1984 essays hsc

Common Module State-Rank Essay Showcase: Nineteen Eighty-Four

The following essay was written by Project Academy English Tutor, Marko Beocanin

Marko Beocanin

99.95 ATAR & 3 x State Ranker

The following essay was written by Project Academy English Teacher, Marko Beocanin.

Marko’s Achievements:

• 8th in NSW for English Advanced (98/100)
• Rank 1 in English Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2
• School Captain of Normanhurst Boys High School

Marko kindly agreed to share his essay and thorough annotations to help demystify for HSC students what comprises an upper Band 6 response!

Common Module: Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay Question

Marko’s following essay was written in response to the question:

“The representation of human experiences makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity.” In your response, discuss this statement with detailed reference to George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.

State-Ranking Common Module Essay Response

George Orwell’s 1949 Swiftian satire Nineteen Eighty-Four invites us to appreciate the intricate nature of humanity by representing how the abuse of power by totalitarian governments degrades our individual and collective experiences. (Link to rubric through individual/collective experiences, and a clear cause and effect argument: totalitarian governance -> degraded human experience. Also, comments on the genre of Swiftian satire. Value!) Orwell explores how oppressive authorities suppress the intricate societal pillars of culture, expression and freedom to maintain power. He then reveals how this suppression brutalises individual human behaviour and motivations because it undermines emotion and intricate thought. (Link to rubric through ‘human behaviour and motivations’, and extended cause and effect in which the first paragraph explores the collective ‘cause’ and the second paragraph explores the individual ‘effect’. This is an easy way to structure your arguments whilst continuously engaging with the rubric!) Ultimately, he argues that we must resist the political apathy that enables oppressive governments to maintain power and crush human intricacy. Therefore, his representation of human experiences not only challenges us to consider the intricate nature of humanity, but exhorts us to greater political vigilance so we can preserve it. (Concluding sentence that broadens the scope of the question and reaffirms the purpose of the text).

Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing how totalitarian authorities suppress intricate collective experiences of culture, expression and freedom in order to assert control. (This is the ‘collective’ paragraph – a cause and effect argument that relates the question to the loss of human intricacy in the collective as a result of totalitarian rule). His bleak vision was informed by Stalin’s USSR: a regime built upon the fabrication of history in Stalin’s ‘cult of personality’, and ruthlessly enforced by the NKVD. (Specific context – an actual specific regime is named and some details about its enforcement are given). The symbolic colourlessness and propaganda-poster motif he uses to describe London reflects the loss of human intricacy and culture under such leadership: “there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere.” (First example sets up the world of the text, and the degraded collective experience). Orwell uses the telescreens, dramatically capitalised “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” posters and allusions to Stalin in Big Brother’s “black-moustachio’d face” as metonyms for how governmental surveillance dominates both physical and cultural collective experiences. Winston’s metatextual construction of the fictitious “Comrade Ogilvy” serves as a symbol for the vast, worthless masses of information produced by totalitarian governments to undermine the intricacy of real human history: “Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed…would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.” Similarly, Orwell’s satirical representation of Newspeak ignites the idea that political slovenliness causes self-expression to degrade, which in turn destroys our capacity for intricate thought and resistance: “we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” (The examples above prove that the government’s leadership style truly is totalitarian, and that it results in a loss of intricacy and ‘humanity’ in the collective. It’s good to cover a variety of examples that explore different facets of the collective – for example, the first example establishes the extreme surveillance, the second example establishes the loss of ‘truth’/history, and the third example establishes the loss of language). The political bitterness that marks Nineteen Eighty-Four as a Swiftian satire (This is a link to the ‘Swiftian’ term used in the thesis statement. It’s important to refer back to any descriptive terms you use in your thesis) ultimately culminates in O’Brien’s monologue, where Orwell juxtaposes the politicised verb “abolish” to symbols of human intricacy, “we shall abolish the orgasm…there will be no art, no literature, no science…when we are omnipotent”, to express how totalitarian rulers suppress collective experiences to gain metaphoric omnipotence. Thus, Orwell makes us aware of the intricate nature of humanity by representing a future in which totalitarian governments suppress it. (A linking sentence that ties it all back to the question and rephrases the point)

Orwell then argues that the effect of this suppression is a loss of human intricacy that brutalises society and devalues individual experiences. (Cause and effect argument that links collective suppression to a loss of human intricacy on an individual scale – continuous engagement with the question and the rubric!) Orwell’s exposure to the widespread hysteria of Hitler’s Nazi regime, caused by the Nuremberg Rallies and Joseph Goebbels’ virulent anti-semitic propaganda, informs his representation of Oceania’s dehumanised masses. (More specific context around the Nazis, and a specific link to how it informed his work) The burlesque Two Minute Hate reveals human inconsistency by representing how even introspective, intelligent characters can be stripped of their intricacy and compassion by the experience of collective hysteria: even Winston wishes to “flog [Julia] to death with a rubber truncheon…ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax”, and is only restored by compliance to the Christ-like totalitarian authority, “My-Saviour!”, Big Brother. (A link to the rubric with the ‘human inconsistency’ point) Orwell frequently juxtaposes dehumanising representations of the proles, “the proles are not human beings”, to political sloganism: “As the Party slogan put it: ‘Proles and animals are free’”, to argue that in such a collectively suppressed society, the upper class grow insensitive towards the intricate nature of those less privileged. (It’s important to link the proles into your argument – they’re often forgotten, but they’re a big part of the text!) He asserts that this loss of empathy degrades the authenticity and intricacy of human relationships, characterised by Winson’s paradoxically hyperbolic repulsion towards his wife: “[Katharine] had without exception the most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had every encountered”. (Continuous engagement with the question and rubric: make sure to recycle rubric terms – here, done with ‘paradoxically’ – and question terms – here, with ‘intricacy’)  Winston’s “betrayal” of Julia symbolises how totalitarianism ultimately brutalises individuals by replacing their compassion for intricate ideals such as love with selfish pragmatism: “Do it to Julia…Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me!” Therefore, Orwell makes us more aware of the intricate nature of humanity by demonstrating how it can be robbed by suppressive governments and collective hysteria. (A linking sentence that sums up the paragraph).

