1984
by
George Orwell
William Meyers
George Orwell Biography

George Orwell was born on June
25th, 1903 in Bengal, India. Orwell’s
original name was Eric Arthur Blair,
but he had it changed to be named
after the Orwell River in East
Anglia. He and his mother moved
to England when George was one
year old. While in England, Orwell
went to the Anglican Parish School
as a young boy. He then sent to St.
Cyprian’s School in Sussex. While
at St Cyprian’s, Orwell wrote his
first poem, “Awake! Young Men of
England.”
George Orwell Biography

In 1928, Orwell moved to Burma to join the Indian
Imperial Police. While in the service, Orwell began to
appreciate literature and began writing his own short
stories and essays. His first Novel, “Burmese Days,” was
published and sold in the United States in 1934.
In 1936, George went to Spain to do a report on the
Spanish Civil War. He joined the Lenin Division of
Barcelona to assist in fighting the Nationalist Army. On
May 12th, 1937, Orwell was struck by a sniper bullet,
which paralyzed him on the left side of his body and he
lost his voice temporarily.
George Orwell Biography

George Orwell returned to England in 1938. He
wrote about his experiences in the Spanish Civil
War in his book titled "Homage to Catalonia."
Orwell was hired by The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) in 1941. His job was to write
scripts for commentary on World War II. He
worked for the BBC for two years as well as
working for the "Observer" Newspaper.
George Orwell Biography

In 1945, Orwell wrote and published "Animal
Farm," one of the most famous books in Britain
at the time. It was also one of the most disputed
and had many critics talking. The novel's main
focus was on the communist revolution in Russia.
Orwell wrote his last book entitled "1984" in
1948.Yevgeni Zamyatin inspired Orwell with his
book "We," which Orwell used as a base setting
for "1984." The book was about the threat of
government takeover in the future. George
Orwell died from tuberculosis on January 21st,
1950.
Other Books written by George Orwell
Animal Farm
 Burmese Days
 Down and Out in Paris and London
 Homage to Catalonia

1984 Summary
1984 Summary

Orwell’s book “1984” took place in London, which was part
of the Oceania Nation. The main character in the story is
Winston Smith, who was a member of the ruling political
party of Oceania. The government that Winston worked for
controlled everything and who lived in Oceania. Everything
for the language and the food they ate, to their family and
how long each citizen was allowed to live. The government
even had these so called “telescreeens” in every home and
building of Oceania. The government’s slogan was “Big
Brother is watching you” because they did not want
anybody to plan a rebellion against the dictatorship of Big
Brother and would imprison anybody who attempted to.
People in Oceania could not even think about doing
something inappropriate without being arrested.
1984 Summary

The story started out with Winston filing some records about Oceania
citizens’ history. Winston felt that this was an outrageous thing to do. Every
day he would walk by Room 101. The rules stated that no one was to enter
that room without written permission and clearance from Big Brother. He
began to think about what is behind the door leading to Room 101 when
he saw a dark haired lady staring at him. Winston felt that she was a
member of the Thought Police and was going to arrest him for thinking
“wrong” thoughts about the government. However nothing happens, but
the next day she passes a note along to Winston. It says “I love you.” Her
name was Julia. Winston began to talk to her and be around her more and
more every day. They were constantly looking for any government watch. If
caught, they could get some serious time in prison. Winston also got a diary
to keep his thoughts on his life and feelings toward the government, which
grew worse as he spent more time with Julia. Winston and Julia feel as if the
government was closing in and was going to strike them at some point, but
they did not. Their relationship grew and their concern over being caught
by Big Brother began to increase as well.
1984 Summary

One day Winston receives a message from O’Brien, a higher ranking
member of the government and was supposedly against Big Brother.
He wanted to meet with Winston and Julia as soon as possible.
Winston and Julia travel to O’Brien’s apartment. When they arrive,
they find that it is a very lavish and luxurious place to live. O’Brien
greeted them and told them that he was on the opposing side of Big
Brother, as is Winston and Julia. He gives them a book written by
Emmanuel Goldstein. The book was like an outline of how a union of
rebels could take down Big Brother. All of a sudden, the doors of
O’Brien’s apartment are shoved down by soldiers. O’Brien happened
to be an undercover agent for Big Brother and suspected that
Winston and Julia were both going to rebel against the government.
Winston and Julia were caught for having an affair and thinking
unpleasant thoughts about Big Brother. O’Brien’s plan was to
persuade and make Winston accept Big Brother through ways of
gruesome torture.
1984 Summary

