Hello friends, today I'm going to discuss the very famous author George Orwell as part of my thinking activity assigned by our professor Dr. Dilip Barad sir. So let's discuss it.
George Orwell was born Eric Blair in India in 1903. He was born to a comfortable ‘lower-upper-middle class’ family and a father who served the British Empire. George Orwell is one of the world’s most influential writers, the visionary author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four and his eyewitness, non-fiction classics Down and Out in Paris in London, The Road to Wigan Pier and Homage to Catalonia.
Nineteen Eighty-four, also published as 1984, novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949 as a warning against totalitarianism. The chilling dystopia made a deep impression on readers, and his ideas entered mainstream culture in a way achieved by very few books. The book’s title and many of its concepts, such as Big Brother and the Thought Police, are instantly recognized and understood, often as bywords for modern social and political abuses. So here are some questions which I have to discuss.
1] What is dystopian fiction ? Is 1984 dystopian fiction ?
First we see what is dystopian fiction, then we can see this novel is dystopian novel or not.
“All utopias are dystopias. The term “dystopia” was coined by fools that believed a “utopia” can be functional.”
- A.E. Samaan
Since Thomas More’s first use of the word utopia in 1516 it has conjured multiple and ambiguous connotations. Utopia and its defining antithesis dystopia can be articulations of what we wish to become or to avoid becoming, an investigation of hope and the potential for transformation.
Let's see one video for better understanding :-
"Dystopian literature is a form of speculative fiction that began as a response to utopian literature. A dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing and frightening. A dystopia is an antonym of a utopia, which is a perfect society."
The central themes of dystopian novels generally fall under these topics:
Government control
Environmental destruction
Technological control
Survival
Loss of individualism and identity
Totalitarianism
∆Is 1984 dystopian fiction ?
Yes, according to the above characteristics we can say that this novel is dystopian fiction.
In George Orwell’s 1984, the world is under complete government control. The fictional dictator Big Brother enforces omnipresent surveillance over the people living in the three inter-continental superstates remaining after a world war.
Environmental themes are there in the details of the world of Big Brother and Oceania. The streets of Airstrip One (the renamed England) are strewn with refuse – everything is ruined. The universe is in a state of entropy, of falling apart. And yet everyone is indifferent to this state of affairs.
A well-organized and effective propaganda machine goes a long way in ensuring total control of the Party over the superstate and its residents. The regulation and dissemination of information involves
“tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your choosing.”
Totalitarianism is one of the major themes of the novel, 1984. It presents the type of government where even the head of the government is unknown to the public. This theme serves as a warning to the people because such a regime unleashes propaganda to make people believe in the lies presented by the government.
So we can say that this novel is a dystopian novel.
2] Your learning about the novel from online screening.
Screening of any movie helps us to understand the context very clearly. In this movie I learn many things which I want to discuss here.
The first image of the movie. It starts with the lines
"who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past".
If the person is controlling their past, they are able to control the future. But who controls the present is able to control the past ? Is it possible ? Yes, it's possible through the language. And in this novel we can see that people are controlled by language. If we can see sometimes we are also controlled by the language and some speeches. So we have to learn this type of language to understand, when somebody is using this language we can understand and be alert.
Sometimes any particular person or party can brainwash people's minds. By using the language. We simply believe what they said is true. We hate some people or some party when they said to do that, and we love some party or person when they want. Our thoughts become prejudiced because of this type of brainwash. We can say that,
People started hating people without knowing people !!
So we have to first know everything about the person and then make any prejudice about them. And don't believe simply what others say, but to do clear things with ourselves.
As we see in the movie, the workers are controlled by the government. So we have to open our eyes to see what is going around and we have to be alert of every situation that can control us. And yes, they are not controlled physically but mentally ! That's why this point is very important to be aware of.
One other thing I learned from this movie is we have to stay away from friends like O'Brien. He was first familiar with Winston, but later on we came to know that he was a secret police. So we have to check every person with whom we are believing.
3] What according to you is the central theme of this novel ?
According to me the central theme of the novel is Loss of Identity and Independence.
Totalitarian governments often adopt strategies that make people lose identities and independence so that the citizens will not question the supremacy of the governing class. Thus, proving that totalitarianism, which is one of its major themes in the novel, has ripped people of their own personality. The uniformity in food, clothes and what the people hear and absorb in 1984 shows that the Party and its supposed head, Big Brother, are engaged in erasing the individualities and identities. Winston Smith’s feeling of criminality in writing his diary is a dangerous act. The final torture scene when O’Brien confronts Winston to erase his integrity and his significant resistance brings out response from O’Brien. He explains to Winston Smith that he is the last man on earth if he is harboring rebellious thoughts. This is an example of how individuality and identity are not tolerated in totalitarian regimes.
4] What do you understand by the term 'Orwellian' ?
This term "Orwellian" was named after British author Eric Blair. It is an adjective describing a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. This term includes the hypnotic state of cognitive dissonance called doublethink. In which one is compelled to disregard their own perception. This might sound like something that can only happen in totalitarian regimes, but Orwell was warning us about the potential for this occurring even in democratic societies. And this is why "authoritarian" alone does not make "Orwellian".
Language and words have the power to shape our thoughts and opinions. Language is the currency of politics, forming the basis of society from the most common, Everyday interactions to the highest ideals. Orwell urged us to protect our language because ultimately our ability to think and communicate clearly is what stands between us and a world where war is peace and freedom is slavery. So this is the term "Orwellian".
Thank you.
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