Throughout George Orwell's 1984, ethos is an underlying constant. The reader explores a dystopian society ruled by the all-powerful Big Brother. The story takes place in Oceania, where the Party is the top ruling force in the country. Winston Smith is a member of the Party. Winston is the vessel through which the reader can pick up on the ethos appeal. Through Winston’s relationships with O’Brien and Julia, Orwell uses these things to convey his ethos. As the story reveals a world of constant surveillance and totalitarianism, Orwell again uses ethos via the Party, brainwashing its people into believing things that are not true. This rhetorical analysis will discuss various examples of the ethos appeal in 1984. First, Orwell shows its ethos …show more content…
However, what O’Brien said is also a literal statement because Winston met O’Brien in the Ministry of Love, the place where there is no darkness. At first, Winston was unsure if O’Brien was a trustworthy person. They exchanged glances, which gave Winston hope that O’Brien might be on his side and against the Party. “Are you prepared to cheat, to forge, to blackmail, to corrupt the minds of children, to distribute habit-forming drugs, to encourage prostitution, to disseminate venereal diseases—to do anything that is likely to cause demoralization and weaken the power of the Party? If, for example, it would somehow serve our interests to throw sulfuric acid in a child’s face, are you prepared to do that?” (Orwell, 1949, 172). This quote is an antithesis because the Brotherhood is a supposed good force, unlike the Party. However, based on what O’Brien said, the Brotherhood does not seem much better than the party. O’Brien’s interview with Winston further increases his confidence that the brotherhood is real and that O’Brien is on his side. However, the twist comes when O'Brien betrays …show more content…
The final example of ethos in 1984 is the relationship between Julia and Winston, which effectively shows how trust can play out in totalitarianism. “It was almost time for Winston and the girls to part. But at the last moment, while the crowd still hemmed them in, her hand felt for his and gave it a fleeting squeeze” (Orwell, 1949, 122). This quote is imagery because it describes the love and trust in Winston and Julia’s relationship. They have so much trust in each other that they put their safety on the line just to be with each other, especially because they dislike the Party and want to rebel against it. “He felt no love for her, and he hardly even wondered what was happening to her” (Orwell, 1949, 289). This quote is foreshadowing because it suggests Winston and Julia’s relationship will fall apart. As time goes on, their trust and relationships weaken. Finally, the Thought Police catch them and take them to the Ministry of Love to be tortured, where they end up betraying each other. The breakup of Julia and Winston's relationship shows how common betrayal is in an oppressive world where you cannot oppose the majority. In summary, George Orwell's 1984 ethos displays throughout the
In “1984,” Orwell uses Winston to portray a single individual’s attempt to take action against a powerful government, culminating in his failure and subjugation. His individual efforts failed tremendously due to the overarching power of the Party to control every aspect of social life in Oceania. Orwell uses Winston’s deeply seated hatred of the Party to portray his views on power and social change. Winston’s actions show that even in the direst of situations ...
It is said that 1984 is one of the greatest books ever written, a literary work that remains as transcendent as ever since its publishing date sixty-four years ago. It is a grimly realistic story crafted together by George Orwell, who takes upon particularly effective literary elements, such as the limited third-person point of view, to follow the life of Winston Smith, the average everyday, resentful civilian who attempts to fight against the seemingly omnipotent and ubiquitous powers of the Ingsoc Party. The Ingsoc Party, a totalitarian government that governs the fictional country of Oceania, holds a casket of brilliantly intelligent individuals, some of who are members of the terrifying Thought Police and the notorious Inner Party, who employ informal language against the uneducated masses of Oceania civilians. Symbolism is also a key literary element in the novel, for anything ranging from ubiquitous telescreens to the infamous Big Brother ultimately contribute to Winston’s realization of how unbreakable the power of the Ingsoc Party truly is. All throughout 1984, George Orwell exercises the elements of diction, point of view, and symbolism to bring out the novel’s theme of how futile resistance is against established totalitarian governments.
Readers often find themselves constantly drawn back to the topic of George Orwell’s 1984 as it follows a dystopian community which is set in a world that has been in continuous war, has no privacy by means of surveillance and has complete mind control and is known by the name of Oceania. The story follows a man by the name of Winston who possesses the features of “A smallish, frail figure… his hair very fair, his face naturally sanguine [and] his skin roughened” (Orwell 2). The novel illustrates to readers what it would be like if under complete control of the government. As a result, this book poses a couple of motifs’, For instance part one tackles “Collectivism” which means the government controls you, while part two fights with “Romance” with Winston and Julia’s sexual tension as well the alteration of love in the community, and part three struggles with “Fear” and how it can control someone physically and mentally.
George Orwell’s haunting dystopian novel 1984 delves into the closely monitored lives of the citizens of Oceania as the Party tries to take control of society. In totalitarianism, propaganda and terrorism are ways of subjugation with a main goal: total obedience. He aimed to create a “what if” novel, what would happen if totalitarian regimes, such as the Nazis and Soviets, were to take over the world. If totalitarianism were to happen, the leader would be the brain of the whole system. Orwell emphasizes the theme of individualism versus collective identity through Winston, the protagonist, and his defiance to the Party and Big Brother, with a frightening tone, surreal imagery and a third person limited point of view.