By making us aware of how totalitarian governments suppress meaningful human experiences both individually and collectively, Orwell challenges us to resist so we can preserve our intricate nature. (This third paragraph discusses Orwell’s purpose as a composer. This can in general be a helpful way to structure paragraphs: Collective, Individual, Purpose) Orwell’s service in the 1930s Spanish Civil War as part of the Republican militia fighting against fascist-supported rebels positions him to satirise the political apathy of his audience. (Integration of personal context is useful here to justify Orwell’s motivations. It’s also a lot fresher than just including another totalitarian regime Orwell was exposed to) Orwell alludes to this through the metaphor of Winston’s diarising as an anomalous individual experience of resistance, ““[Winston] was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear,” which highlights how his intricate nature persists even in a suppressive society. Often, Orwell meta-fictively addresses his own context, as “a time when thought is free…when truth exists”, to establish an imperative to preserve our intricate human nature while we still can. The Julia romance trope (It’s good to include terms such as ‘trope’ which reflect your understanding of narrative structure and the overall form of the work.) represents how Winston’s gradual rejection of his political apathy empowered him to experience an authentic, intricately human relationship that subverts his totalitarian society: “the gesture with which [Julia] had thrown her clothes aside…[belonged] to an ancient time. Winston woke up with the word ‘Shakespeare’ on his lips.” Orwell juxtaposes Julia’s sexuality to Shakespeare, an immediately-recognisable metonym for culture and history, to argue that human intricacy can only be restored by actively resisting the dehumanising influence of the government. Orwell also represents Winston’s desensitised and immediate devotion to the Brotherhood to reflect how the preservation of human intricacy is a cause worth rebelling for, even by paradoxically unjust means: “[Winston was] prepared to commit murder…acts of sabotage which may cause the deaths of hundreds of innocent people…throw sulphuric acid in a child’s face.” (More chronological examples that show Winston’s transformation throughout the text. It’s useful to explore and contrast those who resist with those who don’t resist, and how just the act of resistance in some way restores our humanity! That’s why this paragraph comes after the ‘brutalised individual experience’ paragraph) However, Orwell ultimately asserts that it is too late for Winston to meaningfully restore humanity’s intricate nature, and concludes the text with his symbolic death and acceptance of the regime, “[Winston] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (It’s important to remember that Orwell ends the text so miserably so that he can motivate his audiences not to do the same thing). The futility of this ending ignites the idea that we must not only be aware of our intricate nature, but must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (A linking sentence that ties the paragraph together and justifies the futility of the ending)

Therefore, Orwell’s representation of human experiences in Nineteen Eighty-Four encourages us to reflect personally on our own intricate human nature, and challenges us to fight to preserve it. (Engages with the question (through the reflection point), and includes Orwell’s purpose as a composer). His depiction of a totalitarian government’s unchecked assertion of power on human culture and freedom, and the brutalising impact this has on individual and collective experiences, ultimately galvanises us to reject political apathy. (Your argument summaries can often be combined into a sentence or two in the conclusion now that the marker knows what you’re talking about. This reinforces the cause and effect structure as well.) Thus, the role of storytelling for Orwell is not only to make us more aware of our intricate nature, but to prove that we must actively resist oppressive governments while we still can in order to preserve it. (The clincher! It’s often useful to add “not only” in your final sentence to reinforce the massive scope of the text)

If reading this essay has helped you, you may also enjoy reading Marko’s ultimate guide to writing 20/20 HSC English essays .

P.S If you have any questions about aceing HSC English , you are welcome to learn from Marko and join one of Project Academy’s HSC English classes on a 3 week trial .

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Common Module: Text Analysis - Nineteen Eighty-Four

• Location: London, Airstrip One, Oceania
• Permanent state of war
• Totalitarian: government has total power and control over citizens
• Oligarchy: Power is in the hands of a minority
• Figurehead is Big Brother
• Socialism is a political ideology that advocates for greater economic equality through a state-controlled system of labour
• In essence, the government controls how much money everyone earns (which is the more or less the same for everyone), and big businesses are owned by the government
• English Socialism distorts the socialist ideology, so that the government works for its own benefit (and the benefit of the members of the Party) rather than the common good
• The Party uses mass surveillance, torture, manipulation, propaganda, and fear
• Newspeak limits the amount of words available in everyday speech, and the breadth and nuance of individuals’ thoughts
• The effect is that if you cannot communicate disagreement with the Party, then you have no way to disagree

Our story begins with our hero, Winston, writing down his thoughts on life in his personal (illegal) diary, hidden from the camera in his room.

Winston is just your average Joe government worker. He’s got a job he hates, a coworker he’s got a crush on, and a crushingly dystopic government hovering over him that has him and everyone else under the constant monolithic surveillance of the godlike Big Brother.

• Truth is whatever the Party claims it to be, and the only entertainment to be found is in the regular public executions of prisoners of war and citizens that dared step a toe out of line.

Mondays, am I right?

So Winston is an employee at the Ministry of Truth, the innocently-named government agency in charge of dispensing truths to the eager citizens at large.

But of course, the normal truth is nowhere near accurate enough for the illustrious Party.

So instead of relying on the facts of reality to conform to the narrative they need, the Party instead makes liberal use of, shall we say ‘alternative facts,’ in order to keep their citizens “informed”.

That way, if the Party benefits from the citizens believing that 2+2=5 for a day, the Party can say it with confidence and their citizens will happily oblige.

Or at least they’ll be smiling.

So the citizens are routinely subjected to this thing called the Two Minutes Of Hate, wherein Goldstein, the Party traitor supposedly bent on bringing Oceania to its knees, spews a whole mess of propaganda about the Party and how it’s wrong and evil and tyrannical and junk.

• Interestingly, we’re directed by the author to observe the fact that a persistent fear brought on by the Two Minute Hate is that, even though the propaganda is obviously lies, someone less level-headed might be taken in by it.
• This obviously promotes a feeling of persistent paranoia, that the people around you might have been brainwashed by the opposition.
• But it also ends up promoting the tactic of sticking one’s fingers in one’s ears and not listening to the opposition’s arguments, in case they end up making too much sense.
• Because if your enemies make sense to you, that must mean they’ve successfully brainwashed you.

As the hate continues, listening citizens get more and more freaked out, shouting and screaming over the broadcast to drown out the voice in order to avoid listening to the words that might subvert them from loyal citizens into spies and rebels if they let the message sink in.

• The message here is pretty clear: listening to people you disagree with is ill-advised by the Party, because, what’ll happen if you start agreeing with them?
• Better to pretend like nobody else could have a valid perspective.
• After all, there’s only one truth, and it’s whatever the Party says it is.
• It’s worth noting that even though it looks like Orwell is prompting the idea that fair and reasoned debate is the only real way to oppose the Party, that because one side is shouted down the solution must be to listen to what they’re saying, he’s actually kind of subverting that idea. Because, see, there is no reason debate because the Party is everything and the opposition is an illusion. The Party produces the illusion of alternative perspectives to convince their citizens that those perspectives have been fairly defeated, when in actuality, all they’re doing is propping up straw men and tearing them down as a show of strength.
• But the thing, is even though there is no real opposition in the form of Goldstein’s party, the Party does occasionally face real, internal opposition from citizens that have failed to be properly assimilated.
• And in those cases, we see the failure of “reasoned debate,” because our citizens are usually in the right.
• They’re usually having a crisis of faith brought on by the collision between real truth and what the Party claims truth to be.
• And they only lose because the Party gets to redefine truth, and essentially break the citizen’s mind until they agree.
• What may look like reasoned debate is actually un-winnable from one end, because the other is defining the nature of truth itself. It’s not always possible to defeat someone who’s demonstrably wrong, because there will always be people who believe them, no matter what they or you say.
• People are stubborn, and it’s not always possible to change someone’s mind.
• It doesn’t make them right, it doesn’t make you wrong.
• Orwell talks more about this later.
• The bad news for our buddy Winston is that, while he was having his flashback, apparently all his oppressed hatred of living in the iconic dystopia boiled over, and he’s written ‘down with Big Brother’ in big letters all over his diary, which means he’s officially committed a Thoughtcrime, and the Thought Police are pretty much inevitably gonna find him and do horrible, dystopian things to him.
• Now one of the many joys of living in dystopic London is that literally nobody can be trusted. Like, ever.
• Children are taught from a young age to recognize and report treasonous behavior, like wearing foreign shoes, or not being super chill all the time, and the behavior extends into adulthood, where anything less than ideal citizenship is liable to be reported by even one’s closest comrades.
• On top of that, almost all the citizens are under near constant surveillance, where although it’s not guaranteed that they’re being watched at all times, it is guaranteed that they COULD be being watched at any time.

