George Orwell Idealism
The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell in 1948, almost half a century before the year in which the novel was based. In this essay, I will demonstrate that the social and political environment at that time in history as well as the author’s personal life and conditions had a tremendous impact on the concept and completion of the novel.
Orwell’s personal beliefs and idealism critically influenced his writing. In the late 1920’s, Orwell believed in anarchism and in 1936, he travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. The Spanish Civil War played an important role in influencing Orwell's socialism and by the late 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. Orwell stated in "Why I Write" (1946): …show more content…
For example, in the novel, it is easy to see how those in control can, through manipulation and propaganda, maintain that control simply for the sake of sating their own power hunger. For example, the party slogans “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength” are designed to keep the citizens under control. This proves that 1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian …show more content…
Winston Smith - grey, thin, unable to climb the stairs without stopping to rest, doubled up every morning by 'a violent coughing fit' that leaves him lying breathless on the floor - is plainly Orwell.
Depressed by his wife’s death in 1945, Orwell moved to a windy and damp Scottish island. His health worsened significantly just as he was working on the first draft of "1984," as reported by his best friend, Ross. Fever, weight loss, and night sweats sent him to the hospital, where he underwent “collapse therapy,” a treatment designed to close the dangerous cavities that form in the chests of tuberculosis patients. Relying on Orwell's own descriptions of the treatment, Ross says it "may have influenced the depiction of the tortures of Winston Smith in the Ministry of Love" in "1984."
Ross also figures Orwell drew from firsthand knowledge of the wasting effects of tuberculosis. A passage from the novel: "But the truly frightening thing was the emaciation of his body. The barrel of the ribs was as narrow as that of a skeleton: the legs had shrunk so that the knees were thicker than the thighs…the curvature of the spine was
Orwell’s personal beliefs and idealism critically influenced his writing. In the late 1920’s, Orwell believed in anarchism and in 1936, he travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. The Spanish Civil War played an important role in influencing Orwell's socialism and by the late 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. Orwell stated in "Why I Write" (1946): …show more content…
For example, in the novel, it is easy to see how those in control can, through manipulation and propaganda, maintain that control simply for the sake of sating their own power hunger. For example, the party slogans “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength” are designed to keep the citizens under control. This proves that 1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian …show more content…
Winston Smith - grey, thin, unable to climb the stairs without stopping to rest, doubled up every morning by 'a violent coughing fit' that leaves him lying breathless on the floor - is plainly Orwell.
Depressed by his wife’s death in 1945, Orwell moved to a windy and damp Scottish island. His health worsened significantly just as he was working on the first draft of "1984," as reported by his best friend, Ross. Fever, weight loss, and night sweats sent him to the hospital, where he underwent “collapse therapy,” a treatment designed to close the dangerous cavities that form in the chests of tuberculosis patients. Relying on Orwell's own descriptions of the treatment, Ross says it "may have influenced the depiction of the tortures of Winston Smith in the Ministry of Love" in "1984."
Ross also figures Orwell drew from firsthand knowledge of the wasting effects of tuberculosis. A passage from the novel: "But the truly frightening thing was the emaciation of his body. The barrel of the ribs was as narrow as that of a skeleton: the legs had shrunk so that the knees were thicker than the thighs…the curvature of the spine was