Writing Techniques of George Orwell

Writing Techniques of George Orwell

I think the use of words such as ‘it’, ‘thing’, ‘something’, ‘some

kind’ are used in a way to install fear of the unknown the words shape

Winston’s thoughts letting fear wind its way through the tendrils of

his thoughts. You don’t know what it is, it may be so frightening you

will die of shock, the trouble is you simply don’t know and lack of

knowledge can be a very scary thing, if you know what something is

then you have the possibility of confronting it and finding it not so

bad at all.

O’Brian manipulated and brainwashed Winston so well that it was

impossible for him to keep to his original beliefs and die for his

cause. The power and torture was too much for him to handle.

Orwell uses short sentences and unnecessary detail to delay the action

and slow it down to create suspense, here are two examples

‘It seemed to reach Winston from far away. The rats were fighting;

they were trying to get at each other through the partition. He heard

also a deep groan of despair. That, too, seemed to come from outside

himself.’

Here Orwell’s short sentences bring home Winston’s fear utter despair

in thinking he knew what would be happening to him

'I have pressed the first lever,' said O'Brien. 'You understand the

construction of this cage. The mask will fit over your head, leaving

no exit. When I press this other lever, the door of the cage will

slide up. These starving brutes will shoot out of it like bullets.

Have you ever seen a rat leap through the air? They will leap on to

your face and bore straight into it. Sometimes they attack the eyes

first. Sometimes they burrow through the cheeks and devour the

tongue.'

Here Orwell is creating suspense and fear with the...

... middle of paper ...

...losing on his face” Winston was mindless

in his absolute fear and despair, then a tiny fragment of hope

glimmered into his mind, he was frantic to push the punishment

anywhere but onto himself, he finally realised the only thing was his

denouncement of Julia, to pass the punishment on to herself, forgotten

was the love the passion they had shared, self preservation finally

kicked in, every man for himself in the end, as well we all know very

few people would be willing to suffer endless torture and die for us,

we do what it necessary to survive which is what Winston finally

does. The Party had won in the end, he was a broken man.

The point of view expressed in this story is a third person point of

view the narrator is not part of the story but in the minds of the

characters like the all seeing eye or an omniscient presence

overlooking the proceedings.