It’s like your laptop webcam!

Winston believes that this has led to a loss of unconditional love, as it’s now impossible to carry on any kind of close relationship with any degree of privacy, and trust is a thing of the largely erased past.

So as Winston does his. Party-mandated morning workout, he contemplates the fact that the most terrifying thing about the Party is the nigh-universal gas lighting that it’s been doing to its citizens for decades.

See, the Party really likes claiming that certain things happened and certain things didn’t, and since nobody else keeps records, who do you trust; your own memories or the grand and illustrious Party?

After all, your memories are tiny. They only exist in the three pounds of sponge that lives in your head.

But the Party? Well, the Party’s huge; the Party’s everything. So obviously they’re more likely to be right than you are, right?

How real are your memories? How real is your past?

Someone’s personal existence seems very small and unlikely when faced with the universal insistence that it never happened.

So the Party has turned this unending existential crisis into something of an art form, called ‘doublethink’.

Doublethink

Doublethink is the art of simultaneously accepting two fundamentally contradictory concepts.

For example, the idea both that democracy is impossible, and that the Party is a bastion of democracy.

Doublethink is a necessity for every loyal citizen, but poor Winston can’t seem to get the hang of it.

He always hits a snag when he has to choose between his observed reality and the Party’s version of reality.

So Winston goes to work and sets about doing his job, which includes such matters as rewriting various forecasts who have been retroactively accurate.

For example, some government promises need to be un-promised, and everyone’s favorite Big Brother needs to have a recent speech retroactively corrected in light of current events.

• See, the Party is, by definition, always right.
• So whenever they make a prediction that turns out to be tragically misquoted in a way that would make it seem like they were wrong, the ‘misprint’ needs to be retroactively corrected and all evidence of the mistake destroyed.
• That way, the Party gets to still be always right without having to actually do anything right.

They also have a machine that makes pop music, because it wouldn’t be a dystopia without one.

But the most complicated and rewarding part of Winston’s job is definitely unperson-ing people.

See whenever the Party sees fit to disappear someone, they have to be completely unperson-ed, meaning no record of their existence can be anywhere.

Depending on how illustrious that person was, this means that sometimes Winston has to rewrite speeches from Big Brother himself, if he happened to have congratulated the accomplishments of someone who has now never existed.

So Winston takes his lunch break with a coworker. Syme, who’s been tasked with compiling the. Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary, ’newspeak’ being a paring down of the English language that Big Brother hopes will be able to eliminate thoughtcrime entirely by removing the freedom of thought required to have illegal thoughts.

Syme is pretty explicit about the nature of the whole thing, which leads Winston to conclude that he’s probably gonna get vaporized one of these days, not for disloyalty, but for being too honest with his loyalty.

But Winston notices one of his coworkers, a girl who works at the Fiction Department, giving him a kind of weird look, which he immediately interprets to mean that she somehow sensed his traitorous thoughts and is already planning on handing hime over to the Thought Police.

This of course turns his mind to thoughts of banging, an act tacitly discouraged by the Party, except for the purposes of making smaller citizens.

See, Winston is repressed as all get-out, just like the rest of the Party citizens, and it’s really starting to get on his nerves that he can’t just have a nice night with a woman he likes and who likes him back and has more personality than a wooden mannequin.

We also learn about the “proles”, that is, the uneducated working class, or proletariat, which according to Winston, are controlled by the government by way of propaganda, bread and circuses, and the occasional Thought Policemen eliminating the ones that seem inclined to ask inconvenient questions.

Proles are allowed an unexpected degree of freedom of action, in the same way that a cow is generally allowed to graze wherever it wants.

The proles are given certain freedoms to keep them complacent, because that way they stay docile and harmless. The proles are relied upon to keep the infrastructure running, to breed, and to provide occasional trysts with the horrendously repressed Party members.

Because frankly, the Party couldn’t care less what the proles do in their spare time as long as they do it un-traitorously.

• Winston believes that the proles may be their only hope of revolution, since they make up 85% of the population and could easily overpower the Party if they rose up.
• But unfortunately, the Party has succeeded in keeping them complacent and unwilling to rise up.
• Or, rather, they don’t even know that they should be rising up, because their lives are actually pretty cushy and the few proles that have access to the news obviously only have access to the Party propaganda.
• Since the only truth they know is the one the party gives them, and they’re discouraged from exercising curiosity or questioning the Party, he proles live in comfortable, entertained ignorance, while the 15% of the population that might possibly think they should rebel, are so rigidly controlled as to make it impossible.
• Winston also contemplates the fact that his problem with the world he lives in isn’t that it’s cruel or dystopic or whatever; it’s that it’s boring.

And it sounds dumb, but… hear him out.

• The Party projects an ideal of megastructures, shining cities, a glorious and terrible future of beautiful people and even more beautiful conquest.
• But the practicalities of the Party are dingy office environments, bombed out apartment complexes, poor health, a constant melancholic distaste for reality, and a longing for a past that the Party claims never existed.
• Winston once again considers the malleable past and what it means for him to seemingly be the only Party member who’s bothered by this.
• He wonders if he’s crazy, but he’s not so much worried about being crazy as he is about being wrong.
• But good news! Winston’s life isn’t totally bleak.
• In fact, he’s got faith in one particular coworker, a man named O’Brien, who Winston has a feeling might possibly share his thoughts about the Party.
• He might even, he thinks, be a member of the fabled Brotherhood, the mythical rebellion led by Goldstein that no one’s sure really exists.
• Regardless of the veracity of the rebel movement, Winston somehow trusts O’Brien, as a kindred spiritin an ocean of unfeeling puppets.
• While contemplating truth and memory and gaslighting and all that jazz, Winston has a bit of a revelation, which I think bears repeating in its entirety, because I really like. (You might want to learn this quote, or at least part of it)

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right!. They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change… Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall toward the earth’s center. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote: …Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.”

