George Orwell 1984 Analysis
1984
George Orwell, author of 1984, describes a world where anonymity is dead. He goes on to tell the reader that this idea of a world could possibly exist in the real world. This idea haunts readers throughout Orwell 's novel. Orwell hopes that readers will leave 1984 believing the possibility of this world is real; enough to question government and tread cautiously into the future. Orwell intends to portray Oceania realistically enough to convince contemporary readers that such a society has, in fact, existed and could exist again if people forget the lessons taught by history, or fail to guard against tyrannical, totalitarian governments. These two themes: totalitarianism and history, tie together the plot and messages in 1984.
Orwell …show more content…
More likely, the British would have blamed Nazi Germany for starting the war and causing such chaos and devastation. Winston 's rebellion against Big Brother would have resonated with contemporary audiences because they too had recently struggled to defeat the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. While it is difficult to pinpoint the specific sparks that set off WWII, the people fighting in the Allied armies must clearly have believed that their collective mission was to crush totalitarianism and restore democracy around the world. Given this context, 1984 's political messages emerge unmistakably …show more content…
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed-if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past ' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. '"(44). This quote is frightening to the reader because it could happen in today’s society. In many ways, Orwell 's novel reads like a history book. 1984warns readers that the Oceania universe will be the future, if people fail to learn the lessons revealed by major historical events and figures such as WWI, WWII, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini (to cite examples from Western and Eastern Europe). The Party understood the power of history. A citizenry educated to understand history would not allow the Party to survive. Thus, the Party eliminated nearly everyone who remembered the past before Big Brother, created a new, post-Big Brother history, then manipulated history through the Ministry of Truth so much that it was impossible to ever know what was happening or what had really happened.
It is ironic that Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth, changing historical facts to suit the
George Orwell, author of 1984, describes a world where anonymity is dead. He goes on to tell the reader that this idea of a world could possibly exist in the real world. This idea haunts readers throughout Orwell 's novel. Orwell hopes that readers will leave 1984 believing the possibility of this world is real; enough to question government and tread cautiously into the future. Orwell intends to portray Oceania realistically enough to convince contemporary readers that such a society has, in fact, existed and could exist again if people forget the lessons taught by history, or fail to guard against tyrannical, totalitarian governments. These two themes: totalitarianism and history, tie together the plot and messages in 1984.
Orwell …show more content…
More likely, the British would have blamed Nazi Germany for starting the war and causing such chaos and devastation. Winston 's rebellion against Big Brother would have resonated with contemporary audiences because they too had recently struggled to defeat the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. While it is difficult to pinpoint the specific sparks that set off WWII, the people fighting in the Allied armies must clearly have believed that their collective mission was to crush totalitarianism and restore democracy around the world. Given this context, 1984 's political messages emerge unmistakably …show more content…
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed-if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past ' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. '"(44). This quote is frightening to the reader because it could happen in today’s society. In many ways, Orwell 's novel reads like a history book. 1984warns readers that the Oceania universe will be the future, if people fail to learn the lessons revealed by major historical events and figures such as WWI, WWII, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini (to cite examples from Western and Eastern Europe). The Party understood the power of history. A citizenry educated to understand history would not allow the Party to survive. Thus, the Party eliminated nearly everyone who remembered the past before Big Brother, created a new, post-Big Brother history, then manipulated history through the Ministry of Truth so much that it was impossible to ever know what was happening or what had really happened.
It is ironic that Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth, changing historical facts to suit the