1984 Flashcards
NESA FEEDBACK
Students should:
demonstrate an understanding of how texts represent human experiences
develop a line of argument that addresses the question
demonstrate a deep understanding of their prescribed text through a range of textual evidence
compose an organised response with a logical sequence of arguments
consider using a plan.
In better responses, students were able to:
purposefully analyse, not just explain, why the composer has employed specific language forms and structural features
employ and maintain a controlled voice
purposefully structure their response with a** line of argument **that was sustained through clear topic sentences, considerate analysis and deliberate links to the question
analyse the text according to medium; for example, I am Malala and The Boy Behind the Curtain were analysed with a conscious awareness of the memoir form.
Areas for students **to improve **include:
demonstrating an awareness of the text’s construction and form
analysing, rather than just explaining, how the responses to challenges were represented
avoiding vague and general comments
using the metalanguage appropriate to the form; for example, students should employ the language appropriate to drama when discussing Merchant of Venice, Rainbow’s End and The Crucible.
CHEAT SHEET
(dymocks)
considering the **genre, social and historical context **of the novel, author, and ultimately, why is this text still relevant today.
Here are some key words that we have compiled together that you should include in your 1984 essay to maximize your marks and let the marker know you are an expert on the text!
The multifaceted nature of human behavior can be created through the **introduction of new ideas that are realised **through storytelling.
Genre of the text
1984 is a precautionary tale, a novel that is told to raise awareness in hopes to avoid danger.
1984 is also a dystopian texts, which means it often focus on a particularly significant aspect of our current world and then hypothesize about the potentially extreme, negative consequences of that event, belief, or situation.
Furthermore, it can be described as an elaborate satire on modern politics, prophesying a world perpetually laid waste by warring dictators.
Context
George Orwell’s political satire reflects Orwell’s personal experiences post-WWII, acting as a precautionary tale towards the restrictive nature of political power in defining identity.
1984 is set in a totalitarian reign, a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. This is seen through the only existing political force,The Party, with one direct ruler- “Big Brother”
JARGON from the text
NEWSPEAK
DOUBLETHINK
THE PARTY
BIG BROTHER
UNPERSON
Newspeak:
Limits the capacity for autonomous expression, thus preventing natural human emotions from arising in response to negative words
Example: instead of BAD it is UNGOOD
Doublethink:
The ability to hold two contradicting thoughts in your head simultaneously. This represses an individual’s ability to think independently to prevent a rebellion towards The Party.
Example: Winston describes his job both as “a mathematical problem- delicate pieces of forgery” which is paradoxical and cannot hold true at the same time.
The Party:
It is an all-controlling political party and notable characters that we interact with is O’Brien who initially presented himself to Winston and Julia as a follower of Emmanuel Goldstein and rebel towards The Party. The Party is also the only political choice within Oceania.
Big Brother:
Supreme ruler of Oceania and leader of The Party. Also a symbol of constant surveillance and suppression despite an amicable title. He is also the mascot and representative of the Party.
Unperson:
Someone who has been vaporized– extinguished from society and all traces or history has been erased. For example, Syme became an Unperson and was vaporised as all evidence of his existence has been destroyed alongside the work he has done for The Party.
SANAA’S STORYTELLYING
(INTRO)
Storytelling reveals nuances into the reader’s individual identity within the framework of collective human experiences. Drawing on his post-WW2 fears of autocratic states, George Orwell’s ‘1984’ (1948) provokes individuals to understand how authoritarian states seek to psychologically oppress, creating a dialectical tension where individuals either seek freedom through rebellion or submit out of subjugation and defeat. By revealing the attempts of totalitarian governments to distort private intimacies and redirect love towards the state, Orwell sheds light on the futility of individual rebellion, highlighting the need for collective solidarity in the preservation of our freedoms. Thus, Orwell implores readers to prevent a perpetual cycle of disempowerment by participating in liberal democracy.
SANAA’S PARA 1
Orwell delves into how governments are able to psychologically oppress the populace as a means of gaining control. Drawing inspiration from the sociopolitical oppressions arising from Stalinist Russia, Orwell’s accumulation of visceral imagery in, “to kill, to torture, to smash [the] faces”, showcases how the state is able to psychologically oppress individuals, displacing logical reasoning with a contrived form of emotional fulfiment that functions to redirect repressed desires towards the state, facilitating conformity. The extent of this psychological oppression is seen through the personification of the metonymic Victory Gin, “breath[ing] out of the skin in place of sweat”, describing how the party has overtaken every aspect of the human experience, highlighting the extenuating reach of control asserted by totalitarian governments, while making us fear the resurgence of these indoctrinative and oppressive powers. The high-modal delineation of Newspeak’s goal to “make thoughtcrime literally impossible”, highlights the suppression of one’s autonomous mind, enforced through the use of language as an instrument against self-expression, facilitating the brutalisation of human behaviours. Hence, Orwell argues against the collective disempowerment that results when our psychological autonomy is destroyed, imploring us to hold onto our cognisance.
