1984 (Chapter 1)
Read the first chapter and answer the following questions.
1. When does the novel begin?
2. Where does the novel begin?
3. Cite the caption on the posters in Winston’s building.
4. What is Newspeak?
5. What does a telescreen do?
6. What are the Party’s three slogans?
7. Name the four Ministries of the government.
8. What is the purpose of the Two Minutes Hate?
9. What is thoughtcrime?
10. What is the penalty for thoughtcrime?
ANSWERS
1. The novel begins at 13 o’clock on a day in April 1984.
2. The novel begins at Victory Gardens.
3. The caption on the posters reads “Big Brother Is Watching You.”
4. Newspeak is the official language of Oceania.
5. A telescreen monitors one’s every motion and sound.
6. The Party’s three slogans are: War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery and
Ignorance Is Strength.
7. The four Ministries are Truth, Peace, Love, and Plenty.
8. The purpose of the Two Minutes Hate is to increase hatred of
Emmanuel Goldstein, Enemy of the People.
9. Thought crime is an all-inclusive crime.
10. The penalty for thought crime is extermination.
ANALYSIS
Winston's dream foreshadows what will take place later on
in the book. The use of the phrase, "a place where there is
no darkness," another recurring image in the novel, takes an
ironic twist when this premonition of Winston's does not
turn out as he expects. Winston attributes this phrase to
O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party, who, later in the
novel, meets Winston "in a place where there is no
darkness" — the Ministry of Love, a prison.
The mutability of the past and the existence of fact through memory
are prominent themes throughout 1984. In this chapter, Winston
begins to ask himself questions that will haunt him throughout the
rest of the book; among them, how can an idea survive if the past is
not allowed to exist? Both Hitler and Stalin distorted the past and
rewrote history to maintain the illusion of supreme power.
However, Orwell's intent is not merely to warn against the Hitler’s
(Fascists) and Stalin’s (Communists) of the world. Instead, his aim is to
warn against the kinds of thinking and political processes that,
although not as obvious as these two examples, ultimately make us
receptive to more and more control.
In this chapter, Orwell further develops Winston's pessimistic, fatalistic
character. He has been so convinced of and so assimilated by the
Party's power and omniscience that he cannot imagine hiding any
thought or action as he writes: "Thought crime does not entail death:
thought crime IS death." Therefore, once he has committed
his thought crime, he is sure he will be discovered and punished
(vaporized). Winston's goal essentially becomes not to stay alive,
which he has no confidence he can accomplish, but to stay alive as
long as possible.
Writing Assignment
Pretend you have had a nightmare in which you are
suddenly living in Winston’s world. You have just woken up
and you are sweating and screaming. You’ve woken up two
of your roommates who are concerned about you. Tell them
about your dream.
(400-500 words)