• George Orwell–Outsider

During Youth

• Earned a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school as a youth

• Never fit in because he was a poor child among rich peers

• Famously described his family as “lower upper-middle class”

• Drew inspiration from his experience with snobbishness and social elitism while in school

• George Orwell–Political Writer

• Became so disenchanted with the rise of totalitarian leaders, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin

• Dedicated his writing to political satires that often tore down and poked fun at the weaknesses of government

• Similar themes explored in both 1984 and his other most famous work, Animal Farm

1984 brought “Big Brother” to the world

• 1984 Background Information– Message

– Dystopia

• 1984 is a warning against the dangers of a totalitarian society– A society where

government has complete authority over the people

– A society where technology abused by authority

• The vision of a dystopia is presented in the novel

• A dictatorship where every individual has every movement monitored and analyzed

• Literary Focus– Date of Publication– Genre

– Setting (TIME)

– Setting (PLACE)

• 1949• Dystopia; Futuristic

• 1984– 1984’s original title was

1948– The title was changed to

represent the future, but still relatively close to the present to make its themes more ominous.

• Oceania; part of the novel’s alternate reality– Oceania is one of three

world superpowers– It is continually at war

• Literary Focus, Con't:– Point of View

– Protagonist

– Antagonist

• Third-Person Limited– Because readers are

in Winston’s head, they make the same mistakes he makes in judging people, which include his sometimes misplaced perceptions of who is a loyal to the Party and who is not.

• Winston Smith

• Big Brother; Party Members

• Literary Focus

– Satire and Language

• Newspeak, the official language of Oceania

• Newspeak is different than “Oldspeak” in the following ways: – inventing new words– eliminating old words– stripping existing words of

their finer shades of meaning.

• The satirical purpose of the novel as the reader sees key words from out vocabulary eliminated, such as: – honor – justice – democracy – religion

• Literary Focus, Con’t:– Irony

– Oxymoron

• Big Brother is ironically named—it suggest

• The Party Slogan:WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

• Literary Focus, Con’t– Symbols

• Big Brother

• Telescreens

• Symbolized the power and control of the Party

• No matter where anybody goes Big Brother is watching

• Symbolic of the dangers of technology and abuse of technology

• Literary Focus, Con’t:– Themes and Conflicts

• Corruption of Absolute Power

• The Evils of Totalitarian Government

• The Sometimes Cruel and Oppressive Nature of Man

• Psychological Weakness of Man

• Physical Weakness of Man

• The Dangers of Technology

• The Power of History• The Power of Language

and the Written Word

• Overview • Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party, which completely controls the flow of information in the imaginary city of Oceania

• The leader of the party is an omniscient presence known as Big Brother

• Overview, Con’t: • Big brother regulates free thought, sex and individuality– Thought crime is the worst

crime anybody can commit (even thinking about rebellion or going against the party)

• Winston secretly hates the Party and Big Brother and begins to quietly rebel against its authority whether it is through writing in a diary or starting a relationship with a woman

• Overview, Con’t: • His rebellious actions are squelched when he is betrayed and forced to go through extensive brainwashing

• Through physical pain and psychological torture Big Brother is able bend Winston’s will to meet their expectations

• Big Brother • Ruler of Oceania• Never appears in the

novel• Big Brother’s face is

plastered everywhere with the message: “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.”

• Everywhere any citizen of Oceania turns he or she will see Big Brother staring back

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

• Winston Smith • Thin and frail• Introspective and

smart• Questions the

methods of the Party, including altering historical records and monitoring all activity and thought

• Hopes to join the Brotherhood to rebel against Big Brother and the Party

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

• Julia • Winston’s lover• Pragmatic and

Optimistic• Enjoys the excitement

of being rebellious and sneaking around doing things the party condemns

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

• Mr. Charrington • Runs a store in the proletarians district, where the poor live and where there is seemingly little Party monitoring

• Helps Winston on numerous occasions, including helping him procure a diary and set up a private meeting place for his girlfriend, Julia

The Working Masses of the Prol District

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

• O’Brien • Mysterious, powerful and sophisticated

• Winston becomes fascinated with him and believes he is a member of the Brotherhood—a rebellious group looking to overthrow the Party

Who can anyone trust when everybody is being watched?

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

• Emmanuel Goldstein • Leader of the rebellious Brotherhood

• Perhaps a mythical figure since he never actually surfaces in the novel

• Described by the Party as being highly dangerous and vicious

Does Goldstein Really Exist?

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS