...Technology through the eyes of George Orwell Summary of the story The novel 1984 published in 1949 takes a look at society of future in 1984. This society called Oceania is a totalitarian one, where state controls everything including the people’s thought. The government, which runs Oceania is called INGSOC (English Socialism). The controllers are known as “The Party”, whose leader is Big Brother. Winston Smith, the central character, a 39-year old man lives in London. He secretly hates Big Brother. He decides to rebel by keeping a diary in which he reveals his rebellious thought. He knows the crime he is committing and also that one day the thought police would discover his crime and probably kill him. The lowest class in the social hierarchy of Oceania are “proles”, who are relatively free of police surveillance. He befriends Mr. Charrington, the prole owner of a junk shop, who shares similar interest in the past life before the rule of Big Brother. A dark haired girl, in another department slips a piece of paper in Winston’s hand. It says, “I love you.” Winston is surprised and disturbed as any sexual relation between Party members is strictly forbidden. Nevertheless, he falls in love and they meet secretly. A love affair begins and the girl finally introduces herself as Julia. They are careful enough to meet in places unlikely to be watched. Winston and Julia eventually hire a room above Mr. Charrington’s junk-shop as a place for the two of them to...
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...occasionally abject characters — often afflicted with self-conscious and paralyzing irony, yet at times capable of unexpected resilience and fortitude”(Neimneh 78). The resilience shown by Winston keeps the reader rooting for him even when he is captured for his thought crime. This hope, further developed as Winston defies O’Brien as he is being tortured, is short lived when the reader is awakened to Winston’s failure in the end. According to Tim Adams, educator from TED Ed, “All too often though the anti-hero is killed or brainwashed to return to conformity with the masses”(TED Ed). In accordance with the anti-hero archetype, Winston is brainwashed and later killed. When Winston is caught for his thought crime, he is taken to the Ministry of Love, where he is tortured and brainwashed back into conformity. Orwell writes, “But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (Winston 298). The brainwashing of Winston is a powerful statement created by Orwell to warn the reader of how the Party abuses their power to control the minds of the civilians. In an excerpt of an article from Magill’s Survey of World Literature it...
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..."If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." This quote from the book 1984, by George Orwell, portrays a theme that is consistent throughout the novel: freedom. Imagine a world where you have no freedoms; you cannot state your opinion and even having your own thoughts could be detrimental. Well, George Orwell decided to take this idea and create a story out of it called 1984. This novel is definitely worth the read and deserves to be discussed. First, I will assess the importance of reading this novel. Then, I will compare Orwell's vision of the future to our reality by looking at the government's power, our civil rights, and how technology advancements have affected our freedoms. Although...
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...George Orwell’s political views have been developed throughout his life based on personal experiences, although some may argue Orwell had no political label, due to his many different facets and aspects. Orwell witnessed Stalin’s Soviet Russia, the dictatorships of Mussolini and Hitler, the Spanish civil war and World War 2. Orwell’s literary works such as 1984 and many others, touch on aspects of imperialism, anarchism, socialism, Nazism, capitalism and totalitarianism. “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical” in 1984, is a text within a text that Winston reads to understand many things about the totalitarian world he lives in. The purpose of the text within a text is to parallel the corrupt socialist world of 1984 with that of Stalin’s USSR, expand on Orwell’s ideas of imperialism, and to sound an alarm to warn readers of what a worst case scenario totalitarian world could be like. Firstly, “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical” was to provide greater insight, for Winston and the reader. Goldstein’s text takes apart each section of the party’s slogan “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is strength” (Orwell, 1), and explains what they mean to the party. After reading the text, Winston learned some new things, but the text mostly just reinforced things he already assumed or knew. Secondly, when thinking from a political standpoint, one could say that the point of this text within a text was to parallel the corrupt socialist world of 1984 with that of Stalin’s USSR...
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...George Orwell’s 1984 was written to be a warning to future societies about the dangers of an overly powerful government. One of the ways the government used to keep the people in control was altering their perception of reality using the media. Could even a very powerful government control the minds of citizens so that they no longer believe scientific facts or even something as simple as 2+2=5? Reality is a concept that is mainly based on one person’s belief. Therefore, if they could infiltrate one’s mind enough to redefine their whole belief structure, they may be able to control their concept of reality on a small scale. Big Brother had many ways of altering the minds of the people of Oceania. Some of these were through media and propaganda,...
