Book Report On 1984 By George Orwell

Essay, Research Paper

The book starts off with an interesting first sentence the clocks were striking 13. To me this was unusual because there is no 13 on a clock and it is usually considered an unlucky number. I thought it was kind of weird and different compared to what kind of world we are living in today. This is because in London the province of Oceania is where our first and main character Winston Smith lives. There are signs reminding citizens that Big Brother is always watching. Big Brother is the leader of the party in which Winston is a part of as well as all the people of Oceania.

Winston Smith is about 39 and has on ulcer on his left ankle. He had to wear blue overalls as a rule of the party. He lives in Victory Mansions by himself. One vocabulary word that I didn t know I found on page 6, eddies, which is a current air running contrary to the main current. Also on page 6 I learned that in this place where Winston lives they use what is called a telescreen which watches and hears everything everyone is doing. There is a telescreen placed in every corner of every room. This telescreen could not be turned off. If you are heard thinking of something the Big Brother does not want you to think then you will be punished by the Thought Police. This punishment could be death or a sentence of 25 years in a forced labor camp. You had to keep your feelings to yourself and try to hide them from the Thought Police. Your worst enemy is your own nervous system, (page 67) this is something you hear all the time from criminals who say their self conscious got to them.

There are three slogans of the party, theses slogans are War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. Not everyone is a member of the Party. Only about 20% of the people of Oceania are involved in the party. Most people living in Oceania are living in slums. The people are given a small amount of coupons to trade in for clothing, food or anything else they needed. On page 8 we find out the 4 most important buildings in Oceania. They are the four Ministries, which are all government buildings. They are the Ministry of Peace, which is concerned with war. The Ministry of Truth is concerned with news, entertainment, education and the arts. The Ministry of Love maintains law and order. The Ministry of Plenty is responsible for economic affairs. Each ministry had its own concerns and problems. I agree with the author in that our own system of government I believe each department has its own individual concerns and problems. Every member of the party worked in one of these ministries. Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth where his job was to rewrite history to make it sound good for the party.

On page 11 Winston is looking for razor blades because the party underestimated the amount needed when he walks into an antique shop and ends up buying a diary. This was not illegal only because there were no laws, but it could be thought as an act punishable to the Thought Police. When Winston got home he decided to write in his new diary only not knowing what to write. He just started writing about a war movie that he saw last night not even remembering why he bought this diary. On page 12, we meet a friend of Winston s, Charlie O Brien, who is a member of the inner party and a large burly man with a thick neck. Also, on page twelve, I did not know what bigoted meant. It means someone who is devoted to his own opinions and prejudices. On page 13, Winston hears on the telescreen the Two Minutes of Hate which came on every day. This was usually to test the people to see if they believed in the party. The person usually giving this speech is the former leader of the party Emmanuel Goldstein who is the enemy of the people. Winston could not talk to any of his co-workers. He was not allowed to possess memories and if you were caught some how it was all punishable by the Thought Police. Everyone was living in horrible conditions. George Orwell described the provinces of Oceania very well on page 77 where he writes, Decaying, dingy cities where underfed people shuffled to and fro in leaky shoes, in patched-up nineteenth century houses that smelt always of cabbage and bad lavatories. To me this sentence gave me a good mental picture of where and how these people were living.

Oceanian was based on Ingsoc. Ingsoc consisted of Newspeak, Doublethink and the changing of the past. Newspeak was the official language of Oceania. The book does not just revolve around Oceania there are two other super states, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is at war with Eurasia and had an alliance with Eastasia. Later on in the book, this changes as Oceania denies ever having an alliance with Eurasia. The territory of these three nations was constantly being captured or recaptured as each nation was really at war with each other. There were no alliances. All three super-states are permanently at war, and have been for over 25 years. This sentence on page 193 is similar to that of the Middle East where it seems there has never been peace between the nations there.

They have been fighting each other for so long because there is no one who has the power to do so and they are at war for no specific reason. It seems as though they are fighting just for the fun of it. It was one way of keeping the people of Oceania involved in the party. If they were to win the war eventually the citizens would support the party