NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR by GEORGE ORWELL
1 First published in 1949, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four,considered as a masterpiece of political satire, is a very compellingnovel. The main protagonist, Winston Smith, experiences a number of bizarreand self-fulfilling events connected with his struggles while living underthe watchful eye of "Big Brother," a metaphorical symbol used by Orwell todescribe the fascist government that controls and sees all. In thissociety, privacy and freedom do not exist, and its citizens are constantlymonitored by futuristic telescreens and subjected to an unending barrage of Winston Smith, a Party functionary, is humbly employed in oneof the government agencies, and his job is quite simple--he must rewritethe past so that the Party, being "Big Brother," appears to be without flawand the master of its domain. But Smith greatly despisesthe Party and what it stands for, and keeps his feelings about "BigBrother" to himself. One of the turning points in the novel occurs whenSmith begins a heated love affair with Julia, a rebellious young girl whoworks in his agency and shares his dislike for the Party and its belief
Smith is then brainwashed by the Partyvia pain, starvation, and the fears that exist within Smith himself. Throughout the novel, Smith and Julia meet in secret and discuss theirshared hatred for the Party. Another form of propaganda concerns the use of posters andslogans, for in Orwell's society, it is virtually impossible to go anywherewithout seeing a poster of "Big Brother" or being forced to read sloganssuch as "Big Brother Is Watching You" or even "War is Peace. At the conclusion of the novel, Smith is finallykilled, and the only thing on his mind before dying is his love for "BigBrother. In the society of Orwell's novel, many of the techniquesused by "Big Brother" are very reminiscent of those used by Adolph Hitlerand the Nazi Party during World War II. These are only afew of the novel's great qualities, for there are many others to be foundwithin the text, some blatant and others well-concealed in symbolism andmetaphor. 3 As a masterpiece of English literature produced in the middle of the20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four succeeds greatly in its power to conveycertain messages to the reader. In addition, the reader is reminded thatif the fundamental freedoms which we often take for granted were removed,then life might truly reflect the story in Orwell's novel. " It would appear that Orwell was attempting to demonstrate through theuse of metaphor and symbolism the horrors of a totalitarian system and howeasily a person's mind can be controlled and manipulated by propaganda andmisinformation. Thus, it would besafe to say that a Utopian society can never truly exist, although manmust strive to keep society as pleasurable and safe as possible.
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