1984
GEORGE ORWELL’S CLASSIC TALE OF A FUTURE
WORLD GONE HORRIBLY WRONG
About the Author
•Born 1903 in India as Eric
Blair, grew up in England
•After school, joined civil
service
•Chose to live among the
lower classes for one year
•Was a sergeant in the police
force
•Became a socialist
(ideally, a system where
everyone shares the
benefits of
industrialization),
•Moved to Spain, was
kicked out by Communist
Party
•Saw British imperialism
first-hand in India (Burma),
was appalled at the
oppression he witnessed
Orwell’s Political Views
 Considered himself a
democratic socialist
and was critical of
communism
 Hated lying, cruelty,
political authority, and
totalitarianism
 Strongly opposed
Stalin and Hitler -- he
was very outspoken
during WWII
What Orwell Saw
 Economic Depression of the 1930’s
 High unemployment
 Shortage of food, housing, and money
 Restrictions on daily life and rations
 The beginning of the Cold War
 The “Iron Curtain”
 Communist countries to the east of the iron
curtain VS countries protected by the U.S. to the
west
Animal Farm--Influences
• In 1945, Orwell wrote Animal Farm, a political
satire.
• The book reflects events leading up to and during
the Stalin era before World War II.
• Orwell was a critic of Stalin and what he saw of
the results of the influence of Communist policy
"ceaseless arrests (Ivan and Gray, anyone?),
censored newspapers, prowling hordes of armed
police“)
• The result was a distrust of totalitarianism and the
betrayal of revolutions (what we saw in Ivan was
the result of the failed Russian Revolution—
Stalin’s betrayal of his people)
1984--Influences
 1984 was written in 1948
 Based many aspects of Oceanian society on the Stalin-era
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Soviet Union.
The "Two Minutes' Hate“ was based on Stalinism's habitual
demonization of its enemies and rivals
The description of Big Brother himself bears a physical
resemblance to Stalin.
The Party's proclaimed great enemy, Emmanuel Goldstein,
resembles Leon Trotsky, in part because both are Jewish;
Trotsky was Stalin’s greatest political adversary who was
eventually exiled from Russia
The censorship aspect reflects Orwell’s experience in Burma
1984--Influences
Parallels the Stalinist Soviet Union and Hitler's Nazi Germany:
 Extensive and institutional use of propaganda found in the
regimes of Hitler and Stalin.
 Thematic similarities:
 the subordination of individuals to "the Party“
 the rigorous distinction between inner party, outer party and
everyone else.
 Direct parallels of the activities within the society:
 leader worship, such as that towards Big Brother (Hitler and
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
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
Stalin)
Joycamps--reference to concentration camps or gulags
Thought Police--a reference to the Gestapo or NKVD
Daily exercise--reminiscent of Nazi propaganda movies
Youth League--reminiscent of Hitler Youth
1984—Influences that Conflict
 Also reflects various aspects of the social and
political life of both the United Kingdom and
the United States of America?!
 Described the situation in the United
Kingdom in 1948, when the British economy
was poor, the British Empire was dissolving
yet newspapers were reporting its triumphs,
and wartime allies such as the USSR were
rapidly becoming peacetime foes
What’s the Book About?
 A novel of psychological
terror that warns us
about a future where the
government controls
everything and individual
rights are taken away
 The novel was a response
to Totalitarian
governments (Stalin,
Hitler, Mussolini, etc.)
 A dark, cautionary tale
More about 1984
•The world of 1984 is a negative
utopia --- a dystopia. (dys—bad,
diseased, faulty, abnormal;
topia—a place, somewhere)
•The main character, Winston
Smith, tries to rebel against
society
•He begins his rebellion with the
simple act of writing in his journal
--- which is illegal
The Setting—Oceania
London, England: “Airstrip One”
Year: 1984 (but really this
means sometime in the
future—think of it as 2054)
What is Oceania Like?
•All citizens monitored by telescreens (your smart TV… or Alexa?)
•The government is represented by Big Brother
•Laws are enforced by the Thought Police
•History is constantly erased and rewritten --Big Brother is never
wrong (fake news, alternative facts)
•Citizens are constantly asked to show their allegiance
•Hatred for the enemies of Big Brother is encouraged through the
use of propaganda
•The society of Oceania is constantly at war with other countries -- or so Big Brother says.
Winston Smith—the protagonist
•Thirty-nine year old low-ranking
member of the ruling Party
•Thin, frail, contemplative, intellectual
•A normal, insignificant, lonely man in a
world that is devoid of creativity and
color
•Feels that something is missing in his
life and wants to break free
•Constantly paranoid that he will be
discovered and arrested for Thought
Crime
•Works in the Records Department
•He secretly hates Big Brother and
harbors revolutionary dreams
Social Class in Oceania
I promise this is not a political post…
Wait for it…
See.. (This also proves I am
old.)
Ideas (that will Develop
into Themes)
•Alienation/Isolation
•Love
•Appearance vs. Reality
•Individuality
•Governmental Control
•Freedom of Thought and Speech
Orwellian?
This word comes directly from
Orwell’s writing in 1984.
It carries a negative connotation
Refers to anything involving
systematic controlling/monitoring
of the individual.
For example, you might refer to
the installation of security cameras
at FHS as “Orwellian”.
Questions to Consider
This novel predicted one
possible future.
•How is the society in 1984
like our own?
•Are we closer to 1984 today
than we were in 1949?
•How are our thoughts
controlled today? In what
ways are we watched and
monitored today?
•Who is Big Brother in our
society?
•What are the key symbols
in the novel?
What is Orwell saying about:
•Societal apathy?
•Language
•The use of fear?
•Mass manipulation?
•Isolation and Individualism?
Some Help with Terms
Ingsoc – Oceania’s
form of
Newspeak – the
government
(English socialism) language of
Oceania –less
words = less
thought
TBH? IKR? LOL.
Doublethink –
the ability to
believe two
contradictory
things at the
same time
More Terms
Thought crime –
thinking anti-party
thoughts
Telescreen—a
two-way
television screen
http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-tokeep-your-smart-tv-from-spying-onyou/
WHY DO PEOPLE STILL READ
1984?
Was Orwell Right?