Brave New World And 1984 Essay Example For Students

Brave New World And 1984 Essay George Orwell has been a major contributor to anticommunist literature around the World War II period. Orwell lived in England during World War II, a time when the Totalitarianism State, Nazi Germany, was at war with England and destroyed the city of London. (DISC) I know that building said Winston finally. Its a ruin now. Its in the middle of the street outside the Palace of Justice. Thats right. Outside the Law Courts. It was bombed in-oh many years ago.' (Orwell 83). The main characters being reflects Orwells own life experiences as a citizen in war torn England and how he uses this in 1984. George Orwell is famous for two major novels, which attack totalitarianism. The first is Animal Farm a satire describing the leaders of the Soviet Union as animals on an animal farm. The second novel is 1984 a story of dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the Allies lost in World War II. The government in this novel gives no! freedoms to its citizens. They l ive in fear because they are afraid of having bad thoughts about the government of Oceania, a crime punishable by death. By employing literary devices such as diction, foreshadowing, and symbolism, Orwell composes a novel 1984 which proves to be a gem in Orwells collection of novels against totalitarianism. Orwell wrote 1984 as a political statement against totalitarianism. Orwells word choice drives the plot of the story in that they introduce a new dimension, a world where everything takes place in a modern controlled society. The phrase Newspeak was created by Orwell to describe a derivation of the English language, which this new world uses to communicate, and to represent of authoritative dialogue which takes place throughout the novel. (Meckier) Another phrase chosen by Orwell to illustrate the new controlled society is double-think, a word which is part of the Newspeak language.. He chooses to use another made up expression to further enhance the atmosphere which does not all ow for an individual to think twice about what the government expresses. It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (Orwell 5) Orwell carefully selects the words for this sentence and chooses to introduce the story in the past tense, as though all things have already occurred. This suggests that the narrator has already l! ived through the actions that take place in this book and is only describing his memory. (Lawrimore) If Orwell had written this book in present tense, the opportunity to foreshadow to such an extent would have been dramatically cut down. In Orwells above sentence, the word thirteen is used as an alternative to one to describe the time. By choosing to use the word thirteen Orwell portrays the society to be one which is altered and possibly of military control. I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought Police (Orwell 101). The choice of words here is so very descriptive that you, the reader, can actually feel the atmosphere, which the characters dwell in. This exercises the belief that Orwell does indeed realize the power of language and words, which should never be underestimated. (Lawrimo! re) The way something is stated can affect the connotation of the whole passage, and it is quite possible that sometime, somewhere, it will be a bright, cold day in April and the clocks will be striking thirteen. (Lawrimore) Each statement Orwell makes in this novel symbolizes a great deal more than what its face value suggests for the purpose of exhibiting his deeper, personal beliefs on totalitarianism. It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (Orwell 5) 1984 begins with a powerful first sentence, which provides many hints about a demented society. This first sentence allows for the reader to make his / her opinions w ithout further reading any additional words. Orwell chooses to use the word thirteen opposed to one to possibly suggest a military like society or even a world that is changing from old to new. (Lawrimore) A world with old traditions, ideas, and thinking are slowly being replaced by new. (Lawrimore) Another symbol found in this sentence is bright, cold day in April. It is quite unusual to have a cold bright, or crisp, day in April. Most often April is considered to be a warm, wet month. Orwell implies that the seasons are mixed u! p or the worlds climate is being controlled, possibly by computer or other means. (Lawrimore) This is yet another reference to the totalitarinistic military society. Throughout 1984, Orwell portrays this society as being controlled by a greater power, Big Brother. It was in the middle of the morning, and Winston had left his cubicle to go to the lavatory. (Orwell 88) left his cubicle symbolizes that the person is controlled much like a rat, where the victi m has no say in how to live or what life really is. The individual is disallowed to think for themselves and must obey or be destroyed. Orwell believes so strongly against the totalitarianistic, utopian, perfect society where each and every mind thinks and acts alike. The characters of 1984 never gain the knowledge of what is better in life since the supreme authority never allows for one to excel. Orwell uses symbols to represent his own experiences and beliefs regarding a controlling government. Katharines white body, frozen forever by the hypnotic power of the Party Why could he not have a woman of his own instead of these filthy scuffles at intervals of years? But a real love affair was an almost unthinkable event. The woman of the Party where all alike. Chasity was so deeply ingrained in them as Party loyalty. Orwell uses relationships to represent another element of the ordinary life which the totalitarinistic government, The Party, takes away. For a woman to make love to a ma n was punishable by death. The act of sexual intercourse was seen merely as a physical action that was necessary at given