Literary Analisys: 1984

1. In the story of 1984 a  commoner by the name of Winston Smith is a part of a Fascist, all-seeing union called Oceana (what used to be Britten and most of the United Kingdom). Through the story he is combated by mixed feelings about this regime, especially when the act of "thoughtcrime", or crime of thinking badly or maliciously of the leaders, is thrust before him time and time again. The exposition concludes when Winston finds himself trying to find clues and hints of the life before Big Brother (an omnipotent spectator over the people, the founder of the regime Oceana is currently under). What really sparks the story off in terms of action is when he meets a woman named Julia. Julia can be viewed as a manifestation of rebellion towards Big Brother, and after several years of conjugal encounters, Winston is moved to take a more intuitive approach at toppling Big Brother's umbrage. After this incident, Winston decides to take a poor gamble, and ultimately ends up in the hands of the thought police (the secret police of Oceana). The thought police are known for their utter brutality  and the rest of the story is geared mainly towards the uncovering of the human condition of pressure. The facility in which Winston is kept rips his soul from him, making him renounce all his imaginary, and real, crimes. After his condemnation of himself, he was let known he was to be executed, and his punishment was so carried.

2. The story revolves around the idea that the human spirit can be so molded, that one cannot even recognize ones-self (there was a metaphor in which Winston was aghast at his own appearance). The book also stresses that ideas cannot be changed or recreated, but rather, ones mind can be so contorted, so crushed, that they are forced to believe in something they do not believe in.

3. I had the feeling George Orwell wanted to convey a sense of moral chaos. The dark mood set by the characters set the tone to where talking of the taboos of violence and brutality were nonchalant while the talking of love and compassion were so alien from social context, it was almost seen as outlandish. In the case of violence, Winston was contemplating the murder of his old wife due to her lack of compassion, however to meet and exchange pleasantries with Julia, there was a maze of complex steps to not be monitored, hunted, and executed. Much later, Winston changes his views (post torture) to be almost like a machine, non-sentient and broken. He adored Big Brother and was cold to Julia, as he turned away from her when he sees her again.

4. Satire was bursting from the scenes, Orwell was using the sarcasm of Winston's superiors to imply Winston's inferiority. Contradicting phrases were splashed in to describe complex emotions (the ugly, knowledgeable face...). The cliche of humans acting as units instead of living beings was a common theme. The torture/interrogation scenes were lined with imagery to give cringe-invoking dialogue. Synesthsia was used in the description of nature and the dank, darkness of many living areas. Ethos was created, and crushed, and created, and crushed in a cycle of torture to shatter the soul. The allegories of change by force were incorporated. As I said earlier, metaphors were used to describe mental states. Severe indifference in the face of horror was a confusing, yet thought invoking touch. The use of omnipotence of a character other than the character made you feel like the character did, scared and nervous for himself.