1984George Orwell

George Orwell

•“George Orwell” was the pen name of Eric Blair.

•Orwell was an Englishman born in India in 1903. He died at age 47.

•Orwell was educated at Eton, a prestigious boarding school in England.

George Orwell Contd’

•Orwell decided to skip college and work as a British Imperial Policeman in Burma

•He hated working in Burma and returned to English on sick-leave

•Once back in England he dedicated himself to writing full time.

•1984 was written in 1948.

Orwell’s Political Views

•He considered himself a democratic socialist and was critical of communism.

•He hated intellectuals, lying, cruelty, political authority, and totalitarianism.

•He strongly opposed Stalin and Hitler -- he was very outspoken during WWII.

Context of 1984

•Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning of totalitarian regimes that were present in the Soviet Union (Stalin), Spain (Franco), and Germany (although Fascism in Germany was on the decline after Hitler).

•1984 was written at the dawn of the nuclear age, the Cold War and before the prevalence of television.

Context of 1984 contd’

•Despite democracy winning over the Cold War, 1984 is still a relevant novel today.

•1984 warns against the abuse of power by governments

1984 Anticipation GuideDo you agree, somewhat agree, disagree, or

somewhat disagree with the following statements?

1) To assure our country’s freedom, the government should be able to spy on its citizens.

2) Patriotism means supporting your government during times of war.

3) Torture of a person who is a threat to our country’s freedom is acceptable as long the person does not die.

1984 Anticipation Guide Contd’

4) People who are a serious threat to the government should be able to be held in prison without being charged.

5) The government has a right to know what people are reading so they may determine who might be a threat.

6) Society would be safer if we had security cameras in public places to catch potential criminals.

1984 Terms

•Big Brother:▫Big Brother is the perceived ruler of

Oceania -- he looks like a combination of Hitler and Stalin

▫Big Brother’s God-like image is stamped on coins and projected on telescreens -- his face is unavoidable

1984 Terms Contd’

•Newspeak▫Newspeak is the official language of

Oceania

▫The goal of the Party is to have Newspeak replace Oldspeak (standard English)

▫Newspeak eliminates undesirable words and invents new words -- all to force Party conformity

1984 Terms Contd’

•Doublethink▫Doublethink is the manipulation of the

mind by making people accept contradictions

▫Doublethink makes people believe that the Party is the only institution that knows right from wrong

▫“The Ministry of Truth” (where Winston works) changes history, facts, and memories to promote Doublethink

1984 Terms Contd’•Oceania

▫Oceania is a huge country ruled by The Party, which is led by a figure called “Big Brother”

▫The Inner Party (1% of pop.) control the country

▫The Outer Party (18% of pop.) are controlled by the Inner Party

▫The Proles (81% of pop.) are the labor power who live in poverty

▫The Brotherhood is an underground rebellion organization lead by Emmanuel Goldstein

Brainstorm Session• In groups of two or three create a chart comparing

similarities and differences between 1984 and today.

1984 Today

Telescreens are everywhere.

Workplace monitoring (Winston can’t look at a note on his desk or dwell too long on a single document.)

Spies ( one never knows who to trust)

Thought police monitor thoughts and expressions.

Totalitarianism

•1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian government.

•Totalitarianism is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.

Surveillance & The Panopticon

Propaganda

•Propaganda: A form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position.

Two final thoughts…• Like Animal Farm, 1984 is a dystopian

novel:

• Dystopia:A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.

Final Thought

•We live in an age where democracy and capitalism has won the Cold War. While totalitarian regimes still exist today ( i.e. North Korea) they are no longer as severe a threat to democracy as the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

•However, 1984 is still relevant today.

Why?

Activity

1984 and Apple: Decoding Dystopian Characteristics

What are your reactions to this text?

“Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death, and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!”

Background

• In the 1980s, Apple had the image of the maverick, anti-corporate company. For example, the company encouraged employees to wear jeans and t-shirts to work.

• In the 1980s, IBM was famous for its rigid company structure and insistence that its employees maintain the “blue-suited corporate look and attitude”. The nickname for IBM is “Big Blue.”

Background contd’

• The commercial was first aired during half-time of the 1984 Super Bowl to announce the arrival of Apple’s new personal computer, the Macintosh.

• When this advertisement aired, Apple was in a fight with IBM to win control of the personal computer market.

• The title of the advertisement was “1984”.

•As you are watching the following commercial keep in mind the chart you are about to fill out…

The commercial is full of symbolism. With a partner identify the figurative meaning and dystopian nature of the following symbols:

• circular tunnels

• riot gear

• gray uniforms

• shaved heads of workers

• black and white versus color images

• athletic clothing versus workers' uniforms

• large computer screen

• Disembodied head of a man

• rows of workers in the hall 

• hammer

• hammer being thrown

• woman's red shoes versus the workers' shoes 

• white light from exploding screen

• Apple Computers logo

Discussion questions• How would you describe the workers depicted in the commercial?

• How does the runner compare to the workers?

• How do these characters display dystopian characteristics?

• What type of dystopian controls are used in the society depicted in the commercial? 

• What characteristics of a dystopian society are present in the commercial?

Discussion Questions contd’• How are setting and characterization used to show that the protagonist in

this commercial is trapped by this society and is trying to escape?

• What is the protagonist in conflict with in the commercial?

• What is the symbolic meaning of the protagonist's action of throwing the hammer and destroying the screen?

• What negative aspects of the dystopian world in the video are highlighted through the actions of the protagonist?

• What comment or criticism is being made about our society through this dystopia?