Future Fiction review of 1984.docx

7/27/2019 Future Fiction review of 1984.docx

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Review:

1984, by

George

OrwellReview and analysis of 1984,

by George Orwell

snHarish Kamalanathan 9E


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Review: 1984, by George Orwell 2013

By Harish Kamalanathan 9E Anglican Church Grammar School Teacher: Mr Page

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Introduction

Pondering the future occupied mankind since the dawn of time. Authors and film makers

alike envision such things and try to express their belief as to how the future may shape up.

Speculative fiction is a genre which encompasses both fantasy and science fiction. Generally

they include subgenres such cautionary tales, thought experiments, literalized metaphors

and the exploration of new science. However speculative fiction doesnt give an insightful

and realistic vision of the future because of the influence of too many biases and fears of

the society in which it was written. 1984, by George Orwell,is one of the most well-known

speculative fiction novels ever written.

1984 predominantly focuses on a dystopian society undergoing urban decay due to ever-

present government surveillance, perpetual war and civic thought control, all of which were

common fears of1950s London society. It didnt really provide an insightful prediction into

the future because the writing was being influenced by the biases and fears of both the

author and society at the time.

Paragraph 1 describing the chosen text

1984 is a speculative fiction novel written by George Orwell and first published in England,

1949. The novel follows life of 39 year old Winston Smith, the main protagonist, who is a

poorer member of the sovereign Party in London, Oceania. He is an employee in the

Records department of the Ministry of truth. Here his job is to correct past historical

documents to conform to the latest announcements of Big Brother and to also suit the

needs of the party. Everywhere Winston goes, every step of his walk to work and even in his

own living room the thought police and Big Brother, watch him through the all-seeing

telescreens. Everything in Oceania is controlled by the party which is symbolically lead by

Big Brother. Winston inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in and yearns to

join a rebellion against it.

1984 is categorised as a cautionary tale due to the extensive representation of a dystopian

society that strongly emphasizes the negative consequences of the year 1984. Although not

directly stated, it has the what if element, typical in the thought experiment category;What would life be like if a free country, like England, were under totalitarian rule. In this

book, London is a depressing place where there is never enough to eat and where resources

are scarce.

Paragraph 2- What are the visions of the future presented?

Technology in 1984 is extraordinarily similar to the technology available in the time the

book was written. This was most likely done so that the relevance and authenticity was

increased for the readers of the time. Technology is a tremendously important tool that theParty and Big Brother use to retain control over its citizens thoughts and actions. An


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example of this is the frequently mentioned telescreens, which are a parallel to modern day

flat screen TVs, with one key difference. The telescreens in 1984 were bi-directional,

meaning they sent and received images, pushing propaganda while acting as a security

camera in every living room. They also couldn't be shut off. ( Rapparport, 2012)The

Thought Police, without telescreens and hidden microphones would not be nearly assuccessful and the partys propaganda would not be so pervasive. Additionally, the Party

employs complicated mechanisms, eg. The Speak Write, (1984 was written in the era before

computers) to exert large-scale control on economic production and sources of information,

and fearsome machinery to inflict torture upon those it deems enemies.

However somewhat poignantly, other areas of technology fail to develop and remain

strikingly stagnant; staying similar to the time they were written. An example of this is the

very basic printing machines employed in the Ministry of Truth and each of the three super

nations build the very same bombs that were used decades before, in real London. It seems

that, George Orwell, in order to stay true to his plot, halts scientific progress with theexception of anything which would serve the Partys objectives. This is most likely done to

show the direct consequence of totalitarianism. In the world of Oceania there is no such as

thing as progress for the sake of progress; there is only power for the sake of power. When

technological developments serve this power, they are encouraged. When they do not, they

are stopped (quote from book).

Paragraph 3- How much does this text simply repeat the concerns and

issues dominant at the time of its production?

1984 is definitely based upon the problems presented to society at the time and this isstated by Orwell himself when he explains, "1984 was written, directly or indirectly, against

totalitarianism and for democratic socialism (Orwell, 1949)". Although this was a common

opinion, it seems as though the perspective presented in the book is purely George Orwells

outlook on the topic. He also states his criticism towards Joseph Stalin: He was one of the

most powerful and murderous dictators in history, Stalin was the supreme ruler of the Soviet

Union for a quarter of a century. His regime of terror caused the death and suffering of tens

of millions. (BBC, 2013)Many of the aspects of the Oceanian society are based on the

Stalin-era of the Soviet Union. One parallel which can be readily identified is the Two

Minutes Hate which, in real life, was done to honor Stalinisms routine demonization of hisnemeses and rivals. The partys pronounced enemy of the state, Emmanuel Goldstein,

leader of the Brotherhood, a society mysterious in origin and secret in its rebellion to bring

down the party, resembles Leon Trotsky, partly because both are Jewish. Leon was a Soviet

politician, Russian Marxist revolutionist and academic. Emmanuel Goldstein was a member

of the inner party but then turned sour towards Big-Brother and was one of the very few

who escaped the dire consequences of his rebellion. Big Brother himself bears a physical

resemblance. But you could just as easily substitute Stalin with Hitler and communism with

Nazi Germany, or another totalitarian state. Research into the history of Orwell suggests

another parallel to the book. George Orwell did overseas work and service for the BBC,


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which was at the time under the direct influence and jurisdiction of the Ministry of

Information, which wouldve been the clear parallel and basis towards the Ministry of Truth

in 1984. According to OrwellWorld ( 2009), there seem to be many direct parallels in 1984

with Stalinist Soviet Union and Hitlers Nazi Germany: Leader worshipping as though they

are demi-gods; Joy camps in 1984 , which are an allusion to gulags or concentration camps;

The Thought Police who are a clearly reminiscent to the Secret Police, known as the Gestapo,

intended to serve and force the Nazi cause; All three regimes required the obliteration of

any individualism, in order to uphold the Partys needs over any one person; The Junior

Spies or the Youth League is a clear link to the organization of Hitler Youth or Octobrists/

Pioneers. Also in 1984 the organized widespread use of propaganda was a technique

founded in the totalitarian organizations of Stalin and Hitler.

