announced that Oceania was not at war with Eurasia, but with Eastasia.

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According to the Party, Eurasia has always been an ally to Oceania, and this warring cli mate was always the same. Everyone simply accepted this as fact , despite the processions indicating a war with Eurasia for the entirety of Hate Week. As such, this required a lot of "editing" of history records. This was exhausting tor Winston . So, as a cool-down from this hard work, he opens up the book and reads the first three chapters. "Oligarchical collectivism" refers to a society in which everyone is an essential part, but its government is run entirely by a select few. Within the society lies three distinct classes: The High, the Middle, and the Low. The High aims to continually remain at the top of the hierarchy, the middle aims to eventually outdo the High and take its place as the elite class, while the Low simply tries to survive and create a more equal playing field . These ideologies create perpetual rifts in society. So, during the Revolution in Winston's world, it took one final Middle class fighting for the elite position to create a somewhat totalitarian society in which individual aspiration was abolished. Hence society was transformed into a state of oligarchical collectivism.

In theory, this would only fail if the country was conquered by another country, if the masses were stirred into rebellion , if the Middle class had enough power to fight back, or if the Government failed itself. In Winston's world , everyone is under surveillance and constantly controlled, so that those capable of such rebellion are vapourised. Thus, to remain ignorant to such changes would allow for a theoretically stronger nation: "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH." Additionally, by creating an international focus on war, people and resources could be controlled at a point of absolute standstill. Each warring superstate - Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia - never actually makes any progress. They are all merely continuing to perpetuate their control over the populace. Everyone has someone to hate, and there is no time to initiate a class revolt. As such, Oceania maintains the fagade of war, to maintain peace: "WAR IS PEACE." However, even after finishing the first three chapters, Winston still does not completely understand the "why" of the whole operation, or why "freedom is slavery." Nevertheless, he fell asleep embracing Julia, feeling safe.

Chapter 10 Winston wakes to the Prole woman singing the Hate Song once again. However, after reading Goldstein's book, he is seeing some hope and beauty in the world. He has some profound thoughts about universal human experiences, like looking at the same sky across Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. He now has an even stronger belief that the hope lies in the Proles; he believes that this is Goldstein's main message as well. He announces to Julia, to which she answers "we are the dead." Then, shockingly, an iron voice mimics her, "we are the dead." It is revealed that a telescreen had been watching the pair the entire time, hidden being the image of St Clement's. Suddenly, the room is surrounded by officers, one of whom shatters Winston's glass paperweight, and in doing do, symbolically breaks his spirit and na"ivety about the preservation of history in this life. He and Julia are punished, made to stand naked in the room with their hands behind their heads.

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A young , dark-haired man walks in to the room, whom Winston recognises as Mr Charrington , albeit much younger and more mobile. Winston was so trusting of this man, but in actual fact, Charrington had been maintaining a fagade the entire time. This is reflective of the fallacies upon which the Party itself is built. Winston realises that this is his first known encounter with a member of the Thought Police. He understands now that his dream of freedom is further away than ever.

Part Ill Part 3 of Nineteen Eighty-Four follows Winston's struggles within the Ministry of Love. He is forced to transform himself and convert his belief system so that he truly loves Big Brother. This corruption is carried out by O'Brien , who Winston thought was his ally, until Winston's mind is completely corrupted by the Party doctrine.

Chapter 1 The final part of this novel begins with Winston locked up in the ironically named Ministry of Love. The windowless cell is monitored 24 hours a day by four telescreens, and as such, Winston loses all concept of time. Being locked up for more than a day, he is starving. Initially, he had been put in a holding cell with some other common criminals, who were treated slightly better than political criminals; they would end up in labour camps rather than have their mind corrupted in Room 101 . This demonstrates the hierarchy within society and how drastically dangerous political opposition is considered in this controlling world. Once moved into the political criminal cell with no daylight, Winston began panicking about what was going to happen to him and what torture he would have to endure. At this point, he still strongly believes that they cannot break his love for Julia. He realised that this was "the place of no darkness" that he had unknowingly predicted in his dreams about O'Brien. As W inston waits in the room for his fate, several people are transferred in and out of the cel l. Ampleforth enters, who was a poet in the Records Department. He is imprisoned for thoughtcrime because he left the word "God" in a rhyming poem, disobeying the Party's replacement of religion with themselves as the only all-powerful entity. Also, as a surprise to Winston, his neighbour Parsons was turned in for thoughtcrime. He had been shouting, "Down With Big Brother!" in his sleep and was turned in to the Thought Police by his seven year old daughter. This emphasises the extremities of indoctrination taken by the Party; impressionable children are forced into this ideology and are unable to form their own political . . op1n1ons. Parsons was a man who had clearly been imprisoned for quite some time. He was dying from starvation, and another man tried to smuggle him bread. They were stopped by the Thought Police and the man was beaten . The starving man was ordered to go to the infamous Room 101 , begging not to go, but he is sent to the torture room regardless. At the end of the chapter, O'Brien comes in. Winston thinks that he too has been caught but the Thought Police, because he continues to answer ironically, but the reality is quite the opposite. O'Brien's false image as a member of the Rebellion highlights the corrupt nature of the Party and the extents that they go to in order to extinguish any opposition to their power. W inston then gets beaten by a guard and writhes in pain.

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Chapter 2 The torture, interrogation, and indoctrination of Winston begins in this chapter. Aiming to reform and convert Winston so that he learns to love Big Brother, he is strapped to a torture device by O'Brien. Initially, Winston thinks that a simple confession will suffice, but the power by the Party goes beyond this. He is still somewhat confused by O'Brien's role in everything ; "he was the tormentor, he was the protector, he was the inquisitor, he was the friend." The bed that Winston is tied to is capable of inflicting immense pain in the process of making Winston "perfect." O'Brien claims that Winston is ''worth the trouble" because he is selfaware of his mental ailments ; he has a "defective memory" whereby he remembers too much of the wrong things. But O'Brien thinks that this is "curable." He accuses Winston of having false memories, and "hallucinating" the article with Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford. This is the pinnacle of doublethink. With the past only existing in memory, any destruction of its records by those in power erases the history from existence (in the eyes of the Party). Thus, those who control the present control the past, because they can alter the records and by extension memories of its citizens. However, as Winston argues, memory is "outside oneself" and cannot be controlled as such. This is what O'Brien wishes to "fix." O'Brien holds up four fingers to Winston's face and asks him to say how many he sees. Winston insists that there are four fingers, but this is not what O'Brien wants to hear, so he increases the pain emanating from the machine. If the Party wants Winston to see five, he should see five, even if that's not the reality. Winston attempts to say five, but O'Brien knows that he is lying. O'Brien then states, "it is not easy to become sane," when in reality, it is not easy for the Party to control this part of humans: their memory. O'Brien continues to torture Winston into "really seeing" five fingers and alludes to the totalitarian punishment methods seen in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. Using these methods, O'Brien wants to "wipe out" the "stain" that Winston is on society. He doesn't want to change Winston's behaviour, but change his entire being, or, in Winston's words, change what ''thou art" rather than dictate what "thou shalt" or "shalt not" think. Eventually, with more trials and tribulations, Winston believes for a brief moment that he sees five fingers. O'Brien then allows him to ask a few questions, such as what happened to Julia and if Big Brother is real. He asked what was in Room 101 , but O'Brien answered quite aloofly: "you know what is in Room 101 , Winston. Everyone knows what is in Room 101."

Chapter 3 O'Brien explains to Winston that his "reintegration" will take place in three stages: learning, understanding, and acceptance. He finally explains to Winston the "why" of the operation. He admits, "power is not a means, it is an end," and asks Winston why he believes the society is run as it is. Winston suggests that it is fo r the benefit for the people, but O'Brien instantly disagrees, and explains the second Party slogan, "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY." Unlike the other two slogans, which follow the pattern "negative is positive," this slogan follows the pattern "positive is negative." But curiously, it can also be read the other way: "slavery is freedom ."

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As O'Brien explains, humans alone - free - are always defeated, because everyone is doomed to die. But, if he can merge himself into the Party, he will not have to experience man's biggest failure ; he will be all-powerful and immortal, because he will be the Party. Thus, freedom is slavery. As O'Brien concludes, "power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing." The chapter continues to explore Winston's deteriorating body and mind as a resu lt of the torture. His body rots over the next few weeks due to malnutrition and neglect. He looks at himself in a mirror for the first time, and sees that he is basically a skeleton of his former self. He is so weak, O'Brien pulls a rotting tooth from inside Winston 's mouth, causing him to weep uncontrollably. O'Brien blames Winston for his pain, which was self-inflicted the moment that he decided to go up against the Party. At this point, Winston is overwhelmed by a sort of admiration for O'Brien and how well he seems to understand how Winston thinks. But while O'Brien believes that Winston is broken , Winston still has not betrayed his love, Julia. Winston questions when his suffering will end, to which O'Brien replies, "you are a difficult case. But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you."

Chapter 4 In this chapter, we see a change in Winston's attitude and circumstance. He is treated more humanely - given fresh clothes, solid meals, better bedding, and medical attention. He has somewhat grown used to the lack of darkness in his cell and the diminishing concept of time. The bright lights often cause him to dream more vividly, like sitting in the Golden Country with O'Brien. As he gradually grew stronger and his mind sharper, he began to think how frivolous it was of him to go up against the Party. This idea has risen because of his mind corruption conducted by O'Brien . He states, "sanity is statistical ," though this is in sharp contrast to his judgement made after reading The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism when he stated "sanity is not statistical." However, at this point, Winston is a different person . "He accepted everything. The past was alterable. The past never had been altered." While in the cell , Winston had been given a slate to write on. On it, he wrote things such as "Freedom is slavery'' and "two and two makes five." It is clear that his intellect had been successfully manipulated by O'Brien such that he now truly believes in the words and actions of the Party. However, it is his emotions that have yet to be destroyed and remoulded . In his sleep, he called out for Julia - an action that was shamed by O'Brien because it was an act of defiance against the Party. Winston was asked if he loved Big Brother, to which he replied, "I hate him." This was an indication to O'Brien that Winston was ready to love Big Brother, as he would learn through the last step of the re-integration process: Room 101 .

Chapter 5 On his way to Room 101 , Winston understands that this room is very far underground in the Ministry of Love. Once in the room , he is strapped up to a chair, at which point we discover what Room 101 actually represents. It holds the "worst thing in the world," which varies from individual to individual. As the Thought Police had gathered from monitoring Winston's dreams, as well as his behaviour in the rented room , his worst fear was rats.

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For each person, there was a form of punishment that was utterly unendurable, but would build in pressure in ways the Party knew no individual could withstand . To exert power over someone by utilising this pressure is the only way that the Party can crack the emotions of former rebels such as Winston. With Winston restrained on the chair, O'Brien pulls out a cage mask filled with angry rats. He brings it closer and closer to Winston , asking him to do the right thing so that he doesn't have to endure the rat attack, but Winston does not understand what O'Brien is asking of him. He releases animalistic screams, because this is all he has been reduced to. Right before they release the rats from the cage onto Winston's face, he screams, "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me ! Julia!" This was what O'Brien was looking for. He had finally broken Winston's emotions and made him succumb to the Party. He would now love Big Brother, and live by the Party for the rest of his life.

