1984

 **1984 **
 * [[image:1984first.jpg width="182" height="260" align="left" link="http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/images/big-brother-poster.jpg"]]Nineteen Eighty-Four** is a dystopian novel by George Orwell, published on June 8, 1949. This novel is one of Orwell's principle works, and the commonly used terms "Orwellian" and "Big Brother" have stemmed from it.

 **Setting** The world of __Nineteen Eighty Four__ (hitherto referred to as __1984__) is divided into three superpowered nations that perpetually wage war with each other. These countries are Oceania, where the novel is set, Eurasia, and East Asia. Very little is said about Eurasia and East Asia, other than that they are periodically allies and belligerents with Oceania. The story takes place with the province of Airstrip One, which was formerly the British Isles. The day the story starts is stated to be April 4, 1984, but because of the constant lies the government of Oceania force-feeds its people, even the date is uncertain.

**Big Brother and the Party** Oceania is an extreme totalitarian state. There is no political freedom. There is no individual freedom. There is no privacy, as immense measures of surveillance have been taken to insure that there is no dissent. The head of the party is Big Brother. All denizens of Oceania must love Big Brother. It is unsure, however, if Big Brother exists, and if so, how old and where he is. But most people do not think much past blind admiration for the possibly fictitious dictator. All throughout Oceania are ubiquitous posters of Big Brother's face with the caption "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU."

There are four ministries comprising the Party: the Ministry of Love, the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Plenty, and the Ministry of Peace. Each of the ministries' names are the opposite of their duties. The Ministry of Love is in charge of torturing political prisoners in order to instill a love for Big Brother. The Ministry of Truth's duty is complete and total revisionism of the past. In order to do this, newspapers, speeches, lyrics, and photos are rewritten and falsified in order to create a past that is cohesive to the party's propaganda. The Ministry of Plenty deprives the citizens of Oceania of food and essential items for daily living, while telling them that the rations are getting larger and more generous. Finally, the Ministry of Peace is in charge of war.

The structure of the party is such that there are three distinct castes with Big Brother seated at the top of the hierarchy. This pyramid is shown below.



The Proles, short for the proletariat, are the masses that blindly follow the Party and Big Brother, and are spoonfed relentless propaganda in order to keep them loyal. They are the workers, the engine in the vehicle that is the nation of Oceania. Those in the Outer Party complete the tedium that keeps the Party afloat and are barely socially higher than the Proles. The Inner Party members are the most privileged and wealthiest, controlling those below them.

Those that speak out against the Party or are suspect of being subversive are detected by the Thought Police and are declared Thought Criminals. Once caught, they simply do not exist anymore. Any record of their existence is destroyed or rewritten.

This is the official written language of Oceania, and according to the book's appendix, its spoken language by 2050. It is the only language ever created that grows smaller as time progress. It takes Standard English and cuts out any words or terms that are deemed unnecessary by those crafting Newspeak. The definitive version of Newspeak is the 11th Edition Newspeak Dictionary. The goal of Newspeak is to prevent Thought Crime by destroying the words to express it. There are very few adjectives in Newspeak. This is because all words with opposites, (good, bad) can be simplified by having the original word and the prefix un- affixed to express the opposite (good, ungood). To express superlatives, plus- and double-plus- can be added (plus-good, double-plus-ungood).

The Two-Minutes Hate is a regular practice conducted by the Party to instill an intense hate in the Party's enemies and a deep love and dependence on Big Brother. Images of Emmanuel Goldstein (the figurehead of rebellion) and a Eurasian soldier firing a machine gun at the viewers are shown on towering screens while patriotic music is played. The fear and hate swells in those who watch, as the scream "TRAITOR!" at Goldstein and even throw items at the screen. At the apex of this hate, Big Brother's face is shown, and the entire crowd starts to chant "BB...BB...BB..."

The party's motto is "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength."

**Winston Smith** The main character of __1984__ is Winston Smith. Winston is a middle-aged everyman that the reader can easily relate to and place themselves within this nightmarish tale. He has thinning hair, a varicose ulcer, and a chronic cough. Winston is a member of the Outer Party, holding a job in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. Winston spends each day revising old documents, and it is this job that causes him to question the Party's omnipotence. Winston can vaguely remember a time when the harsh regime did not rule. This era exists in his mind as daydreams, a place he calls the Golden Country. His mother was taken away by the Thought Police in his childhood. It happened in the night; it always happens in the night. Winston continues to grow skeptical of the Party and their stranglehold, and it is this trait that makes him such a tragic figure.

