Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

George Orwell

 

George Orwell was born on 25 June 1903 Motihari , Bengal Presidency, British India.

Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic.

His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitarianism, and support of democratic socialism.

He is known for the allegorical novel Animal Farm (1945)Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). Died on 21 January 1950 (age 46) London, England.

Brief summary of novel 

1984 is a dystopian novella by George Orwell published in 1949, which follows the life of Winston Smith, a low ranking member of ‘the Party’, who is frustrated by the omnipresent eyes of the party, and its ominous ruler Big Brother. ‘Big Brother’ controls every aspect of people’s lives.

Characters Chart

1.What is Dystopian Fiction?

Dystopia is a literary device and genre used by writers to present a vision of the future that challenges readers to reflect on the current social and political environments in which they live. Dystopian literature often portrays society in cataclysmic decline resulting from environmental ruin, control through technology, and government oppression of individual freedom and expression.

Central themes Dystopian Fiction 

Government control: dystopian works often reflect extremes in terms of governmental rule, from oppressive totalitarianism to violent anarchyenvironmental.

 Environmental destruction: dystopian stories are typically set in “apocalyptic” environments that reflect destruction of life and an uninhabitable landscape, usually as a result of war and weaponary.

Technological control: dystopian works often reflect advancements in science and technology that grow out of human control and become domineering and fear-inducing.

survival: characters in dystopian literature are often left to their own means of survival due to oppressive or violent societies.

Loss of individualism: dystopian literature often emphasizes the needs of society and conformity at the expense of individual freedom and expression.

1984 as dystopian fiction :-

George Orwell's 1984 is a defining example of dystopian fiction in that it envisions a future where society is in decline, totalitarianism has created vast inequities, and innate weaknesses of human nature keep the characters in a state of conflict and unhappiness.

In 1984, characters live in fear of wars, government surveillance, and political oppression of free speech. The London of the novel is dirty and crumbling, with food shortages, exploding bombs, and miserable citizens. The government is an all-powerful force of oppression and control, and crushes the characters’ identities and dreams. This dystopian vision of the future, written thirty-five years before the year the novel is set, suggests that man’s inherent nature is corrupt and repressive. Orwell wrote the book in the aftermath of World War II and the rise of fascism in Germany and the Soviet Union, and paints a pessimistic picture of society’s ability to avoid further global disasters.

Dystopian novels explore the effects of oppression and totalitarianism on the individual psyche as well as how the individual functions in a repressive society. Winston’s trouble retrieving and trusting his memories illustrates the way the Party has corrupted his emotional life as well as his daily existence, asking the reader to question the nature of memory and individual consciousness. By suggesting that Winston is initially complacent because he can’t remember whether or not life was better and he was happier before the Revolution, the book examines the importance of memory in creating a sense of self.

2.What according to you is the central theme of this novel? 

According to me the most important theme in 1984 is totalitarianism. The Party

has almost achieved the idea of a totalitarian state completely.Totalitarianism is a form of government that theoretically permits no

individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of the

individual's life to the authority of the government Or simply said: the belief that a government should have total power over

its citizens.The society the protagonist (Winston Smith) lives in, is a totalitarian

state. They achieved that in approximately 60 years. The state was formed mainly by using all sorts of propaganda and by making the entire life of a Party member (as well Inner Party as Outer Party) revolve around

the Party.

For example

Everywhere in the streets there are monstrous posters with

the Party slogans and the face of Big Brother. Especially the one with the

phrase Big Brother is watching you. 

The regime keeps on making clear to its people that they are monitored,

that the Party knows everything about what the people do and think. The

Party keeps the people small by creating a kind of fear. That fear leads to the obedience ofthe inhabitants .Not only the Party or their neighbors could betray a Party member, even their own children are used. From the moment they can walk and talk, they join the Youth Leagues, and are trained to become Spies.  

3.What do understand by term Orwellian?

My understanding of term Orwellian is as follows ​Characteristic of the writings of George Orwell, especially with reference to his dystopian account of a future totalitarian state in Nineteen Eighty-Four.Term Orwellian is used to describe a political system in which a government tries to have complete control over people’s behaviour and thoughts.

4.Write brief about 'Newspeak'.

Newspeak is the fictional language of Oceania, a totalitarian superstate that is the setting of the 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. In the novel, the Party created Newspeak to meet the ideological requirements of Ingsoc (English Socialism) in Oceania.