I RECOMEND YOU GUYS CHECK OUT GEORGE ORWELL'S BOOK "1984"
HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK.
In "1984", Orwell creates a society of rebellious characters, cities in ruin and an oppressive, totalitarian government lead by Big Brother. It is a world in which ignorance is bliss.
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In closing, George Orwell's novel 1984 uses strong descriptions to get his ideas across. His ideas represent what he thinks life could become like in fifty or so years if dictatorship is allowed to continue. Tyrannical governments could surface, cities could be in ruins and radicals could be prosecuted for simply thinking rebellious thoughts. George Orwell describes these ideas through an oppressive, totalitarian government, decrepit living situations and rebellious characters.
The times of 1984 prove to be discouraging, to say the least. A tyrannical ruler, an oppressive government and never-ending war keep spirits down and rebellious hearts futile. Big Brother is the dictator of the nation of Oceania. He is said to be ever-present, as the mantra "Big Brother is watching you" (Orwell 2) is plastered on billboards and other forms of public notice. The totalitarian government controls the people of Oceania through Reality Control, or "doublethink." For example, Winston says, "In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it" (Orwell 80). This means that even if the claim is undeniably false, the fact that every other person believed it to be true makes the claim true, in this case two plus two equaling five. Another example of Oceania's regime is constant war. The government uses the idea of war to keep the people's thoughts occupied with hate instead of thoughts of rebellion. For instance, during the Two Minutes Hate, a rally to lead the citizens into a blind rage, the images on the screen turn into a Eurasian soldier to advocate the hatred of Eurasia itself: "[the shape] melted into the figure of a Eurasian soldier who seemed to be advancing, huge and terrible, his submachine gun roaring..." (Orwell 15). Together Big Brother, doublethink and constant war represent the times of 1984 and the control of the people of Oceania.
George Orwell uses the descriptions of certain places to get his ideas across in 1984. Winston Smith's apartment building, the city in Airstrip One and the Ministry of Truth all promote one idea: the Party is superior to all citizens of Oceania. First is Winston's apartment building, Victory Mansions. The apartment complex, dilapidated and rundown, houses many citizens of Airstrip One. Orwell also illustrates the peculiar stench of "boiled cabbage and old rag mats" (Orwell 1) coming from the hallway. He depicts the city in Airstrip One also falling to pieces. Winston wonders if there had always been the "vistas of rotting nineteenth-century houses, their sides shored up with balks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron..." (Orwell 3).
These two places represent the inferiority of the citizens of Oceania. The Party, on the other hand, has sensational buildings that any architect would admire. The Ministry of Truth, for instance, is an "enormous pyramidal structure of glittering white concrete, soaring up, terrace after terrace, three hundred meters into the air" (Orwell 4). Invariably, George Orwell's message is that the Party is a cut above the citizens in every way.
George Orwell portrays the three main characters of 1984, Winston Smith, Julia and O'Brien with great detail, including the element of human flaws. Winston Smith is thirty-nine years old, has "hair [that] was very fair, his face naturally sanguine, his skin roughened by coarse soap and blunt razor blades..." (Orwell 2). He has fond memories of the past, especially of his mother. He writes his rebellious fantasies of overthrowing the Party in a diary bought in the lower class ("Proletarian") section of town. He knows that his thoughts will get him into trouble with the Thoughtpolice, but he continues to write them down. Julia also rebels against the Party. She is described as a "bold looking girl of about twenty-seven, with thick dark hair, a freckled face, and swift athletic movements" (Orwell 10). Her rebellion mostly targets the Junior Anti-Sex League, of which she is a member; she had sex with many men including Winston, but not because she wanted to prove a point or stand up for a cause, she simply did it to have fun. O'Brien is an assumed opponent to the Party as well. He is described as a "large, burly man with a thick neck and a coarse, humorous, brutal face" (Orwell 10). Winston associates O'Brien with the "brotherhood," or the alliance against the Party, and is drawn to his charisma and charm. His helpful behavior and supposed valor against the Party seem truthful, but O'Brien is in fact a member of the thoughtpolice. In short, George Orwell uses the flawed human traits to create believable characters.
Ignorance is bliss. According to George Orwell in his novel 1984, "Ignorance is Strength" (Orwell 4). Orwell describes a world of rules where you cannot think your own thoughts; it is a fascist government. He depicts the rundown, decrepit scenery of character Winston Smith's apartment building, work, and his city of residence. Last, he portrays the characters of Winston Smith, Julia and O'Brien with great detail including the flaws imposed on them by the oppressive regime. Overall, George Orwell illustrates the elements of time, place and character effectively in hiss novel 1984.