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...and the rebellion for freedom leads to the most devastating punishment. Would you give in to the big power or would you fight? The novel Nineteen-Eighty Four written by George Orwell portraying through the view of the protagonist, Winston Smith, describing a nation called Oceania being under the ruling of the antagonist, a totalitarian Party or the Big Brother. In addition, it presented various methods such as constant surveillance, unending propaganda, distortion of language, historical revisionism, fear, torture, perpetual war, and lack of habeas corpus to characterize an oppressive and authoritarian government. The Party utilizes these methods to keep its citizens living in a state of fear, making them developing a feeling of dependency of the party. The novel Nineteen-Eighty Four has its significance today because all of the methods that characterize a totalitarian government are still presence, especially being currently utilized by the government of the United States. Once upon a time, the U.S used to be a land of unparalleled freedom. However, ever since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the U.S government, primarily under the management of the bush administration, has been taking numerous steps of becoming to a totalitarian state. Constant Surveillance: Under the reason of security, government proposed the method of surveillance to provide protection to its citizens. But, it could be taken into extreme, such as monitoring people from their private homes or listening...
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...picture of the West. However, as the realities of the West changed, so did the focus of writers who used the West as subject and symbol. Land became less available and the uses of land came into question. The environmental movement led to a reevaluation of humanity’s relationship to nature. As the region was settled a mix of cultures came into play. Writers now have come to emphasize the complexity of Western life, rather than its simplicity. Contemporary Westerns sound with more diverse voices than ever before. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he writes about his dark vision of the future. It may not just be of the future of the West, but the way of thinking and system portrayed are particularly Western in nature. A lot of terms coined in this novel are also use widely already in the modern day English language. It is a chilling depiction of how the power of the state could come to dominate the lives of individuals through cultural conditioning. Perhaps the most powerful science fiction novel of the twentieth century, this apocalyptic satire shows with grim conviction how Winston Smith's individual personality is wiped out and how he is recreated in the Party's image...
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...1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell and it represents a perfect totalitarian society. The plot takes place in Airstrip One, a part of the superstate Oceania in a world of perpetual war, oppressive government with absolute power, led by the so called Big Brother, a leader that is the patron of the English socialism, i.e. Ingsoc and worshiped by the Party members. The novel is filled with motifs from the Soviet Union and wartime life in Great Britain, as it represents a warning about the dangers of communism as a totalitarian regime. Moreover, Orwell was also particularly concerned by the role of technology that was increasingly developing in enabling governments to monitor and control their citizens. Today, around 66 years after...
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...less about the powerful and more about the powerless’ To what extent is this true in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984? Dystopian fiction usually revolves over a power struggle between an oppressor and the oppressed, alternatively this can be given the label of powerful and powerless. However, the exposure given to one of these groups is often inclined to be imbalanced. For example, The Giver by Lois Lowry has biased exposure towards the powerless due to the simple fact of the third person limited narrator perspective from Jonas, a member of the aforementioned sector of respective society. This is similar to the 1984 narrator where Winston is never truly aware of what goes on when he wasn’t physically present. But, it could be for this exact reason that in 1984 the dystopian genre inclines towards the powerful, highlighting the hold over the powerless. Contrary to this, The Handmaid's Tale (THT) has blurred lines as to whether the dystopian fiction prevalent in the novels are more or less about the powerful. This is majorly due to conflicting plotlines and enigmatic characters, significant in both of the books. For example, the character of Nick could be characterized for the powerful and powerless. Nick behaves with Offred in a manner which confuses the reader about his loyalties. Ultimately, this essay will aim to prove an option that is a fusion between the two rivals of dystopian fiction offering the complex concept of the powerful powerless. The powerful in both the books...
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...However, they are on your trail. Once you get caught, there is no hope. This was what life was like for the inhabitants of 1984 and V for Vendetta. It was an existence full of ironic satirical tragedies, fruitless hope and rebellion. The people that are living in George Orwell’s 1984 and Wachowski brothers’ V for Vendetta are both the victims of a dystopian society. The society of 1984 and V for Vendetta heavily influenced by the possible alternate future in which Germany and the Soviet Union wins WWII and the conquered Great Britain is forced to become a fascist or a communist state. The government is shown to be playing a manipulative puppet-master role to the people in both societies. The two governments have gained absolute power over their people due to psychological motivation by the use of propaganda. Humanity is often criticized to be nothing more than evolved Neanderthals, striving for our own survival. These two novels show that human will turn a blind eye to any wrong-doing if there is a benefit for them. It analyzes how extreme human greed can be and how humans have great amounts of weakness. Both the text 1984 and V for Vendetta is a satire that ridicules the enemy leaders of World War II, exaggerates government manipulation, and criticizes humanity. The two satires ridicule the World War II leaders and the tactics involved. The society in 1984 is a ridiculed society that support communism; this is similar to the Stalin Russia in WWII. “… the Russian Communists came...
