English Advanced: Human Experiences 1984 Essay

[jasmine.lindley]

Societies continuously attempt to grasp an illusory utopian society through collective power structures, however, eventually fall short as the influence of the individual within the community generates a spark of change. Brought to an extreme in George Orwell’s dogmatic dystopia, 1984, understanding of the human experience and modern-day power is enhanced through the rich portrayal of a lone individual amidst the carefully executed corrupt oppression of the Party. Influenced by fascism and Nazi rise as well as Orwell’s longing curiosity for political truth, 1984 conflicts with the fundamental human need to understand purpose and generate an individual identity while dealing with the peril of one’s existence living amongst a world of repressive collectivism. This impenetrable paradox is comprehensively explored throughout Orwell’s depiction of the complex human experience as the forceful isolation assigned on individuals by the Party is faced with the need for human connection, igniting both empathy and terror in readers who seek to find glimpses of hope within a hopeless society.

Acting as a cautionary tale, 1984 explores the inevitable result when power is given to the collective, utilising the forms of oppression used by the Party to investigate the consequential forced collective human experience. Affected by his context, Orwell progressively aligns the over-ruling Party with WWII totalitarian regimes such as Nazism and fascism, through the ever-present use of surveillance such as microphones, telescreens, and propaganda, brainwashing Oceania to believe in a blend of paranoia that ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’. By holding up a mirror to WWII, Orwell investigates preordained human destruction when the collective is allowed to obtain such power, as attempts are made to force individuals within society to comply with a given ideology. Observed through the protagonist’s pessimistic perspective, a commonplace man, re-enforced through the commonality of his name, ‘6079’ Winston Smith depicts the standardised desolate living conditions of the societal collective under the repressive dehumanisation of the Party within Oceania. Represented through Winston’s persistent metaphorical ‘varicose ulcer’ the wellbeing of the people is surrendered to the maintenance of the Party’s mass degree of control, as Winston attempts to ‘escape the vile wind’ but ‘not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust entering along with him’. This inescapable oppression gives way to the corruption of the collective, as they seek to destroy all physical and mental barriers opposing, consequently eliminating the utopian illusion. Likewise, The Party utilises all forms of human life to force compliance, through mass media such as the ‘Two Minute Hate’ and ironic slogans such as ‘War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.’ As well as through the re-shaping of the past to comply with the present as whoever ‘controls the past controls the future’, re-iterating the corruption of the collective depicted through the irony of the ‘Ministry of Truth’, wherein lies are shaped. Observed through the Party’s use of manipulation in all areas of life, corruption and oppression become a prevalent theme, therefore, causing the audience to reflect on the political corruption in their current world and the relating human experience.

The omnipresent oppressive collective forces a haunting vulnerability to intertwine within the individual, instigating the rebel of a lone individual, as the fundamental human need to generate connection is unable to be subjugated. Depicted under the extreme conditions of the Party, the ‘pale and meagre’ Winston Smith is intrigued by a society purged of ‘Big Brother’, which eventually develops into an awareness of the corruption of the collective polluted with an ‘ecstasy of fear’. Through this instant consciousness amongst a world of ‘unconsciousness’, Orwell enforces emotive vulnerability within Winston, his society and readers as Winston is strained to desperately ‘not abandon (his) true beliefs’ and internal reality as he continuously challenges assumptions. As Winston progressively becomes aware through ‘doublethink’ he reflects and foreshadows ‘he (is) already dead’, due to the ever-conflicting inconsistency of human strength found among humanity’s weakness and vulnerability. Engaged through his introspective nature and self-analysis, he’s constantly persistent to challenge the oppression of individuality and fight for reality control in order to counter his sterile environment, while continuously understanding the importance of holding onto his humanity. Instigated through a lack of human connection, he privately rebels through ‘writing’ in ‘a diary’, ‘thoughtcrime’ and buying ‘genuine antiques’; however, it isn’t until he engages in a secret affair with Julia that he finds strength and individual identity amongst a world of tyrannical collectivism. Through this, Winston discovers that the Party’s elimination of ‘pure love’ and connection amongst individuals, plays into humanities deepest fear of isolation, constraining the need for love onto the collective.

