Rhetorical Devices In 1984 By George Orwell

Quote 1: "Do anything to me!" he yelled. "You've been starving me for weeks. Finish it off and let me die. Shoot me. Hang me. Sentence me to twenty-five years. Is there somebody else you want me to give away? Just say who it is and I’ll tell you anything you want. I don't care who it is or what you do to them. I've got a wife and three children. The biggest of them isn't six years old. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, and I'll stand by and watch it. But not Room 101!" (1984 Orwell, Book 3 Chapter 1)

In this excerpt of 1984 written by George Orwell (1948), Orwell describes about the forced indifferent emotions of Winston Smith after he was mentally tortured by the betrayal of Julia. Orwell builds his argument by initially using euphemism, and then describes how Winston festers, in a chronological pattern. He uses superfluous diction to support his main claim- how the argument between Julia and Winston contributed to Winston’s current emotional state. From his choice of diction, he seems to target people who are interested in History and old Literature.

Speaker: The speaker of this piece would be the main character Winston Smith. According to the text it states, “‘Would you believe, he said, ‘that till this moment I didn’t know what color your eyes were’” (Orwell, 119). By analyzing the quote above, one could see that Winston is the speaker. Winston Smith is a 39 year old man who works as a record editor at the Ministry of Truth. He makes his points because he hates how the party lies to society and manipulates their minds. Based on the text states, “The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion, Desire was thoughtcrime” (Orwell, 68). Citizens were made to believe that intercourse was not natural, but an act of disobedient against the party and should only between two who doesn’t have any attraction

It is evident that within the novel 1984, that George Orwell establishes several moods through the use of literary devices, in which the reader is delved into the environment that Winston has to undergo subpar conditions amidst the ubiquitous and intrusive telescreens. This could be seen through the setting, imagery, and the diction that Orwell employs in conveying this mood. By George Orwell utilizing specific diction and imagery in describing the setting, this therefore contributes to a desolate, invasive, and tranquil mood; this could be seen through the instances of Winston’s apartment, Winston’s workplace, the apartment, and the Ministry of Love.

1. -It was first used in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. The phrase "two plus two equals five" ("2 + 2 = 5") is a slogan used in many different forms of media, but more specifically in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four as an example of an obviously false dogma one may be required to believe, similar to other obviously false slogans by the Party in the novel. It is contrasted with the phrase "two plus two makes four", the obvious (by definition) – but politically inexpedient – truth. Orwell's protagonist, Winston Smith, uses the phrase to wonder if the State might declare "two plus two equals five" as a fact; he ponders whether, if everybody believes it, does that make it true? Basically he is saying that as long as the party-(which has brainwashed all the citizens) has the power to control the truth, the public will never be free. Once people have the freedom to know the truth as they see it, to say that 2 + 2 = 4 instead of 2 + 2 = 5, then other freedoms will follow.

George Orwell was inspired by many events, which took place throughout his life. He lived through World War I, II and part of the Cold War and therefore used these events to help create the world of 1984. However, not only was he inspired by the political issues around his time, but he was also inspired by the author Yevgeny Zamyatin who had published the book We a few years prior to when 1984 was published.

What defines a human is their ability to think and show emotion. In George Orwell’s 1984 the Party prevents its citizens from thinking or showing emotion. The Thought Police regulate people’s thoughts and the telescreen ensures that people only show emotion that has a positive bearing on the Party. In this passage, O’Brien makes an important analogy comparing Winston’s condition to the Party’s ability to wipe out humanity. O’Brien begins this passage by describing the characteristics of Winston’s rotting and disgusting body using imagery. He says, “‘filthy grime all over your body…you stink like a goat…I could snap your neck like a carrot…hair is coming out in handfuls’” (Orwell 272). The imagery and figurative language that O’Brien uses

The want to communicate with others is instinctual to all animals; communication is necessary to survive. As infants, humans coo, gurgle, and cry to communicate their immediate needs to their providers. However, the provider does not exactly know what their child needs, due to the child’s inability to explain their distress through words. As the child develops and learns to speak, this communication barrier is broken. Words, even in their most pure and basic form, are used for the sole purpose of expression. However, expressing oneself can have many goals and outcomes. In his treatise Rhetoric, Aristotle writes about using words to express one’s self for the sole purpose of persuading an audience. In his novel, 1984, George Orwell uses the

