Quotes 1984 Flashcards
‘He did not know with any certainty that this was 1984’
Power and Control
General quote
Emphasises the control the Party has over the knowledge its citizens can possess.
‘There were four telescreens, one in each wall’
Surveillance and Control
Describing his cell in the ministry of love
There being a telescreen on each wall emphasises how rigorously monitored he is here, fully lacking of control.
The abundance of screens may also symbolise the brainwashing they use as each screen is showing indoctrination and propaganda everywhere he looks.
Links to the “parlour walls” from fahrenheit 451
‘We have cut the links between child and parent’
Control and Power
Said by O’Brien in the ministry of love
The word “Cut” is violent and also links to an umbilical cord (that is cut at birth)
This also suggests it is permanent and irreversible.
‘If there is hope, wrote Winston, it lies in the Proles’ 54
Class hierarchy and Power
Written in Winstons diary
We see here an inversion of power, as Winston recognises that if united the Proles have the power to overthrow the party, except due to indoctrination and control he recognises they will not do this.
‘The (prole) woman down there had no mind’
she had only a… ‘fertile belly’
Class hierarchy and Distain
Said by Winston about the prole woman out the window of his secret room above Mr.Charringtons shop.
This quote highlights Winstons views on the poor population, interestingly here they align with the Party, showing that even though he is rebellious he is still a participant in party ideals.
Also highlights a link between judgement in 1984 and the Handmaids Tale as the Prole woman is described in a very similar way to the Handmaids. Saying the prole is just for childbirth (fertile belly) and mothering (strong arms) as far as he is concerned she has no mind.
‘Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in ones mind and accepting both’
Indoctrination
General quote
Choosing to control your mind and betray basic logic for the Party.
‘For a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five fingers’
Indoctrination and Giving up
Narrated by Winston during his toture scene in the ministry of love.
Winston is being indoctrinated, for a moment he has allowed his mind to deny his senses and accept what the Party (O’Brien) tells it to.
‘At the sight of the words I love you the desire to stay alive welled up in him’ 84
Acceptance and Giving up
Narrated by Winston after receiving Julia’s love note at work
Once shown love he wants to stop with the diary, in an attempt to escape the inevitable reality that he will die.
This is because he has been given something to live for.
Links to HT as Offred gives up her desire to rebel for love (after she starts a relationship with Nick), a comment that even in these such chaotic times, she is still a human and just wants to be loved. Choosing to try and make her life bearable than resist any longer.
‘He accepted everything. The past was alterable’
Indoctrination and Acceptance
Narrated by WInston during his torture scene in the ministry of love.
He betrays his previous self, going back on all he used to believe.
This self betrayal may foreshadow the betrayal of Julia 5 pages later.
He “accepts” the Party.
‘A natural clearing, surrounded by tall saplings that shut it in completely’
Nature and Protection
Narrated by Winston during his first meeting with Julia in the golden country
The trees keep Julia and Winston safe from the party, this highlights the rebellion and power of nature.
‘Saplings’ suggests that they are vulnerable and small, except here they are powerful.
‘A thrush had alighted on a bough, it in the sun, they in the shade’
Nature and Freedom
Narrated by Winston during his first meeting with Julia in the golden country
The thrush here symbolises freedom, an influence from “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy.
The fact that the thrush is in the sun connotes hope, for the thrush, but not them in the shade. This also highlights how the thrush is free to be seen in the light, while Winston and Julia must hide in the shade.
‘Happy together. As in his earlier childhood. He pushed the picture out of his mind. It was a false memory’
Nostalgia for the past and Memory
Winston thinking to himself after being released from the ministry of love at the end of the play.
The fact that he pushes this happy childhood memory down is another example of the Party “cutting links between parent and child”.
To the point were he even can’t even bare to think of his family, labelling it as a “false” memory as if family is somehow not real to him anymore or incomprehensible as a concept.
‘our duty to the party’
Sexual urges and Indoctrination
Winston telling Julia what his wife thought of sex.
Presents sex as a transactional process, and an unfeeling task, for the sake of the Party and not emotion.
Also highlights the indoctrination of Winstons wife, an example of a victim of the party.
‘The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality’
Sexual urges and Control
Said by O’Brien to Winston in the ministry of love.
Removing ‘instinct’ makes people less human. The word formality seems robotic and unfeeling.
Sex for the party, no feelings.
‘The animal instinct, that was the force that would tear the party to pieces’
Sexual urges and Rebellion
Thought by Winston during his sexual encounter with Julia in the golden country.
He states their sex is a “primitive urge”, something the Party tries to suppress in him.
For this reason he states that it is “the force that will tear the Party to pieces”
There is also a contrast here between the “one person” and everyone with “animal instinct” which includes the whole human race, perhaps eluding to the idea that together they are powerful, united by their human drives.