Chapter 6 The final chapter of Nineteen Eighty-Four sees Winston released from the Ministry of Love and back sitting at the Chestnut Tree Cafe. Existing only as a shell of his former self, he sits, drinks disgusting Victory Gin and watches the telescreens. He acknowledges that Oceania is currently at war with Eastasia, and has always been at war with Eastasia. Though, as readers, we know that in this novel alone, the warring side has changed twice. The telescreen announces a recent Oceania victory, which prompts Winston to rejoice. Whenever he thinks of a former memory, such as his mother and sister, he pushes it out of his mind, disregarding it as a fallacy. Since leaving , he and Julia had bumped into each other, though the pair did not feel the same way about each other as they once did . Now, they were just pallid imitations of their former selves, admitting to betraying one another while they were being tortured. Winston refers to the poem, "under the spreading chestnut tree/ I sold you and you sold me," and he tears up because he truly understands it now. Winston continues to sit at the cafe, eyes glazed over, drinking the Victory Gin. Following the announcement of the victory, he ran outside with the bustling crowd of people, cheering as loud as possible. He once again saw the colossal, all seeing image of Big Brother. It was at this point that the final stage of the healing process occurs: finding love in Big Brother. He had finally lost all sense of individuality and became the Party as part of the oligarchical collective society. As a result, he came to peace with the fact that one day, sooner or later, the Party would eliminate him when they felt like it. With two "gin scented tears" trickling down his face, he realised, "... the struggle had finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." At this point, Winston figuratively dies and succumbs to the Party. The sad, depressing ending is a reflection of George Orwell's pessimistic concerns for his own society. Growing up in a world where he only knew war and depression, this seemed

like the viable future, and the harrowing extent of control over people's thoughts and beliefs is at the core of Orwell's warning to readers.

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Appendix The Appendix is referenced on Page 4 of Nineteen Eighty-Four via an asterisk (*) after the word "Newspeak," which is the official language of Oceania. Newspeak aimed to "make speech, and especially speech on any subject not ideologically neutral, as nearly as possible independent of consciousness." Three sets of Vocabulary - A, B, and C - were curated in an attempt to make it nearly impossible to express, or even think, any remotely rebellious thoughts. There is no room for ambiguity in meaning or individual nuance. The Appendix is actually written by a fictional scholar many years after Winston's existence. It is important to note that even though there is frequent usage of Newspeak throughout the novel, the Appendix is written in plain , contemporary English as we currently understand it. • Vocabulary A: involves everyday blunt words and phrases, though there is a signif-

icantly smaller range of words in comparison to contemporary English. These words have rigid meaning, and are used , "for such things as eating, drinking , working" and other mundane daily functions. These words are only necessary for communicating menial tasks, and as such do not carry much risk of rebellious thoughts. • Vocabulary B: is composed of all words with political and/or ideological importance, predominantly compound words that blend nouns and verbs. In particular, these words aimed to indoctrinate individuals so that they would blindly accept the Party doctrines; for example, replacing our word 'orthodoxy' with "goodthink." In addition, many of the compound words are shorted to simplify language even further; for example, the names of the ministries all get shortened to Miniluv, Minitruth, Miniplenty, and Minipax. • Vocabulary C: lists only scientific and technical jargon, with the aim of limiting such technical knowledge to within the discipline. Individuals outside of these technical fields are not able to access this knowledge or benefit from it at all. The word 'science' actually doesn't even exist in Newspeak. Instead, 'lngsoc' is supposed to encompass any and all of these ideas. It is clear that the lngsoc Government of Winston's time exercised severe control of its populace, and in effect, wished to constrain individual thought processes. Even as the novel progresses, we see that language is more frequently censored and limited. The Newspeak language is even being modified during this time, with the construction of the Eleventh Edition occurring over the course of the plot. Winston himself is using an archaic form of Newspeak. As a result of these language limitations, no complex ideas are able to take form and be expressed by individuals. Language is a primary form of communication and through its restriction, Orwell is suggesting that thought processes themselves are being restricted. This way, there can be a more effective public acceptance of the Party doctrines - censorship in the media and governmental control are that much more effective with the implementation of Newspeak.

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Section 4

Character Analysis Winston Smith Winston is the central protagonist of Nineteen Eighty-Four. His name is an homage to Winston Churchill, who was a British Prime Minister from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. However, Churchill's aristocratic last name is replaced with a common last name "Smith," which can be said to represent the 'everyman' and the broader population of England. In life, Winston is 39 years old, and an insignificant Outer Party member working in the Ministry of Truth, deprived of real pleasures and enduring an extremely poor quality of life. While he is legally married to Katharine, they separated and no longer live together. His only excitement in life comes from nursing a varicose ulcer just above his right ankle, and drinking sickly, oily "Victory Gin," until he begins writing in his secret diary. The diary is his small, internal rebellion against the Party, and is where he vents about his unfortunate awareness and working knowledge of the horrors of the Party in Oceania. Winston is also very paranoid that he is going to get caught for his thoughtcrime, and for his eventual affair with Julia. Winston is an amateur intellectual, and though he has this secret hatred for the Party, he remains outwardly loyal to Big Brother. He is physically weak and thin, but is always thinking and contemplating the socio-political state of Oceania. However, he is somewhat indifferent to the nations' circumstances; while he is strongly opposed to the tyranny and authoritarian oppression, he admires the gravitas of Big Brother and the government's ability to exercise omnipotent control over its citizens. His is very fatalistic about this, believing that all the things in his life are happening because they are destined to. However, he is also realistic in analyse of societal realities. For example, he is quite existential in his beliefs that even though things may be destined to happen, it doesn't mean that they are any more meaningful to an individual's existence. In terms of his narrative style, Winston speaks in quite a lengthy and pensive manner. The novel is written as a third person narrative, but from his perspective. As such, we are able to gain an insight into the poor living conditions, and the state of war and conflict, through Winston's eyes. In addition, Winston is also clearly driven by his human instincts, especially the instinct to simply survive. The word "instinct" is used approximately 31 times in the entire novel, in many contexts. He instinctively understands that society is inhumane, and even though he appreciates the human instincts of generosity, liberty, and survival, he knows that these can be dangerous when manipulated under totalitarian control. For example, the instinct to survive correlates with the fear of death as instilled by the Party, which can lead to mob violence and blind hatred. So, instead of the instinct being to survive, it becomes a form of self-repression . This is where the idea of crimestop comes in - the ability to cut off an individual's instinctive ideas before they can become dangerous or incriminating thoughts. Winston's instincts are particularly hard for the authorities to break. Even though he technically is being oppressed by the Party, he continues to harbour rebellious thoughts and carry out an affair with Julia. Copyright © 2019 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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It takes a lot for the Ministry of Love to finally break Winston's psyche, during time which he loses his sense of self, ability to love, and faith in humanity. He even betrays Julia, the one thing that he loves in the world, by telling them to torture her instead of him. While this is tragic, the fact that it took so long to break is spirit is a testament to just how strong Winston's instincts were. But in the end , Winston finally develops an unadulterated love fo r Big Brother, as required by Party ideology.

Big Brother Big Brother is the ever-present figurehead and symbol of Oceania's lngsoc. T he moustachioed man, who looks similar to Stalin, is worshipped as a God. He embodies the dualism of most tyrannical leaders, in that he is both loved by his people, and greatly feared at the same time. There is a distinct metaphysical quality to Big Brother as a character, because we never actually get to see him in real life, only in posters or propaganda. This is further emphasised with the frequent repetition of the statement "B IG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" throughout the novel. While "Big Brother" may not actually be real, he is an important personification of the Party's overbearing power and control over the oppressed citizens of Oceania. As a symbol, Big Brother has resonated with contemporary societies and is often referenced in situations of increased surveillance or manipulation.

Julia Julia is a 26 year old free-spirited and selfish citizen of Oceania. She also works in the Ministry of Truth , as a machine operator within the Fiction Department. Julia is not interested in politics, but can see right through the hypocritical Party doctrine and thus dreams of rebellion . However, unlike Winston, Julia simply wants to rebel for her own pleasure, not for the greater good of society. In a nutshell, the Party just gets in the way of her living her own indulgent lifestyle, which is why she doesn't like it. This is why she is pragmatic in her approach to avoiding Party prosecution. Julia passes Winston a note that says, "I love you," and from there they begin their tentative but exciting love affair. She is a symbol of youth and sex within the novel; the fact that she is significantly younger than Winston, yet boldly declares her love and lust for him (despite his deteriorating health and physical image), may be a slight nod to Orwell indulging in his own fantasies vicariously. However, in the end, when she is arrested and tortured in the Ministry of Love, Julia's youthful free spirit is corrupted. She is physically broken to the point where she actually harbours a vague dislike for Winston. Julia can be seen as a complementary character for Winston more so than a character foil. Their contrasting attitudes to life, whereby Julia is opportunistic and Winston is contemplative, lead them down the same path for a desired revolution.

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O'Brien O'Brien is a large, graceful man and prominent Inner Party member, to whom Winston feels strangely connected. He is seemingly more intelligent than some other Party members, which leads Winston to believe that O'Brien would understand Winston , and that he may even harbour some secret rebellious thoughts of his own. However, O'Brien remains mysterious to Winston for most of the novel, until he invites Winston to his apartment, which Winston takes as a secret invitation into the Brotherhood. It is here that O'Brien "confesses" to the rebellion and legitimises the horrors of the Party by giving Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein's book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. Ultimately, O'Brien betrays Winston and turns him in to the Thought Police - it seems as though he only pretended to be part of the rebellion in order to get Winston to confess his crimes. In a weird way, this seems to be O'Brien's way of showing that he cares for Winston's personal wellbeing. Even the torture is a wicked form of parental discipline, done out of 'love' in order to make Winston 'better.' At the end of the day, O'Brien simply acts as the personified mouthpiece of the Party, while Big Brother remains the omnipresent figurehead . He would deceive anyone and do anything in order to make sure the Party doctrine is obeyed. However, we never truly know O'Brien's motives or backstory - we don't know whether he was once a true rebel that was 'reformed' and broken like Winston was, nor do we know how much of what he disclosed to Winston was real or fake. Ultimately, our uncertainty as readers positions us alongside Winston as he grapples with the betrayal of someone he formerly trusted, as both Winston and the audience are forced to confront the unsettling ambiguity of O'Brien .