 **Synopsis** Winston Smith first starts his path of dissent when he purchases a book with blank pages, a rarity. He starts record his thoughts in this diary, and grows more and more rebellious against the Party in his mind as time goes by. The reader is given insight into the daily tedium Winston endures working at the Ministry of Truth: rewriting newspapers, altering speeches, creating fake people. Life in the Outer Party is unpleasant. Every so often the Ministry of Plenty deprives the population of a different commodity. At one time, it was bootlaces. Now it is razor blades. The coffee, gin, and cigarettes are all replaced by "Victory" coffee, gin, and cigarettes; all of which are of poor quality and shadows of their genuine counterparts. Devices called telescreens (akin to a two-way television) are in every living quarters and watch his every move. However, when he maneuvers himself into an alcove in his apartment, he is out of the telescreen's sights and able to write in his diary. One day during the Two Minutes Hate, Winston catches the glance of an Inner Party member, O'Brien. In this shared gaze, Winston believes that O"Brien sympathized with him, sensing a hate for Big Brother as well. Winston fantasizes that O'Brien may be part of the mythical underground resistance movement "The Brotherhood." This gives Winston hope that rebellion against the Party is possible.
 * Part One**

Winston falls in love with a dark-haired woman who works in the Pornosec of the Ministry of Truth. One day she discreetly brushes up against him and gives him a note. Inside is the message "I love you." They plan a meeting, and make love in a secluded forest. They begin to meet for frequently, but still sporadically. Mr. Charrington, a kindly, elderly shopkeeper who sold Winston the blank book, allows Winston to use the old bedroom above his shop; there is no telescreen there. One day, O'Brien approaches Winston with a copy of the newest Newspeak dictionary and invites him to his apartment. Winston brings Julia, and it is there that O'Brien reveals that the Brotherhood does exist and that he is a member. He inducts Winston and Julia, and gives them a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein's heretical manifesto //The Theory and Practice Of Oligarchical Collectivism//. Winston leaves O'Brien's apartment with a flame of inspiration, that he can do something to change his quality of life. Once in his quaint room above Mr. Charrington's shop, he reads the book to Julia through the night. There are interrupted. A voice tells them to stop where they are. Soldiers rush into the room, attack Julia, and carry her out. Winston then discovers that m-
 * Part Two**

 MINITRUE PROHIBIT FURTHER UNGOOD BROWSE REF ORD. 457.3527.236. REPORT UPSUB REC CRIME STOP 2 YP 4 QUARTER CONT BROWSE DIFFSEC NOW   **About the Author** Eric Arthur Blair was born on June 25, 1903 in British India. He is known by millions as George Orwell, his pen name. Orwell is considered to be one of the most important authors of the 20th century, and an deft observer of society's flaws and social injustices. It is his keen eye and penchant for the English language that drove him to write __1984__ and his other masterpiece of stinging satire, __Animal Farm__. Orwell's writing style is of a dual nature. At times, he is vague, shrouding the action with bland language until the reader is begging to find out what exactly is happening. At other times, he is so blunt that when he plainly states something, the reader is taken by surprise. Unlike other dystopian novels, such as __Fahrenheit 451__, Orwell creates an entire universe where the action takes place. He does not simply create ancillary entities to add depth to his character(s). He creates nations, governments, technologies, and a language, and places Winston Smith within it all.

 **Critical Assessment** "Here then lies the genius of Orwell and the reason that the Left so despises him. It would have been easy to write a polemic against fascism in 1948 and by then you could even criticize Communism without courting total revulsion from the Left. Moreover, the politically expedient way in which to criticize these isms was to speak of the noble goals betrayed by tiny bands of oligarchs. But Orwell went beyond these easier targets and attacked Socialism and centralized government in general... 1984 stands as an indictment of all the bureaucratic boot wearers everywhere, regardless of their intentions or their ideology. It is a paean to freedom & freedom of thought. 1984 is clearly the greatest novel of the 20th Century and should be #1 on the Modern Library list."

-Bruce J. Ravenscroft **Personal Assessment** I firmly believe that any member of modern society must read this book. It is an epic for any palate, and its lessons are valuable to any reader. Its length is digestable and so is its language. Not many books have had such a profound effect on me as __1984__ has. In the past eight years, this novel has become increasingly relevant. A security camera here. A phone tap there. Where does it end? When will the individual be so comprimised that the need for surveilance be quenched? Read this book. Remember; Big Brother is watching you.