2009, Form B. Many
works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or
play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in which
you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and
explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not
merely summarize the plot.
George Orwell’s sensational
satirical and dystopian novel, 1984, depicts a society tyrannized and limited
by the totalitarian ideology of the Party. George Orwell employs imagery,
foreshadowing and contrasting diction in his novel in order to explore the
fallacies of a totalitarian regime that controls every aspect of society.
George Orwell utilizes his
exceptional control of rhetoric and complex words to enhance the image of a
horrific future, comprised of a totalitarian system of government. Orwell's
portrayal of the bleak future is illustrated through his words, which he uses to
show the futility of resistance in a totalitarian society. In an underground
cafeteria, “the room was already full and deafeningly noisy” (Orwell 43). The
uncomfortable nature of the cafeteria unveils the harsh living conditions that
the Proles and Outer Party must endure to merely stay alive. Big Brother, along
with the Party, is unable to support its citizens, choosing instead to provide
them with the bare minimum to instill a feeling of loyalty in the commoners to
the Party. Loyalty is progressively earned by the Party through consistent
torture and means of rehabilitation. Winston Smith, the main character and
protagonist of the novel, realizes that his true desire is to have a hidden
place all to himself “with nobody watching you, no voice pursuing you, no sound
except the singing of the kettle and the friendly ticking of the clock” (Orwell
82). Winston wants to return to the old world because of the peaceful
environment and security offered by the distant past. These places of solitude
are few-and-far-between, but are essentially irrelevant because of the Party's
stranglehold on all pieces of society through endless surveillance, torture and
constantly changing beliefs. Through his employment of imagery, Orwell is able
to successfully depict a world devoid of freedom and full of gloom. Though
individuals are suffering at the hands of the Party, they succumb to the
Party's will. The Party has the unique ability to brainwash its citizens into
extreme measures of loyalty.
Foreshadowing is utilized primarily
to show the Party's dominance of individual thought and emotions. Winston
acknowledges the Party's power over all of Oceania, remarking that “[in] the
end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to
believe it” (Orwell 80). This statement signals the inevitable demise of
Winston, as he engraves the logical fallacy into a table after his
reintegration into society. He now actually holds this to be true, displaying
the control that the Party has over even the most rebellious spirit. Through
the progression of the novel, Winston gets closer to the end of his existence
as an individual and to his new persona as an avid supporter of the Party.
Though Winston desires to feel love and seek out the truth, it is his struggle
that makes him different from his fellow man. Winston eventually understands
that “if there is hope, it lies in the Proles” (Orwell 286). However, as
Winston is painfully tortured into unconditional submission to the Party, it is
shown that ultimately no hope exists in Oceania for changing society because
the Proles are incapable of intelligent thought. Instead, they merely endure as
people dependent on the totalitarian government, unable to articulate what they
actually wanted out of their government for themselves. Two different languages
heighten a sense of conflict between the Party and Winston, although the Party
triumphs at the end of the novel.
Newspeak,
the official language of Oceania, is a severely limited and underdeveloped
style of the English language. Winston's intellectuality and formality are
contrasted with the efficient, yet lacking language of the Party. Though
Winston's abilities to alter historical documents are “doubleplusgood,” he
doesn't merely succumb to the will of the Party (Orwell 47). It is through his
application of a formal English language that he is able to begin fighting the
Party itself. But Winston's efforts are in vain; he recognizes the meaningless
nature of rebellion because the future can be imagined as “a boot stamping on a
human face – forever” (Orwell 299). Once he is broken down by repeated acts of
torture, Winston's ability to retain his own sense of individuality and
formality are lost. Winston becomes a hollow shell of his formal self, unable
to conjure up any insightful remark to compel Julia with or to elaborate his
distaste of the Party with.
As
Winston's feisty spirit is completely erased, Orwell is able to convey the
overwhelming and infinite influence of the Party over Oceania's citizens.
Through its actions, the Party will forever have control over humanity residing
within its boundaries. Orwell shows that no one is safe from the wrath of the
Party, and mainstream society must watch out for signs of a totalitarian
regime.
No comments:
Post a Comment