SANAA’S PARA 2
Through storytelling, individuals are exposed to how humanity is categorised by the dialectical tension of either exercising autonomy to maintain human behaviour, or exercising submission to the defeatist and futile experiences they have become accustomed to. When Winston receives a love note from Julia, the metaphoric “desire to stay alive welled up inside him,” revealing the power of private loyalties to mitigate emotional isolation by inciting a spiritual purpose. Thus, as Winston and Julia’s relationship metamorphoses into a profound political statement, the anagnorisis of their sexual intercourse as “a victory… a blow struck against the Party” highlights the state’s intrusion on private relationships, while exalting how Winston and Julia have reclaimed a private intimacy from INGSOC, where sex was once “a duty to the Party.” Similarly, Winston’s act of writing in his diary, seen through the metatextual reference ‘All he had to do transfer the interminable restless monologue running inside his head”, mirrors the innate human desire to express. Orwell indicates how not only is Winston’s craft a form of rebellion against the party, but the psychoanalysis of rebellion is an act against the party, for it means he is conscious- the very thing the Party is aiming to reduce. Reflecting the escapism that rebellion provides, Orwell crafts figments of rebellious experience such as the coral paperweight to represent the potential for the human experience to be enshrined. However, the exclamatory statement “how small it always was!” highlights Winston’s misplaced idealism, as the individual’s rebellion is ineffectual when compared to the mass power of statist authorities.
SANAA’S PARA 3
Orwell thus generates the understanding that without collective solidarity, oppressive states will override the individual. Orwell crafts Julia and Winston’s arc as moving between what Satre defined “good faith” and “bad faith”, as their rebellious relationship collapses in the Ministry of Love scene where Winston betrays Julia while being tortured in the choked stark imperatives “Tear her face off… Julia! Not me!.” This reifies Winston’s abandonment of human morality and capitulation to the party, along with how his struggle between rebellion, conformity and repression has culminated in his downfall. Orwell thus highlights how authoritarian government corrupt the traditional idealism of relationships, resulting in human compassion being displaced by the desire for preservation and survival. O’Brien states that “never again will you [Winston] be capable of love” – a foreboding prohibition that emphasises Winston’s dehumanisation and the loss of his retaliative spirit. By ending the novel with Winston declaring in the unnerving final line that, “he loved Big Brother”, Orwell highlights that Winston’s emotional autonomy is the emotion of the state, as his individuality has completely been subsumed by the collective. Winston’s failed resistance thus provokes us to return to his reflection that “If there is hope, it lies in the proles”, framing Orwell’s message: we must assert our opinions and resist with collective solidarity because emotional and intellectual isolation prevents meaningful change.
SANAA’S CONCLUSION
Ultimately, Orwell explores the shared futility of maintaining psychological autonomy and intimate connections in a totalitarian state due to the invasiveness of political authorities. However, Orwell highlights that our primal desires and instincts are a site of unlimited potential for the reclamation of our autonomy. Yet, he warns that we must collectively unite to preserve our freedoms from corrupt authorities in order to enact meaningful change.