• So Winston decides to be a little rebellious and goes for a walk, which, while not strictly illegal, is definitely frowned upon by the Party as a whole.
• Winston stumbles into the antique shop he bought his precious diary from in the first place, and, in the fury of curiosity, sidles in and takes a look around.
• The friendly proprietor gives him a rundown of various ancient artifacts, like a paperweight and some old prints, and the shop doesn’t have a telescreen, which leaves Winston feeling uncharacteristically at ease, as he can’t be being observed by the Party at this point. The shop and the upstairs room feel oddly familiar and comforting; relics of the world he half remembers from his childhood, but never got a chance to appreciate.
• And the old proprietor himself, Mr. Charrington, is also a walking goldmine, casually expositing old nursery rhymes and notable but long since destroyed buildings.
• Winston leaves in a good mood, which immediately dissolves into panic when he spots the very girl who he’d noticed at lunch and assumed had been spying on him.
• Since this is no part of town for a Party member, obviously she must be following him and she probably saw him go into the shop, too.
• So obviously Winston turns to thoughts of murder, decides he really doesn’t feel up to it, and starts considering suicide instead.
• But he holds off, and this turns out to have been a good idea when four days later he runs into the girl again, and when he helps her up after a fall, she slips him a love note.
• Turns out her name is Julia and she’s had her eye on him and the prole neighborhood, because she shares his distaste for the Party and his passion for some nice non-wooden banging.
• After about a week of desperate maneuvering to try and get the chance to have a conversation with this girl without the Party getting suspicious, they managed to get somewhere private and even kind of pretty and share some chocolate, listen to the birds, and then have some genuinely nice anarchic sex.
• Interestingly, Winston learns that Julia’s done this before with lots of men, and he finds that really hot, because the Party espouses purity and virginity and stuff, and Julia expressing her bodily autonomy by being the polar opposite of a virgin is super attractive to our rebellious hero.
• So they carry on a surreptitious romance over the following months, wherein they manage to have a whole conversation and also some sex while holed up in a bombed-out bell tower.
• They discuss why the Party is so anti-sex, and it turns out it’s entirely for practical reasons.
• First of all, the Party wants to keep the population wound up like a spring so that they have boundless energy to be spent on patriotism; and second, if the people had a way to be really truly happy, why would they care about catering to Big Brother?

This is probably also why the chocolate is so bad.

• So Winston decides to be really rebellious and surreptitiously rents the upstairs room in Mr. Charrington’s antique shop so that they can have a comfy, nostalgic place, free of surveillance, where they can bang without having to plan it for a whole month in advance.
• They have a lovely afternoon where Julia smuggles out a mess of real, quality food, like bread and jam and real sugar and even some coffee and tea.
• Julia also managed to get a hold of a makeup kit and dolls herself up a little, continuing the trend of embracing her identity as a woman as an act of rebellion against a Party that owns her right to bodily autonomy.
• So the plot continues as the year advances toward the holiday known as Hate Week, which is heralded by an increase in nationalist propaganda, and also bombings; which riles the proles up in a very pro-Party-hate-foreigners sort of way.
• Meanwhile, Julia & Winston enjoys some genuinely relaxing quality time together, squirreled away in there hidden antique bedroom, while contemplating how super, SUPER dead they are when they get caught.
• They also discussed their differing views on the Party and the people it governs.
• Julia thinks everyone secretly hates it and would rebel if they could, but doesn’t believe there’s some secret organized rebellion trying to sabotage it from within.
• Winston, meanwhile, believes complacency runs rampant through some of the population, but there could be a secret cabal of rebels working to take the Party down and save them all.
• Julia also doesn’t believe that a war is really happening. She suspects the Party is bombing its own people to keep them angry and on their toes, which is disturbingly plausible, even though it turns out to not be true.
• So later on, O’Brien stops Winston in the hall and casually gives him his address, promising to lend him a copy of the latest Newspeak Dictionary.
• But Winston is pretty sure he’s actually gonna give him a copy of Goldstein’s guide to rebelling against the state.
• But before that, he has a dream about his mother and realizes something else about the Party: they convince their citizens that how they feel about stuff doesn’t matter. More specifically, how they care about other people.
• They’re taught to dismiss things like human life. A building getting bombed is just another crater and the people who died weren’t much of anything really.
• Compassion and empathy are completely squashed, most obviously for outsiders, but more impressively, even for other citizens.
• He contemplates that when they inevitably get caught, he’s gonna focus on not betraying Julia, as in he’s not gonna let the Party make him stop loving her.
• He and Julia agree that no matter what the Party makes them say, it can’t make them believe it.

Let’s hope that works out for ’em.

