What does ‘prole’ mean? The Oxford dictionaries describes ‘prole’ as ‘a member of the working class.’ The book 1984 portrays the Proles in similar way, who are weak, animal-like, working class people. The Proles in 1984 are the vast majority (85%) of the populace, but they do not have a significant part in the novel. The Proles live in a deserted area which is described as very filthy, “He was walking up a cobbled street of little two-storey houses with battered doorways which gave straight on the pavement and which were somehow curiously suggestive of rat holes” (Orwell, 86) Furthermore, Orwell represented the Proles as “swollen, waddling women” and “old bent creatures shuffling along on splayed feet” (Orwell, 86) which shows that they…
They do not have specific rules to obey by, creating more freedom among the people which could lead to an up rise against the party. The proles could change the way the society is run through revolts against the party, the population of the proles is 85% of the total in Oceania, despite the struggles to change the prole’s demeanors, they could ultimately be successful by hard work, their strength, and the determination to bring down the party. Winston believes the proles could rebel against the government successfully and procure the power of the government. The proles are undermined and are given more freedom among the party than those higher up in the hierarchy.…
The government of Oceania is constantly watching over its Party members, therefore invading total privacy. This shows that…
One of the main questions of the novel 1984 is could Big Brother fall. There are many possibilities that contribute to the thought of the fall of Big Brother. Such as the way Big Brother pushes people around like Winston to make them want to rebel. One proven fact in history is that most totalitarian governments do not last such as Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union. The fact they are always at war with one of the other main super powers. "But the proles, if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no need to conspire. They needed only to rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies. If they chose they could blow the Party to pieces tomorrow morning. Surely sooner or later it must occur to them to do it? The proles themselves if realized their power could overthrow the party.…
“They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol…
George Orwell writes his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four not as a story of fiction but as a warning about the dangers of totalitarian control. The concepts of free enterprise and individual freedom no longer exist in 1984, all of the power is split into three groups Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. In his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell uses certain literary devices, introduces new linguistic concepts and uses propaganda techniques to suppress freedom, controlling the people and forming a totalitarian society. Orwell introduces two new linguistic concepts in 1984; newspeak, and doublespeak. Newspeak is used by the Party to reduce and limit thought, and simplify the english language to the bare minimum. Doublespeak, on the other hand, which is commonly used by Party members to distort the actually meaning of words, and use the words against those who do not understand what they mean. George Orwell uses the propaganda tactics of “plain folks,” as well as the use of the Big Brother posters to achieve the idea of suppressing freedom. By utilizing propaganda techniques, introducing new language concepts and using literary devices, Orwell successfully warns us about the potential dangers of totalitarian control in our society today.…
In the novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith, live in a world full of thought policies, telescreens and proletarian. In Oceania, proletarian are under watch within 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which mean they are being watched without any privacy. Also, they are not allowed to have any other thought other than what the party told them to have. For the people who do have the thought will being vaporized; never exist in the world, nobody will remember who they are anymore. The party slogan is "War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength." It's apparently the opposite of reality, and it showed Oceania have a psychological control over their people. Every proletarian is required to be as orthodoxy as they can, but Winston still attempted to "stay human" by having thought on "Down With Big Brother."…
All societies are controlled by their government in many different ways. Many societies are controlled by a democratic government, while other societies are controlled by dictatorship. These styles of government both have pros and cons. The passage from "1984" by George Orwell distinctly shows that society is a horrible and harmful place to live in because there are certain rules that people have to follow. "It was Mrs. Parsons, the wife of a neighbor on the same floor (" Mrs was a word somewhat discountenanced by the Party- you were supposed to call everyone "comrade"- but with some women one used it instinctively)"( Orwell paragraph 2). In this part of the passage, it is told that there are rules that are needed to be followed in society,…
John F. Kennedy once said, "conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." 1984, a dystopian novel, was written by George Orwell. Remarkably ahead of its time with an ancient publication date of 1949, the novel deals with very modern ideas such as the government overreaching its power, and the rise of technology. The author utilizes the backdrop of an extremely oppressive, totalitarian government named Big Brother to demonstrate that humanity naturally desires nonconformity, but when put in the worst of scenarios, chooses conformity out of self-preservation.…
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, includes many power struggles throughout the book involving various characters. If you delve into the content of almost any novel, there’s usually always some sorts of struggle for power. The novel 1984 bases itself on the totalitarian power to control a nation. With Orwell publishing his novel in 1949, Hitler’s power over Germany during World War II shows itself significant in the story. Many parallels to 1984’s reality and actual reality exist in the novel. Goldstein symbolizes the internal enemies of Hitler that were portrayed to help control the population’s thoughts. Orwell’s use of diction, syntax, and narrative strategies show Winston’s struggle of freeing himself from Big Brother’s power, his secret freedom he feels through his sexual engagement with Julia, and his struggle to free himself from the mass torture of interrogation and false confessions during his sleep.…
Through punishment, denial of knowledge and the suppression of free thought the Party is able to maintain power in Oceania. The party’s all-seeing nature is the most effect form of control because it breeds a society that is afraid of revolt. Through the creation of print, radio, and television the Party is able to enforce “complete obedience to the will of the State” (Orwell 206). The people are now under complete surveillance and surrounded with propaganda, giving the Party the ability to see and dictate what the people do. By keeping the people in constant fear and ignorance the Party is able to maintain its power.…
The party is the ultimate power. Can that fact be any more established in 1984? There are several instances in the book that convey this, with a paragraph from page 104 being the most convincing. Winston had just arrived home, evading the “thought police agent” that was following home. Mulling over his options, he decided that it was too late to kill her, and that his best bet was to record his thoughts in his journal. In this excerpt, Winston weighs the pros and cons of writing. As the passage progresses, one can see that there is one “con” that is inevitable, which is torture and eventual death by the party. This undeniable result raises several questions to Winston, such as “Why did you have to endure it, since the end was always the same?”…
They greatly outnumber the rest of the population. According to Orwell, they make up 85%of the population of Oceania (Orwell 69). It would be fairly easy to overpower the Party and take over. Since they mostly work in physical jobs, they are probably in better shape than most Party members. The singing Prole lady next to Mr. Charrington’s shop could be a symbol of how firm and strong the rest of the Proles are. The Party wouldn’t expect them to be strong, or to be smart enough to plan and carry out a rebellion.…
In 1984, Orwell asserts that knowledge of the truth grants power and thus must be both feared and valued. Whilst knowledge can be used to seize dominance over a population, which Orwell warns against, it can also be used to attain control over oneself; personal freedom. The threats to acquiring true knowledge, whether it be the control of information by the corrupt, the curtailment of independent thought, or apathy, must be fought against to avoid the surrender of liberty.…
Technology has strived through history to make what it is today. To the making of the wheel, cotton gin, to the first transportation system in America. A particular piece of new technology, the smartphone, allows communication through two screens and permits audio. This has particularly brought to attention because of its similarity to George Orwell’s 1984 telescreens. In the book, an authoritarian government ruled by Big Brother controls its people by various telescreens planted around various places, hidden to the eye. Shown by the quote, “Big Brother is watching you,” the setting in 1984 is ruled by fear. An alarming question brought upon us is, “are we reaching a similar setting as George Orwell’s imagination?” Although there may be important counterarguments, the answer to that question is no.…