Emmanuel Goldstein Emmanuel Goldstein acts as Big Brother's antagonist. Though he is never seen in reality Uust like Big Brother), he acts as the figurehead and leader of the Brotherhood - the alleged underground rebellion. Goldstein's role is to undercut the Party and provide an illusion of resistance. His character is based on Leon Trotsky, who competed with Stalin in the Soviet Union for the role of Party Secretary. The two were highly competitive with one another, culminating in Stalin ordering Trotsky's assassination. Similarly, Emmanuel Goldstein's name is of Jewish origins, and the name 'Emmanuel' actually refers to 'God' in the Old Testament. A parallel can therefore be drawn between this God-like image, and the praised image of Big Brother as a spiritual idol within Oceania. What's interesting here are the similarities between the duties expected to be fulfil led by both the Brotherhood and the Party followers . When O'Brien entices Winston to join the Brotherhood , he is required to conform as much as he would be expected to conform if he was an Inner or Outer Party member. Much like how Orwell hints at through the similar ideologies across Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia, he here highlights that very few differences exist between these two extreme systems. Thus, Goldstein serves as another important pillar in understanding Orwell's subjective framework.

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Mr Charrington Mr Charrington is the owner of an antiques shop that Winston frequents . It is where Winston purchased the pen and diary in which he writes his rebellious thoughts. He also purchases a glass paperweight, which is a small but meaningful connection to the old world, before the Party took total control over the citizens of Oceania. Charrington initially seems like a harmless elderly man. He is interested in Win ston's life, and intrigued by the history of the world. He allows Winston to hire out the room above the shop, which is where he and Julia carry out most of their love affair. However, we eventually find out that Mr Charrington is actually a member of the Thought Police. He reported Winston and Julia for their crimes against the Party as he had observed them through the telescreen, thus leading to their arrest and torture in the Ministry of Love. The whole time, Charrington was actually in disguise. Mr Charrington's characterisation clearly symbolises the nature of deceit and manipulation within the Party. His initial modest behaviour sharply juxtaposes his real , scheming nature during the arrest of W inston and Julia. His character highlights that in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, nothing and no one can be trusted.

Mr and Mrs Parsons Mr and Mrs Parsons are two minor characters, but demonstrate a significant idea that no matter how oppressive a regime is, it is almost too difficult to fully corrupt the subconscious minds of the populace. Mr Tom Parsons is outwardly a model member of society, who exhibits an unwavering support for the Party. He is a heavy, sweaty, and good-natured man. On the other hand, Mrs Parsons seems tired and helpless. The only time that we meet her is in Chapter 2 when she asks for W inston's assistance in unclogging the plumbing in their apartment, to which Winston dutifully obliges. Together, the pair have two children who are scarily loyal to the Party due to their premature indoctrination. They attend Spies and Youth Leagues, and execute their merciless duties to the Party without question. In an interesting turn of events, both Mr and Mrs Parsons are betrayed to the Thought Police by their young daughter. Winston comes across Tom in Miniluv, where Tom confesses that he was professing "down with Big Brother" in his sleep. Ironically, the simple-minded Tom is actually proud of his daughter for taking the Stockholm steps to condemn him. This is reflective of real events during Orwell's time, with Syndrome: some individuals imprisoned under Stalin's regime experiencing Stockholm Synfeeli ngs of trust drome. So, even though he displayed love for the Party publicly, his subconscious or sympathy felt mind could not help but express hatred towards Big Brother. This instils a little by a victim for bit more hope in Winston that the Proles, if ever they were to become conscious, could affect positive societal change. It is the natural order of the world that could their captor. ultimately undo all the corrupt, artificial control.

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Syme Syme is a philologist and Winston 's acquaintance. Throughout the novel , he is working on the adjectives section for the Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary. Winston recognises that Syme is quite intelligent, but he is vocal about his opinions on the Party, which leads Winston to believe that one day, Syme will be vapourised by the Thought Police, and indeed, as we find out, that is exactly what happens.

Philology: the study of language and how it changes over time.

Syme symbolises the social climbers within political parties - in this case, Oceania's INGSOC. He desperately wants to be an important part of society, even a member of the Inner Party. However, he is never quite dedicated enough to the ideology in the eyes of the Inner Party, and is thus never admitted.

Ampleforth Ampleforth is another of Winston's co-workers who works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. He actually revises old poems and literature, translating them from Oldspeak to Newspeak and eliminating any anti-Party undertones. Ironically, even though his occupation is to implement repression as per the Party's orders, his name in itself denotes an abundance of expression ('ample' meaning an abundance of something). Ampleforth is a relatively minor character, though he serves a very significant purpose within the novel and provides a clear insight into Orwell's personal context. This is a technique that was often used by Charles Dickens: any character, no matter how minor, portray ideas that are vital to the delivery of meaning. Unfortunately for Ampleforth, he ends up being sent to the Ministry of Love for accidentally leaving the word "God" in a poem because it was the only one that rhymed. Any reference to God, or religion outside of the INGSOC ideology, goes against the Party rules , and the Party w ill go to any and all lengths to eliminate any suspected rebellion or misguided thoughts, even if such suspicions aren't rooted in facts. For Ampleforth, this meant being imprisoned for thoughtcrime. There are distinct historical parallels to draw from the product of Ampleforth's existence. For instance, the replacement of religion with Party doctrines was done in Hitler's Nazi Germany, where Bibles were replaced with his autobiography, Mein Kampf. Ampleforth 's occupation of rewriting poetry is also reflective of real -life events. In Stalin's Soviet Union, literature and entertainment had to endorse and propagate Socialist Realism. and was effectively formulaic propaganda. If these rules were not adhered to, the writer would be taken by the Gulag and imprisoned. Ultimately, this totally undermined the purpose of poetry and writing as entertainment. This was Ampleforth's job, and even though he tried to follow through with it, it ultimately cost him his individuality.

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Socialist Realism: a style of realistic art developed in the Soviet Union, designed to enhance the image of those . 1n power.

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The Lady with the Red Arms This Prole woman is often seen hanging laundry and singing old songs outside Mr Charrington's antiques shop. It is her open and wholly innocent attitude to existence that symbolises Winston's hope in the Proles and their capability to affect positive change in society. Her singing directly mirrors the actions of Winston and Julia in running off to the countryside for privacy - at a surface level, they are only trying to find pleasure and express no ulterior motives.

The Man in the Pub

Colloquial: language used in ordinary conversation.

Winston comes across this Prole man in a pub, and wants to talk to him to find out about life before the Party had taken control over everyone. It seems that the man is not particularly cognitive - he had little control over his own thought processes, isn't fully aware of who he actually is, and couldn 't remember much from his time living in freedom. The man simply has become accustomed to a life of oppression. His speech is distinct due to his accent and colloquial vernacular. The only thing that he's able to tell Winston for sure is that '1he beer was better." He turns out to be a pretty poor source of information , but highlights the extent to which government control has subjugated the natural human experience in Oceania.

Vernacular: the dialect spoken by the ordinary citizens of a particular

Unfortunately for Winston, this interaction makes him lose a bit of faith in the Proles and their ability to rebel against the Party - they simply aren't aware of Oceania's political state and its eliminated history. Herein lies a paradox that further discourages Winston 's hope in the Proles; "until they become conscious they will never rebel and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."

country or reg ion.

Other Minor Characters Katharine Katharine was legally married to Winston Smith, as part of what she considered her "duty to the Party." Though we never actually see her, she is discussed quite a lot throughout the novel. Winston does not believe that she is capable of thought because of her blind devotion to the Party. Even the act of trying to make children was simply an act to be carried out for the good of the Party. Once again, pleasure was not something to be experienced by the Outer Party. At one point, Winston even considered kill ing Katharine in her sleep, but he did not follow through. Nevertheless, the two were unable to have children and eventually separated . Winston never heard from Katharine again.

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Comrade Withers and Comrade Ogilvy Comrade Withers was previously an important member of the Inner Party. He even received the honourable Order of Conspicuous Merit, Second Class. However, he was eventually vapourised, and became an "unperson ." Winston, as part of his job in the Records Department, has to make a "correction " to the history that details this honour. Instead, he replaces the name "Withers" with "Ogilvy." This is a clear link to the manipulation of the populace, as we ll as the mutability of history, both of wh ich will be discussed in the Key Themes Analysis.

Jones, Aaronson , and Rutherford These three former Inner Party members were wrongfully arrested in 1965 and incriminated themselves for crimes such as murder and treason . They were eventually executed. However, Winston finds a news clipping that proves the innocence of these three men. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Party doctrine and desired control over its citizens, Winston has to vapourise this truth by getting rid of it in the "Memory Hole." Essentially, this history is not considered "fact" any more, because someone would already have made a "correction" that aligns with the Party's image. The fact becomes "fiction," and has no place in Oceania.

Bumstead and the Starving Man

Vapourlsatlon: the elimination of a person to become an "unperson" someone who

Bumstead and the Starving Man are both in prison in the Ministry of Love at the never existed. same time as Winston. The man is clearly being tortured by people within Miniluv, so Bumstead tries to give the starving man a piece of bread. He is punished for doing so; his jaw is broken, resulting in heavy bleeding. Some guards were going to take the Starving Man into Room 101 as punishment, the room in wh ich criminals are tortured with their worst fears. However, following Bumstead's act of charity, the Starving Man is so desperate that he tells the guards to take Bumstead away instead.

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Section 5

Key Themes Analysis Through Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell develops several key themes that demonstrate the severity of Winston's repression and the terror instilled into individuals, in order to form a collective. Most significantly, Orwell investigates the perversity of power by the ruling party, lngsoc, and how it is exploited. This recurring theme explores where, how, and why power is used, and presents it to contemporary audiences, as well as responders from Orwell's personal context. To write the best essays, build upon these key themes with your own supplementary research, as this will enhance your understanding of the text.

Totalitarianism, Power, and Control First and foremost, it is important to recognise that many of the themes explored by Orwell are done so as a warning to society. For Orwell, all he had known was a life of war, economic depression, and poverty. His first-hand experiences of totalitarianism and corruption of power helped to form his outlook on life. In his eyes, if vast societal changes were not made, the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four could have very much become a real ity. The control of people, information , and history shown in Nineteen Eighty-Four is carried out through multiple 'power plays.' To cultivate an environment in which power is omnipresent, lngsoc uses its power to control media outlets, propel propaganda, and infiltrate leisure, culture, and arts. Ultimately, the aim is to corrupt the population enough so that even their thoughts, emotions, and feelings are controlled. Even basic human instincts are controlled, which induces hysteria that can be harnessed by the Party; food is rationed (the war is used as an excuse), sex and relationships are heavily monitored, and language is limited to its bare bones. People are repressed and forced to identify with the Party, and any form of rebellion is censored and eliminated. Loyalty to the Party is of the utmost importance. Power plays are also reflected in the form of the narrative, with overwhelming descriptive narratives which emulate the growing pressure on Winston to fold under the weight of authoritative figures within lngsoc.

Totalitarianism and Communism The socio-political climate in Nineteen Eighty-Four is representative of the political structures prevalent in Orwell's historical context. Influenced by groups such as Na.zi Germany and Stalinist Russia in the early 20th century, Orwell developed an anti-totalitarian political view, and instead supported a system of democratic socialism. His experience within the Spanish Civil War further shaped his political views. While it is important to establish the similarities between these communities and Orwell's creation as a key theme in the novel, it is explored more in depth in the Background Information section. Remember that this should only ever be supporting points of reference for your understanding - not something you would base an entire essay on , or explain in great detail in your body paragraphs.