However, the power of the collective is too great for the rebel of a lone individual to overcome, resulting in the responsibility of change to lie amongst community who inspire hope through their combined human experience. Individual vulnerability is exposed through the stripping of Winston’s identity and individuality as the Party forces him to see that ‘2 +2 = 5’, enforcing the motif and failure of the individual against the all-powerful collective. However, Orwell doesn’t eliminate beauty or hope within his novel as it remains the center of the human experience, that even in the face of ‘tragedy’ and emotive ‘complex sorrows’ in the foreground, beauty continuously flourishes in the background within the allegorical ‘coral…paperweight’, the ‘yellow ray of sinking sun’ and most importantly, the hope of the proles. Orwell’s symbolic use of the proles provides the heartbeat of the novel, revealing to readers that hope is the underlying constant in even the most devoid worlds, where a single shift of community could prove to be the turning point as ‘if there is hope…it lies in the proles’. The proles live in a way ‘natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern’, proving that humanity within individuals can never be completely euthanized; however, through Marxist influence, Orwell reveals community must be ‘conscious of their own strength’ in order to truly instigate change. The faith held in the proles by Winston is emblematically explored through the ‘red-armed woman’, who is although metaphorically compared to as ‘a mare’, ‘a rose-hip’ and an ‘over-ripe turnip’, sings ‘spontaneously’ and turns ‘dreadful rubbish into pleasant sound’ as hope does in the face of dreadful circumstance. Therefore, through the use of background Orwell reveals the power of community, and strength in connection, in the face of imperious collectives to instigate hope and reveal beauty in the face of tragedy.

[meerae]

Societies continuously attempt to grasp an illusory utopian society through collective power structures, however, eventually fall short as the influence of the individual within the community generates a spark of change. Brought to an extreme in George Orwell’s dogmatic dystopia, 1984, understanding of the human experience and modern-day power is enhanced through the rich portrayal of a lone individual amidst the carefully executed corrupt oppression of the Party. Influenced by fascism and Nazi rise as well as Orwell’s longing curiosity for political truth, 1984 conflicts with the fundamental human need to understand purpose and generate an individual identity while dealing with the peril of one’s existence living amongst a world of repressive collectivism. This impenetrable paradox is comprehensively explored throughout Orwell’s depiction of the complex human experience as the forceful isolation assigned on individuals by the Party is faced with the need for human connection, igniting both empathy and terror in readers who seek to find glimpses of hope within a hopeless society.

Acting as a cautionary tale, 1984 explores the inevitable result when power is given to the collective, utilising the forms of oppression used by the Party to investigate the consequential forced collective human experience. Affected by his context, Orwell progressively aligns the over-ruling Party with WWII totalitarian regimes such as Nazism and fascism, through the ever-present use of surveillance such as microphones, telescreens, and propaganda, brainwashing Oceania to believe in a blend of paranoia that ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’. By holding up a mirror to WWII, Orwell investigates preordained human destruction when the collective is allowed to obtain such power, as attempts are made to force individuals within society to comply with a given ideology. Observed through the protagonist’s pessimistic perspective, a commonplace man, re-enforced through the commonality of his name, ‘6079’ Winston Smith depicts the standardised desolate living conditions of the societal collective under the repressive dehumanisation of the Party within Oceania. Represented through Winston’s persistent metaphorical ‘varicose ulcer’ the wellbeing of the people is surrendered to the maintenance of the Party’s mass degree of control, as Winston attempts to ‘escape the vile wind’ but ‘not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust entering along with him’. This inescapable oppression gives way to the corruption of the collective, as they seek to destroy all physical and mental barriers opposing, consequently eliminating the utopian illusion. Likewise, The Party utilises all forms of human life to force compliance, through mass media such as the ‘Two Minute Hate’ and ironic slogans such as ‘War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.’ As well as through the re-shaping of the past to comply with the present as whoever ‘controls the past controls the future’, re-iterating the corruption of the collective depicted through the irony of the ‘Ministry of Truth’, wherein lies are shaped. Observed through the Party’s use of manipulation in all areas of life, corruption and oppression become a prevalent theme, therefore, causing the audience to reflect on the political corruption in their current world and the relating human experience.