HSC 2020 How effectively does your prescribed text tell stories to reveal both the personal and shared nature of human experiences? 20 MARKS
- Explains skilfully how the text tells stories to reveal both the personal and
shared nature of human experiences - Presents an insightful response with detailed analysis supported by well -
chosen textual references from the prescribed text - Writes a coherent and sustained resp
Question:Texts represent the challenges and complexities of human experience, enabling respondersto gain new insights
Explore this statement with close reference to 1984
Texts have the unique ability to explore the complex nature of human experiences and thechallenges that an external context may impose on the individual experience within acollective. In particular, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell explores howcollective unconsciousness can lead to the suppression of the individual within a bleak andoppressive world. Through mirroring the tyrannical regimes of Nazi Germany and the SovietUnion, Orwell creates a world crippled with fear and devoid of what truly makes a meaningfuland purposeful life. This is in order to encourage the responder to truly cherish individualconnections of love, privacy and friendship and to safeguard these poignant values againstits violations. 1984 remains prescient in the current political and social landscape andprovides a warning against the potential dangers of increased surveillance and control bygovernment or corporational authorities
In the bleak and oppressive world of 1984, Orwell constructs a mental condition of collectiveconformity that is fuelled by an experience of fear, paranoia and suspicion. The citizens ofOceania are plagued by the omnipresence of telescreens and the recurring caption of “BIGBROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” in that there is “no escape.” Furthermore, throughorganisational events such as Two Minutes Hate it is evident that the leading Party ismetaphorically “drowning…consciousness,” and encourages participation in Anti-sex leaguesand feeds on the fear of the perpetual state of warfare. Much like Stalin in the Soviet Union,1984 is built on the personality cult of ‘Big Brother’ a figurehead that mocks the meaning offraternal solidarity. Despite the familial connotations of ‘brother,’ the function of Big Brotheris, in fact, a means by which the Party is able to secure sole loyalty and obedience. The BigBrother is the “focussing point of love, fear and reverence, an emotion that is more easily felttoward an individual than an organisation.” By providing a false sense of security to itscitizens the Party is able to ensure ongoing unconsciousness, as “orthodoxy isunconsciousness.” This is depicted through the characterisation of Parsons, who isrepresentative of the “swallowers of slogans.” He is described by Winston, the consciousprotagonist, as an ‘eyeless creature,’ which symbolically suggests that those who areunconscious become blind to the manipulation and control of the Party. This is mostevidently portrayed when the people of Oceania ‘swallow’ the change in enemies throughoutthe novel. Therefore, by creating a state of unconsciousness in 1984 Orwell is able tohighlight the complexity of human behaviour especially when regarding the collectiveexperience. By formulating a world of fear Orwell depicts that totalitarianist governmentsthrive on conformity which ultimately leads to a life where it is “more natural to exist momentto moment.” As a result, the responder is invited to challenge authorities in their own world inorder to preserve consciousness and its role in fostering connection and understanding
It is through consciousness that the need for connection to establish meaning and purposein life is nourished. Through the characterisation of Winston who is, in fact, an anomaly in
the world of 1984, Orwell highlights how one who is aware thirsts for a life that has value,however in suppressive worlds such as those ideologies present during World War 2, thisinnate desire is not possible. By structuring the dystopian novel into three parts the stages ofWinston’s development is emphasised. The motif of the varicose ulcer on Winston’s ankleprovides a visual representation of how connection can lead to a life that has meaning. Inpart one of the novel the ulcer is a depiction of Winston’s suppression of humanity which“itche(s) unbearingly.” However, after forming a loving and intimate relationship with Julia, arepresentation of the ‘ancient times’ that were governed by values of ‘love, privacy andfriendship,’ Winston has a renewed spirit of life. At the prospect of love and understanding a‘desire to stay alive’ is fostered within Winston and as a result of his new outward individualexpression his ulcer becomes a mere ‘stain on the ankle.’ However, in the final part of thenovel, this imagery of healing and newfound hope in life is diminished by the horrific torturethat Winston endures both physically and psychologically in Room 101. There his ulcer is an‘inflamed mass’ that symbolises his descent into suppression of individuality and humanity.His only hope during this time is his connection to Julia. However, even this connection is notenough to withstand the inherent human instinct of self-preservation. The true nature bywhich the Party is able to control the mind is depicted when Winston betrays Julia. Byturning Winston’s greatest fears against him he is unable to remain loyal to Julia and cries“Do it to Julia! Tear her to pieces, strip her to the bones.” This ultimate betrayal portrays tothe responder that even our most treasured individual connections to our most dear lovedones can be severed in a world of oppression and hegemonic control. Winston’s demise atthe end of the novel, as shown through the metaphorical “long-hoped-for” bullet to the braindepicts his fall into “consciously induced unconsciousness.” Where he has become “hollow”no longer human and another number who conforms to the Party as demonstrated by “Heloved Big Brother.” Orwell denies the responder and Winston a cathartic ending in order tocreate a stark warning that dogmatic regimes strip humanity to the bones of self-preservationdevoid of connections to others, meaning or purpose
In conclusion, 1984 is an exploration of how human experience is complex in nature. Despitethe innate craving for connection the will of survival triumphs in a world of oppression andfear. Orwell’s didactic purpose acts as a warning against violations of humanity that arisesfrom controlling regimes such as those present in fascist and communist ideologies. Orwellencourages the reader to value individual expression and connection as a source ofmeaning in life in order to safeguard privacy, love and friendship against an upcoming worldof technological advancements and invasive powers. Thus providing new insight into thegreater world
marko project academy
The representation of human experiences makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity.” In your response, discuss this statement with detailed reference to George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.