Also note, double “P” is a plosive-violence
“Force” powerful.
‘Big brother is watching you’
Fear and Oppression
A banner read by Winston from the very start of the book.
Intimidation of the party, sets the tone for the rest of the book and shows us how they exert control and power.
‘Did you go and see the prisoners hanged yesterday?’
Fear and Oppression
Said by Syme to Winston at work
This quote is significant as it is so casual. The party hold these events to scare its population, highlights the intimidation of the party.
Contextually links to the ‘Moscow show trials’ in Russia where the regime held public hangings.
‘Do it to Julia! Not me! I don’t care what you do to her’
Betrayal and Fear
Said to O’Brien by Winston during his torture scene in the ministry of love.
Winston betrays his love out of fear (of rats that O’Brien threatens to release on him)
This is significant as he is letting the Party control his emotions, something he claimed they could never do.
‘The smell of gin, which dwelt with him night and day’
Alcohol and Corruption
This is narrated after Winston has been let out of the ministry of love
Gin here shows his decline, he is drinking it to cope with his situation.
It also represents his oppression and corruption, as victory gin is used as an asset by the Party to control the masses.
‘To mark the paper was the decisive act’
Rebellion and Resistance
Here we see Winstons conscious choice to rebel against the party, even in such an insignificant way in the grand scheme.
We also see that he is aware of the risk, this will kill him and he knows it.
Also highlights the power in writing and literature.
‘You will never know’
Rebellion and Resistance
Said by O’brien to Winston in the ministry of love as an answer to his question of whether the Brotherhood is real
Winston holds onto hope that the Brotherhood is real and will overthrow the party but has doubts on its existence.
He asks O’Brien this as he fears that the Brotherhood may just be a tool of the party, to create a common enemy and catch ‘thought-criminals’
‘Smith W 6079’
Identity and Individuality
The number given to Winston at his place of work.
We see here that Winstons identity within the party is reduced to a number, he is just a part of the cog.
The inspiration for this came from Orwell’s time in the propaganda section of the BBC where he was given a number similar to this.
‘Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull’
Identity and Control
Narrated by Winston towards the start of the book
Due to rigorous surveillance, they have no freedom except in thought. The ‘thought police’ are put in place to try and control this also. In this way they are given no freedom of individuality or identity.
Also highlights the control and power the party have.
‘The whole aim of newspeak is to narrow the range of thought’
Control of language and identity
Highlights the rigorous level of control and the motive of the party, to the point of controlling articulation and even thought train.
‘the old man’s memory was nothing but a rubbish heap of details’
Forgetting and Memory
Thought by Winston when he visits a prole pub to try and get info on what life was like before the party.
People are forgetting, and the Party becomes stronger as they do. Soon they will forget life before the Party, and this life will become the norm. Loosing the ability to realise the severity of the situation.
‘A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture’
Controlled Catharsis and Emotion
Narrated by WInston on his experience of the ‘two minute hate’ from the start of the book
Highlights the effects of this controlled catharsis and the intense emotion he feels from this. Also shows us how effective it is, turing everyone in a group of savage barbarians.
Words like ‘kill, torture, fear’ highlight the violent and primitive feelings he has.
The word ‘hideous’ shows us that he feels remorse and disgusted with himself for this at the same time
‘Big Brother is infallible & all powerful’
Religion and Indoctrination
Said by Parsons in the ministry of love
Big Brother presented as ‘godlike’, the Party is like a religion. (note this is similar to the Handmaids tale)
Also note that Big Brother may not exist and is therefore a similar concept to God.
There are many instances of this, such as in the 2 minute hate, someone calls him ‘My saviour’
‘The Book’ (the Brotherhood’s text) is like the ‘Bible’
Religion and Rebellion
This is thought by Winston after receiving the book
Interestingly religion is seen here as a rebellious force. This is confusing but seems to voice Orwells own opinions on religion. Orwell sees a sort of hope in religion but at the same time this betrays him, perhaps a comment that religion is hopeful and powerful on the surface but is misleading.
He confronts and questions his religion many times during the novel.
‘The woman putting her arms round him, covering him up as if her arms could keep the bullets off’
Family and Vulnerability
This is thought by Winston during the two minute hate in which they are shown footage of refugees being killed
Highlights the desperation in this society and the cruel treatment of this refugee. They tear apart the family bond here in a physical sense, by killing them both. The love the mother shows for her child contrasts the brutality of the party.
Also an attempt at indoctrination as they show them these scenes to try and make the party members insensitive to this.
Links well to when Offred shields her daughter from the regime as they are caught trying to escape.
‘War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength’
Propoganda and Indoctrination
This is the partys slogan
Note the opposites, also reflected in the ministries E.G Ministry of Truth is propaganda. They lie to the people.
