1984 G. Orwell

Novelists of the 2nd period
1984, by George Orwell

Main Keys
6 Themes of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ that we need to be mindful of
I. Totalitarianism: Total Control, Pure Power
The Party – the terrifying figure (who is) in control of the superstate – Fear is
the main tool to control a mass of people. “The party seeks power entirely for
its own sake. As an official admits: “We are not interested in the good of
others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.”.

II. Propaganda Machines
A well-organized and effective propaganda machine goes a long way in
ensuring total control of the Party over the superstate and its residents. The
regulation and dissemination of information involves “tearing human minds
to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your choosing.”
III. Love
The totalitarian knows that, in order to rule over people, he needs to
appease (apaciguar, calmar) all ways of achieving happiness and fulfillment.
Therefore, love and sex, two of the most enriching human experiences, are
killed and depersonalised.
IV. Liberty and Censorship
The Ministry of Truth works tirelessly and meticulously to modify public
archives and rewrite history. As a result, “the past was erased, the erasure
was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”
V. Language: Doublethink and Newspeak
The residents of the superstate are forced to communicate in Newspeak –
the government’s invented language. It plays a pertinent role in the Party’s
control over the masses.
VI. Technology: All-seeing Telescreens and a Watchful Eye
2
The Party needs and develops top-notch technology to exercise ruthless
control over the residents. Without telescreens, the Thought Police would fail
in its objective of surveillance. And, of course, overseeing all of this is Big
Brother (the system)
Other ideas
1984 themes
● Confusion
● Hatred and Love
● Contradictory feelings are found in the novel: Peace and War
● The concept of truth is central, and fiction is written by machines.

● The novel suggests→ what if there were a group of people manipulating
the truth? How could we distinguish between reality and unreality?
● 1984→ 3rd person omniscient narrator.
● The reader has the impression that …
● War is Peace → Paradox (contradiction) as a figure of speech. Also:
Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.
● The Ministry of Truth is concerned about the news, entertainment
education, and the fine arts.

● The Ministry of Love→ is a place without windows→ it implies the idea of
being inside a prison.
● Screens are everywhere and dominate the scenes.
● The central event of chapter 1 → a revolutionary thing to do → the
protagonist writes a diary as a means of escaping reality.
3
● If you live in OCEANIA and happen to write a diary→ consequences→
twenty-five years in a force-labour camp (hyperbolic, exaggeration), or
even punished by death (hyperbolic).
● There seems to be an absence of laws→ The Party decides what is right
and what is not, a constant imposition→ if you fail to follow the rules you
either die or be forced to work.
● The protagonist→ Winston is an antihero, he puts himself at risk.
● The people in OCEANIA are not used to writing, or speaking. They do
“speakwrite” → why? → Because if there is something written, then there
is evidence of something. When you write something you have somehow
history behind the story. The idea of “speakwrite” is something that The
Party uses to control the mass of people.
● Winston’s idea behind writing a diary was that, by doing so, he would
be certain about time: April 4th, 1984 (he is not totally accurate about
time over the years).
● Flashbacks are present in Winston’s diary.
● Winston about Julia
● She belongs to the Anti-Sex League. Winston’s initial thought about
herà indifference and dislike. He does not like women because "women
in Oceania, and especially young ones, are the main supporters of the
Party.
● O’Brien
● Winston’s torturer, he is a member of the Party. He has a “humorous,
brutal face” appearance, and had “a certain charm of manner”. Winston
felt deeply drawn to him because of his engaging personality.
● The Hate
4
● A moment of climax, extreme violence. Emmanuel Goldstein represents
the Enemy of the People, the primal traitor → the Party uses hate as a
means of controlling the mass of people.
● The whole story is symbolic. “His heart was thumping like a drum” → a
figure of speech, simile.
CHAPTER 2
Page 22: Two children are involved in a violent atmosphere. They imitate
what others do, they do not play innocently.
Page 28: Mrs Parsons’ children are excited to go and see a public hanging.
The implication is that these children will become future Oceanian tyrants
and dictators.
Page 32: The atmosphere of dreams. There seems to be an unclear
distinction between reality and time. No se tiene noción del tiempo en Oceania.
Page 33: Scripts written in italics represent a transcription.
Page 35: The narrator is writing to someone in the future: a hopeful effort. By
writing a diary to record his thoughts, he performs a revolutionary act. He is sure
he will be killed for his betrayal. Misogynistic line → a woman will find my diary.
WHAT is used in capital letters to emphasise what the writer is telling the reader.
Halfway through the story
5
Page 133: Winston & Julia. Julia comes across as an enemy who was ready to
kill him and, at the same time, Winston seems preoccupied with Julia’s
accidental fall.
140: An example of stream of consciousness : Cuando Winston deja de ver a
Julia y se preocupa por lo que le pueda haber pasado.
152: It is not until we reach page 152 that Winston enquires about Julia’s name.
“I wanted to smash your head in with a cobblestone” → THEY DO NOT KNOW
HOW TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITHOUT VIOLENCE as they have not been
shown this feeling. I want to kill you means I love you. Julia laughs and takes
Winston’s word as a compliment.
Chocolate is pleasurable and therefore prohibited in Oceania. Julia manages
to bag herself some from the black market. They share the chocolate snack
and, by doing so, start learning that love is not all about violence as they
thought.
157: Metaphore of whitness→ “Her body gleamed white in the sun”
Julia is a free woman and has sexual intercourse with other members in
Oceania.
158:
● ‘I hate purity’ why does Winston say that? → Winston was married and her
wife was loyal to The Party, purity represents The Party and he is against
it. He is looking for someone different, for a rebel.
6
● The animal instinct → it is something against the rules in Oceania and The
Party wants it banned.
159:
Sexual intercourse between Winston and Julia takes part in a bucolic setting (
not grey Oceania, but a place surrounded by nature and birds) and it is
interpreted as a political act against The Party since it is the culmination of
breaking the rules. Love in Oceania is dangerous. Winston wants to protect
Julia.
Final thoughts
Do they really desire each other or do they only team up to bring down Big
Brother?
There are references to both communism and fascism.
1984 is a critique of both systems, it is about anti-humanism. The whole
novel is an exaggeration: hyperbole.
The novel is a dystopia: a society characterized by human misery,
oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

