1984 Quote Analysis

Question 1

“Big brother is watching you”

Answer 1

• Menacing tone

* Alludes to the pervasive nature of Stalin’s ruling

Question 2

“For an instant like a bluebottle”

Answer 2

• Simile

* Natural imagery contrasts with the bleak imagery of a society without privacy

Question 3

“Every sound was overheard and every moment scrutinised”

Answer 3

• Repetition of ‘every’

* Signifies absurdity, representing the Party’s presence in every situation, whether it was political or not

Question 4

“To wear an improper expression on your face was itself a punishable offence”

Answer 4

• Represents hyperbolic concept of ‘facecrime’

* Purposefully formal language shows how drastically censorship is enforced

Question 5

“Smith!”

Answer 5

• Robotic and demanding tone

* Symbolises perpetual surveillance, leaving no room for creativity or freedom

Question 6

Telescreens, helicopters and political technological elements

Answer 6

• Alludes to the tech advances of the first half of the 20th century
• Exaggeration of panopticon devices

Question 7

“No” in “No physical act, no word spoken, no thought that they had not been able to infer”

Answer 7

• Asyndeton and Anaphora of “No” reflects the mocking of practises

Question 8

“Don’t you see the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?”

Answer 8

• Absurdity
• Language symbolises the lack of individuality
• Rhetorical questioning

Question 9

Structure of the novel

Answer 9

• Allows insight into the citizens

* Reveals evolution of Winston’s individuality as he further rebels against the Party

Question 10

“No emotion was pure as everything was a mixture of fear and hatred”

Answer 10

• Pessimistic tone

* Symbolising the flavour of a collectivist society

Question 11

Motif of control

Answer 11

• So exaggerated that it forces readers to think upon Orwell’s critiques

Question 12

“You” within “Whatever happened you vanished, neither you nor your actions were ever heard of again”

Answer 12

• Alludes/Mocks Nazi practises of ‘removing an outlier’

* Showcases the motif of control, which holds the mere existence of every citizen

Question 13

Dystopian setting

Answer 13

• Evokes pathos as it directly reflects Stalinism and it’s reflecting ideologies, thus evoking sympathy within the audience, causing them to focus upon our own political environment

Question 14

“Freedom is slavery”

Answer 14

• Ironic to the reader as we know that it’s not the truth

* Paradox in how enslaving and restricting freedom is the only way to save yourself from harm