Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell ''If There is Hope,…it Lies in the Proles'' How Much Hope do You as a Reader Place in the Proles?

Considering that the book was published in 1948, in the start of the Cold War, the political connotation of this book was instantly interpreted as a criticism to the Soviet Union and their autocratic rule, mainly because of the parallels and allusions Orwell brought from this country. For instance the resemblance of Big Brother which is describe as “the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features”(Orwell 4) is an accurate description of the 1948 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, hinting a parallel Orwell established between both of them. Common practices like cult of personality and his rivalry with previous party members (in Stalin’s case Trotsky and in Big Brother’s case Goldstein) show that the character is not only physically similar, but that Big Brother is an allusion to the Soviet leader. Hence Orwell also alludes the alteration of history and photographs in Winston´s working place to the similar practices made in the USSR under Stalin, where photos were edited when people condemned by treason appeared on it. The constant wars the country is facing alludes to the multiple wars that took place during the first half of the twentieth century, as the author states that their society was constantly at war, which is an allusion to his present. By alluding to the present and to the USSR, Orwell convinces the western reader of the dangers of these dictatorial societies, by drawing a parallel between 1984 society and their cold war

16. In the final analysis, how accurate was Orwell in his vision of the future? In what ways does our contemporary society compare to his idea of society in 1984? Are there examples in which he was correct? What is most contrary? Do you see a potential for aspects of Orwell’s “vision” to come true?

Thirty-three years ago, the unpleasantry that novelist George Orwell dreamt of never became the reality he predicted it would in 1949. The year 1984 was supposed to take society on an absolute turn for the worst, becoming a global dystopia in which everyone lived under the regulation and dominance of one of three totalitarian superstates. Orwell wrote of this future in his book 1984, creating the fictional universe of Oceania in which the lives of Winston Smith and the other characters in Oceania seemed genuinely real, especially by use of various literary devices. Motifs such as the linguistic concept of Newspeak and the majority of society’s convergence of feelings towards the Party and Big Brother appear multiple times throughout the pages of the novel. Through such recurring ideas, a major theme stands out - the lack of self-expression. Living under an authoritarian and oppressive government, party members such as Winston are forced to follow the socialist policies of Ingsoc. In the book it is written that, “The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of dependent thought” (Orwell 193). If everyone were to give into the Party, self-expression would be entirely eliminated because everyone and everything would be censored. With such motives made clear, Winston along with a minority realize the absurdity in the Party’s ways. Nevertheless, many more others do not, loving Big Brother and embracing

Orwells’ book is set in a totalitarian state where all who live there must accept and comply with every one of the Party’s rules, ideas and orders. The main character in this novel is Winston Smith. Winston decides to rebel against the Party and soon after this results in his capture and torture from the Party. By the end of the book Winston

In Orwell’s 1984 we follow Winston Smith, a man who feels the oppressions of the

In the final section of the book, he admits ruefully that they got him a long time ago, and goes on to assert that “the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness, and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness was better.” The discourses of O’Brien in this last section strip bare not just the methods but the motives and the intentions of the totalitarian regime that seks power for its own sake. Winston is not just defeated and destroyed but completely metamorphosed in the ministry of Love. As O’Brien promises him, “ ‘Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves.’ ”(p.206)

Orwell’s background begins with him being born into as he describes a “lower upper middle class” family. Orwell was born in Bengal India on the twenty fifth of June, 1903, originally under the name Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell was of the sahib class. This basically means that he was to be treated with respect by most everyone. Sahib is a courteous way of saying Mister (Mr.) or Mistress (Mrs.). He went to a very prestigious boarding school. While he was in school Orwell challenged authority. It is believed that school is where his hatred for authority first

Winston Smith believes that hope for the future lies in the proles because it's their rebellion that can bring down Big Brother, and Usher in the change of the government. Proles ,proletarians, working class, and comprise make up about 80% of the population. Also Winston sees proles as happy workers who are not smart. Although they might not be that smart the workers are free from scrutiny and constant morning party. Smith hates Big Brother and the numerous restrictions it makes a difference on the party workers. He works in the Ministry of Truth which is responsible for altering and editing

Winston believes, that one day, the proles will take over the government because their humanity will remain. “If there is hope, wrote Winston, it lies in the proles”(Orwell 72). Firstly, the population of the proles surpasses the population of the Party: the proles are eighty-five percent of Oceania. If the proles choose to, they could easily overthrow the government. “But the proles, if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have

Additionally, the portrayal of this dystopian society controlled by a totalitarian government might have been understood well by contemporary audiences, mirroring the rules of totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy- the citizens have no influence on the government and have no freedom of choosing the rules that govern and control every part of their lives. Therefore, Winston blames the misery in his life totally and completely on the government and on Big Brother. In Winston’s case, we can see that the propaganda, deprivation, and strict rules fail to make him concur with the party and accept Big Brother- in this situation, the party has to use extreme force and torture to make Winston love the party as well as Big Brother, in order for the party to maintain complete power.

The proles the middle class of the society. The party will give them basic needs of life, and some forms of happiness such as: Football, beer, and gambling. Doing this keeps the class unlikly to ever rebell aganist the party. Winston believes the proles have alot of power, however they are blind to the partys doings. "If there is hope, wrote Winston, it lies in the proles" (Orwell 72). In our society we have many of the same sources of happiness. Today people drink, watch football, and gamble. In our society today these are middle class people. The description of the proles in 1984 is nearly the same as our middle class. "It was probable that there were some millions of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive" (Orwell

George Orwell was the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, and he was famous for his personnel vendetta against totalitarian regimes and in particular the Stalinist brand of communism. In his novel, 1984, Orwell has produced a brilliant social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia, that has made the world pause and think about our past, present and future, as the situation of 1984 always remains menacingly possible. The story is set in a futuristic 1984 London, where a common man Winston Smith has turned against the totalitarian government. Orwell has portrayed the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control. The way that Winston Smith, the central

Winston Smith believes that hope lies in the proles because they make up most of the population of Oceania. He knows that nothing can be done from within because it is impossible for enemies of the Party to come together and discuss anything without the Party finding out. Telescreens, Spies, and Thought Police are always watching and listening for anything or anyone against Big Brother and the Party. Proles are not watched by telescreens, so they have the ability to gather and plan something to overthrow the Party. The Party members don't pay as much attention to the proles as they do to people of the Party. There are some spies within the proles, but not so many as within the Party. What stops the proles from doing anything is their ignorance

Despite Winston's passionate hatred for the Party and his desire to test the limits of the Party's power, his capacity to carry out action against the Party is burdened (i.e. lacking positive freedom) by his intense paranoia and overriding belief that he will ultimately suffer scrutiny and brutal torture for the crimes he

“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own." These images fill the reader, leading him or her to realize the darkness that lies in Winston’s community before the advent of his adventure. As James A. Tyler explains the situation in his article “Self and space, resistance and discipline: a Foucauldian reading of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four”: “Orwell's concerns regarding the abuse of power, the denial of self, and the eradication of both past and future continue to resonate in contemporary discussions of politics and society.” This take on the world that Orwell creates makes it clear that the world of Winston Smith clearly conveys a “waste land” type of environment. In fact, the ugly nature of the “waste land” that Winston find himself in employs qualities of extracting freedom and thought from its inhabitants. This type of dwelling clearly manifests the idea that Orwell successfully puts forth which is that the place where Winston lives is symbolic of the “waste