• So Winston and Julia seek out O’Brien to try and joined the rebellion. He grills them on what they’d be willing to do for the rebellion, - everything but separate, as it turns out - then he tells them that he’ll send them a super secret rebellion handbook and sends them on their way.
• So Hate Week rolls around, complicated somewhat by the fact that the Party is abruptly at war with someone different than they were at the beginning of the week.
• Which means five years of propaganda needs to be rewritten very suddenly to accommodate the change.
• So poor Winston has been horrifically overworked for the past five days, rewriting history, but he finally manages to get his work done and crawls up to the antique bedroom to read a beginner’s guide to overthrowing an oppressive regime.
• The book is a pretty solid rundown of the real history of the world, as well as a comprehensive study of why exactly the Party is at war all the freaking time.
• The answer is, as it always is, cheap labor and free resources.
• But more importantly, we learn why this dystopia happened, and you’re gonna love this: it’s because the vision of the future that was held in the wake of WWI was that the future would be bright and luxurious, and every citizen would be educated.
• And that is what inspired the Party to make such a grody, dystopic world.
• If the people become educated, they’re gonna realize they don’t need the bourgeoisie.
• A hierarchical society can only be maintained by keeping the majority of the population both poor and ignorant.
• Poverty wasn’t enough, and just strangling the economy wasn’t working, so they started the wars, because nothing keeps a population more poor and more ignorant than the routine devastation of their entire world.
• War destroyed supply, and therefore creates demand, and when your citizens are overworked to the point of insanity just to break even, they don’t have time to do inconvenient things, like learn or think. War is a socially acceptable method of wasting absurd quantities of material & resources in a way that also directs the dissatisfaction of your citizens outward, at some evil, foreign party, so they never question why the war is happening and who started it for what reason.
• They just embrace the certainty that their government is protecting them from the greater evil.
• They embrace the far off victory with a religious zeal, and in the meantime, will accept any sacrifice to see it through, even thought the Party has a vested interest in keeping the war going forever in order to maintain their status quo.
• Also, the book notes, the Party has removed the concept of science and empirical evidence from the English language, in order to better facilitate keeping the working population ignorant and unquestioning.
• It also turns out that all three of the world’s super-countries, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia, all follow basically the same dystopia how-to guide with marginally different names, and their social structures are all identical.
• The beginner’s guide to eating the rich also outlines the structure behind the Party and how it conspires to keep everyone simultaneously complacent and full of zealous rage at the enemies of the state.
• Ferociously angry and loyal, but not too put out of their way, and therefore unlikely to take action beyond government mandated hating-the-foreigners sessions.
• And of course, doublethink is in place to make sure that even when faced with stuff that makes literally no sense, our enterprising citizens can still put their total faith in the Party without too much cognitive dissonance.
• Unfortunately, he’s barely done through this part of the book when they discover that the quaint picture hanging on the wall has been, in fact, hiding a telescreen the whole time.
• So basically they’ve been under constant surveillance since the first day they came up here, and the Party absolutely heard the whole thing about the tough guy dismantling the government and also probably all the sex.
• So it turns out the charming old shop owner Mr. Charrington was a member of the Thought Police all along, and Winston and Julia gets super arrested.
• Winston gets dunked in a cell to wait for like EVER, while in the meantime, along with a string of other prisoners, two of his coworkers get dumped in with him, one for failing to remove the word ‘God’ from a poem, the other for saying treasonous things in his sleep.
• The days wear on, and Winston observes that whenever a prisoner is told that they’ll be taken to Room 101, they always freak the hell out. While he’s pondering this, O’Brien comes in, whereupon it becomes clear that O’Brien himself is also a member of the Thought Police, because Winston’s day wasn’t bad enough already.
• So they take Winston and O’Brien tortures the crap out of him for a while to get the standard confessions out of him, and then tortures him some more in order to cure his faulty memory that makes him remember events the Party says never happened.
• O’Brien systematically and calmly dismantled every memory he has that doesn’t line up with acceptable reality, and poor Winston once again revisits the age-old existential crisis of “did that happen or did I imagine it?” O’Brien explains that it’s an error to believe that reality is anything close to objective. After all, the only access you have to reality is through your own perceptions, and can’t your perceptions be wrong?
• Really, it’s Winston’s fault for failing to properly manage his perceptions of reality, so as to make him think that the things he saw had to be real.
• O’Brien explains to Winston that, even though they’re super gonna kill him, they’re gonna fix him first.
• So they do something weird to his brain, and for about thirty seconds, he’s actually complacent, the way the Party wants him to be. He sees five fingers, he remembers that he made up his perceptions of reality, all that good stuff.
• He snaps out of it, but he wants to go back, because it felt right. It felt like he was finally sane by the standards of society.
• So that fun situation continues for a while and we learn that the beginner’s guide to joining the rebellion was actually written in part by O’Brien, in order to entrap wannabe rebels and then cure them of their crazy.
• O’Brien goes back to the idea that reality is only what exists in the perception of humanity, and therefore by controlling perception, the Party controls reality. Winston is pretty insistent that reality is real, and something will make the Party fall, but his arguments get worn down, and eventually, he breaks.
• They plop him down into a cell, let him actually eat and exercise, and he gradually becomes more of a human being, while doing his best to re-educate himself in the tenets of the Party. He practices doublethink and crimestop, the act of not letting your brain even think traitorous thoughts, and gets decently good at it. He’s even comfortable for a change.
• He’s doing super well. But then he has a moment where he cracks and calls out for Julia, showing that there’s still work to do.
• And this is when he gets sent to Room 101.
• Now, Room 101 is specifically designed to be the worst nightmare of whoever’s being sent there.
• In Winston’s case, he’s got this terrible fear of rats.
• See, the idea is that, by using Room 101, the Party breaks down the last part of the subject’s mind, the one component that still holds out in the face of all the other stuff, and, using that, makes the subject love Big Brother rather than hate him, completing their assimilation into the Party.
• So they rig up this mask thing with a long cage in front of it, put Winston’s face in the mask, and put a bunch of rats on the other end. If O’Brien presses a button, the rats eat Winston’s face.
• Winston panics, panics a little bit more, then screams at them to do this to Julia, not to him.
• And with that, he is a free man; a free, good citizen who’s definitely gonna get shot one of these days, but in the meantime is absolutely free to hang out in a corner cafe & read the paper and solve the chess puzzles.
• He previously ran into Julia, who also looked rather the worse for wear. And it’s really clear that they can’t love each other anymore.
• After all, they both betrayed each other in Room 101, and they both meant it 100%. Winston is every once in a while troubled by intrusive false memories, but overall, he’s a fine citizen. He’s successfully conquered himself and come to terms with the reality in which he lives. The end.

British Imperialism

Imperialism is when one country tries to rule over other countries economically, politically, and sometimes culturally

To control other countries, empires usually turned to colonialism and slavery

Britain held the largest empire in the world during Orwell’s lifetime

Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, rather than going to university, as his school grades were fairly low

• Orwell observed and participated in British imperialism firsthand
• As a police officer, he was responsible for eliminating resistance to British rule, as Burmese independence would be a threat to the British Empire
• Reducing Burmese resistance was achieved through violence, and fuelled by bigotry and racism

There are clear parallels here to the Party in 1984. Both the Party and the British Empire worked to achieve total control, and to do this, they attempted to suppress any form of rebellion. Potential Thesis Statement: “Orwell portrays the brutal effect of total control through the lack of freedom of the characters in 1984.” Potential Short Response Question: “Explain how Orwell portrays the effect of total control in 1984.”

Orwell developed a deep hatred of authority and British imperialism

In his essay “Why I Write” (1945), he condemned the uneven power dynamics he had witnessed:

“I felt that I had… got to escape. Not merely from imperialism, but from every form of man’s dominion over man.”

Spanish Civil War

• The Spanish civil war was fought between the socialists and the fascists
• It solidified Orwell’s political stance, and informed how he would write about Ingsoc in 1984
• As this was the first war he had been exposed to, Orwell was extremely idealistic, and joined a socialist militia with the goal of fighting fascism
• Orwell quickly realised that political ideologies are easily distorted by political power, and that the socialists were just as obsessed with worshipping a dictator as the fascists

1984 is an explicitly political novel that criticises dictatorships and totalitarianism. The terrorism used by the party to rule over Oceania is heavily influenced by Orwell’s observations of the oppressive nature of dictatorships and totalitarianism. The inconsistent ideologies of Ingsoc (e.g. “War is Peace, Ignorance is Knowledge, Freedom is Slavery”) links directly to the corruption of socialism for the sake of individual power in the Spanish Civil War. Potential Thesis Statement: “Orwell uses the Party as a warning of the corruption present in the leaders of ideological movements.” Potential Short Response Question: “How does Orwell portray corruption in 1984?”

• Orwell saw his dreams of socialism corrupted by the ideas it was designed to oppose: dictatorships and totalitarianism. This served as a major influence for the ideology of the Party in 1984.

Rise of Totalitarianism (1930s and 40s)

Josef stalin.

