DYSTOPIA CONTEXT Flashcards
suppression of speech
orwell especially concerned with suppression of speech - the eyeds and the thought police mass surveillance = north korea’s 200,000 informats spying on the citezens
population cleansing
cleansing of the population in bosnia to remove those unfit for society, handmaids these are the unwomen exiled to the colonies, 1984 these are the anti-party people. winston’s parents eliminated during “the purges” = mass killings from communist nations (stalin’s great purge used to exterminate people agreeing with Trotsky)
religion used to control
eyes = god watching “praise be” “blessed be the fruit” - religion used to control - story of rachel and leah being manipulated, modern day christians pick and choose bits of bible to follow, old and new testament both encourage slavery. “go forth and multiple” is satirised by offred
weaponized hate
Weaponized hate - two minutes hate = Stalin’s public demonization of Trotzky who criticised his tactics. modern viewpoint = trump rallies
omnipotent leader figure
Omnipotent leader figure - big brother = described like dictators at the time such as stalin (uncle joe) - critics say he’s a “Hitler-stalin figure” - “heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features”
sex
sex = duty to the party - christian chastity culture where sex is for baby making only - julia becomes a “rebel from the waist downwards”
emmanuel goldstein
emmanuel goldstein = jewish = nazi anti-jew shenanigans hitler says jews are “world enemy”
dehumanisation
dehumanisation, both use serial numbers, 1984 given numbers 6079, handmaids have their numbers tattooed also colour-coded clothes = branding and colour-coding in concentration camps
rewriting history
as an aurthor orwell concerned with rewriting history - winston’s job in ministry of truth has him rewriting history such as creating ogilvy, handmaids being shown “old porno films” and told that’s what happened to all women - north korea censoring all press
re-education
Re-education such as vietnamese re-education programmes after vietnam war = red centre and room 101
comrade ogilvy
pavlik morozov - child martyr most likely invented by the soviet union to be a role model = comrade ogilvy the ideal party man invented by the party to be a role model
reduces people to their functions
Wiskel says HMT “reduces people to their functions” - holocaust colouring coding, offred stating her body is simply flesh “congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear”
serena joy ignorance
serena joy being very outwardly in support of the regime in the past = people who voted trump due to ignorance (everyone is googling what tariffs are NOW?)
critique against communism
critique against communism - rise of stalin and soviet union - explanation of “comrade” government control of press, spying, mass arrest and torture - orwell believed that a failure to recognise communism would lead to the end of freedom
everyman characters
winston and offred are everyman characters - relatatble and flawed, encouraging readers and it’s fucking working - in the wake of trump’s 2016 presidency and threat of women reproductive rights hmt was at the top of bestseller charts and library waiting lists 2016 women’s marches “nolite te bastardes carborundorum” was written on signs hailed by feminists globally
