“Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper.”

Context: Dictators such as Adolf Hitler in Germany and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union inspired Orwell’s hatred of totalitarianism and political authority. 1984 was largely written as a warning against totalitarian society.   In Spain, Germany, and the Soviet Union, Orwell personally witnessed absolute political authority and how regimes used technology as a tool of repression. 

Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system that strives to regulate nearly every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarian regimes or movements maintain themselves in political power by means of an official all-embracing ideology and propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that controls the state, personality cults, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism, the use of mass surveillance, and widespread use of state terrorism.

Joseph Stalin may have been Orwell’s inspiration for Big Brother “…the poster gazed from the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features."

Social class disparity in Oceania

The Proles - Proletarians or lower, working classes. Approximately 85% of Oceania's population are in this class. Members of the party viewed them as animals. They are not as rigidly observed as members of the party, and very few (if any) have telescreens in their home. They are permitted to indulge in pornography, prostitution, and other acts considered thoughtcrime, simply because it would be impossible to observe all of them as rigidly as the party observes its own members. Plus, allowing them to indulge in these "little joys" helps to keep the masses content.

Background to Nineteen Eighty-Four The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four is based upon two totalitarian dictatorships, Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. The world of Ingsoc (English socialism) bears strong resemblances to the Soviet Union, but much of the detail of the life comes from Germany.

Like Stalin, Adolph Hitler denied his subjects access to the truth Like Stalin, Adolph Hitler denied his subjects access to the truth. His Third Reich “can be read as a war against memory – an Orwellian falsification of reality...” (Primo Levi) Oceania conducts an unceasing war on memory-evidence that conflicts with the latest official line is systematically destroyed & a false trail is laid in its place.

Children of the revolution In the Soviet Union,young people were encouraged to join the political group. They were called Young Pioneers (aged between 7-13) and later called Komsomols. If you were a Komsomol member you got into university automatically, so there was great pressure to join.

Hitler youth flourished…

Nineteen Eighty-Four A novel that is also an essay Winston’s experience is typical of what happens to people in Ingsoc. Winston’s journey to the Ministry of Love (Torture Chambers) is inevitable from the time he picks up the diary.

Why keep a diary? Anne Frank keeps a diary to explore what she feels and reflect on what she knows. She also keeps it as a way of comforting herself. This activity is difficult for Winston because the activity of diary writing becomes impossible. No privacy exists. ‘Big Brother is watching you.’

Surveillance and control The people of this society are constantly being watched by telescreens (monitors that have an ability to project images and take in images) They are also watching each other. Any small facial gesture or sigh can give you away. It doesn’t matter if you are innocent

Cameras everywhere!

Big Brother is Watching YOU No joke or popular TV show – he really was watching!!!

The human need for freedom In the society Orwell imagines, people could not: Love who they want Work where they want Walk where they want Eat what they want Write anything down Weren't allowed to have memories What is someone willing to risk for freedom?

Things you need to take note of when reading the text: The “new” language. Any term that is unfamiliar to you should be noted down and defined. At the start of the novel most words are defined or explained. Words/terms like: newspeak, minitrue, thoughtcrime, proles, Ministry of Love, Hate Week. Doubleplusgood, duckspeak, Oceania

Newspeak The official language of Oceania. Newspeak is "politically correct" speech taken to its maximum extent

http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/

Oceania – One of the 3 Superstates. (Political System: Ingsoc) Winston Smith's home. Comprised of North and South America, Britain, Australia, and southern portions of Africa. Newspeak is the official language of Oceania, but standard English is still spoken by many.

The Three Superstates

The importance of history One of Winston’s jobs is to change the past so that it “fits into” the present beliefs of those in power. No one values history, even personal history is worthless.

Loyalty to the party transcends even family ties. All marriages are arranged to produce children to serve the state. From the time that these offspring are very young, they are trained as spies. Many children, turn their parents in to the Thought Police. Neither the parents nor the children are supposed to have any love for one another. There is no love in the world of Big Brother.