• The rise of totalitarianism in Europe influenced the propaganda and censorship present in 1984
• Orwell had a strong distaste for totalitarianism after his experiences in the Spanish Civil War
• Although Orwell was pro-socialism, he was extremely against Stalin, the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922-1952
• Orwell saw Stalin as a fraud who pretended to be dedicated to socialism in an effort to increase his own power and influence
• Orwell believed that Stalin was a prime example of what could go wrong when a dictator was able to warp socialism for personal/political advancement

Adolf Hitler

Orwell was fascinated by the success of the Nazi Party and, in particular, their leader, Adolf Hitler

By the late 1930s, Hitler’s word was considered above the laws of Germany

Many of his political stances were rooted in racism (e.g. the Holocaust) and aggressive nationalism (e.g. Lebensraum )

Hitler used mass manipulation, racial purity programs, censorship, and the destruction of art and books, to fulfil his goals.

Totalitarianism was a breeding ground for restricted freedoms, censorship of information, and real life Big Brother figures. The Party used the Ministry of Truth to revise historical material in order to support whatever standpoint was required at the time. This is one of many parallels between the Ministry of Truth, Glavlit (The Soviet censorship body) and the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (the Nazi censorship body).

• Orwell’s decision to set 1984 in London rather than in an existing dictatorship was intentional: he believed that giving power to a small group, using the front of an ideology, results in an oppressive government no matter where in the world.

The Cold War

After World War II, the USA and Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers with contrasting ideologies. The USA believed in capitalism , while the Soviet Union believed in Communism

Orwell published 1984 in 1949, 2 years into the Cold War

However, Orwell was actually the inventor of the term “Cold War,” as he used it in his 1945 essay You and the Atom Bomb, a commentary on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Orwell imagined a war between 2 or 3 superstates (hmm), each with extreme technological capabilities and, most importantly, nuclear weaponry, fighting for world domination

Orwell (and basically everyone not in politics at the time) was aware that a hot war between nuclear powers was MAD (MAD, in this case, stands for Mutually Assured Destruction, and yes, that is the techincal term for it). The idea of a Cold War is that the superpowers do not openly fight each other, but instead indrectly conflict, such as through proxy wars or arms races. You can read more about it here .

The fear of war and destruction by the enemy is used by the government to justify the more extreme components of the Party’s policies (e.g. constant surveillance)

The war in 1984 is an example of “a peace that is no peace” (Orwell, 1948)

• You know, I don’t think I ever really got dystopias.
• Actually, I think this dystopias might just be too familiar to a kid.
• The people in charge have weird arbitrary rules about what kind of things you can draw or say, they insist that you treat them with respect, even though the only thing they have over you is age and authority, they don’t tend to be as objective or fair as one would like, and, to top it all off, you live with the knowledge that if you step out of line, one of your fellow kids might tattle on you.
• A dystopia is written with the overwhelming attitude that the characters are largely powerless, but a kid already knows what that’s like.
• It’s only when you become an adult and get used to having some kind of power that a dystopia really starts to sink in.
• After getting used to having autonomy, a story where autonomy is impossible stop sounding like so much fun, and it becomes less ‘sticking it to your mean school principal’ and more ‘getting your kneecaps confiscated by the secret police’.
• I’d say out of all the modern dystopias, the one with the least potential for fun is probably 1984.
• Now, 1984 was written in 1949 by George Orwell, and it was pretty much 100% social commentary on Orwell’s criticisms of both Hitler and Stalin, who, despite being in opposite ends of the political spectrum, struck him as frighteningly similar. As a result, the antagonist of the story, the Party in control, manages to be completely unidentifiable party-wise, and could fall on either extreme of the spectrum. Un-personing, the Thought Police and the Party interrogation methods are all thinly veiled re-skins of Stalinist Russia, but Newspeak, doublethink & the Ministry of Truth have shades of Nazi Germany in their influences.
• It’s kind of an apolitical fusion of both totalitarian regimes.
• Our POV character, Winston, is basically a conduit by which Orwell can discuss his thoughts on the political climate.
• The book is essentially a series of events, interspersed with inner monologue essays, as Winston tries to reconcile his thoughts on the Party and the nature of reality.

Lots of fun stuff.

Last updated on November 17, 2021

The Definitive Guide to Analysing ‘1984’ for English: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

Newspeak? Doublethink? What do all of these words mean? If you need help analysing 1984 by George Orwell, you’ve come to the right place — we’ve got all you need to know with a summary, list of key characters, themes and a 3-step essay analysis guide!

We’ve even got an analysis table and a sample paragraph that’s all free for you to download on 1984.

So, let’s throw back into 1984 (the fictional one of course)! 

1984 by George Orwell Summary & Key Messages Key Characters in 1984 Context Themes Explored in 1984 Essay Analysis of 1984

1984 by George Orwell Summary & Key Messages

The politics of oceania.

1984 belongs in the dystopian, science fiction genre as it explores the dangers of corrupted power under a totalitarian regime. Totalitarianism is a government system that dictates how its citizens think, behave and act by constantly keeping an eye on them and carrying out punishments for those who don’t obey. Sounds strict, hey? 

Sadly, this is the life of our protagonist, Winston Smith. Winston lives in a nation that resembles London in Oceania, which has been in a war with Eurasia and Eastasia since forever but no one really knows what the war is about. This is because the Party controls its people through rewriting history in the Ministry of Truth, where Winston edits historical records as part of his job.

The Party also invented a new language called “Newspeak” , which eliminates any words associated with rebellion to ensure full subservience of their nation. 

Wherever Winston goes, he is bombarded with posters of their omnipresent leader, Big Brother. There are also hidden cameras and microphones that are implanted everywhere by the thought police to monitor every move of its citizens.

It’s a scary place because if you do or say anything wrong, the thought police will capture you and force you into lifelong labour . In this world, people cannot have close friends, cannot date whoever they want and cannot have intimate relationships.

Instead, the people pent up these emotions and channel them into aggressive patriotism for their government which are expressed in two minute hate rallies. 

The Start of Winston’s Rebellion

Winston has had enough of the Party and its strict control. He purchases an illegal diary to commit crimethink, where he expresses his own thoughts and feelings about the Party through writing. He also writes about his interest in O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party who he believes could be part of the underground rebellion group called the Brotherhood. 

Access 1984 Downloadable Sample Paragraph and Examples of Analysis

Winston’s and Julia’s Relationship

At work, Winston realises that his historical records were not aligning with his memories . He notices Julia, a young beautiful girl staring at him, and he is afraid that she will turn him into the “thought police”.

However, Julia passes him a note that says “I love you” and they start an affair. 

O’Brien’s Betrayal 

As their relationship grows more seriously, so does Winston’s hatred for the Party. He and Julia decided to reveal their rebellion to O’Brien, who also appeared to be on their side .

O’Brien welcomes them into the Brotherhood and passed Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein’s book. As Winston starts reading the book, the thought police charge in, arrest Winston and Julia and bring them to the Ministry of Love. Turns out, O’Brien is a snake. 

The Party Tortures Winston

At the Ministry of Love, Winston is tortured mercilessly and this makes him confess everything he knows about Julia and the rebellion .

It is then revealed that the government carries out these acts to exercise total power and control over the people of Oceania, to the extent where people not only do things out of fear, but genuinely believe in what they are doing even if it doesn’t make sense.