George Orwell’s 1949 Swiftian satire Nineteen Eighty-Four invites us to appreciate the intricate nature of humanity by representing how the abuse of power by totalitarian governments degrades our individual and collective experiences. (Link to rubric through individual/collective experiences, and a clear cause and effect argument: totalitarian governance -> degraded human experience. Also, comments on the genre of Swiftian satire. Value!) Orwell explores how oppressive authorities suppress the intricate societal pillars of culture, expression and freedom to maintain power. He then reveals how this suppression brutalises individual human behaviour and motivations because it undermines emotion and intricate thought. (Link to rubric through ‘human behaviour and motivations’, and extended cause and effect in which the first paragraph explores the collective ‘cause’ and the second paragraph explores the individual ‘effect’. This is an easy way to structure your arguments whilst continuously engaging with the rubric!) Ultimately, he argues that we must resist the political apathy that enables oppressive governments to maintain power and crush human intricacy. Therefore, his representation of human experiences not only challenges us to consider the intricate nature of humanity, but exhorts us to greater political vigilance so we can preserve it. (Concluding sentence that broadens the scope of the question and reaffirms the purpose of the text).
Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing how totalitarian authorities suppress intricate collective experiences of culture, expression and freedom in order to assert control. (This is the ‘collective’ paragraph – a cause and effect argument that relates the question to the loss of human intricacy in the collective as a result of totalitarian rule). His bleak vision was informed by Stalin’s USSR: a regime built upon the fabrication of history in Stalin’s ‘cult of personality’, and ruthlessly enforced by the NKVD. (Specific context – an actual specific regime is named and some details about its enforcement are given). The symbolic colourlessness and propaganda-poster motif he uses to describe London reflects the loss of human intricacy and culture under such leadership: “there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere.” (First example sets up the world of the text, and the degraded collective experience). Orwell uses the telescreens, dramatically capitalised “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” posters and allusions to Stalin in Big Brother’s “black-moustachio’d face” as metonyms for how governmental surveillance dominates both physical and cultural collective experiences. Winston’s metatextual construction of the fictitious “Comrade Ogilvy” serves as a symbol for the vast, worthless masses of information produced by totalitarian governments to undermine the intricacy of real human history: “Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed…would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.” Similarly, Orwell’s satirical representation of Newspeak ignites the idea that political slovenliness causes self-expression to degrade, which in turn destroys our capacity for intricate thought and resistance: “we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” (The examples above prove that the government’s leadership style truly is totalitarian, and that it results in a loss of intricacy and ‘humanity’ in the collective. It’s good to cover a variety of examples that explore different facets of the collective – for example, the first example establishes the extreme surveillance, the second example establishes the loss of ‘truth’/history, and the third example establishes the loss of language). The political bitterness that marks Nineteen Eighty-Four as a Swiftian satire (This is a link to the ‘Swiftian’ term used in the thesis statement. It’s important to refer back to any descriptive terms you use in your thesis) ultimately culminates in O’Brien’s monologue, where Orwell juxtaposes the politicised verb “abolish” to symbols of human intricacy, “we shall abolish the orgasm…there will be no art, no literature, no science…when we are omnipotent”, to express how totalitarian rulers suppress collective experiences to gain metaphoric omnipotence. Thus, Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing a future in which totalitarian governments suppress it. (A linking sentence that ties it all back to the question and rephrases the point)
Orwell then argues that the effect of this suppression is a loss of human intricacy that brutalises society and devalues individual experiences. (Cause and effect argument that links collective suppression to a loss of human intricacy on an individual scale – continuous engagement with the question and the rubric!) Orwell’s exposure to the widespread hysteria of Hitler’s Nazi regime, caused by the Nuremberg Rallies and Joseph Goebbels’ virulent anti-semitic propaganda, informs his representation of Oceania’s dehumanised masses. (More specific context around the Nazis, and a specific link to how it informed his work) The burlesque Two Minute Hate reveals human inconsistency by representing how even introspective, intelligent characters can be stripped of their intricacy and compassion by the experience of collective hysteria: even Winston wishes to “flog [Julia] to death with a rubber truncheon…ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax”, and is only restored by compliance to the Christ-like totalitarian authority, “My-Saviour!”, Big Brother. (A link to the rubric with the ‘human inconsistency’ point) Orwell frequently juxtaposes dehumanising representations of the proles, “the proles are not human beings”, to political sloganism: “As the Party slogan put it: ‘Proles and animals are free’”, to argue that in such a collectively suppressed society, the upper class grow insensitive towards the intricate nature of those less privileged. (It’s important to link the proles into your argument – they’re often forgotten, but they’re a big part of the text!) He asserts that this loss of empathy degrades the authenticity and intricacy of human relationships, characterised by Winson’s paradoxically hyperbolic repulsion towards his wife: “[Katharine] had without exception the most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had every encountered”. (Continuous engagement with the question and rubric: make sure to recycle rubric terms – here, done with ‘paradoxically’ – and question terms – here, with ‘intricacy’) Winston’s “betrayal” of Julia symbolises how totalitarianism ultimately brutalises individuals by replacing their compassion for intricate ideals such as love with selfish pragmatism: “Do it to Julia…Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me!” Therefore, Orwell makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity by demonstrating how it can be robbed by suppressive governments and collective hysteria. (A linking sentence that sums up the paragraph).