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...Why This Person is Superior George Orwell as a Novelist George Orweel is one of the leading novelists of modern age. His novels express a powerful sattire on the political and social hypocrisies. By thw quality of his writing, he has achieved international fame and recognition. In his evolution as a novelist he moved from simple narration to symbolic expression. But he has been criticised by many critics due to the lack of sincere characteristics of a novel in his novels. It has bveen proved that he has failed as a novelist. Tom Hopkinson opines, “Orwell’s reputaion as awriter rests largely on his novels, but his gifts are not those of a novelist; and, if the novel had not happened to be the prevailing literary form during the twenty years when he was writing, he would proably never have been attracted to it. Orwell had little imagination, little understanding of human relationshipl, little sympathy with individual human beings- though much with humanity in general.” O.D. Leavis also found that he had “wasted a lot of energy trying to be a novelist. I think I must have read three or four novels by him and the only impression those dreary books left on me was that nature didn’t intend him to be a novelist.” Edward M. Thomas also found that he did not possess the temperment of a novelist. Thus Orwell, who wished to produce more than thirty novels, had to admitin aletter, written to his friend, Julian Symons, “You are perfectly right about my own character constantly intruding...
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...These rules, policies and procedures have all been developed and introduced for a reason. You as the individual need to adhere to them or you yourself might fall foul of the rules. As manager, leader or employee, it is imperative that you set the example and comply implicitly. You are not above the law so should not act as if you are. Should you see your peers or seniors breaking the rules, it is incumbent upon you to bring it to their attention, particularly in a working environment such as a production facility or a warehouse. You might upset some people, but you will gain an immense amount of respect from your staff if they see you challenging people transgressing the company’s procedures. This in turn will make it easier for you to enforce and your staff more willing to...
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...actors on the stage of international terrorism: Libya, factions of the PLO, and others. More generally, St. Augustine's tale illuminates the meaning of the concept of international terrorism in contemporary Western usage, and reaches to the heart of the frenzy over selected incidents of terrorism currently being orchestrated, with supreme cynicism, as a cover for Western violence. The term "terrorism" came into use at the end of the eighteenth century, primarily to refer to violent acts of governments designed to ensure popular submission. That concept plainly is of little benefit to the practitioners of state terrorism, who, holding power, are in a position to control the system of thought and expression. The original sense has therefore been abandoned, and the term "terrorism" has come to be applied mainly to "retail terrorism" by individuals or groups.1 Whereas the term was once applied to emperors who molest their own subjects and the world, now it is restricted to thieves who molest the powerful -...
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...SECOND DRAFT Contents Preamble Chapter 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Background Rationale Aims Interface with the Junior Secondary Curriculum Principles of Curriculum Design Chapter 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 1 Introduction Literature in English Curriculum Framework Strands and Learning Targets Learning Objectives Generic Skills Values and Attitudes Broad Learning Outcomes Chapter 3 5 7 9 10 11 11 13 Curriculum Planning 3.1 Planning a Balanced and Flexible Curriculum 3.2 Central Curriculum and School-based Curriculum Development 3.2.1 Integrating Classroom Learning and Independent Learning 3.2.2 Maximizing Learning Opportunities 3.2.3 Cross-curricular Planning 3.2.4 Building a Learning Community through Flexible Class Organization 3.3 Collaboration within the English Language Education KLA and Cross KLA Links 3.4 Time Allocation 3.5 Progression of Studies 3.6 Managing the Curriculum – Role of Curriculum Leaders Chapter 4 1 2 2 3 3 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 21 Learning and Teaching 4.1 Approaches to Learning and Teaching 4.1.1 Introductory Comments 4.1.2 Prose Fiction 4.1.3 Poetry i 21 21 23 32 SECOND DRAFT 4.1.4 Drama 4.1.5 Films 4.1.6 Literary Appreciation 4.1.7 Schools of Literary Criticism 4.2 Catering for Learner Diversity 4.3 Meaningful Homework 4.4 Role of Learners Chapter 5 41 45 52 69 71 72 73 74 Assessment 5.1 Guiding Principles 5.2 Internal Assessment 5.2.1 Formative Assessment 5.2.2 Summative Assessment 5.3 Public Assessment 5.3.1 Standards-referenced...
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...Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2006 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shaffer, Brian W., 1960– Reading the novel in English, 1950–2000 / Brian W. Shaffer. p. cm.—(Reading the novel) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-0113-4 (hardback : alk. paper)...
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