George Orwell’s 1984
By Jared Blackstone
George Orwell
• Real name: Eric Blair
• Novelist and one of most
renowned English-
language essayists
• Orwell Awards: annually
honor those who contradict
media conventions
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
Biographical Notes
• Born in India in 1903, the son of India Civil Service
members
• Attended Eton College in England
• Joined Indian Imperial Police in 1922
• Wrote first novel, Burmese Days, in 1924
• Wrote his most popular novels – Animal Farm and 1984 in
1945 and 1949
• Died in London, England in 1950
Selected Novels
Burmese Days – 1934
1984 - 1949
Down and Out in London and
Paris - 1933
Homage to Catalonia -
1938
Animal Farm - 1945
The Road to Wigan Pier - 1937
Coming Up for Air - 1939
Context for 1984
• As a soldier, Orwell saw first-hand the atrocities of
totalitarian government in Spain and Russia.
• He also saw signs of threat in the United States and Britain
in the forms of increasingly technological warfare and the
defense of non-communist governments.
• He wrote 1984 as both a warning and a reflection of the
fears of many people at the time he wrote.
The World of 1984
• Imagine a world where you
are watched wherever you
go, at all times.
• Would you feel free?
Could you ever be
yourself?
Setting
• 1984 takes place in Oceania, one of the world’s three super-states,
along with Eurasia and Eastasia.
• Oceania is always at war with one and allies with the other.
Big Brother
War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.
Big Brother is Watching You.
Most people in Oceania, like Winston Smith, the main character, work
for the Party, the government, and are forced to live by this axiom.
The others are the poor, called “proles.” They live in the slums of
Oceania and are left largely untouched. They lead ignorant lives and
know little and care less about what happens in the world.
Winston Smith, ThoughtCriminal
•Winston works for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to
change history to agree with whatever the Party says.
•He commits “thoughtcrime” against the Party by
recording his rebellious thoughts in a journal, which is
forbidden. If discovered, he will be killed by the
Thought Police.
•He can’t stop himself, though; he needs to write what
he feels about the world he lives in.
The Brotherhood
• Winston meets Julia, who also wants to rebel against the
Party.
• They are approached by O’Brien, a higher-up in the Party,
to join the Brotherhood, a secret organization made to fight
Big Brother.
• Winston gets “The Book,” which reveals all the secrets of
the Party and Big Brother.
“I love Big Brother.”
• Winston and Julia are
caught and taken to the
ironically-named Ministry
of Love.
• Winston is tortured and
brainwashed by O’Brien,
who reveals that the
Brotherhood does not
exist.
• Winston, at the end,
believes fully in the Party
and loves Big Brother.
Dystopia
• Dystopia – the opposite of a Utopia, or perfect
world; a world in which living conditions are
extremely poor and oppressive
• 1984 describes a dystopia. How is the Party able to
maintain control and prevent a revolt? Is there any
hope?
Applications
• Can 1984 be applied to life
in the United States today?
• In what ways could our
society fall into one like the
one in 1984? How can we
avoid it?
• www.newspeak.com
Writing Assignment
Take the theme of surveillance:
Discuss the similarities and
differences between the kinds of
surveillance used in 1984 and in the
United States today.
Discuss also government policies in
1984 and the United States that
deal with privacy issues. How are
they similar and/or different? How
do you feel about these policies?
Sources
• http://www.school.discovery.com/lessonplans/progr
ams/1984
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
• Dystopia definition:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dystopia