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Power and Control Orwell makes it clear that lngsoc exerts power over its population simply because it has the power to do so. With omnipotent control as a central theme in the novel , this emphasises the sheer amount of terror and repression cultivated by the Party. As O'Brien admits in Part 3 in the Ministry of Love, "power is not a means, it is an end." lngsoc has exploited the society, forming a system of Oligarchical Collectivism, in order to maintain power and prevent any uprisings from the middle class. Control is maintained through the aforementioned tools of power, and is not to any benefit of the citizens of Oceania. O'Brien asks Winston what he thinks the power is for, and he gives us a somewhat optimistic outlook: power for the people. However, the Nineteen Eighty-Four reality is very different; lngsoc

maintains power for the sense of power.

Class Struggle Class struggle within rigid social structures is a major determinant of lngsoc's attitude towards power. This facet of power is best explained through Emmanuel Goldstein's book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, which is detailed in the analysis of Part 2 Chapter 9. Based on Karl Marx's and Friedrich Engels' 19th century philosophy (Marxism), the concept of class struggle is central to both the metatextual Goldstein book and it's real-world source material. Essentially, there is always conflict between the High, Middle, and Low classes in society, and they each play different roles. The High aims to remain at the top

of the hierarchy, the Middle aims to outdo the High at the top of the social ladder, while the Low simply tries to survive and create a more equal playing field. These ideologies create perpetual rifts in society, which lngsoc aims to

Marxism: the theories formed by Marx and Engels to form the basis of the Communist Manifesto.

eliminate so that it may remain in perpetual power. As well as this, a motivic theme in Winston's inner thoughts is that if there is hope for rebellion , it lies in the proles, or the lowest class. However, herein lies a paradox ; "until they become conscious they will never rebel and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious." They have the most freedom

from the collective identity of the Party, yet they currently lack the capacity to create change.

Technology and Surveillance The prevalence of technology in Winston's society allows the Party to survey, monitor, and control its citizens to an unreasonable degree. Telescreens, cameras, and microphones are just some of the tools mentioned frequently throughout the novel, indicating a form of urban decay in which the artificial world is impinging upon the natural one. Every facet of life is contrived and manipulated, because many Outer Party members are being watched all day every day. This emanates an atmosphere of distrust and inauthenticity, reflective of Orwell's personal attitudes to those people in power during his lifetime.

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The Restriction of Language Perhaps most pertinent in Nineteen Eighty-Four is the change and restrictions placed on language, in order to maintain power over the thoughts of Oceania's citizens. Language is distorted so that the Party can literally mould the emotional and intellectual capacity of its citizens in such a way that limits their desire to rebel. As Syme explained , the whole aim of Newspeak it to "narrow the range of thought," which in theory would "make thoughtcrime literally impossible because there will be no words in which to express it." Thus, the restriction of language may very well be the ultimate power play. We see through the novel that Winston, who was initially silently rebelling, was not really "thinking" in Newspeak but merely "translating" his work into Newspeak. However, as he is gradually psychologically broken, he begins to comply and use Newspeak as it is intended by the Party.

Doublethink and Contradictory Statements Unique to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is the use of doublethink. In essence, it is the ability to hold two contradictory beliefs simultaneously and think that they are both true. For the Party, is a useful propaganda tool that allows for the alteration of memory. lngsoc is able to control the thoughts of its population and make them believe in what the Party is telling them, such as who they are warring with and what the rations are. Even if, on some deep level , they know that what they are hearing is not necessarily true, they are able to maintain both beliefs simultaneously. While this theory may seem slightly far-fetched , it is somewhat rooted in fact. In neuroscience, each time a human memory is accessed, it is remembered anew; it is a slight variation of the original memory. As a result, your past is shaped by your contemporary thoughts and behaviours, as your new thoughts will shape how you see old memories. This is how the Party can mass manipulate its population ; they are working on a real structural feature of the brain. Hence, this is explored through Orwell as a key theme in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The Mutability of History Alongside doublethink, the mutability of history is a very common theme in Nineteen EightyFour and the way it is addressed is pretty 'meta.' Winston comments on Julia's attitude in Part 2 Chapter 5, and how she does not care to discuss matters of "the mutability of the past and the denial of objective reality," because it does not directly affect her silently rebellious lifestyle. However, it is a central tenant of lngsoc's ideology, used to manipulate its citizens into complying with the constant state of war in which they live, while continuing to believe in the superiority of the Party. Since there are jobs like Winston 's in the records department, responsible for "altering" (or more accurately destroying) history, the Party can create whatever image it wants. As O'Brien explains to Winston in the Ministry of Love, "the past is whatever the records and the memories agree upon. And since the Party is in full control of all records and in equally full control of the minds of its members, it fo llows that the past is whatever the Party chooses to make it." After all, "he who controls the past, controls the future ; and he who controls the present, controls the past."

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Love and Loyalty It is clear throughout Nineteen Eighty-Four that a strong relationship with the Party is the only relationship that matters. Blind loyalty is required by the Party in order for them to maintain power. To do this, they interfere with basic human instinct and the development of normal relationships, ultimately reducing individual freedoms. Without these relationships, the Party is able to harness these libidinal energies and frustrations , to be channelled against a common negative force ; in this case, it is Emmanuel Goldstein. The Party is able to induce a form of hysteria, translated into the demonstration of anger in the Two Minutes Hate Sessions. These also encourage conformity with society, because to scream with everyone else becomes an uncontrollable urge for Winston . This method was seen in aforementioned totali tarian governments, such as Nazi Germany, as addressed previously. As part of Winston's silent rebellion against the Party's contrived loyalty, he has sex with Julia (who coincidentally is part of the Junior Anti-Sex League), as a "political act."

The Individual versus The Collective The entire society of Oceania is based upon an ideology of Oligarchical Collectivism, in an attempt to reduce the perceived psychological need for individualism. Throughout the novel, we see Winston change from a privately defiant individual , to an outward political rebel , and eventually a mindless citizen of the collective once his mind his corrupted in the Ministry of Love. Since individuality encourages differences in thought and emotion, it is not wanted in a world that requires meticulous control over its citizens. By maintaining a secret diary, sneaking around with Julia, as well as seeking "ownlife" and solitude, Winston is clinging to his last bit of individuality. Though inevitably, he is told by his "friend" O'Brien that this makes him a flaw in the system ; a stain that needs to be washed out. He instils in Winston 's psyche that he is worth more than being "enslaved" by freedom and the inevitability of death . According to the Party doctrine, by joining the collective and literally becoming one with the Party, your memory and legacy is immortal and omnipotent. This ideology is how the Party remains in control.

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Psychological Coercion and Manipulation Perhaps the most concerning result of Power exertion in Oceania is the ease with which lngsoc can manipulate its citizens as a result of psychological coercion . Through surveillance, propaganda, terror, and repression , the Party seemingly controls reality; not only the present reality, but also the reality of the past through modifying and destroying evidence that shows the Party in a negative light. Despite the fragility of humans when socialised and manipulated, it does take a lot to fully corrupt the mental capacity of humans. Winston epitomises this throughout the entire novel, and thus this is an important figure to consider. He admires the grit of the Proles and how they have managed to hold on to the most basic of human and animalistic instincts, while members of the Inner and Outer Parties have faltered. Winston himself is a creature of instinct, with the word "instinct" appearing 31 times in the whole novel. His most basic instinct is to survive, and so imitates the effects of psychological manipulation, even though he instinctively understands that his society is corrupt. He tries to hold on to these instincts by continuing to write in his diary, loving Julia and thinking independently. However, he knows that this is exactly what the Party feeds off of in its manipulation of people. By cultivating a fear of death among a collective, the Party induces hysteria and creates mob violence, while turning this survival instinct into an internalised form of self-repression : crimestop. Eventually, Winston is tortured enough such that he too is psychologically broken, losing all sense of self and all faith in humanity. This ultimately highlights human fragility.

K EY P OINT:

Each key theme is interwoven throughout Nineteen Eighty-Four to enhance the integrity of the narrative. They should be analysed and understood holistically to extract the most meaning from the text. This will help to build cohesion in your own essays.

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Section 6

Structural Feature Analysis The structural features of a novel assist in constructing an effective narrative that endures complex analysis. It is important to include structural features in your personal analysis of Nineteen Eighty-Four, because it will provide evidence and support your arguments. Otherwise, your writing may seem unsubstantiated and will not pack enough information for you to reach your personal best. To write the best possible Nineteen Eighty-Four essays, build upon these structural features with your own analysis, as this wil l differentiate your writing.

The Three-Part Narrative Structure Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four has a distinct, three-part narrative structure. Essentially, Orwell immediately establishes an unsettling tone through vivid sensory imagery, overwhelming readers with harrowing descriptions of Oceania and Winston's lifestyle. The omnipresent figure of Big Brother is also introduced very early on in the novel, constantly ''watching you ." As we read , we come across several chapters that do not serve as plot development at all. Rather, they are simply designed to embellish Winston's miserable environment so that we are further immersed within this uncanny version of reality. The structure of the entire novel effectively parallels Winston losing his individuality, with the growing pressure placed upon him by authorities. We watch the increasing societal homogeneity that Winston is expected to endure, until he himself is psychologically moulded for the interests of the Party. This simple yet effective structure is critical in understanding the immense power plays with which Orwell was warning society. From a narrative standpoint, it also helps to clearly separate the exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution.

Frame Narration Orwell utilises a story within a story structure to build a contextual understanding of Oceania's society. Emmanuel Goldstein's The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism stringently outlines the inner workings of lngsoc. As responders, we can gain a deeper understanding of the main narrative of Winston 's life, because it provides a new perspective through which we can analyse the socio-political climate.

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Point of View The point of view used by Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four is a third person narrative with a limited omniscient. We are able to see the story through Winston's eyes, sympathising with his experiences, thoughts, and feelings . What's more, we are more easily able to understand his qualms with the mutability of history and the irony of the Party slogans. But on a less positive note, this point of view also enables us to emotionally experience the torture that Winston endured in the Ministry of Love. This moment marks the point where Winston departs from his former self, and we then feel somewhat detached from his character (and this is extra disconcerting because Winston has been our anchor throughout the novel until this moment). This is why this point of view is so effective as a structural tool in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Irony and Satire Orwell writes Nineteen Eighty-Four in the style of a Juvenalian Satire in order to comment on society as he viewed it. This particular genre of satire uses exaggeration to expose the flaws in institutions and the people who run them. It is a bitter and ironic style filled with pessimism, moral indignation, and personal criticisms. This style is distinct from Horatian Satire, which uses light-hearted humour to comment on society, or Menippean satire, which attacks mental attitudes rather than specific entities or individuals. As such, this novel is a satiric commentary on the circumstances that may eventuate in the real world if people do not become aware of society's inherent problems. In particular, Orwell is concerned with the primary political evils in Oceania and the misuse of language in this dystopian society. As aforementioned, these structural decisions add to Orwell's warning of societal regression and corruption.

