1984 George Orwell

1984 George Orwell

Michelle Bautista

August 7, 2010

1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell is a famous novel about Winston Smith, who is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Throughout the book Winston is being watched everywhere he goes, even in his own home, with telescreens. Everywhere that Winston goes, he seems to always see the leader of the Party, Big Brother. Big Brother and the Party control everything in the nation Oceania. They even control the people’s history and the people’s language. In the novel, the Party is forcing an enactment of an invented language called Newspeak. Newspeak is a developed language in which it is technically impossible to disagree with the Party because there are no words for unorthodox ideas. Every year the vocabulary in this language of Newspeak becomes smaller and smaller and is more simplified.

In Oceania it is illegal to think rebellious thoughts, and this is the worst crime that you could possibly commit. Having this be a crime, Winston illegally buys a diary and proceeds to write down his illegal thoughts about the Party. Winston becomes focused on a very powerful member of the Party named O’Brien. Winston seems to think that O’Brien is a secret member of the Brotherhood, which is a mysterious group that works to depose the Party.

In the novel Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, where he has to fix the historical records kept, in order to fit the Party. While working he notices a coworker. She is a gorgeous dark-haired woman looking at him. Winston worries that she is an informant and will turn him in because of his thoughcrimes. He is puzzled with the controlled history by the Party. It is said that Oceania has always been allied with Eastasia in a war with Eurasia. Winston seems to believe that this isn’t true. Winston also finds that Emmanuel Goldstein, the suggested leader of the legendary group, Brotherhood, is the most harmful man alive. Again Winston...