Symbolism In 1984 By George Orwell

George Orwell uses music to set the tone in 1984. In some instances, it inspires Winston Smith, the protagonist, or represents a need for something he cannot get from the Party. In others, it reminds him of tragedy, and in certain instances, it contains valuable insight from the past. It also represents Winston’s happiness between himself and Julia and predicts Winston’s fate. Music in 1984 plays an important role in the overall attitude of the novel.

Jacobs made a strong argument about the body representation made by Orwell in his book, especially in the character of Winston. This seemed to be attributed to the fact that Orwell was dying when he wrote the book, so the story included his “personal failings” (Jacobs 14). Since Winston’s resistance did not win in the end, and he was overcome by Big Brother, the book seems to tell that resistance is doomed. This is especially true in the last two sentences in Orwell’s book in which he wrote, “He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (376). Referring to Winston’s loving of Big Brother as victory over himself was like Orwell telling the readers that minds can be broken under torture, and that this pain could make the mind think of betraying loved ones. When Winston was tortured with his greatest fear, the rats, he said, “Do it to Julia! Not me! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones” (Orwell 362).

George Orwell’s 1984 establishes a paradox in order to display an ironic discovery of truth. The slogan “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength” used throughout Oceania is crazy, but it is also truthful. A quote from the book states “until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (Orwell 70). This quote suggests that the citizens are locked inside this slogan of the party, and have been brainwashed into following the rules that they have in place. Secondly, war is peace demonstrates that being in war constantly keeps Oceania under control. A summary on 1984 says “The reason for the war is to keep their economies productive without adding to the wealth of their citizens” (Celona). This evidence shows how the party believes war keeps their country away from rebellion. Lastly, the statement “Freedom is Slavery” is a paradox shown throughout the novel. An article says “the society he lives in strips its citizens not only of their freedom but of their very humanity” (Becnel). This passage suggests that without slavery and control in Oceania, we would not know of freedom. Orwell’s use of paradoxes helps the reader to understand the true meaning behind the slogan used in 1984.

“1984 expresses man’s fears of isolation and disintegration, cruelty and dehumanisation…Orwell’s repetition of obsessive ideas is an apocalyptic lamentation for the fate of modern man. His expression of the political experience of an entire generation gives 1984 a veritably mythic power

Loneliness is something everyone experiences. However, nobody should have to go through the degree of loneliness of being unable to confide in one person. Everybody needs a person. At the start of 1984 by George Orwell, Winston is completely alone and cannot open up about his feelings towards Big Brother to anyone. He is unable to conform to his natural human nature due to a government in total control. George Orwell’s 1984 communicates the threat on society of a totalitarian government by using literary devices such as irony, foreshadowing, as well as characterization.

This alert issued to the citizens of Oceania in the novel 1984 could be a news teaser for one of the mainstream media stations of modern day America. You see, fear holds power and power creates influence. This is an important concept, particularly at this time in the history of the United States. In the ten plus years since 9/11, America has become a nation controlled by fear – fear of what has happened, what might happen, and fear of that which we do not understand. The behavior of the United States government post 9/11 has encouraged this environment of fear in many of the same ways as “The Party” in 1984. The results are far reaching and include influence over who we choose as elected officials, what legislation we accept and the way in which we stand by and accept the sensationalistic reporting of today’s news media.

Telescreens are the most important and visible symbol of the party which they use to monitoring its subjects. The telescreen is a propaganda tool which is used by the party to get into people’s heads and control them. Not does it only control people it also monitors everyone’s actions and speech completely controlling every aspects of human existence. The telescreens also symbolize how the government abuses technology for its own good and there is no escaping from it.

I drew Winston, hand in hand with Julia, walking down a hallway. The hallway intentionally lacks colour and is drawn to appear white and spotless as described in the quote, “The passage down which he led them was softly carpeted, with cream paper walls and white wainscoting, all exquisitely clean”. I added a thought bubble above Winston to signify him remembering only contaminated, grimy hallways, “Winston could not remember ever to have seen a passageway whose walls were not grimy from the contact of human bodies”. The endlessness of the hallway, and the minuscule size of Winston and Julia signify the fear in them in this part of the chapter. What they were facing was unknown and scary, and they couldn’t be sure how it would end, they must

In the book 1984, the people of Oceania believe that they live in a Utopia because the Party uses doublethink to control them. Doublethink is brought up through the slogan “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 6). Despite the fact that Oceania is in a war, the people of Oceania are treating it like there is peace. At the same time, they can change their emotion from one to the other.

