What Is The Purpose Of 1984 By George Orwell Socratic Questions
A Socratic question
Back in high school, during a Socratic seminar for senior English, a question was raised. Specifically that day’s session concerned George Orwell’s classic, 1984.
The seminar was a forum for the class to discuss points of interest within the literature through a Socratic questioning process. The purpose of such an exercise was to promote critical thinking and open-ended discussion about the salience of the ideas within the book.
Unfortunately, much of the class was less than enthused to bring their own words and arguments to bear during the course of the seminar. Most sat quietly and listened to the few who would speak on a weekly basis. As it was this day, specifically with myself and my good friend sharing the floor for …show more content…
He believed it came down to the innate power of human nature within Man, Man’s ultimate desire for personal rights and freedoms. Ultimately, the proles would rise up against the oppressive regime and restore balance to society, as human history had shown time and time again. Throughout the course of human civilization, empires rise and fall. As my friend believed to be the case with the Party, even within Orwell’s hellish fictional dystopian society. The dark side of human nature got us into the mess, and the good side of human nature would be that light to guide mankind back out of the …show more content…
The Party is an indestructible force of evil, created by man and his institutions, capable of the complete oppression and destruction of all sense of freedom within human civilization throughout the world. The surveillance, the never-ending wars, the torture, the revision and erasure of the past — all were the foundation for an everlasting dominion. It was a social commentary and a warning to mankind — don’t ever let things get to this point or it will all be over. My point being: Orwell created the Party to be a moral absolute, the perfect totalitarian force which had the means, unrealistic/fictional in nature, to be perpetual in its reign. People in control and so far gone with their power, they had created a perfect machine to perpetuate oppression. That was the point. The bleak nature and pessimism permeated throughout the 1984 universe is meant to showcase this reality. The fact that The Party with all of its perfect resources and perfected indoctrination and perfect control, couldn’t actually exist in our reality was the crux — this fictional “Orwellian” dystopia was composed of the perfect elements of design, form and function of an unbeatable entity. Thus, they could not be overthrown. Allowing for an inevitable and successful prole insurrection would undermine the moral Orwell was trying to convey. (However,
Back in high school, during a Socratic seminar for senior English, a question was raised. Specifically that day’s session concerned George Orwell’s classic, 1984.
The seminar was a forum for the class to discuss points of interest within the literature through a Socratic questioning process. The purpose of such an exercise was to promote critical thinking and open-ended discussion about the salience of the ideas within the book.
Unfortunately, much of the class was less than enthused to bring their own words and arguments to bear during the course of the seminar. Most sat quietly and listened to the few who would speak on a weekly basis. As it was this day, specifically with myself and my good friend sharing the floor for …show more content…
He believed it came down to the innate power of human nature within Man, Man’s ultimate desire for personal rights and freedoms. Ultimately, the proles would rise up against the oppressive regime and restore balance to society, as human history had shown time and time again. Throughout the course of human civilization, empires rise and fall. As my friend believed to be the case with the Party, even within Orwell’s hellish fictional dystopian society. The dark side of human nature got us into the mess, and the good side of human nature would be that light to guide mankind back out of the …show more content…
The Party is an indestructible force of evil, created by man and his institutions, capable of the complete oppression and destruction of all sense of freedom within human civilization throughout the world. The surveillance, the never-ending wars, the torture, the revision and erasure of the past — all were the foundation for an everlasting dominion. It was a social commentary and a warning to mankind — don’t ever let things get to this point or it will all be over. My point being: Orwell created the Party to be a moral absolute, the perfect totalitarian force which had the means, unrealistic/fictional in nature, to be perpetual in its reign. People in control and so far gone with their power, they had created a perfect machine to perpetuate oppression. That was the point. The bleak nature and pessimism permeated throughout the 1984 universe is meant to showcase this reality. The fact that The Party with all of its perfect resources and perfected indoctrination and perfect control, couldn’t actually exist in our reality was the crux — this fictional “Orwellian” dystopia was composed of the perfect elements of design, form and function of an unbeatable entity. Thus, they could not be overthrown. Allowing for an inevitable and successful prole insurrection would undermine the moral Orwell was trying to convey. (However,