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Novelists of the 2nd period

1984, by George Orwell

6 Themes of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ that we need to be mindful of

I. Totalitarianism: Total Control, Pure Power

others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.”.

A well-organized and effective propaganda machine goes a long way in

regulation and dissemination of information involves “tearing human minds

The totalitarian knows that, in order to rule over people, he needs to

appease (apaciguar, calmar) all ways of achieving happiness and fulfillment.

killed and depersonalised.

IV. Liberty and Censorship

The Ministry of Truth works tirelessly and meticulously to modify public

was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”

V. Language: Doublethink and Newspeak

The residents of the superstate are forced to communicate in Newspeak –

the government’s invented language. It plays a pertinent role in the Party’s

control over the masses.

VI. Technology: All-seeing Telescreens and a Watchful Eye

in its objective of surveillance. And, of course, overseeing all of this is Big

Brother (the system)

● Hatred and Love

● Contradictory feelings are found in the novel: Peace and War

● The concept of truth is central, and fiction is written by machines.

● The Ministry of Truth is concerned about the news, entertainment

education, and the fine arts.

● The central event of chapter 1 → a revolutionary thing to do → the

protagonist writes a diary as a means of escaping reality.

time over the years).

● Flashbacks are present in Winston’s diary.

● Winston about Julia

● She belongs to the Anti-Sex League. Winston’s initial thought about

● Winston’s torturer, he is a member of the Party. He has a “humorous,

brutal face” appearance, and had “a certain charm of manner”. Winston

felt deeply drawn to him because of his engaging personality.

what others do, they do not play innocently.

Page 32: The atmosphere of dreams. There seems to be an unclear

Page 33: Scripts written in italics represent a transcription.

Halfway through the story

140: An example of stream of consciousness : Cuando Winston deja de ver a

Julia y se preocupa por lo que le pueda haber pasado.

Winston’s word as a compliment.

Chocolate is pleasurable and therefore prohibited in Oceania. Julia manages

157: Metaphore of whitness→ “Her body gleamed white in the sun”

interpreted as a political act against The Party since it is the culmination of

breaking the rules. Love in Oceania is dangerous. Winston wants to protect

There are references to both communism and fascism.

1984 is a critique of both systems, it is about anti-humanism. The whole

novel is an exaggeration: hyperbole.

The novel is a dystopia: a society characterized by human misery,

oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

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