Allegory Orwell also utilises the structural tool of an allegory in order to satirise his narrapiece of tive. In the case of Nineteen Eighty-Four, this is a political message. Through literature that the story of Winston 's life, Orwell extends metaphors about totalitarianism, com can be munism, and fascism as he saw it in his own 20th century reality. As expressed analysed on with various power plays, propaganda, and technology, the political allegory comseveral levels in ments on the inherent evils of political power. This is further enhanced with order to reveal the dark and depressing atmosphere; Orwell presents a constantly deteriorata deeper ing world as a metaphor for the looming socio-political state of an unchanged meaning or nation. Allegory: a

comment on society.

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Symbolism There are many symbols used in Nineteen Eighty-Four to enhance meaning and enable a greater understanding of the narrative and its implications for contemporary society.

Big Brother Big Brother is the figurative face of the Party. An omnipresent leader, his image is splayed all over Oceania in the form of propaganda posters and telescreen visuals. W inston questions whether Big Brother is a real person or not, something that is not clarified in the novel. However, the more important part of his existence is the idea of him; it presents an enduring symbol of immortality and integrity for the Party. He is the physical manifestation of all that the Party stands for, and has many roles in society. He is an image of hope, but also an open threat to rebels. His universal features also symbolise the vagueness of the Party representative; no one really knows who they are, and it is impossible to find out. Nevertheless, they maintain the power in society as the highest class.

The Glass Paperweight Winston purchases the glass paperweight from Mr Charrington's junk shop. Though it is an archaic item in Winston 's society, he appreciates it as "a little chunk of history that they've forgotten to alter. It's a message from a hundred years ago, if one knew how to read it." For Winston, the paperweight comes to symbolise his attempted connection to the past in a tangible, physical form, rather than just through his memory. However, once he and Julia are caught in the rented room , the Thought Police shatter the paperweight. Thus, symbolically, Winston's last hope of minimising the mutability of history is also shattered as he heads to the Ministry of Love for his psychological corruption.

St. Clement's Church The old picture of St Clement's Church in the rented room also represents a lost history of England. It is also mentioned in the old song that ends with the menacing line "here comes the chopper to chop off your head!" Though somewhat barbaric, this connection between the church and death foreshadows Winston's capture by the Thought Police, since the telescreen was hidden behind this picture. It also symbolises the Party's control over the past.

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The Place Where There Is No Darkness The phrase ''the place where there is no darkness" is used as a motif throughout Nineteen Eighty-Four. At first , it is how Winston connects with O'Brien through his dreams, and acts as a shining beacon of hope for a possible rebellion. Unfortunately for W inston, the reality of this message is far from what he imagined. It turns out to be the prison cell in the Ministry of Love whe re Winston is detained, where there are no windows and the lights are never turned off. This phrase highlights Winston's poor judgement of character, but also highlights his somewhat idealistic view of the future. Despite his severe fatalism , he trusts his 'friend' O'Brien to lead him to a place of light, despite his Party allegiance. There is also an ironic subversion of expectations, as a place of "no darkness" and the symbolism of light would conventionally have positive connotations of hope and glowing illumination, but in a typical example of Newspeak and redef ining language, Orwell instead presents us with the harsh, unyielding light of the Ministry that conveys a sense of invasiveness and severity.

The Telescreens The telescreens are the ultimate tool of omnipresent surveillance - they are a physical manifestation of the control exerted by the Party as they constantly monitor the citizens. This technology is exploited for their own power, instead of being used for the betterment of society. Its dual capacity to observe people and propagate propaganda expresses this.

Playing Chess In the final chapter of Nineteen Eighty-Four, after Winston was effectively manipulated by O'Brien in the Ministry of Love, he plays chess at the Chestnut Tree Cafe. In a nutshell, the game is used as a metaphor to summarise many of the key themes of the novel, so it is a great microcosm to analyse in an essay! Winston himself is a powerless pawn being used in a game of life by those who hold more power than he does, and he reflects on his own powerlessness in society within the regime of oligarchical collectivism. Good and evil, symbolised by the white and black shades of the chess board, are also utilised by Orwell to shed light on Winston 's life; "in no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won. Did it not symbolize the eternal , unvarying triumph of Good over Evil? The huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates."

The Diary The diary is reflective of Winston 's desire for freedom, even though it is considered by the Party to be a form of slavery. He is unable to speak his mind out loud in fear of being heard by the Thought Police, or being turned in by someone else. Even facial expressions raise suspicions through facecrime. However, through the secret diary, Winston conducts a private rebellion and attempts to maintain some individuality. He is able to express and articulate his thoughts, feelings , and emotions through written streams of consciousness. It is also the catalyst for his rebellious behaviour later, as Winston fosters his desire to further express his discontent, thereby awaken his political views through a public rebellion.

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The Prole Woman The large Prole woman lives beneath the room that Winston rents from Mr Charrington. She is always singing, representing a form of liberty and hope that Winston otherwise does not see within the Party. For Winston, she symbolises the only chance of change in society; he hopes that the Proles will eventually come to recognise their predicament and rebel against the Party, since they make up 85% of the population. She also represents fertility and growth, and is a crucial part of the process of growing a new generation of Proles who could also rebel.

Use of Colour Colour symbolism is used frequently in Nineteen Eighty-Four to develop meaning in Winston's life. For the vast majority of the novel, blue and grey are used to symbolise depression and monotony in Oceania. Everything is metal or cement, the view from his Victory mansion is dreary, and the Party overalls are a pallid blue. Contrastingly, colour is also used to support political messages. Julia's "Junior Anti-Sex League" sash is described as being bright red , which is a symbol of passion. Another use of colour is through the Chestnut Tree Song. Winston describes her note as being "yellow,", which is a colour associated with enhancing memories. When he hears the song for a second time, he questions if it is actually happening ; "perhaps it was not happening, perhaps it was only a memory taking on the semblance of sound." The song, which in itself represents the alteration of history, highlights the importance of betrayal and separation.

Language and Literary Techniques Limiting Language As explored in the Key Themes Analysis on page 38, language is heavily restricted by lngsoc in order to narrow the range of thought for its citizens. As a result, the language used by Orwell had to be adapted to propagate the intended messages. Newspeak is developed by Orwell to enhance the Party doctrines, and allows responders to be fully immersed within the narrative.

Motifs There are several motifs in this novel, which develop the intensity of meaning Orwell creates. The images of urban decay, whereby the artificial world is impeding upon the natural one, are very prominent. The world is sickly because of the infiltration of telescreens, microphones, and other forms of surveillance. The ironically named "victory" items, such as the Victory Mansions and Victory Gin, are frequently alluded to through the novel, which exacerbates the false and deceitful nature of lngsoc. This is expanded upon by the idea of doublethink, which is constantly brought up as one of lngsoc's most powerful tools of control; without doublethink, the Party would not be able to ensure its stable power, and people would begin to think as individuals instead of as part of a collective identity. Copyright © 2019 lnStudent Publishing Pty. Ltd. 11 ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 1 ■ 11 ■ 111

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Character Foils There are several character foils in Nineteen Eighty-Four, which allow for contrasting ideas and behaviours to be presented to the audience. Most prominently, Winston and Julia represent a powerful foil between idealism and realism (though that does not make them foils in every regard). Winston is a complex character, whose political awakening blossoms throughout the novel. He reaches a hopeful point, feeling somewhat safe in his mind and putting physical hope in the Proles. He is emotionally driven to take down Big Brother. In contrast, Julia is quite simple in how she conceives of the realities of Oceania. Her rebellion is not fuelled by an emotional hatred of the Party, but rather for its impingement on her personal freedoms ; she only wants to rebel for personal satisfaction. This contrast is highlighted throughout Part 2 of the novel. In the end, both of their attitudes lead to their psychological manipulation within the Ministry of Love, to the point where they have no dominant discernible character traits any more - they are simply part of the collective.

Allusions Allusions are references made to an idea or item outside of a text that is assumed to be well known , and add depth to descriptions by enabling responders to think outside the context of the text. Orwell uses several allusions in Nineteen Eighty-Four, making it a somewhat more universally understandable text. One common allusion is to the "Golden Country" the place that Winston visits in his dreams. This is an allusion to the Garden of Eden from the Bible, with Winston and Julia being representations of Adam and Eve, and the 'forbidden fruit' being their sexual relations. Another allusion is the poem about St. Clement's Church. In the song, there are references to this church, as well as St Martin's, Old Bailey, and Shoreditch. This contextualises an old history of England that has been destroyed by lngsoc in order to maintain power. It also demonstrates the archaic nature of religion in the new society, because this is a version of the past that is no longer desired. In addition to these allusions, there are references to significant historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Oliver Cromwell. Orwell also alludes to literary heroes from the past such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and Byron, though this demonstrates the elimination of such art and literature for the benefit of the Party.

lntertextuality lntertextuality is another literary tool which enhances the significance of the text. One of the most prominent versions of intertextuality is the chestnut song, first mentioned in Part 1 Chapter 7, and used as a motif to demonstrate deceit. The poem reads: "Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me: There lie they, and here lie we Under the spreading chestnut tree."

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As addressed in the Chapter Analysis, these lyrics are adapted from Glenn Miller's 1939 song, The Chestnut Tree, which instead reads: "Underneath the spreading chestnut tree I loved him and he loved me There I used to sit up on his knee 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree." The lyrics have been changed by the Party to demonstrate the absence of certainty and the widespread falsification of the past in Winston 's world. This is particularly the case with the addition of the word "lie," and the elimination of "love." The adapted nature of the lyrics also emulates the alteration of history to benefit the Party's ends.

Foreshadowing There are many instances of foreshadowing in Nineteen Eighty-Four, which create suspense and add tension to the already pressurised lifestyle that Winston leads. It also creates a somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere, because both the characters and responders of the text are eager to find out what happens next. This begins immediately in the first chapter, with the introduction of Big Brother. His slogan, "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU," foreshadows the way that Winston is caught committing thoughtcrime and conspiring against the Party; he is watched by a hidden telescreen. Another instance of foreshadowing is the aforementioned Chestnut Tree song. "I sold you and you sold me" foreshadows Winston's and Julia's respective betrayal of one another while imprisoned in the Ministry of Love. Winston's paranoia after initially writing in his diary in the first chapter is reflected in the second chapter, wherein the Parsons children are shouting "Traitor!" and "Thought Criminal!" which is what Winston becomes in the eyes of the Party. Another instance of foreshadowing is his poor judgement of character. First, we see it manifest harmlessly through Julia. However, it is more serious with Mr Charrington, who turns out to be a member of the Thought Police, and even worse with O'Brien , who Winston once considered a friend . The trust that Winston placed in the two latter men also led to another instance of foreshadowing ; the rat that was found in the rented room foreshadowed Winston 's terror in Room 101 when faced with the rat as a final torture method.

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Section 7

Quote Bank Below is a collection of quotes from Nineteen Eighty-Four, categorised into the novel's key themes. It is not an exhaustive list, and including other quotes or your own finding will help your essay stand out from the rest. Remember, you can also shorten quotes to suit your analysis and to squeeze more detail in overall.

Totalitarianism, Power, and Control Quote

Part/ Chapter

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen ."