intervals. Orwell infers that sex, part of everyday life, is controlled and pleasure, desire, along with feelings are eliminated in this utopian civilization. It is true this allegorical story has an interesting surface tale, it is necessary to look deeper! into this work to thoroughly understand the authors purpose. (Sedlak) What Orwell writes in words have a deeper meaning within which can be seen in the year 1997. In conjunction with the use of symbolism Orwell uses foreshadowing to hint at what the character will experience in the future. As the first sentence of 1984: It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (Orwell 5) George Orwell foreshadows a book about a world that differs greatly from that which we currently know. (Lawrimore) Big Brother is watching you, the caption beneath it ran. (Orwell 5) Orwell frequently uses thi s excerpt to build suspense and make the reader aware of life in totalitarinistic society. Orwell hints at someone or something that oversees, later identified as the Thought Police. Obviously the kind of encounter that had happened this morning could not be repeated. (Orwell 92) Orwell foreshadows that the meeting that occurred may take place again bringing confusion and chaos into the plot. Again, Orwell suggests that the totalitarinistic society disallow an action that took place. The whole climate of thought ! will be different. In fact there will be no thought. (Orwell 47) Orwell exhibits his view, which is that the individual of a controlled society can and will not think for themselves. He foreshadows that the concept of thought is diminishing and will soon be eliminated. For an individual to think for themself under control of The Party would be breaking the law. George Orwell had deep resentment against totalitarianism and what it stood for. He saw the problem of totalitari anism in his existing world. He also understood how the problem could fester and become larger due to instability in Europes economy after World War II. He purposely makes the story, 1984, unrealistic and blown out of proportion to capture peoples attention and make them think maybe it wouldnt be unrealistic in the near future. With his deep resentment toward totalitarianism it became the focal point of his novels. George Orwells, novels were directed toward against totalitarianism and for Socialism and what it stood for. (DISC) If Christopher Columbus Returned To The ?New World EssayThe entire society is conditioned to shrink away from intense emotion, engage in casual sex, and take their pacifying Soma. In 1984, a first-person book partly narrated by the main characters internal dialogue, the great party leader is Big Brother, a fictional character who is somewhat more imposing than Ford, of Huxleys book, named after the industrialist Henry Ford Astrachan. The main character Superczynski 3 Winston fears Big Brother and is much more aware of his situation than any of the characters in A Brave New World who are constantly pacified by soma. In A Brave New World history is ignored completely whereas in 1984 it is literally rewritten in order to suit the present. The role of science in both books is extensive and complicated. 1984s telescreens cannot be turned off, as A Brave New World has feelies, an advancement on talkies which added sound, feelies add tactile senses to a movie as well. Science and human progress is not acknowledged in A Brave New World Smith excepting when it increases consumption, whereas it is twisted with ironic titles in 1984, They were homes of the four Ministries between which the entire apparatus of government was divided: the Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts; the Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war; the Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order; and the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs. Their names in Newspeak: Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, and Miniplenty. Orwell 8 The God Ford of A Brave New World encourages production and consumption of shallow objects to complement the shallow minds of its citizens. 1984 was written as a warning against the results of having a totalitarian state. Winston bears the blunt of his mistakes, the crime of individuality and dissention. A Brave New World is as much a satire on the reality of today the reality of Huxleys day as it is a novel about the future. ANeil Postman rned Awhen a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is defined a s a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby talk, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; cultural death is a clear possibility. Kruk Huxley seems to feel that society is progressing toward a materialistic and superficial end, in which all things of real value, includi ng the relationships which make people human, will be quashed. The two works vary greatly, A Brave New World is the Huxleys expression of fear that mankind will create a utopia by way of foregoing all that makes life worthwhile. Orwells work rings more sharply of secret police paranoia. Indeed, Winston is taken to room 101, while Superczynski 4 Bernard is merely transferred to an uncomfortable location. The hypocrisy is much more evident within A Brave New World as well, owing to the controllers having had a son. Both books forewarn of a day when humankind might fall slave to its own concept of how others should act. The two books ask not whether societies with stability, pacification, and uniformity can be created, but whether or not they are worth creating. It is so often that one wants something and in wanting romanticizes it, thus bringing disappointment when the end is finally obtained. They serve as a reminder that it is necessary to have pain to compare with joy, defeat to compare with victory, and problems in order to have solutions. Both books end on negative notes; Bernard is exiled to work in Iceland and Winston is subjected to psychological treatment.