1984 Rhetorical Analysis Essay

This passage taken from the end of book one from the novel 1984 by George Orwell shines a light on Winston's thoughts about the society in which he currently lives. While Winston is walking to his house on a different route than usual, he begins to take part in thought crime as he questions what fate has in store for him. Filled with paranoia and fear after the dark-haired girl sees him leaving the antique shop, his internal struggle and hopelessness develops. The main purpose of the is passage is to develop Winston’s character as well as the idea of a constant internal fight with one’s own body and mind. The idea is that when you are in physical pain and fear you lose focus of your convictions and what you are fighting for and begin to battle the real enemy, the body. It is through Orwell’s tone, his use of descriptive strong, negative diction, and his use of assertive tone that the reader better develops their understanding of Winston’s character and the main idea emphasized.

Orwell’s tone throughout this passage is straightforward and dark.

Winstons’ views on society. Winston’s views on society are viewed as a crime as even by walking home alone, is committing thoughtcrime. The constant repetition of ‘pain’ and ‘fear’ add to the dark tone of the passage (line 5). This passage is written in the second person point of view and by using the word ‘you’ the reader feels connected to Winston’s character and sets the dark mood of the passage (line 1,2,12,13). Orwell writes: “It was at night that they always came for you”, using the word ‘they’ instead of specifying the enemy, evokes an unclear and indefinite sense in the reader. As well as that, the constant repetition of ‘you’ makes the idea of the passage director towards the reader. Just like ‘you’, ‘kill’ and ‘night’ are also repeated to set the mood of mystery (line

1,3).
From the first
Winston’s character is developed through this passage as his struggle between his memory and ‘facts’. After seeing the old man in the pub, Winston seems to have lost hope in figuring out the ‘true past’. It is as if he knows that his fate is sealed and has been from the moment he bought a dairy. To him, “the proper thing was to kill yourself” because life, to Winston, is nothing but a continuous struggle stru to him call mom the proper thing was to kill yourself because life to Winston is nothing but a continuous struggle “against one’s own body” (line 8,9). The repetition of “always” leads the character to believe that there is no way of escaping the pain and fear in Winston's society.
In conclusion, through Orwell’s tone throughout the passage as well as the descriptive dark diction,Winston's internal struggle is developed. In addition to that, the passage develops and important idea of a fight with the ones own body and mind. The passage evokes a sense of trust and sympathy towards Winston and the people of Oceania.