The novel 1984, written by George Orwell in 1949, details the life of a one Winston Smith and his constant, life long battle to defeat Big Brother. This dystopian vision of the future serves as a reminder to the reader that anything can happen, but it is up to humanity to shape what kind of future is wanted in the end. Although Orwell’s novel is rather convincing to the people of this time, it serves only as a warning to one of many outcomes that the world could face. This book was Orwell’s idea of how life could have ended up; had people not realized that there is always a way to change what we do not like in life. Through the author’s many literary techniques, he was able to weave in meaning and importance to simple everyday objects
”The values, beliefs and attitudes of George Orwell’s can easily be seen in the novel 1984, as no text is neutral. These values attitudes and beliefs have shaped the novel to reflect socio-cultural context and by the use of certain discourses, ideologies, and historical influences support the idea that) “The explanation of a work is always sought in the man or women who produced it “Bathes Roland (1977).
Authors often use their works as a way to express their own opinions and ideologies. However, it is the skill of the author that determines whether these ideas are combined with the plot seamlessly, making a creative transition of ideas from the author’s mind, to the reader’s. There is no doubt that George Orwell is a masterful writer, and one of his most popular works, 1984, clearly expresses his negative views of the Totalitarian government. A common theme in the dystopian society in 1984 is betrayal: The Party is very intolerant towards any form of disloyalty, and anyone who plots against them or Big Brother will eventually either betray their own mind and accept Big Brother as their leader, or be betrayed and revealed to The Party by one of their so-called comrades. Overall, Orwell is using this constant theme of betrayal to show how alone and alienated the protagonist (Winston Smith) is in his quest against Totalitarianism, thus showing how flawed and hopeless the political system is.
In the novel 1984, Orwell produced a social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia that made the world pause and think about our past, present and future. When reading this novel we all must take the time to think of the possibility that Orwell's world could come to pass. Orwell presents the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control of the people of Oceania. The reader experiences the emotional ride through the eyes of Winston Smith, who was born into the oppressive life under the rule of Ingsoc. Readers are encouraged through Winston to adopt a negative opinion on the idea of communist rule and the inherent dangers of totalitarianism. The psychological manipulation and physical control are explored through Winston's journey, and with Winston's resistance and ultimate downfall, the reader is able to fully appreciate O'Briens reasoning, "Power is not a means, it is an end."
War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. The party slogan of Ingsoc illustrates the sense of contradiction which characterizes the novel 1984. That the book was taken by many as a condemnation of socialism would have troubled Orwell greatly, had he lived to see the aftermath of his work. 1984 was a warning against totalitarianism and state sponsored brutality driven by excess technology. Socialist idealism in 1984 had turned to a total loss of individual freedom in exchange for false security and obedience to a totalitarian government, a dysutopia. 1984 was more than a simple warning to the socialists of Orwell's time. There are many complex philosophical issues buried deep within Orwell's satire and fiction. It was an essay on personal freedom, identity, language and thought, technology, religion, and the social class system. 1984 is more than a work of fiction. It is a prediction and a warning, clothed in the guise of science fiction, not so much about what could happen as it is about the implications of what has already happened. Rather than simply discoursing his views on the social and political issues of his day, Orwell chose to narrate them into a work of fiction which is timeless in interpretation. This is the reason that 1984 remains a relevant work of social and philosophical commentary more than fifty years after its completion.
Orwell was a Socialist and believed in the ability for a rebellion to change society, but unfortunately too often he witnessed such rebellions go wrong and develop into totalitarian rule. 1984 warns us against the idea of absolute power through the analysis of the dangers of Big Brother and statist roots. 1984 remains an important work of literature because the ills of totalitarianism in all forms are still relevant in this day and age. Freedom and authoritarianism resonate with us, those of us who live beyond the 20th century and those who lived around that time. In 1984, Orwell uses irony and paradox to show the difference between the novel’s major conundrums: Emmanuel Goldstein, who is the enemy of the state but doesn’t pose any real threat, and Big Brother, the ultimate danger.
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
Throughout the novel, Winston refers to “the place where there is no darkness”. This place first comes to Winston in a dream when he plans to meet O’Brien. Later, the reader discovers that Orwell was foreshadowing when mentioning this place because Winston eventually ends up there. “The place where there is no darkness” is a room of telescreens in the Ministry of Love where the Party sends thought criminals to force them to love Big Brother. The irony is that there is no love present in the Ministry of Love. In reality, it is a dark place where people go for disagreeing with the
Many works of literature have the main character’s downfall caused by one of their main traits. In 1984 by George Orwell the main character, Winston, displays envy many times throughout the novel. From the first chapter when he starts to rebel against the Party in small ways to the middle and end of the book when he says he will do anything to destroy the Party. Winston’s envy leads to many good things for him, such as finding Mr. Charrington’s shop and meeting Julia, however it also leads to his downfall.
Some individuals would find it strange how people enjoy reading fictional dystopian books with bleak and depressing stories, but readers look forward to escaping from reality and envision a world completely different from their own. But, one would be surprised by the similarities between the dystopian societies and societies today. 1984 is a novel written in 1949 by English writer George Orwell, follows the protagonist Winston Smith and his experience living in the dystopian society of Oceania. The society is run by an upper class group called the party and their leader “Big Brother”, who manipulate the citizens of Oceania to remain in power. Winston rebels throughout the story with his love interest Julia before being caught and suffering
Third Writing Assignment-Orwell 1984 Critique George Orwell’s 1984 novel introduces readers into a society filled with propaganda and conformity. The power and strength of how political and moral rationality spreads through the minds of the characters seen in the novel, gives many a better understanding of the rights to freedom. Sociological concepts related to other theorist’s work, brings out dehumanizing issues involving the working classes and the perception of surveillance. Characters within the novel face differences of inner and outer parties, and the messages of tyranny and hate constantly oppress the minds of the future.