1984 (1373 words)

1984
George Orwell has been a major contributor to anticommunist literature around the World War II period. Orwell
lived in England during World War II, a time when the Totalitarianism State, Nazi Germany, was at war with
England and destroyed the city of London. (DISC) “I know that building’ said Winston finally. It’s a ruin now. It’s in
the middle of the street outside the Palace of Justice. ‘That’s right. Outside the Law Courts. It was bombed in-oh
many years ago.'” (Orwell 83). The main character’s being reflects Orwell’s own life experiences as a citizen in war
torn England and how he uses this in 1984. George Orwell is famous for two major novels, which attack
totalitarianism. The first is Animal Farm a satire describing the leaders of the Soviet Union as animals on an animal
farm. The second novel is 1984 a story of dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the
Allies lost in World War II. The government in this novel gives no!
freedoms to its citizens. They live in fear because they are afraid of having bad thoughts about the government of
Oceania, a crime punishable by death. By employing literary devices such as diction, foreshadowing, and
symbolism, Orwell composes a novel “1984” which proves to be a gem in Orwell’s collection of novels against
totalitarianism. Orwell wrote 1984 as a political statement against totalitarianism.

Orwell’s word choice drives the plot of the story in that they introduce a new dimension, a world where everything
takes place in a modern controlled society. The phrase “Newspeak” was created by Orwell to describe a derivation
of the English language, which this new world uses to communicate, and to represent of authoritative dialogue
which takes place throughout the novel. (Meckier) Another phrase chosen by Orwell to illustrate the new controlled
society is “double-think”, a word which is part of the “Newspeak” language.. He chooses to use another made up
expression to further enhance the atmosphere which does not allow for an individual to “think twice” about what the
government expresses. “It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” (Orwell 5) Orwell
carefully selects the words for this sentence and chooses to introduce the story in the past tense, as though all things
have already occurred. This suggests that the narrator has already l!
ived through the actions that take place in this book and is only describing his memory. (Lawrimore) If Orwell had
written this book in present tense, the opportunity to foreshadow to such an extent would have been dramatically cut
down. In Orwell’s above sentence, the word “thirteen” is used as an alternative to “one” to describe the time. By
choosing to use the word “thirteen” Orwell portrays the society to be one which is altered and possibly of military
control. “I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your
head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought
Police” (Orwell 101). The choice of words here is so very descriptive that you, the reader, can actually feel the
atmosphere, which the characters dwell in. This exercises the belief that Orwell does indeed realize the power of
language and words, which should never be underestimated. (Lawrimo!
re) “The way something is stated can affect the connotation of the whole passage, and it is quite possible that
sometime, somewhere, it will be a bright, cold day in April and the clocks will be striking thirteen.” (Lawrimore)
Each statement Orwell makes in this novel symbolizes a great deal more than what its face value suggests for the
purpose of exhibiting his deeper, personal beliefs on totalitarianism. “It was a bright, cold day in April, and the
clocks were striking thirteen.” (Orwell 5) 1984 begins with a powerful first sentence, which provides many hints
about a demented society. This first sentence allows for the reader to make his / her opinions without further reading
any additional words. Orwell chooses to use the word “thirteen” opposed to “one” to possibly suggest a military like
society or even a world that is changing from old to new. (Lawrimore) A world with old traditions, ideas, and
thinking are slowly being replaced by new. (Lawrimore) Another symbol found in this sentence is “bright, cold day
in April.” It is quite