By making us aware of how totalitarian governments suppress meaningful human experiences both individually and collectively, Orwell challenges us to resist so we can preserve our intricate nature. (This third paragraph discusses Orwell’s purpose as a composer. This can in general be a helpful way to structure paragraphs: Collective, Individual, Purpose) Orwell’s service in the 1930s Spanish Civil War as part of the Republican militia fighting against fascist-supported rebels positions him to satirise the political apathy of his audience. (Integration of personal context is useful here to justify Orwell’s motivations. It’s also a lot fresher than just including another totalitarian regime Orwell was exposed to) Orwell alludes to this through the metaphor of Winston’s diarising as an anomalous individual experience of resistance, ““[Winston] was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear,” which highlights how his intricate nature persists even in a suppressive society. Often, Orwell meta-fictively addresses his own context, as “a time when thought is free…when truth exists”, to establish an imperative to preserve our intricate human nature while we still can. The Julia romance trope (It’s good to include terms such as ‘trope’ which reflect your understanding of narrative structure and the overall form of the work.) represents how Winston’s gradual rejection of his political apathy empowered him to experience an authentic, intricately human relationship that subverts his totalitarian society: “the gesture with which [Julia] had thrown her clothes aside…[belonged] to an ancient time. Winston woke up with the word ‘Shakespeare’ on his lips.” Orwell juxtaposes Julia’s sexuality to Shakespeare, an immediately-recognisable metonym for culture and history, to argue that human intricacy can only be restored by actively resisting the dehumanising influence of the government. Orwell also represents Winston’s desensitised and immediate devotion to the Brotherhood to reflect how the preservation of human intricacy is a cause worth rebelling for, even by paradoxically unjust means: “[Winston was] prepared to commit murder…acts of sabotage which may cause the deaths of hundreds of innocent people…throw sulphuric acid in a child’s face.” (More chronological examples that show Winston’s transformation throughout the text. It’s useful to explore and contrast those who resist with those who don’t resist, and how just the act of resistance in some way restores our humanity! That’s why this paragraph comes after the ‘brutalised individual experience’ paragraph) However, Orwell ultimately asserts that it is too late for Winston to meaningfully restore humanity’s intricate nature, and concludes the text with his symbolic death and acceptance of the regime, “[Winston] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (It’s important to remember that Orwell ends the text so miserably so that he can motivate his audiences not to do the same thing). The futility of this ending ignites the idea that we must not only be aware of our intricate nature, but must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (A linking sentence that ties the paragraph together and justifies the futility of the ending)
Therefore, Orwell’s representation of human experiences in Nineteen Eighty-Four encourages us to reflect personally on our own intricate human nature, and challenges us to fight to preserve it. (Engages with the question (through the reflection point), and includes Orwell’s purpose as a composer). His depiction of a totalitarian government’s unchecked assertion of power on human culture and freedom, and the brutalising impact this has on individual and collective experiences, ultimately galvanises us to reject political apathy. (Your argument summaries can often be combined into a sentence or two in the conclusion now that the marker knows what you’re talking about. This reinforces the cause and effect structure as well.) Thus, the role of storytelling for Orwell is not only to make us more aware of our intricate nature, but to prove that we must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (The clincher! It’s often useful to add “not only” in your final sentence to reinforce the massive scope of the text)
State-Ranking Common Module Essay Response