Part 1, Chapter 1

"The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"The world looked cold ... there seemed to be no colour in anything." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength."

mentioned in multiple contexts

"We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness." (O'Brien and Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 2

"If there is hope, it lay in the Proles!" (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 7

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."

Part 1, Chapter 7

"I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 8

"If you kept the small rules you could break the big ones." (Julia)

Part 2, Chapter 3

"The primary aim of modern warfare ... is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living." (Goldstein)

Part 2, Chapter 9

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"Power is not a means, it is an end." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

Technology and Surveillance

I

Quote

[ Part/ Chapter

"Big Brother is Watching You."

mentioned in multiple contexts

"Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen It was safer, though , as he well knew, even a back can be revealing." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs , hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people's windows." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"The poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures wh ich are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander ... The smallest thing could give you away." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 5

"He thought of the telescreen with its never-sleeping ear. They could spy upon you night and day, but if you kept your head you could still outwit them. With all their cleverness they had never mastered the secret to finding out what another human being was thinking ... " (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 7

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The Restriction of Language Quote

Part/ Chapter

"Who controls the past, controls the future: Who controls the present, controls the past." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 3

"The past, he reflected, had not merely been altered, it had been actually destroyed." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 3

"Delicate pieces of forgery in which you had nothing to guide you except your knowledge of the principles of lngsoc and your estimate of what the Party wanted you to say." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 4

"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it." (Syme)

Part 1, Chapter 5

"The Party seeks to narrow the range of thought altogether, such that eventually thoughtcrime will be literally impossible." (Syme)

Part 1, Chapter 5

"And when memory failed and written records were falsified - when that happened, the claim of the Party to have improved the conditions of human life had got to be accepted, because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested ." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 8

"The past is whatever the records and the memories agree upon . And since the Party is in ful l control of all records and in equally full control of the minds of its members, it follows that the past is whatever the Party chooses to make it." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 9

"Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 9

"He accepted everything. The past was alterable. The past had never been altered." (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 2

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Love and Loyalty Quote

Part/ Chapter

"DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 2

"Not merely the love of one person, but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 2

"No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred ." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 2

"There was a direct intimate connection between chastity and political orthodoxy. For how could be fear, the hatred , and the lunatic credulity which the Party needed in its members to be kept at the right pitch , except by bottling down some powerful instinct and using it as a driving force?" (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 3

"Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia!" (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 5

"If they could stop me loving you - that would be the real betrayal." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 7

"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as understood." (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 1

"To die hating them , that was freedom .'' (Winston)

Part 3 Chapter 4

"I betrayed you." (Julia and Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 6

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The Individual versus The Collective Quote

Part/ Chapter

"To mark the paper was a decisive act." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 1

"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 2

"Thoughtcrime does not entail death : thoughtcrime IS death." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 2

"Orthodoxy means not thinking - not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness." (Syme)

Part 1, Chapter 5

"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 7

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel , and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 7

"Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with wild hope." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 2

"In this room I'm going to be a woman , not a Party comrade." (Julia)

Part 2, Chapter 4

"If you can feel that staying human is worthwhile, even when it can 't have any result whatever, you 've beaten them." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 7

"Sanity is not statistical." (Winston)

Part 2, Chapter 9

"The command of the old despotisms was ''Thou shalt not." The command of the totalitarians was "Thou shalt". Our command is "Thou art"." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 2

"But if he can make complete, utter submission, if he can escape from his identity, if he can merge himself in the Party so that he is the Party, then he is all-powerful and immortal." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself." (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 4

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Psychological Coercion and Manipulation Quote

Part/ Chapter

"In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make the claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy." (Winston)

Part 1, Chapter 7

"Two plus two equals five."

Multiple chapters

"There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad." (W inston)

Part 2, Chapter 9

"Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 2

"We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 2

"You are a difficult case. But don't give up help. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you." (O'Brien)

Part 3, Chapter 3

"And perhaps you might pretend , afterwards, that it was only a trick and that you just said it to make them stop and didn't really mean it. But that isn't true." (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 6

"Gin-scented tears" (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 6

"He loved Big Brother!" (Winston)

Part 3, Chapter 6

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Section 8

Sample Essays The essays below are based on the analysis in this Text Guide, and demonstrate how to incorporate these ideas into a cohesive essay. The essays also have slightly varying styles; it is important for you to develop your own writing style so that you can create your own arguments while under pressure in an exam environment, rather than rote learning someone else's work and style. This will also help you to stand out to the markers. Learning how to respond to any question will allow you to be flexible and agile enough to attack the question in the best way possible!

Essay One QUESTION: Discuss how George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts the dangers of a dystopian society in a way that forces readers to re-examine their own society.

ESSAY

COMMENTS

INTRODUCTION The predominant concerns of social zeitgeists 1 are frequently reflected through imagined societies that provide realistic warnings about the human experience, demonstrating the explicit connection between an author's context and their perspectives.2 George Orwell's Juvenalian satire Nineteen Eighty-Four explores a dystopian world that exemplifies contemporary fears about dominating regimes and their repression of the collective, the effects of technology on psychophysical coercion, as well as the manipulation of identity that cultivates human fragility. 3 Orwell's specific post-WWII milieu 4 facilitates both parallels and contrasts with modern society, thus imbuing the novel with an enduring critique of humanistic concerns that transcend sociocultural circumstances.

1. Zeitgeist: the defining mood of a particular historical period, shaped by the prominent ideas and beliefs. 2. This thesis statement directly answers the question, provides judgement and gives your assessor a clear sense of the essay's focus. Also, notice how we are expanding the key word of 'dystopian' society to specify 'surveillance' and 'personal liberties' as sub-topics we will examine? T his helps us show that we are writing something that is building from the prompt, but is still completely relevant. 3. Make sure that you introduce the general idea of the text, but don't spend too long summarising it in your introduction. 4. Milieu: an individual's social environment.

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PARAGRAPH 1 The dominance of oppressive regimes depicted in 20th century literature illustrates the hegemonic tension between social classes that were prevalent in the lives of many authors, including George Orwell. His exploration of "oligarchical collectivism" as experienced by Winston Smith is somewhat based on Marxist classism,5 and the human anxieties in Oceania are presented through the ironically paternalistic 'Big Brother.' This figure is a physical manifestation of the dominating totalitarian regimes of Orwell's personal zeitgeist. The omnipresent figure, always "watching you ," symbolises Eurocentric dictators like Hitler and the deprivation of freedom , which reflects Orwell's concern of oppression. This is further emphasised 6 by the Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania warring political superstates. The oxymoronic7 "bright cold day" with the "clocks... striking 13" immediately denotes a distorted society that has partial but not complete verisimilitude,8 whereby a totalitarian regime controls the lower class and limits their human experiences. The establishment of the Parties also contributes to this, with ironically named ministries of "Love," "Peace," "Plenty," and ''Truth." "Victory Gin" is similarly satirised to emphasise the ubiquitous nature of oppressive media outlets, as well as the paradoxical propagandist binaries, "War is Peace", "Ignorance is Strength" and "Freedom is Slavery.'19 These reflect the societal oppression during WWII and the extensive use of violence in Nazi Germany with the Gestapo, mirrored by Orwell in the form of Thought Police Thus, the fictional world of oppression created by Orwell mirrors his concerns for societies beyond that which is depicted in the text.10

5. This provides contextual relevance. This also helps in answering the question about "readers re-examining their own society." 6. This is a very useful linking phrase that tells the marker we are building off of the previous example and strengthening our argument with another supporting point. 7. Oxymoron: a figure of speech where to contradictory terms are used in conjunction. 8. Verisimilitude: making something appear to be true or realistic. 9. Because lots of these examples support similar points, this essay groups quotes together in order to talk about them collectively, thus making the analysis more efficient and effective! 10. Always ensure that you are making continuous links back to the essay question throughout your body paragraph, especially for your concluding sentence.

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PARAGRAPH 2 The implicit threat of technology is also particularly prevalent in Orwell's context, due to its incomprehensible effects on psychophysical coercion and its ability to manipulate. This often stems from the innate human desire for power across different cultural contexts. Orwell's context shaped his perspective of technology and the elimination of individual thought. The omnipresent surveillance of the "telescreen" corrupts the 1937 invention of television to eerily foreshadow 20th century technological manipulation and infiltration. Orwell further reveals how mass censorship was enabled through the "memory hole" and creation of Newspeak, paradoxically aiming to "cut language down to the bone" as a form of totalitarian propaganda. Winston acknowledges this emotional coercion as the product of an aim to "narrow the range of thought... making thoughtcrime literally impossible." 11 This censorship is also evident in Julia, whose membership of the "Junior Anti-Sex League," symbolised through passionate red , is designed to harness frail libidinal energy. This is reminiscent of Hitler's Youth League, which redirected "induced hysteria" as a result of sexual deprivation into "war-fever." Thus, the manipulative technologies and inventions of Oceania encourage readers to draw undeniable connections to human history, and even contemporary society.

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11 . Note that this quote has been modified with the less important information omitted using an ellipsis so that the quote better fits into the essay, though still effectively gets the message across. 12. Again, this is a strong paragraph conclusion that rounds off the discussion by taking the focus back to the core of the prompt and our contention.

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PARAGRAPH 3 Nineteen Eighty-Four is also heavily influenced by the effect of historical and sociocultural contexts on the author's perspectives, which have necessitated conformity and instigated human fragility, and Orwell's diverse representations of the human experience aid him in posing thought-provoking questions about dystopian elements in modern societies. Aligned with the terrors of WWII , Orwell's pessimistic tone emulates a distraught perspective on suffering and torment. The antanaclasis 13 of "He who controls the past controls the future, he who controls the present controls the past" emphasises indoctrination as a powerful tool that Big Brother wields. This contrasts with the bleak classist aphorism 12 that "until [the Proles] become conscious they will never rebel, and until they have rebelled they cannot become conscious," which strips Winston of his fragile individuality, forcing him to "love Big Brother" through metaphorical "gin-scented tears," and become part of the collective identity of Oceania. 15 He is forced to live in a homogenised society with a lack of diverse human experiences. Likewise, Orwell's characterisation of the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four leaves readers with a stark sense of uniformity and monotony, though unlike Winston, we are not compelled to "love" Big Brother by the novel's end. By contrast, Orwell seeks to have readers rebel against the portrayal of Big Brother's oppressiveness in the novel , and hopefully be vigilant enough to also rebel against their contemporary, real-world equivalents before, like Winston, they find themselves unable to do so. 16

13. Antanaclasis : a form of repetition whereby the meaning of the word changes in each case. 14. Aphorism: an observational statement that contains a generalised truth. 15. This sentence is packed with information. It contains a couple of techniques, integrated quotes and a link back to the question. 16. This paragraph ends with an incisive remark about authorial intent, and the overarching message of the novel - it's a good idea to learn a handful of these broad interpretations that you can apply to multiple essay questions and themes.

