One of the quotes in the book 1984 was: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” The party slogan appeared twice in the book, once in Book One, Chapter III, when Winston was thinking about party’s control and history. The quote also appeared once in Book Three, Chapter II, when Winston talked to O’Brien about nature of the past when he was a prisoner in the Ministry of Love. It is significant to the book because the quote portrays the totalitarian government. Having control of the past secures control of the future and if the past was perfect, citizens would try to maintain that glorious past. Likewise, the Party had control of the present. For example, every history book praised Party ideology,…
The glass paperweight was described as old and beautiful. Winston’s life was getting old. He had to do the same job every day. He did not like Big Brother. Winston thought the paperweight was beautiful, but it was not of significance. Winston also thought Julia was beautiful and his relationship was beautiful. Winston even missed his old job when he was caught by the thought police, so that was even…
In George Orwell’s 1984, the glass paperweight does not serve any one purpose – it serves as a “swish army knife” of symbols, providing a tangible means by which the reader can connect with multiple elements of Orwell’s foreboding novel. Winston Smith discovers the paperweight in Mr. Charington’s shop, as his disillusionment with the party is coming to a head, and he begins to identify his desire and hope for freedom, as well as representing the memories of the past which Winston struggled to retain. It is shattered as the thought police converge on Winston and Julia, destroying the world of privacy and autonomy that Winston saw inside. Between these two events, the paperweight is seldom mentioned, however it represents the fragility of the world which Winston and Julia have created for themselves in the room above Mr. Charington’s, the world that is a facsimile of the ideal world which Winston wishes to create. The paperweight ties these ideas together, serving as a physical, tangible symbol of Winston’s state of mind; specifically his memories of the past and desire for freedom, the annihilation of Winston’s hope for a better world, and the fragility of the world in which he exists for the better part of the novel.…
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell, is a great novel that allows us to view the world in a different way. Winston Smith is filled with curiosity against the Party throughout the whole book. Most of his inner-questioning occurs in Part I. Many times he conforms to what The Party tells them to do, but in his mind he questions this. George Orwell is allowing us to see we must always question whatever we think is wrong. Many times we are ignorant to what is going on around us and, like Winston, we conform to everything, but sometimes we must see the reality of things.…
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, depicts a totalitarian society, Oceania, commanded by the all power holding “Big Brother”. The Party, the government of the nation, controls everything from the nation’s history down to the citizen’s language. Early in the novel, the main character, Winston, discovers a secret society against Big Brother titled “the Brotherhood”. O’Brien, a member of the powerful Inner Party, recognizes Winston as a non-supporter of Big Brother. This begins O’Brien’s multitudes of deception toward both Winston and Julia. O’Brien’s motives were simple and his plans beautifully executed. His deceitfulness was driven purely by his loyalty to the Party and contribution to the organization’s psychological manipulation of the citizens of Oceania. O’Brien’ character development also adds to the novel’s overall theme.…
Winston often faces a dilemma about who he pledges his allegiance to. His rebellious nature tells him to believe in Goldstein and to love him. On the other hand, Winston also finds it hard to rebel due to the power of the Party. This quote exemplifies this conflict inside of Winston. During the two-minute hate, Winston joins the crowd in booing at the screen but he also finds himself thinking about how Goldstein isn’t the bad guy in this society. This shows one side of Winston, the rebellious “you can’t control me” Winston. The other side of Winston is seen when his, “secret loathing of Big Brother turned into adoration.” This side of Winston admires the Party and Big Brother because of the amount of power they wield. Though the party is not…
When I first read 1984, I thought Winston was just some depressed and sexually frustrated old guy. After our class discussion, however, I see that his character actually has some depth in his personality. In 1984 Winston’s ability to rebel against the Party lies in the relationship and loyalty he shares with Julia. In the beginning, Winston is to weak and frightened to revolt against the Party. Furthermore, Winston is emotionally weakened and frustrated because the dark-haired girl he desires seems distant and cold to him. However, when the girl named Julia declares her love for him, their relationship’s fidelity strengthens Winston. Julia helps him towards redeeming himself from his shameful past. In addition to this commitment, Winston is…