Relationship between thought and language is not something you consider or contemplate in your everyday life. Nevertheless, the answer to this seemingly useless philosophical question might spell the difference between totalitarian control of our minds achieved through manipulation of language and a world of freedom, where human ideas cannot be subjected to blatant perversions as they resonate through intelligent minds, bound only by the power of our imagination. This dilemma has captivated my attention ever since I read Orwell’s “1984” as well as his “Politics and English Language.” In both pieces, Orwell implies a direct correlation between the two notions and paints a horrifying picture of disastrous consequences that a language manipulation can usher in. Orwell’s claim that “if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought” clashed with my own perception of those concepts somewhere deep on a subconscious level. “Language could not possibly alter a thought,” I thought, “How could it? After all, language merely describes my thoughts, whereas thoughts are generally spontaneous ideas, sounds, pictures that flash though my mind’s eye, sometimes so fast, that I fail to grasp them before they fleet away.” Even though in his article Orwell was referring specifically to bad practices that are common in the use of language, the question persisted. Can a language influence thinking in the same manner as thinking influences the words being uttered or does it have

In 1984, Orwell makes excellent use of symbolism to further enhance the novel's theme and to reveal character. He wrote 1984 as a political message to warn future generations about the dangers of totalitarian societies. He relays this message through various themes and characters, in turn utilizes powerful symbols to give them further significance. His symbolism is very vast but it can be classified into three categories: characters, places and objects.

The setting of Nineteen Eighty Four represents the idea of a totalitarian regime where the concept of freedom, personal identity and thought belong to one ruling party. Orwell explores these ideas extensively through the use of broad imagery with the initial pages describing a cruel and “gritty” setting that smells “of boiled cabbage”. Additionally Orwell ensures that his use of imagery is potent in the initial chapters of the novel as he purposely establishes a setting of control and surveillance. In Orwell’s fictional world characters lose their identity through torture and fear were

Orwell uses imagery and repetition in his story to make the reader imagine and comprehend the story better. Orwell uses imagery to create an appeal to human senses and create an in-depth idea. Imagery is used when Winston describes his mother, “She was a tall, statuesque rather silent woman with slow movements and magnificent fair hair” (31). Orwell creates an image in readers mind of what Winston’s mother looked like and how she must have moved. Orwell also uses imagery when O’Brien gives Winston a cigarette, “They were very good cigarettes, very thick and well packed with an unfamiliar silkiness in the paper” (181).

In George Orwell's 1984 language is used to manipulate thought and action. Language is an important part of societies in that it aids in the way people think. Limitation and restriction of language hinders now people think. The more words someone knows, the better they can articulate how they feel. In 1984, The Party uses "newspeak" and thoughtcrime as a way to control the citizens of the community.

“If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” wrote George Orwell in his novel 1984, which demonstrates the sheer powers of the totalitarian regime of the Party over the citizens of the superstate of Oceania. One of the pillars of their rule is the control of language through Newspeak, a simplified version of English, which allows them to limit the range of thought and prevent thoughtcrime before it can ever happen. Although these ideas of language control seem dystopian, there have been eerily similar examples in the totalitarian regimes of the past, such as Mao’s Communist China, where the elegant language of Mandarin was reduced to repetitive slogans, limiting the possibility for dissent and fomenting Party loyalty.

Thoughtcrime! To Parsons dismay it had happened to him, and if it weren’t for his precious children he may never have been caught. His blubbering words of horror would make one think he had actually committed a crime. Yet, had he? By the third part of the book, Big Brother’s grasp had tightened, and there was no getting out of it. The control he had over Oceania ran so deep, the population would commit to crimes they didn’t even know they had done. This virtual character had created so many facets of terror to keep the population in line, and as far as we knew it was working. The inner party happily did Big Brothers dirty work, and continued to work on dumbing down the society through Newspeak, and using a media presence to erase the past and use convicted people of thoughtcrime as a big “what not to