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CONCLUSION Ultimately, the socio-political climates of authors and audiences undoubtedly have a significant effect on their perspectives of the human experience. In this novel, Orwell didactically17 presents realistic warnings through his fictitious microcosms. His use of various language forms and bleak characterisation dominated by Newspeak and thought police effectively highlights the immense threat of oppressive regimes and their powers of coercion. To this end, Nineteen Eighty-Four is an enduring 18 censure of totalitarianism and cruelty that has compelled readers both past and present to critique their own society in the hopes of preventing life from imitating art.

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17. Didactic: a form of literature that aims to convey a lesson, information , or instructions, alongside entertainment. 18. This is a crucial final link back to the essay question.

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Essay Two QUESTION: How does Nineteen Eighty-Four portray the power of leadership?

COMMENTS

ESSAY INTRODUCTION George Orwell's satirical novel Nineteen Eighty-Four presents readers with a hypothetical society founded upon the central principle of an inferior lower class, and the overexertion of power by those in leadership positions. 1 Throughout the novel, it is made clear that these lower classes are incapable of establishing "conscious[ness]" of their "rebel[lious]" capabilities within this controlling society, and are thus both physically and intellectually prostrated 2 by those in power. These ideas strongly correlate to Orwell's personal historical and sociopolitical contexts, and thus highlight an inescapable connection between the context of the author and his perspectives on leadership. This, when viewed through the lens of Orwell's own social , cultural, and historical milieu, creates an allegorical message about leadership, as presented through Nineteen Eighty-Four's microcos• • m1c universe.

1. Note that you can play around with the structure of your introduction to suit your writing style. However, the most important thing to include and make very clear is your thesis statement. 2. Prostrated: to be reduced to a state of weakness, or overpowered by something.

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PARAGRAPH 1 The concept of the oppression and repression of the collective identity is palpable in Nineteen Eighty-Four, and correlates to the experiences of Orwell's audiences - both contemporary, and at the time of publication . In the novel, Orwell depicts the citizens of Oceania as being entirely subjugated by the cruel and exploitative authorities. Through this, Orwell's text satirises the rise of totalitarianism across Europe, as well as the concept of nihilism 3 in the post-WWII era. In particular, the collective identity is oppressed through physical coercion and psychological manipulation, as seen in the propagandist paradoxes: ''war is peace," "ignorance is strength ," and "freedom is slavery," which are binary oppositions. 4 This is depicted as working in conjunction with Newspeak, which makes manifest the Party's aim to "cut language down to the bone." As Orwell notes in his essay 'Politics and the English Language,' 5 This is ironic, as Orwell stated in his essay "Politics and the English Language"4 , "if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.'' Likewise, the introduction of the telescreen is symbolic of omnipresent surveillance by the Thought Police and the exploitation of the Party's leadership position, highlighting the confinement of the individual. Hence, the contextual framework and intertextual perspectives in which Orwell constructed his satirical novel enables for a greater understanding of leadership for various audiences, as presented through historically symbolic figures and moralistic conclusions. 6

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3. Nihilism: rejecting all moral and religious principles, with the belief that life is meaningless. 4. Binary oppositions: a pair of related ideas that have opposite meanings. 5. Incorporating extra research such as this can elevate your writing when done correctly. You have to make sure that it adds value, rather than just being filler, or detracting from your analysis of the set text. 6. This simultaneously answers the question and links back to the thesis statement.

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PARAGRAPH 2 Despite presenting characters who rebel against leading and authoritative figures, Orwell's disclosure of the harrowing fates that meet those who refuse to conform to the leadership's regime lends the novel a more pessimistic tone. Winston is painted as an average man, yet is seemingly metaphysically disparate to the general populous. His embryonic7 act of ''thoughtcrime" is a result of the "initial act of opening the diary," which in itself was a "decisive act" against those in leadership positions. This then symbolically catalysed his amorous "embrace" with Julia, which is characterised as, "a blow struck against the Party" and a "political act" after their first encounter. 8 This highlights their analogous hatred of the Party's dominance over their human experiences. Winston and Julia find a shared cause in the Brotherhood, which aimed to "cause demoralisati on and weaken the power of the Party." Winston is given Goldstein's manifesto, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, reminiscent of Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto. Winston comes to the realisation that the power of rebellion against those on power lies in the Proles, acknowledging that "until they become conscious they w ill never rebel , and until they have rebelled they cannot become conscious," which is paradoxical in nature and highlights the nihilist ideology that has its basis in Orwell's own contextual perspective. Thus, the power exerted by the Party emulates the struggles of corrupt leadership and the damage inflicted upon citizens across human history.9

7. Embryonic: from the biological term 'embryo,' this refers to something that is in its very early stages. 8. This paragraph displays a highly adept integration of quotes from across the text, blending them with analysis in a very fluent way. 9. The combination of relevant contextual information and close analysis of literary features makes this a very strong paragraph.

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PARAGRAPH 3 The unique ideas and values conveyed throughout Nineteen Eighty-Four are representative of the milieu in which Orwell wrote his text, though have universal applications due to its enduring relevance for modern audiences. Orwell presents a bleak hypothetical future as a warning to society, and creates verisimilitude through his realistic, though exaggerated and uncomfortable environment, as is evident in the opening lines that set the novel's scene as "a bright cold day in Apri l, and the clocks were striking thirteen." Bookending 10 this surreal depiction is the novel's final , poignant image of a depleted Winston, who has been psychologically manipulated by O'Brien and others in positions of power;11 it is with metaphorical "gin-scented tears trickl[ing] down his nose" that he has "won the victory over himself" and is forced to "love Big Brother." Thus, the novel forces its readers to grapple with the depiction of a world that is eerily similar to their own, but in which such blatantly tragic violations of personal and collective freedoms are made possible by the malicious intentions of leaders.

1a.Bookend: when an author starts and ends the text in a certain way, usually to create a parallel or sense of continuity using a similar phrase or symbol, though in this case, we're commenting on the associations between the opening and closing lines of the novel. 11 . It is also important to link to the question within your analysis, not just attaching it to the end of the paragraph. We've also acknowledged O'Brien as another representation of a powerful leader, beyond the omnipresent Big Brother whom most students would focus on.

CONCLUSION Overall , Orwell's depiction of the perils faced by the citizens of Oceania serve to warn readers of the confronting extents to which totalitarian regimes can exert influence over one's life. The novel presents both unique and universal perspectives 12 on the injustice of power imbalances and the corruption of leaders, and hence challenges readers to be cognizant of the immensely important roles leaders fulfil , and how vital it is that leaders not be governed by their own totalitarian agendas.

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12. Make sure your conclusion is effective and concise. It is the last thing that the market will read, so you should endeavour to 'zoom out' and make interpretive comments about the text as a whole.

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Essay Three QUESTION: George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four is ostensibly a warning for modern society. Discuss this notion with reference to the text.

ESSAY

I

COMMENTS

INTRODUCTION George Orwell's novel Nineteen EightyFour has an underlying purpose of offering a warning to society in such a way that reflects his inherent values as an author, while still remaining relevant today.1 Throughout the novel , Orwell establishes a fictitious society that he intended to serve as a mirror to society, hyperbolically depicting where the real world may be heading . At a time where war and economic depression were commonplace,2 Orwell's writing is dominated by a desire for more equal power distribution and freedom of thought. As such, Nineteen Eighty-Four offers deeper understanding of these values, their significance in Orwell's lifetime, and their applications in a modern context.3

1. The introduction is critical in your essay. It is the first thing that markers will read, giving them an indication of the rest of your essay. Make a good first impression and establish a solid foundation so that the rest of your essay will read smoothly and make sense. 2. It is important to establish and integrate sufficient contextual detail, but do not overwhelm the marker. This is an English essay, not a History essay! 3. This introduction neatly addresses the essay question, and provides a clear sense of the essay's thesis and direction.

PARAGRAPH 1 The novel depicts a class struggle between hierarchical social classes in which the protagonist, Winston, is the struggles with these constructions. Oceania is made up of three distinct social classes: the elite Inner Party, the industrious Outer Party, and vast numbers of uneducated Proles.

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At various points in the narrative, Winston entertains the thought that the Proles will become conscious of their oppressed state and initiate a revolution , contemplating that if they could "somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no need to conspire." This rhetoric4 compels both Winston and readers to ask whether the Proles are capable of unshackling themselves from the power of the Party. However, in other instances, Winston despairs that since the Proles cannot rebel until they have become conscious, and cannot become conscious until only after they have rebelled, such a development is extremely unlikely. The frequent repetition of this line is used as a warning to society,5 bringing to their attention the consequences of a totalitarian regime where the Party's ultimate ambition is to control the minds as well as the bodies of its citizens, and thus control reality itself. This reality control juxtaposed Orwell's key values, which further implies a fatalistic attitude towards the future, as shaped by his personal context and understood by a vast audience.6

4. Rhetoric: language designed to have a persuasive effect. 5. Though ideas may sometimes seem self-evident based on the examples in your body paragraphs, explicitly stating how and why evidence supports your arguments is an important step in ensuring you write a high-quality piece. 6. As always, we conclude with a clear link to the prompt that solidifies the relevance of this discussion, and also makes a strong point about the author's views and values (which is particularly valuable when writing about an essay question like this one). 7. Subtly using metalanguage as adjectives or adverbs when describing evidence is a great way to impress the assessors with both your vocabulary and your in-depth understanding of the text.

PARAGRAPH 2 Nineteen Eighty-Four portrays propaganda and technology as a form of subjugation and control throughout the text. The Party's motto, "Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength ," uses oxymorons to ironically contrast the terms it uses - the three mottos contain opposing terms, yet their overall sentiment is hauntingly true for the state of the world, as explained through Emmanuel Goldstein's intertextual 7 manifesto, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism.

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This reflects Orwell's warning to society, as he had a strong hatred of totalitarianism, which was evident in society in the years immediately after World War I and II. During this period, nationalism played a major role in influencing society, where people held strong patriotic beliefs, principles and ideals. Orwell uses this to express to the reader that devotion to one's country can be a manipulative tool of a totalitarian leader, used to control their people by exploiting their love of their country. The use of technology to conduct constant surveillance is also established, and is used as a recurring motif throughout the novel. The "Big Brother is Watching You" poster both threatens and reinforces that privacy does not exist in this world, even though this is something that Orwell intimates is an inviolable human right. Further technological control is implied through the police helicopters overhead, hovering "for an instant like a bluebottle." The simile connotes a sense of poisonous danger and evokes distaste,8 as does the use of telescreens in every home as a constant reminder that "every sound" was "overheard and every moment scrutinised." Orwell uses this as a warning to all societies,5 bringing to their attention the consequences of a totalitarian regime where that aims to both control and dictate their real ity.

8. This incredibly close analysis of single words and symbols is incredibly effective in showing that you understand how the author creates meaning through language and other structural features. 9. This paragraph includes clear analysis of several different techniques, but weaves them together to create a holistic analysis. It also links frequently to Orwell's context and to the essay question .

