1984 key analysis Flashcards
How does Orwell in 1984 represent individual experiences?
The individual experience is through Winston and his personal struggles => his main struggle was to maintain a balance between the Party’s ideology and his own independent thoughts. He is forced to engage in doublethink to survive, accepting Party doctrines he knows to be false while trying to hold onto his own convictions
Other struggles he has faced as an individual: trying to cling onto his past childhood memories, living in constant fear because of getting captured by the thought police and his inner rebellion
How does Orwell in 1984 represent collective experiences?
The collective experience is The Two Minute Hate session => illustrates the collectivity of hate => directing their emotions towards a common enemy => this creates the sense of belonging and building up loyalty for the Party
Doublethink is another factor of a collective experience => encourages collective thought and forces the population to accept contradictory beliefs => blurs lines between individual thought and collective acceptance
How are the Party supposed to win if there are individual thoughts amongst its citizens? They must form a collective FOR EVERYONE TO AGREE ON ONE THING
How does Orwell represent human qualities and emotions associated with, or arising from, these experiences?
It is Winston’s curiosity that allowed him to seek for the truth of the past of London when he questions “whether London has always been like this?” => this caused him to challenge and rebel against the Party => the human quality (curiosity) represents the human desire to question, learn and understand the world
also having hope and despair => Winston fights for a better future, as the readers, we had hope that Winston would win => ended up losing to the Party who tried to strip his individuality
statement of understanding?
Orwell uses Winston, as the protagonist, that serves as a figure who tests the limits of the party, yet is unsuccessful because Orwell wants to show that nothing can defeat the extreme power a totalitarian government holds and therefore, an individual cannot win against a collective society
How does George Orwell give an insight into the anomaly?
In the Party, there is an anomaly where there is a lack of privacy through constantly monitoring citizens through telescreens and the thought police. This contradicts the natural human desire for personal space and individuality => ON THE OTHER HAND, the party claims that this idea protects people when in reality, it takes away the most basic human right of personal space and individuality
How does George Orwell give an insight into the paradoxes?
The paradox is the more power the Party gains, the more oppressive and repressive it becomes (hungry for power) risking the lives of others. The Party claims that they are working for the greater good of people but in reality, they seek to maintain absolute power and control
e.g ministry of truth is a paradox
How does George Orwell give an insight into the inconsistencies?
The inconsistency of 1984 would be that the Party continuously rewrites the past, creating inconsistencies in historical records => manipulation serves to maintain the Party’s version of reality and remove any evidence that goes against the Party’s values
how is winston inconsistent?
These inconsistencies in Winston’s thoughts, emotions, and actions reflect the complexities of human nature and the challenges individuals face when confronting oppressive systems.
Loyalty to the Party: While Winston hates the Party and its oppression, he also experiences moments of feeling loyal and devoted to it. He feels guilty about his disloyalty, particularly when he faces the Party’s brutal methods of punishment and torture.
-betraying julia is an inconsistency
How does 1984 invites the reader to see the world differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite new ideas or reflect personally
Orwell invites readers to see the world differently through a dystopian lens, a nightmarish, depressing atmosphere of Oceania and challenging the assumptions about what role a government plays and to be aware of their overtaking of individual rights, and the importance of preserving individual autonomy
Through storytelling, how does Orwell, throughout time, express and reflect particular lives and culture?
