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1984


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(pub. 1949)





Webmaster's Note, 5/10/2007 - We have been informed by the rights holder that this work is still copyrighted in our territory. So we have removed it. You may still read our original summary though to the left.

Also commonly titled as Nineteen Eighty-Four

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1984 is possibly the definitive dystopian novel, set in a world beyond our imagining. A world where totalitarianism really is total, all power split into three roughly equal groups--Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. 1984 is set in Oceania, which includes the United Kingdom, where the story is set, known as Airstrip One.

Winston Smith is a middle-aged, unhealthy character, based loosely on Orwell's own frail body, an underling of the ruling oligarchy, The Party. The Party has taken early 20th century totalitarianism to new depths, with each person subjected to 24 hour surveillance, where people's very thoughts are controlled to ensure purity of the oligarchical system in place. Figurehead of the system is the omnipresent and omnipotent Big Brother.

But Winston believes there is another way.

1984 joins Winston as he sets about another day, where his job is to change history by changing old newspaper records to match with the new truth as decided by the Party.

"He who controls the past, controls the future" is a Party slogan to live by and it gives Winston his job, but Winston cannot see it like that. Barely old enough to recall a time when things were different, he sets out to expose the Party for the cynically fraudulent organisation that it is. He is joined by Julia, a beautiful young woman much in contrast with Winston physically, but equally sickened by the excesses of her rulers.

You will meet many recognisable characters, themes, and words which have become part of our everyday life as you read 1984. Where did Big Brother first appear? Certainly not on Australian TV! Written in Orwell's inimitable journalistic style, 1984 is a tribute to a man who saw the true dangers of historian Lord Acton's (1834-1902) statement: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Submitted by The Atheist.



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Recent Forum Posts on 1984

1984 question

Hi, I need help with a certain question that im working on for English class from the book 1984. How is Winston Smith's visit to Mr.Charrington's antiques shop stand as an authentic museum of the past in relation the the rest of WInston's history stricken world. I understand the basic answer is that Winston is very keen to know the knowledge of the past, before the revolution and the history in his world is most certainly made up of lies. And the museum seems to be his only link the real history of his world. However, I need a more in depth analysis of the issue .

Posted By Taezer at Fri 26 Sep 2008, 8:43 PM in 1984 || 5 Replies

Winston's vulnerability

It is Winston’s vulnerability that defeats him, not the strength of his enemies. Discuss. I am in a little hole with this essay topic. What exactly is his vulnerability? Is it his need to form human connections? Or is it something else? Thanks for any help.

Posted By cheesecake at Wed 24 Sep 2008, 4:49 AM in 1984 || 1 Reply

1984 Totalatarianism A LEVEL EXAM HELP!

As part of my AS sylabus, i have to write an essay entitled; - "How does Orwell encourage our response to the totalatarianism in 1984" my teacher said i should include (setting/two min hate/abolishment of orgasm) but what else am i meant to do to show how Orwell encourages us to hate/be shocked by totalatarianism? my overall question for my AS exam coursework is "how does Orwell encourage our response to totalatarianism" i've already written about two minutes hate, propganda, the setting... but my teacher subtly hinted that i need to make Sex, and the destruction of the orgasm a whole section. I don't know what to say about it, bearing in mind the exam question, what do i say?

Posted By Toodee at Sat 6 Sep 2008, 2:38 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

1984 quotes form chapters

hi i have to finish 1984 by saturday and im really frustrated!!! i need important quotes from the chapters to analyze and discuss in class and im bearly on book one chapter v this is what i have so far...any suggestions would be appreciated!! thank you “Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere.”(pg 2) -The imagery of the outside tells us how the world has no life; it gives us the mood of sadness. “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,IGNORANCE IS STRENGHT”(Pg 3) -When there is war, people become more unite in their own country. If you have freedom but ignorant then you become a slave. And if you control the ignorant you become powerful. 1)“Goldstein was delivering his visual venomous attack upon the doctrines of the party-an attack so exaggerated and perverse that a child should have been able to see through it, and yet just plausible enough to fill one with an alarmed feeling that other people, less level-headed than oneself, might be taken in by it. He was abusing Big Brother, he was denouncing the dictatorship of the party, he was advocating freedom form speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of thought , he was crying hysterically that the revolution had been betrayed…”(pg. 11) 2) “SWINE! SWINE! SWINE!” and suddenly she picked up a heavy Newspeak dictionary and flung it at the screen. It struck Goldstein’s nose and bounced off; the voice continued inexorably.”(pg. 12) 3) “At this moment the entire group of people broke into a deep slow, rhymical chant of “B-B!…B-B!... B-B!” over and over again, very slowly…”(pg. 14) -This three quotes show how the party brainwashes the people, by making them hate who they want them to hate (the enemy). It’s all about controlling them. “IGNORANCE IS STRENTH” The party is gaining control over them by manipulating them. “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”(Pg. 1) -This quote tells us the beginning of something, because the month April means “to open” It is often used to symbolize the season spring, which is the time when buds open and then flowers appear. http://www.blurtit.com/q442070.html “He would flog her to death with a rubber truncheon…He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless…aggressively of chastity.”(pg. 13) -Winston has an internal problem. Besides being unhappy because of all the things that are going on, I believe he needs love, he wants to have sex but he can’t which makes him frustrated. “What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party and everything connected with it.” (pg 21) -This quote shows how the party has control on the children and their families. “The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure for ever? -Winston feels alone and it makes us think of a dark world with no hope. “The girl with dark hair was coming towards them across the field. With what seemed a single movement she tore off her clothes and flung them disdainfully aside. Her body was white and smooth, but it aroused no desire in him, indeed he barely looked at it.”(pg 27) -This quote shows how the party has total control of individuals, Winston wants to have sex with the girl but he can’t which makes him hate her. “Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.' And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory”.(pg 30) The slogan shows how no one can keep records of anything except the party that’s why they have control over everything. If something bad happens in the past then the future would try to make it better. I think that Winston's dream is foreshadowing what might happen later on in the novel “We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” (pg 22, ) “This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound-tracks, cartoons, photographs -- to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance. Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct, nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record.”(pg 35) - This quote shows how the party has control of the past by making the people believe what they themselves change making Winston doubt about his own memory. “Or perhaps -- what was likeliest of all -- the thing had simply happened because purges and vaporizations were a necessary part of the mechanics of government.”(pg 40) -This quote shows the idea of the double-thinking. “Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed in the present, now existed in the past, and when once the act of forgery was forgotten, he would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.”(pg 42) - This quote demonstrates how the slogan “who controls the past controls the future” Works. my "analysis" might sound stupid but im only a sophmore help plz!!!