1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character 's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the prompt.…
In 1984, three outwardly misleading characters include Winston, O’Brien, and Mr.Charrington. Since the beginning of the novel, Winston hates the authoritarian rule of the Party and constantly expresses his hatred through suppressed means. For instance, he writes obscenities against the Party in his diary, he secretly has sex with Julia as an act of rebellion, and he attempts to join an organization that opposes the Party. Yet despite all this, he acts loyally when he is being watched; for example, he alters documents wherein he praises the Party for its numerous exploits and achievements. It is fitting that by the end of the novel, he is brainwashed to love the Party: “he had won the victory over himself. He loved big brother” (Orwell, 311). This double contrast highlights the discrepancy present within reality, as in the end, his character is directly at odds with who he initially is in reality. O’Brien is an ambiguous member of the Party who Winston initially comes to trust as a result of a dream where O’Brien says “[w]e shall meet in the place where there is no darkness” (Orwell, 2). This statement itself is contradictory, as Winston initially thinks that O’Brien is referring to the joyful time when the Party is finally overthrown and people are free, but it proves to be a bright room where Winston is endlessly tortured by O’Brien. Winston believes that O’Brien shares his enmity towards the Party, but is proven wrong when O’Brien turns out to be a member of the Thought Police and his subsequent torturer. Thus, O’Brien reinforces the discrepancy between appearance and reality, as his sympathetic character proves to be a trap. Finally, Mr. Charrington, the humble owner of a small shop with a room upstairs that Winston and Julia use…
It stands to reason that in 1984, George Orwell employs both the glass paperweight and Winston’s diary to develop Winston’s desire for past and his personal rebellion against the Party.…
Julia finds out where the rats were coming from and beings to kick the wainscoting immediately below the picture. Winston realizes, “It’s a church, or at least it used to be. St. Clement’s Dane its name was”(146). This picture symbolizes Winston’s stolen past.Winston’s obsession toward this picture is to restore the parts of the past that are unknown to him. Furthermore, Winston develops his fixation on the glass paperweight. He states, “the inexhaustibility interesting thing was not the fragment of coral but the interior of the glass itself”(147). The paperweight symbolizes the past, but also represents a spell that makes Winston dream without fear. He imagines his life inside of the glass paperweight.…
George Orwell’s 1984 is overflowing with a great deal of symbolism. The use of objects such as big brother, telescreens, red-armed prole, and the paperweight are just a few of many symbols found throughout the novel. Sometimes characters and other objects are used as symbols to aid in communicate the underlying meaning of the novel. For example, the use of the glass paperweight in George Orwell’s 1984 represents the many aspects of Winston’s rebellion and secret life of the Party, which will be further explained throughout this essay.…
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a place where the party scrutinizes human actions with everwatchful Big Brother. Defying a ban on individuality, Winston dares to express his thoughts in a diary and pursues a relationship with Julia. These criminal deeds bring Winston into the eye of the opposition, who then must reform the nonconformist. George Orwell’s 1984 introduced the watch words for life without freedom: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. The themes I will introduce to you somehow will describe what Winston is going through and how his life and the lives of other are being controlled, through psychological manipulation and the dangers of Totalitarianism.…
In George Orwell’s 1984, symbolism is thoroughly used throughout the novel to reinforce the themes present in the book. The novel is set in a totalitarian society where whatever the government says goes without question. The Party is able to distort and rewrite the past, including the memories of the people, but a small glass paperweight from before the rule of the Party remains. The glass coral paperweight that Winston purchases at Charington’s shop becomes a dominant symbol in Orwell’s 1984.…
Winston lives in a world where everything is done in worship of Big Brother. All thoughts, feelings, and accomplishments are given and credited to Big Brother. However, the people of the Party are left with little and they dedicate their lives to Big Brother creating a lonely existence for themselves. Winston Smith does not want to be alone; he wishes to be able to share his thoughts and opinions with someone. Through rhythm, figurative language, and imagery George Orwell creates a world in which people are isolated from one another and deprived which leads Winston into writing a diary of his opinions.…