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PARAGRAPH 3 While Nineteen Eighty-Four explores the idea of rebellion and revolution against oppressive regimes, it does not provide a single-sided view of the issue. Rather, it demonstrates Orwell's key values that have been shaped by his socio-political context, while also displaying the corruption of these ideals by the Party. 10 Winston's rebellion against the Party is ironic 11 in that it is to pursue acts associated with a normal life. A key motif 12 that represents Winston's rebellion is his repetition of the line ''two plus two equals four", which the reader recognises as a factual statement, though it comes to symbolise the power of the Party's control mechanisms that they might persuade someone to believe that "two plus two equals five." In this way, all of Winston's rebellions take the form of ordinary activities for the reader, yet the fact that they are rebellious highlights the Party's restriction of activities as a part of their drive for power. 13 Therefore, even though it has been written in Orwell's distinct context, Nineteen Eighty-Four explores the key values of humanity that have been exploited by those in authoritative positions, through various methods of subjugation and contro l. Winston 's fatalism as a result of these dire circumstances evokes our immense sympathy, as both he and we watch his hope for a better world fading away.

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10. This is a rather complex idea, but it makes for an excellent third paragraph (after we have already spent two paragraphs setting a foundation and analysing various parts of the text). Your final body paragraph is a great time to try and make broader conclusions about the text's message and author's intent, whilst still getting the opportunity to back up your ideas with analysis (unlike in the conclusion, when it is too late to bring up new examples). 11. Irony: a literary technique that allows the audience to recognise the full significance or a characters words or actions, but is unknown to the character 12. There are many motifs in Nineteen Eighty-Four that you can include in your analysis to tie everything together. These are useful since you can analyse multiple occurrences of the motif throughout the novel. 13. This is a very clear explanation of the meaning of this evidence - writing with such clarity will ensure the assessors have plenty of opportunities to give you marks!

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CONCLUSION Overall , the socio-cultural problems identified by George Orwell in the society of Nineteen Eighty-Four acts as a contrast between his key humanistic values and the reality that he observed during his lifetime.14 The subjugation and control exercised by the Party distinctly eliminates the individuality and freedom of thought valued by Orwell, and instead exposes the harsh realities of dominating regimes, as observed through an era of economic depression and war. Though the contextual influences vary, contemporary readers are still able to gain a deep understanding of the flaws in such political systems, and how they have the potential to be used for incredibly damaging purposes both in fiction and in history.

14. This directly links Orwell's authorial context, and the essay question .

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Essay Four

QUESTION: How does Nineteen Eighty-Four expose paradoxes in the world of Oceania?

COMMENTS

ESSAY INTRODUCTION The socio-political structure of Nineteen Eighty-Four's Oceania lends itself to a flawed system of collective identity, thus exposing inconsistencies and paradoxes between individualised human experiences.1 This society serves as a political satire through which George Orwell reflects the parallels and contradictions in his own historical context, through times of enduring war and conflict. T he Oceania in this alternate reality is carefully constructed in order to allow readers to notice its similarities to their own society, whilst also acknowledging the hyperbolic illogic and oxymoronic elements2 that are used by the Party to achieve their sinister ends.

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1. This is thesis statement enhances the prompt by linking the structural feature of 'paradoxes' with an overarching thematic concern of Orwell's, thus making for a highly effective opening sentence. The most important thing for your introduction is to make your contention clear, so aiming to do this within the first sentence or two will help ensure clarity, and make a great first impression on your assessor! 2. Though you shouldn't delve too far into specific techniques in an introduction , mentioning one or two dominant structural features may help clarify how the author achieves something.

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PARAGRAPH 1 The restriction of language in Nineteen Eighty-Four epitomises the paradoxical nature of life in Oceania. Most prominently is the infliction of "doublethink," whereby citizens are able to hold two contradictory beliefs simultaneously.3 This allows inconsistencies in facts and memories to arise, as demonstrated by Winston's repetition after he experiences psychological manipulation: "he accepted everything. The past was alterable. The past had never been altered ." This allows Oceania to continue its multiple power plays, both domestically and against the other warring superstates, Eurasia and Eastasia. Readers are able to sympathise with Winston's individual confusions due to the third person narrative with a limited omniscience4 - we are able to experience his thoughts, feelings and emotions about the paradoxes he witnesses in society, such as the Party's oxymoronic slogans, "War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength , Freedom is Slavery." These binary oppositions highlight the contradictory experiences of Oceania and the degree of indoctrination5 that the Party is capable of. Thus, Orwell's construction of the novel exposes socio-political paradoxes experienced by individuals in Oceania such as Winston.

3. Although you can safely assume that your marker will have read the novel and doesn't need terms explained to them, it still doesn't hurt to prove that you know these terms by including concise explanations like this before you proceed to analyse or provide evidence for your points. 4. There is a highly effective analysis of the novel's voice here - instead of just stating that it is a third person point of view, we have dissected how this decision on Orwell's part also adds meaning and contributes to readers' interpretation of the text. 5. Indoctrination: teaching a belief system to a group of people, forcing them to be uncritical of such beliefs.

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PARAGRAPH 2 Orwell also employs a distinct narrative structure in order to emulate the misalignment of facts within Oceania and how those inconsistencies are used to psychologically coerce its citizens. 6 The three-part novel structure is a clever reflection of Winston's personal journey within the dystopic totalitarian society, in which he finds fault with, rebels against, and eventually succumbs to the nature of what Big Brother represents. This metaphor is based upon similarly dominating reg imes of Orwell's time; much like the doctrines imposed upon Nazi Germany or Communist Russia's citizens in Orwell's personal context, the individuals of Oceania are expected to accept everything without question. Winston exposes these realities, catalysed by his "decisive act" of writing in his private diary, which symbolises his desire for individualistic freedom of thought. While Winston's character is initially an individual , the three-part structure7 imitates the gradual homogenising of his emotions and intellect to suit the collective identity cultivated by the Party. Many sections of Orwell's prose are designed to overwhelm with description to further immerse readers in the unique Oceanic experience. This simple yet effective structure is also critical in understanding the ways in which Orwell warns society, with Winston eventually "loving" the symbolically omnipresent "Big Brother," who is always "watching you." Therefore, it is evident through the structure of Nineteen Eighty-Four that an individual's experience of Oceania is moulded by figures whose authority is founded upon inconsistencies and paradoxes. 8

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6. This paragraph starts with a nice, succinct topic sentence that flows on from the previous paragraph, but outlines its own distinct focus for discussion . 7. The structure is something that often gets overlooked by students, but in the case of Nineteen Eighty-Four, it is a very crucial component of the storytelling. You can analyse the very fabric of the novel, including its chapter divisions, voice, tone, and word choices as supporting evidence for your arguments! 8. This is another direct link to the question. It may seem tedious when you are writing, but it is vital to get those extra marks and ensure that your essay is irrefutably relevant.

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PARAGRAPH 3 The paradoxical life experiences of those living in Orwell's Oceania is further emphasised by the irony9 inherent to Orwell's literary style. Multiple instances of foreshadowing highlight Winston's inability to find truth in a world of inconsistencies, and creates a claustrophobic atmosphere for readers. His poor judgement of character is seen with Julia, Mr Charrington, and O'Brien ; he is unable to see their true characters due to the lack of effective human interaction within Oceania. Moreover, the Chestnut Tree song lyric "I sold you and you sold me," also embodies Winston's repeated thoughtcrimes that are inconsistent with the Party's ideologies, and the subsequent betrayal of Julia as a result. Furthermore,10 the omnipresent surveillance ironically emphasises the inconsistencies in the highly technological world of Oceania; those in the Inner Party are able to turn off their telescreens, while middle-class Outer Party members are subjected to this control all hours of the day. These inconsistencies are revealed through the intertextual reference to Emmanuel Goldstein's text, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, which also is an historical allusion to Marx and Engel's The Communist Manifesto. By explaining the "how" of the Party's control, Winston is able to understand how the Party maintains the societal paradoxes and inconsistencies, though he is brutally punished for this understanding . The constant perpetuation of ironically named "Victory" Gin and Mansions, as well as the paradoxical Ministries of Love, Truth, Plenty, and Peace, further internalise these inconsistencies such that they are no longer recognised by individuals as ironic. 11

9. It can be difficult to base an entire paragraph on a literary device; however, since Nineteen Eighty-Four is a political satire with many complex instances and kinds of irony throughout the entire novel, this is a big enough technique to unpack across a body paragraph. As you can tell though, links to other techniques and devices are made as well in order to diversify the analysis. You should aim to showcase both the breadth and depth of your understanding of the novel. 10. Never underestimate the value of linking words when transitioning from one example to the next. Though they seem simple, they're essential in creating flow and cohesion in your essays, and in your writing more generally. 11. Here, we're reaching the crux of the essay - not only is there a plethora of examples of paradoxes throughout the text through which Orwell comments on society, but the way characters respond to these paradoxes (i.e. merely accepting their inherent contradictions) is also an incredibly potent point that Orwell conveys! It takes time to be able to craft sophisticated interpretations like this, but it is incredibly worthwhile, as such judgements w ill allow you to stand out from your cohort.

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Instead , the human experience of those living in Oceania is that of a collective identity, lacking in freedom of thought, which in spite of the unreal paradoxes, Orwell presents as a terrifyingly real possibility for mankind.12

CONCLUSION Ultimately, the literary and structural devices employed by Orwell in his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, effectively uncover the overexertion of power and control over the populace of Oceania through a manipulation of logic and thought. By drawing from his own personal context, Orwell uses this satire as a warning to readers past and present about the dangers of the paradoxes and inconsistencies totalitarian regimes use to keep a populace's collective identity fragile, vulnerable, and powerless.13

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12. Once again, straightforward links back to the question are made, for the ease of the marker. 13. Your conclusion can be relatively short, especially if you 're writing a piece in timed conditions. It is important to try and leave time to write one though, as it's a vital part of your essay that should re inforce your thesis and make an interpretive judgement about the text's core message.

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General Essay Writing Tips Always answer the question that you are given Going into an assessment with a prepared essay isn't going to get you many marks if you aren't able to mould it to the question that you are given on the day. To do this, you have to attack the question head-on. This means linking back to the question as much as you can - not just making cursory references at the end of each paragraph, but actually integrating key words and concepts throughout your essay. This is why it's important to have a working knowledge of the text beyond your essay. Something else to consider is that you don't have to agree with the question you are given. You can mostly agree, mostly disagree, or fall somewhere in the middle. Personally, I found that the best way to answer any given question was to agree with it mostly, but provide a paragraph with contrasting views to add complexity to your thesis.

Stand out from the rest To make your essay stand out, you have to go the extra mile. Get your hands on as many resources as you can so that your research is well-rounded. Find contextual links, unique quotes, things that you agree and disagree with, or explanations that clarify the plot. This will ultimately strengthen your own opinion, giving your essay a clear sense of your own writing • voice.

The editing process When writing essays, it is crucial that you give yourself plenty of time to plan, draft, and perfect your work. It's very easy to skip over things in your essay that you could easily pick up with a quick edit. Utilising teacher feedback gives you another set of eyes and a valid opinion on how you can make improvements to your work. The more you edit your work, the more succinct and powerful your essays can be. This is great for fitting in as much deep analysis as possible, and gives you space to answer the given question as well.

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