Posted By val_q45 at Thu 21 Aug 2008, 10:07 PM in 1984 || 3 Replies

Morally ambigious characters in 1984

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Posted By TiGGeR LoVeR at Wed 20 Aug 2008, 8:39 PM in 1984 || 8 Replies

2+2=5

Often I sit pondering the possiblities of this equation, and I am always left with the same conclusion. I know that the point of this was to prove the irrational belief required to survive in a 1984 destopia. But when you think about it more clearly there is either one of two things that occur in this sentence. 1) That if you had two apples, and I had two apples if we put them together there would be 5 apples. or the second option which I think is really being said. The party has the power to make the value of 5 equal the value of 4 and remove four form the lexicon perminately if they ever wished to. Meaning that 2+2 still would =4 but they no longer say 4 but instead say 5. ---- The power to change the meaning of words is the ultimate power in 1984 the Party knows this .In changing of the meanings of words it provides the illusion that they are infact great creators. They have the power they are able to manipulate people with unreasonable logic, doctor history to fit their arguments, and finally destory ones will to rebel by the ultering of meanings, as it was in throws of pain that Winston eventually releashed his most passionate belief that 2+2=4.

Posted By rabid reader at Mon 18 Aug 2008, 8:48 AM in 1984 || 1 Reply

help!!

Hi i have to write an essay for the books 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 This is the prompt Both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 tell about the dangers of a society where people have allowed the government to become and absolute power, and citizns become the tools of the totalitarian government, evn spying on other citizens. In both novels, the citizens of each society are also willing to give up their rights to education, free-speech,civil liberties, and even free-thought. In a carefull writting essay, using academic language and using references to the novels and to both history and current events, analyze and discuss the dangers against which both Orwell and Bradbury warn. How likely are we in today's worl, to become such a society?

Posted By val_q45 at Sun 17 Aug 2008, 6:09 PM in 1984 || 2 Replies

How is 1984 like present day?

I don't want to know how it isn't.. I'm very aware that the novel isn't a prediction as such, I want to know in what ways it IS like present day. Like, for example what they teach us in school which is controlled by the government. If they don't give you proof... how do you know it happened or occurs? Also, I think Religious belief is a version of Doublethink, having barely any proofs for believing something, yet some people live their lives for religion. I don't want to have an argument on religion, that's just my opinion. So, does anyone have some other ways?

Posted By xandersnape at Sat 16 Aug 2008, 8:59 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

1984 theme and symbolism help

Well i have to write an essay about the themes of Orwell's 1984 and how they played a part in the novel but i just cant piece together enough information on each theme provided to create an essay. If some of you could just input some of your suggestions i might have enough information. Here are the themes given: Alienation and Isolation Destruction of Human Values Individuality versus Tyranny Danger of permanent Totalitarianism This might help me in the writing it might not but if you guys could help me find out what the rat and the The Chestnut Tree Café symbolized that would be great.

Posted By matt3 at Thu 14 Aug 2008, 10:26 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

1984 by George Orwell questions

I have a questionare i have to answer and i cant answer some of them any help would be appreciated. The first ones really easy i know its just been a while since i read the book Discuss four examples which provide insight into the social and political conditions of Oceania. Why are the superpowers always at war according to the Brotherhood’s handbook? (i know the three superpowers just need to know why they are fighting) Compare and contrast Mr. Parsons and Syme as Party members Why does Mr. Parsons’ daughter report him to the Party as a thought criminal? How does Parsons feel about being imprisoned as a result of his own daughter reporting him for thoughtcrime? When and in what way does Winston betray Julia? What happens to Julia? Why does O’Brien say prisoners are brought to the Ministry of Love? Themes I only have one theme that i cannot answer, basically just describe how its applied in the novel Appearance versus Reality Thanks for any help provided.

Posted By Mtime at Wed 13 Aug 2008, 1:50 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

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