George Orwell’s 1984 depicts a world where everything is under surveillance. Every move made and every breath taken can be seen by government officials anywhere and everywhere. Any slip up or mistakes will be seen, will be caught, and will be punished. The people of 1984 live every single day looking over their shoulders in fear that one day they will be carted off by the Thought Police to never be seen again. The world of 1984 is made out to be one scary and terrible place. Unfortunately, this type of government exists in reality, but fortunately, the people who fight against them do as well. The protagonists in the book, 1984, who fought against the aggressors who created the twisted world in the story, are known as renegades. A renegade

    Primarily,  Orwell applies motifs and an extended metaphor inciting predictions of a negative future. A poem “Oranges and lemons say the bells of Saint Clement’s (Orwell 121)…” appears repetitively throughout the first half of 1984. As the poem appears frequently, Orwell makes a purpose of it: no character in the plot has abilities to finish the poem except for O’Brien.  Orwell makes no knowledge of the poem’s end because he informed readers that government in 1984  eliminated memories from citizens thoughts. Through this strategy, in future times; knowledge of thoughts, memories, and concepts will become restricted from control of government. Another motif recurring throughout part one of 1984 is “war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength (Orwell 17).” Despite utter irrationality of this quotation, characters in 1984 abide it with no

Orwell displays human tendencies of initial compliance throughout his novel as the reader discovers early on within the novel that the protagonist, Winston, internally rejects the culture and societal expectations forced upon him. Winston concludes that “Orthodoxy means not thinking”, leading the reader to expect his actions to align with his way of thought. However, within the story’s exposition the protagonist’s actions show little to no indication of his true thoughts regarding The Party. Winston’s justification for the contrast between thought and action was that “…to control your face, to do what everyone else was doing, was an instinctive reaction” despite however adamantly one may have been opposed to whatever was taking place (Orwell 18). This pattern of behavior is displayed during the Two Minutes Hate when Winston internally states that “…it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary” (Orwell 15). Eventually, the reader observes a similar divide between the thoughts and actions of both Julia and O'Brien, further cementing Winston's speculation. The reoccurring acquiescent acts toward The Party and Big Brother's ideals accurately illustrate the

Symbols can be found everywhere; whether it’s the cross of christianity, the yin yang of Chinese philosophy or the swastika of the Third Reich, symbols can convey messages of love or hate without using any words. Within literature symbols can be used to enlarge, clarify or express certain developing themes and ideas. The use of symbolism in George Orwell's 1984, is used to develop a theme of rebellion throughout the novel. Winston’s diary symbolizes Winston’s very first act of rebellion and a conscious effort to resist The Party’s captivity of freedom. Goldstein is the ultimate symbol of opposition for Big Brother and The Party, and is ultimately a symbol of Winston’s main driving force of rebellion in the novel. As well as, The Red-Armed Prole Woman, through her resilient personality, is a symbol that one day The Proles will rebel against The Party.

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

The epigram- “thought crime IS death”- dehumanises the experience of thought, permeating a tone of distrust originating from the party’s fear of rebellion, paralleling the Cold War fear of communism from within. This also critiques events supressing free thinking such as Stalin’s Great Purge. The neologism of double think “holding two contradictory thoughts…and accepting both” serves as a critique of how political media, particularly communist propaganda, had twisted the truth. It is this cognitive dissonance that removes individual autonomy in 1984 that sparks revolution similar to Lang’s working class ‘drones’. However Orwell does not advocate violent rebellion as a result of the post-war hatred of death. Instead Winston’s rebellion is more idealistic in nature evident in the rhetorical questioning of the undisputable assumption- “how do we know … that the past is unchangeable?” encouraging the brave journalists who questioned communist propaganda and portrayed the truth. Whilst 1984 ends with a clear desire for revolution evident in the high modality of “destroy’ in “if there was hope, it lied within the proles…only there can the