1984 Passage Analysis Essay

Dixon, Joe

Mrs. Mekari

English 11 IB

Period 4D

10 September 2015

Passage Analysis: Book 1 of 1984, Chapter 7 During the mid-twentieth century, the governments of Germany, Spain, and the Soviet Union were creating totalitarian political bodies with an increasing amount of control over its citizens. George Orwell, after seeing first-hand the dangers of dictatorship with Francisco Franco’s power in the Spanish Civil War, was an activist against totalitarian governments and published his acclaimed novel 1984 as a warning to the public. The book follows Winston Smith, a tortured Party member of a Big Brother government that actively manipulates the past and monitors its citizen’s actions. In the passage from 1984, the author George Orwell is emphasizing

In the passage, Winston Smith is contemplating his sanity and the accuracy of his memory in his journal due to the constant manipulation by the government. While he feels completely isolated in his beliefs, he is determined to remain psychologically independent because his mind is the only freedom he has left. He describes the unbearable fear and paranoia that accompanies the governments control and recognizes the consequence of questioning its omnipotence. This section of the novel is vital to Orwell’s work because it shows that the government has potential to control nearly every aspect of human experience. The only factor that is exempt is the mind, which the government alters through constant manipulation of the past and ambiguous philosophies like “doublespeak.” This causes Party members like Winston to be unable to distinguish between what is and is not true, being completely ignorant of actual external reality. An example of this is Winston’s job at the ministry of truth, where he works to alter documents at the governments will. Despite playing a role in his government’s manipulation, he still fears that his suspicion may be wrong. This piece shows that Winston is taught to deny any preconceived ideas he has and blindly accept the information he is

Party members in Oceanic society are constantly reminded of their government’s omnipotence through propaganda. The most common of which is the portrait of Big Brother, which is meant to assert fear into the viewer. Orwell successfully translates this mood through his language when describing this portrait, saying that it was “something that penetrated inside your skull, battering against your brain, frightening you out of your beliefs, persuading you, almost, to deny the evidence of your senses” (Orwell). By carefully choosing his words, the reader became more aware of how a simple picture can incite panic in a citizen of Oceanic society. He also changes the point of view to the second person, causing the reader to feel the emotion directed at themselves. This writing alone makes the reader understand how Winston’s seemingly obvious position in society is obscured by the complexity of his situation. By studying this passage, a reader will begin to understand the manipulation and confusion that a totalitarian government can cause, destroying the sanity of its people until they have no choice but to obey. Winston even admits that despite all the claims he could make against his governments validity, the government could be right. He know he does not have the mental ability to figure everything out on his own, so it was inevitable for him to eventually