They entered the dreaded Room 101. Winston had a fear of rats his
entire life and the Thought Police knew this for a fact. They believed
this would have been the appropriate procedure to make Winston
accept the government for who they are. O’Brien revealed a large
cage filled with rats. Inside the cage is a fencing mask, which was in
the center of the cage for somebody’s head to be placed. O’Brien
was going to put the cage on Winston’s head and have the rats gnaw
at his face until or if he accepted his wrong doing. As O’Brien began
to slip the cage over Winston’s head, he cried out in despair for them
to torture Julia instead. O’Brien really wanted Winston to give up
Julia. This was the only way that the interrogation process could have
been completed. Big Brother broke Winston’s heart and finally got
him to accept the laws of the government. The book was basically
about a process that the rebels would go through and how, in the
end, they will turn out new people because the government tortured
them into believing their laws and values.
Literary Devices
Symbolism, Conflict, and Mood
Literary Devices
Symbolism- The use of symbols to represent
objects or ideas.
 Examples from the book



Big Brother is the main symbol in “1984” because it
represents the law of land that the people live by.
The journal that Winston keeps secretly to record his
thoughts and feelings, as well as more personal
writings.
Julia represents Winston’s happiness. They both agree
that Big Brother needs to be stopped and they
become romantically close to each other.
Literary Devices
Mood- A state of mind or feeling.
 Examples from the book

Depressing and uncomfortable.
Winston is always looking over his shoulder to see if
anyone is watching him or following him.
 People who live in Oceania are not happy because they
cannot to anything without being punished by the
government.

Literary Devices

The mood also demonstrates a state of what is right and
wrong in the book.

. The Ministry of Truth in “1984” expresses several quotes that most
people would find to be morally and socially wrong. “War is peace,
freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.” (1984 26) These
quotes are emphasized in public schools to teach the young children
that this is the way that society should be. In war, you fight to kill
people, so killing people means there is peace. The government
enslaving citizens of the country is their way of telling the people
they have freedom. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or
information. The government figures if they can keep all of their
actions and backroom deals a secret, they will gain strength and
become powerful. Obviously, the government has taken their actions
to the streets and homes of Oceania, enslaving the “free” people,
and fighting war to keep peace. This thought process leads to my
next example of mood, which is confusion.
Literary Devices

There is also a state of confusion throughout the book.

Winston says “I understand HOW: I do not understand
WHY.” (1984 68) Today, everyone realizes that the federal
government is the highest law anywhere.Yes, some people
question the government’s actions, yet they also know that
is probably for the right reason. In Oceania, people cannot
question the government’s actions or else bad things will
happen to the questioners. The citizens have been brain
washed by the government, thinking that whatever the
government does is for the benefit of the people. It may
seem morally wrong to people who are reading this book,
but to characters in the book, it is morally and ethically
wrong.
Literary Devices
Conflict- A strong disagreement between
two parties or groups.
 Examples from the book
Winston and Julia disagree with the government
on controlling how people live.
 O’Brien reveals he is a member of the Thought
Police. He catches Winston and Julia talking about
rebelling against Big Brother.
 Winston exclaims for O’Brien to torture Julia.

Personal Review

1984 was a very challenging book to read. It took me some time to figure out what
was actually going on. I knew it was a book that foreshadowed the future of
European government. George Orwell wrote this book during World War II, when
Germany and the Soviet Union were trying to take over Europe and Asia. Orwell
saw that the Eastern Hemisphere was on brink of beginning a new world order. He
saw that nobody could even think bad thoughts about the government without
being detained.
Orwell's novel was like a warning for the remaining European countries that did
not fall victim to Germany or the Soviet Union. He warned that the remaining
countries be prepared for drastic changes to their way of life. They were about to
become slaves of the new order. They could accept the changes, move out of the
continent, or fight back. Some chose to fight, some retreated, and some stayed.
Although in the end, the fighting kept happening and the war came to an end. They
did not lose any freedoms.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes thrilling mysteries
that pertain to real life situations. Even though it was a fairly difficult peace of
literature, I would encourage more people to read it.
Works Cited
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