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George Orwell Symbolism

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Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Franklin, one of the United States’ Founding Fathers, talked about a frightened electorate and acknowledged the negative repercussions that are caused by this group. Furthermore, in 1984, George Orwell explores a world derived on hate, control, and repression of the basic liberties of people. Citizens are manipulated into absolving themselves of independent thought, forced to pursue loyalties to the Party. Benjamin Franklin’s platitude is observed in the novel through the use of symbolism, irony, and diction, and galvanizes the theme that forced fear leads to a fierce blindness and can eventually …show more content…

One such example is the rat, a common motif in the story. When Julia and Winston were together in the room, a rat appeared, which rattled Winston. He commented, “Rats! In this room” (144). Clearly, Winston dislikes rats, and can go so far as to fear them. The Party uses this fear to their advantage and tortures Winston in Room 101 to manipulate his thoughts about Julia, who he loved. The Party wanted him to abandon all perceived loyalties except those towards the Party. Therefore, the rat symbolizes a common fear in everyone. For Winston, it just so happens to be this animal. Those who deviate or are thought to deviate from the established code of conduct undergo through this process of pain. The usage of extreme methods to force a certain ideology into someone shows how much control the government of Oceania exerts over its people, and that they do not hesitate to act on this power. Also, another symbol of control used in the story is the telescreen. The telescreen is a device used in Oceanic society that can both transmit and receive video and audio simultaneously. As a result, the Party members must live carefully, “in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in

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