The omnipresent oppressive collective forces a haunting vulnerability to intertwine within the individual, instigating the rebel of a lone individual, as the fundamental human need to generate connection is unable to be subjugated. Depicted under the extreme conditions of the Party, the ‘pale and meagre’ Winston Smith is intrigued by a society purged of ‘Big Brother’, which eventually develops into an awareness of the corruption of the collective polluted with an ‘ecstasy of fear’. Through this instant consciousness amongst a world of ‘unconsciousness’, Orwell enforces emotive vulnerability within Winston, his society and readers as Winston is strained to desperately ‘not abandon (his) true beliefs’ and internal reality as he continuously challenges assumptions. As Winston progressively becomes aware through ‘doublethink’ he reflects and foreshadows ‘he (is) already dead’, due to the ever-conflicting inconsistency of human strength found among humanity’s weakness and vulnerability. Engaged through his introspective nature and self-analysis, he’s constantly persistent to challenge the oppression of individuality and fight for reality control in order to counter his sterile environment, while continuously understanding the importance of holding onto his humanity. Instigated through a lack of human connection, he privately rebels through ‘writing’ in ‘a diary’, ‘thoughtcrime’ and buying ‘genuine antiques’; however, it isn’t until he engages in a secret affair with Julia that he finds strength and individual identity amongst a world of tyrannical collectivism. Through this, Winston discovers that the Party’s elimination of ‘pure love’ and connection amongst individuals, plays into humanities deepest fear of isolation, constraining the need for love onto the collective.

However, the power of the collective is too great for the rebel of a lone individual to overcome, resulting in the responsibility of change to lie amongst community who inspire hope through their combined human experience. Individual vulnerability is exposed through the stripping of Winston’s identity and individuality as the Party forces him to see that ‘2 +2 = 5’, enforcing the motif and failure of the individual against the all-powerful collective. However, Orwell doesn’t eliminate beauty or hope within his novel as it remains the center of the human experience, that even in the face of ‘tragedy’ and emotive ‘complex sorrows’ in the foreground, beauty continuously flourishes in the background within the allegorical ‘coral…paperweight’, the ‘yellow ray of sinking sun’ and most importantly, the hope of the proles. Orwell’s symbolic use of the proles provides the heartbeat of the novel, revealing to readers that hope is the underlying constant in even the most devoid worlds, where a single shift of community could prove to be the turning point as ‘if there is hope…it lies in the proles’. The proles live in a way ‘natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern’, proving that humanity within individuals can never be completely euthanized; however, through Marxist influence, Orwell reveals community must be ‘conscious of their own strength’ in order to truly instigate change. The faith held in the proles by Winston is emblematically explored through the ‘red-armed woman’, who is although metaphorically compared to as ‘a mare’, ‘a rose-hip’ and an ‘over-ripe turnip’, sings ‘spontaneously’ and turns ‘dreadful rubbish into pleasant sound’ as hope does in the face of dreadful circumstance. Therefore, through the use of background Orwell reveals the power of community, and strength in connection, in the face of imperious collectives to instigate hope and reveal beauty in the face of tragedy.

Hey, jasmine.lindley!
Welcome to the forums!
I had a read through, and I saw you were missing a conclusion, is this intentional?
Otherwise, this was exceptionally well written. I felt some parts could be phrased better, which can be fixed by reading the essay out loud and I also felt some parts of the analysis could be worked on more as they felt quite brief. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this!

Hope this helped!
meerae