George Orwells 1984

By Jared Blackstone

George Orwell
Real name: Eric Blair Novelist and one of most renowned Englishlanguage essayists Orwell Awards: annually honor those who contradict media conventions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell

Biographical Notes
Born in India in 1903, the son of India Civil Service members Attended Eton College in England Joined Indian Imperial Police in 1922 Wrote first novel, Burmese Days, in 1924 Wrote his most popular novels Animal Farm and 1984 in 1945 and 1949 Died in London, England in 1950

Selected Novels
Burmese Days 1934 Down and Out in London and Paris - 1933 Animal Farm - 1945 1984 - 1949

Homage to Catalonia 1938

The Road to Wigan Pier - 1937

Coming Up for Air - 1939

Context for 1984

As a soldier, Orwell saw first-hand the atrocities of totalitarian government in Spain and Russia. He also saw signs of threat in the United States and Britain in the forms of increasingly technological warfare and the defense of non-communist governments.

He wrote 1984 as both a warning and a reflection of the fears of many people at the time he wrote.

The World of 1984

Imagine a world where you are watched wherever you go, at all times.
Would you feel free? Could you ever be yourself?

Setting

1984 takes place in Oceania, one of the worlds three super-states, along with Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is always at war with one and allies with the other.

Big Brother
War is Peace.

Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.

Big Brother is Watching You.

Most people in Oceania, like Winston Smith, the main character, work for the Party, the government, and are forced to live by this axiom. The others are the poor, called proles. They live in the slums of Oceania and are left largely untouched. They lead ignorant lives and know little and care less about what happens in the world.

Winston Smith, ThoughtCriminal

Winston works for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to change history to agree with whatever the Party says.
He commits thoughtcrime against the Party by recording his rebellious thoughts in a journal, which is forbidden. If discovered, he will be killed by the Thought Police.

He cant stop himself, though; he needs to write what he feels about the world he lives in.

The Brotherhood
Winston meets Julia, who also wants to rebel against the Party. They are approached by OBrien, a higher-up in the Party, to join the Brotherhood, a secret organization made to fight Big Brother.

Winston gets The Book, which reveals all the secrets of the Party and Big Brother.

I love Big Brother.

Winston and Julia are caught and taken to the ironically-named Ministry of Love. Winston is tortured and brainwashed by OBrien, who reveals that the Brotherhood does not exist. Winston, at the end, believes fully in the Party and loves Big Brother.

Dystopia
Dystopia the opposite of a Utopia, or perfect world; a world in which living conditions are extremely poor and oppressive
1984 describes a dystopia. How is the Party able to maintain control and prevent a revolt? Is there any hope?

Applications
Can 1984 be applied to life in the United States today? In what ways could our society fall into one like the one in 1984? How can we avoid it? www.newspeak.com

Writing Assignment
Take the theme of surveillance: Discuss the similarities and differences between the kinds of surveillance used in 1984 and in the United States today. Discuss also government policies in 1984 and the United States that deal with privacy issues. How are they similar and/or different? How do you feel about these policies?

Sources
http://www.school.discovery.com/lessonplans/progr ams/1984 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell Dystopia definition: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dystopia