The world which Orwell creates in 1984 also imitates various characteristics of the political

and social life of the United Kingdom and the United States. The book, according to Orwell,

is described as how he regarded the situation of the political climate and mood of 1949

Europe, this was, When the British economy was poor and the British Empire rapidly was

dissolving. At the same time newspapers were reporting its triumphs and wartime allies such

as the USSR were rapidly becoming peacetime foes. In many ways, one could consider

Oceania as a future transformation and metamorphosis of the British Empire (Orwell,1949).

The concerns made so explicit in the narrative are also reflected in todays society. The

omnipresent surveillance by Big Brother from every square and alley are reiterated

throughout the story of 1984. In modern day society constant surveillance, via CCTV systems,is being promoted on every corner for the sake of protection. However this protection hails

from the interpretation of whoever is watching these images. In an ideal world, trading ones

privacy for protection does not come at the cost of free will

In 1984 one of the parties mottos in Ingsoc ( English socialism) is, Who controls the past

controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.A major source of most

peoples historical knowledge comes from a select few websites online (eg. Wikipedia or

Google). If content in articles were to be modified, would they not be rewriting history in

the minds of many people on a daily basis? Once, people would, for historical facts, put theirtrust in the professionals and academics. Today trust is put into volunteers and good will,

hoping that the power of open crowd sourced information will become more accurate and

balanced as more eyes are set upon it. However this may not always be the case and if

massive corporations such as Wikipedia and Google were to be overtaken by a regime such

as that mentioned in 1984, the party would have the power to rewrite history slowly yet

effectively.


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Paragraph 4- Summing up

The parallels displayed between the novel, 1984,and the political and social climates of

1949 Europe are significant. The world which Orwell creates in 1984 is almost completely

fashioned on the regimes, actions and plans of both Nazi Germany and the Stalin era. This isseen in such direct parallels such as the Two minute hate, worship of leaders as demigods

and destroying individuality so as to promote the partys significance above all others. This

results in a story concerned with addressing the problems of its time, like the totalitarian

regime and political breakdown, instead of being focused on providing an insightful vision as

to what the future may hold in store. The inclusion of well evolved telescreens for

omnipresent surveillance; the concept of, Who controls the past controls the future. Who

controls the present controls the past,; As well as the idea of Newspeak, a new language

eliminating all words which could aid in thoughts of rebellion and so literally make it

unthinkable to diverge from the principles of IngSoc, keeps this story true to its cautionarytale origins.

In 1984 it is obvious that the overall attitude towards progress is quite negative. Orwells

main idea stays constant that under totalitarian rule all progress will be halted unless of

direct use to the party and its spread of propaganda. This can be seen in the way new

technology is generally looked down upon mainly because it continues to serve the partys

purpose.

In 1984 it seems that Orwell backs the modernist perspective, because of its bleak and

dystopian view of the world, which is typical in modernism. However what is clearer is that

we see a kind of Romanticist mentality in the book however, not to the extent of hatred in

scientific progress but more or less demonizing this idea of surveillance and propaganda

induced by the presence of technology, which prevent people from sharing intimate

moments because they are conscious someone is watching them.

Conclusion

1984, by George Orwell provides an insightful and meaningful cautionary tale towards the

dangers of totalitarian rule and how it destroys a society through widespread propaganda,omnipresent surveillance as well as placement of contradictory ideas in a persons mind (eg.

2+2=5) to desensitize them to the fact no matter how incorrect a statement is, it is correct

because the party says so. However, 1984 is a book which focuses too profoundly on the

fears of totalitarian rule and its consequences in addition to reflecting too many of the fears

and biases of the milieu, zeitgeist and political climate present in 1949 Europe to provide an

insightful and highly developed picture of the future.


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References

SparkNotes Editors. (2007). SparkNote on 1984. Retrieved March 14,2013, fromhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/

Bawden, F. (Director). (2010). Motifs and Themes of 1984 [Motion

Picture].

BBC. (2013).Joseph Stalin. Retrieved March 22, 2013, from

BBC.CO.UK:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml

Coppens, P. (2009, August 13). 1984. Retrieved March 24, 2013, from

phillipcoppens: http://www.philipcoppens.com/1984.html

Discovery Education. (2010, September 3). 1984, how much fact in

fiction. Retrieved March 20, 2013, from Discovery Education:

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-

plans/1984-how-much-fact-in-fiction.cfm

NetCharles. (n.d.). 1984 Background info. Retrieved from Netcharles:

http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/1984-background-

info.htm

Orwell Today. (2008, April). 1984. Retrieved March 20, 2013, from

orwelltoday: http://www.orwelltoday.com/whyorwell.shtml

Orwell, G. (1953). 1984. London: Sinclastic Classics.

Sparknotes (Director). (2010). Review and Summary of 1984 [Motion

Picture].
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/

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