Winston’s Loss of Individuality

In Room 101, Winston experiences a true Fear Factor episode. The thought police threaten Winston with his ultimate fear, rats that would eat his face off. This caused Winston to scream “Do it to Julia, not me!”, which represents his betrayal to the only person that held value to him.

After this, the thought police let both Winston and Julia go, but the two ex-lovers can no longer look at each other face to face as they are both broken inside. Winston becomes a changed man who does not want to think about rebelling and instead becomes highly supportive of the Party and Big Brother. 

Key Characters in 1984

Winston Smith  The main protagonist who works under the Ministry of Truth in London, Oceania. His appearance is frail, pensive and intelligent. He hates the Party and its totalitarian system with a desire to revolutionise his current political situation. He can be emotional and idealistic with his goals. 

Julia  A beautiful young girl who is Winston’s love interest. Julia is sex-positive with an optimistic attitude about the future of the Party. She represents parts of humanity that Winston lacks, such as passive survival, intimacy, intuition and pragmatism. 

O’Brien  A mysterious leader of the Inner Party who Winston trusts as Winston believes that O’Brien is a member of the legendary rebellion group, the Brotherhood. It is revealed later in the novel that O’Brien is a leader of The Party who has been keeping a close eye on Winston. His betrayal launches us into the inner mechanisms of The Party and its totalitarian rule. O’Brien’s character parallels that of famous dictators in modern history such as Stalin and Hitler, as he is determined to indoctrinate Winston in the name of “purity.” 

Big Brother  Have you watched the show Big Brother? His character in the show is almost the same as in 1984, except a lot more controlling. In 1984, Big Brother is the most dominating figure in Oceania as he is perceived to be the ruler, although Orwell does not specify whether he really exists or not. Big Brother’s face is plastered among posters, coins and telescreens with the slogan “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” so it’s impossible to avoid him anywhere. 

Emmanuel Goldstein As the leader of the legendary group of rebels called the Brotherhood, Emmanuel Goldstein is the opposing figure of Big Brother. Although he never appears in the novel, he has had a profound impact on Winston’s hope for the future. He is the most dangerous man in Oceania, according to the Party.  

Context in 1984

To understand 1984’s context, we must first understand the author’s personal background to craft a well thought-out essay analysis. This is because the author’s personal and historical experiences do shape the novel and its themes. So, let’s start with Orwell’s schooling days.

If you ever felt suppressed at school, Orwell can definitely relate with you on that. As a “lower-upper-middle class”, Orwell didn’t fit in with his peers and was upset with the restricted routine that schools impose on their students.

He then went on to become a British Imperial Policeman in Burma where he hated his job as he had to execute strict laws under a political system he didn’t like. After this, he moved to England and became a full-time writer. 

Orwell experienced poverty for awhile, and even lived as a coal miner in northern England which caused him to shift from capitalist ideals to democratic socialism. Here are the simplified definitions of the political concepts that influenced Orwell’s beliefs and 1984’s themes: 

• Capitalism: An economic system where property is owned and controlled by private actors, rather than by state. As such individuals can control how much they set their prices, instead of leaving it to the government to dictate. 
• Democratic Socialism: Unlike capitalism, democratic socialism is an economic system whereby property and products are owned and controlled by the entire society, alongside governments. So, the main difference here is that governments have a say in trade whereas in capitalism, governments do not interfere with private owner’s business. 

Orwell was also concerned with the rise of Thatcherism. 

In the year 1936, Orwell fought as a socialist in the Spanish Civil War during World War II, where he became familiar with totalitarian systems that are under leaders such as Hitler and Stalin. Although Orwell was passionate about socialism at first, he soon became disillusioned and disappointed with its ideals as Stalin used communism as the foundation of his authoritarian system. 

Stalin of the Soviet Union was also an important influence in shaping 1984’s totalitarian regime of Oceania, as Stalin used secret police to force confessions out of enemies through torture alike how the Ministry of Love did with Winston . Like the Party, the Soviet Union also tampered with physical records of people as they imprison and/or eliminate millions of lives. 

With the rise of the nuclear age and television in 1949, Orwell envisioned a future where everyone would always be monitored through screens in a post-atomic dictatorship . This became a fear that was highly possible when speculated thirty five years into the future. 

But as we all know, this did not become true. In the early 1990s, the Cold War ended with the triumph of democracy, as signified by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Even so, Orwell’s 1984 still serves as a precautionary tale against the corruption and abuse of totalitarian regimes, along with a profound insight into the use of language and history to manipulate one’s individuality.  

Want more information on George Orwell? Take a look at this biography found via the Orwell Foundation page!

Themes Explored in 1984

To help you get started on your thesis or topic sentence , here are three key themes from 1984 that you can write about in your essay analysis !

The Consequences of Totalitarianism

After experiencing the violence and corruption of totalitarian regimes in Spain and Russia, Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning about the dangers of an authoritarian regime where the government holds the most power. As such, the Party in 1984 administered extreme methods of physical and psychological manipulation to enforce total submission of its people. 

Physical control by the Party includes total surveillance of its people to the extent where even a twitch in the face can be enough to warrant an arrest. Morning exercises, called Physical Jerks, are also carried out before long hours at work to tire people out so they don’t have the energy to think beyond the Party’s propaganda. 

The Party also uses physical torture to “re-educate” and punish those who rebel against them. It is this physical pain that causes Winston to lose his own individuality and moral beliefs, allowing the Party to infiltrate his mind and dictate his sense of reality. 

Meanwhile, the Party also uses psychological tactics to saturate the individual’s mind with propaganda and disable its ability for independent thinking. On top of watching everyone everywhere, the telescreens are also used to indoctrinate (ie. brainwash) people into supporting the Party despite its flaws.

The telescreens also perpetuate slogans such as “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” , to remind people that their government is always watching their back so they better behave according to the Party’s standards. 

The Party also deems close friendships and conversations with others illegal. So, if you’re itching to spill the tea, your only method of venting your emotions out is through pep rallies, where the Party encourages you to show extreme expressions of hatred to its political enemies. Ultimately, this allows the Party to dictate how and where you should express your emotions, keeping you from expressing your individual feelings, thoughts and opinions. 

Here are some quotes that illustrate the perils of totalitarianism: 

The Power of Language to Liberate and Control 

In 1984, language has the dual capacity to both restrain and facilitate individual expression. This is another key message that Orwell imparts, as he highlights how language can either promote or limit ideas which influence our beliefs, behaviour and identity. 

The Party uses Newspeak as a way of controlling the language that its people speak, which in turn dictates the people’s thoughts, actions and personalities (or lack thereof).

By eliminating words that are associated with rebellious thoughts, the Party essentially removes the people’s ability to think of resistance because there are no words to conceive it. With continual edits with Newspeak, the Party inches a step closer to their ultimate goal of total coercion from their people.

Yet, in Winston’s case, he uses language as a vehicle of self-expression as he purchases a diary for himself and writes his everyday thoughts, opinions and feelings into it . By writing in his own words, he is able to build himself an identity with his own passions, goals and perspective.

Sadly, in a world where the government overrules individual expression, Winston’s use of language dwindles, though it is encouraging to see how language can still work to preserve independent thought.

Here are three quotes that can help you get started on this theme: 

The Importance of Preserving Our Identity and Individualism

What happens if we lose everything that defines us as us? 

1984 truly delves into this scary concept as the Party removes everyone’s personal details so they are not able to establish their own identity. For example, even Winston does not know his own age, who his real parents are nor can he trust his own childhood memories as there are no photographs or evidences to help him differentiate between reality and imagination. 

Aside from Winston, the rest of Oceania are also denied documents that could give them a sense of individuality and help them differentiate themselves from others . This causes their memories to grow fuzzy, thus making the people of Oceania vulnerable and dependent on the stories that the Party tells them.

In turn, by controlling the present, the Party can re-engineer the past. Simultaneously, by controlling the past, the Party can rationalise its shortcomings and project a perfect government that is far from the truth. 

With no recollection of the past, the people of Oceania can no longer stay in touch with their real identities and instead, become identical as they wear the same uniform, drink the same brand of alcohol and more. Yet, Winston builds his own sense of identity through recording his thoughts, experiences and emotions in his diary. This act along with his relationship with Julia symbolises Winston’s declaration of his own independence and identity as a rebel who disagrees with the Party’s system. 

Despite this, Winston’s own sense of individuality and identity dissolves after his torturous experience at the Ministry of Love, which transforms him into another member of the Outer Party who blends into the crowd. By asserting a dark vision of humanity’s individualism, Orwell urges audiences in the present to truly value their freedom to express and preserve their identity. 

Here are some quotes that are related to this idea which you may find helpful:

Of course, 1984 also includes other themes that you may be thinking about writing analysis for, such as: 

• Rebellion and Patriotism 
• Active versus Passive Survival 
• The Corrupt Use of Technology

Check out our recommended related text for 1984 .

Essay Analysis: How to Analyse 1984 in 3 Steps

Analysing your text is always the first step to writing an amazing essay! Lots of students make the mistake of jumping right into writing without really understanding what the text is about.

This leads to arguments that only skim the surface of the complex ideas, techniques and elements of the text. So, let’s build a comprehensive thesis through an in-depth analysis of the 1984. 

Here are three easy steps that you can use to analyse 1984 and really impress your English teachers!

Step 1: Select your example(s)

1984 is a world of its own with its totalitarian systems, use of foreign words and more. So, we totally understand if you’re feeling lost and don’t know where to begin. 

Our piece of advice is to look for examples that come with a technique. Techniques offer you a chance to delve into the text’s underlying meaning, which would help you deepen your analysis and enrich your essay writing. 

Find our extensive list of quotes from 1984 by George Orwell!

Here are two quotes that relate to consequences of totalitarian power, which we have picked to help you visualise which examples can provide a deeper meaning: 

“Big Brother is Watching You.”  “WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” 

Step 2: Identify your technique(s)

Getting a good grade in English is more than listing out every technique that you can find in the text. Instead, it’s about finding techniques that allow you to dive deeper into the themes you’re focussing on, while also supporting your argument. 

Try to look for techniques that allow you to explain its effects and link to your argument such as symbols, metaphors, connotations, similes and historical allegories . In Orwell’s case, he uses a lot of language techniques such as neologism, where he makes up his own words such as “Doublethink” or “Newspeak”. 

For the two quotes above, its three techniques include historical allusion, rhetoric and oxymoron. 

If possible, you can look out for a quote that encompasses a few techniques to really pack a punch in your analysis. 

Step 3: Write the analysis

Once you’re done collecting your examples and techniques, the next part is writing. You must remember to explain what the effect of the technique is and how it supports your argument. Otherwise, it’s not going to be a cohesive essay if you’re just listing out techniques. 

An example of listing out techniques looks like this: 

“The rhetoric “Big Brother is Watching You” is also a historical allusion while “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength” is oxymoronic.”

Instead, you must elaborate on how each of these techniques link to your argument. 

“Big Brother is Watching You” is a rhetoric imposed by the Party to instil psychological fear and submission of the people of Oceania, whereby Orwell uses to warn the dangers of totalitarianism. “Big Brother” is also a historical allusion to Hitler to remind the audience that 1984 is not entirely fictional but a possible future of our reality, urging us to take action against totalitarian regimes with the autonomy we have now. 

Meanwhile, the slogan ““WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” represents the oxymoronic mentalities that have been indoctrinated into the people of Oceania, highlighting how totalitarian regimes would force its people to think whatever they want their people to think, no matter how illogical it is. 

Together, your analysis should look something like: 

The Party perpetuates the rhetoric, “Big Brother is Watching You” to instil psychological fear and coercion of the the people of Oceania, which forewarns a lack of individual freedom and private reflection within authoritarian regimes. As “Big Brother” is a historical allusion to Hitler, Orwell reminds the audience that 1984 and its extremist politics is a reality, urging us to defend our independence before it’s forbidden. Furthermore, the slogan “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength” embodies the oxymoronic mentalities that the Party indoctrinates into its people, revealing the extreme extent of psychological control an authoritarian regime strives to ensure their power is never questioned, no matter how irrational it is.

Need some help with your essay analysis of other texts aside from 1984?

Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:

• Romeo and Juliet
• Run Lola Run
• The Meursault Investigation
• In Cold Blood
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Book Thief
• The Tempest
• Blade Runner
• Things Fall Apart
• Mrs Dalloway

Are you looking for some extra help with your essay analysis of 1984?

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We can help you master your essay analysis of 1984 by taking you through the summary, context, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!

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Kate Lynn Law  graduated in 2017 with an all rounders HSC award and an ATAR of 97.65. Passionate about mentoring, she enjoys working with high school students to improve their academic, work and life skills in preparation for the HSC and what comes next. An avid blogger, Kate had administered a creative writing page for over 2000 people since 2013, writing to an international audience since her early teenage years.

• Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

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HSC English – George Orwell’s ‘1984’

• by The Alchemy Team

Navigating the HSC English syllabus can be tricky, especially when you’re tackling a prescribed text as complex as George Orwell’s ‘1984’. Not to fear, though! Here’s a basic rundown on the context, key ideas and some quotations that may be useful:

Orwell, having written ‘1984’ following WW2, was greatly influenced by having witnessed first-hand the rise of authoritarian figures such as Hitler in a post-war era.

Essentially, the world as Orwell knew it was changing. He witnessed authoritarian systems of government seeking to suppress the freedoms of citizens and become fixated on controlling the individual’s right to free speech, free thought and autonomy. His concerns within his own evolving society are reflected within ‘1984’ – prominent as he provides insight into oppressive nature of life in Oceania as dictated by the ruling Party in Oceania.

Context is super important when it comes to a text like ‘1984’, figuring out: Why did Orwell write this? What is the overarching message he is implying about a totalitarian society? Understanding the context of a text such as ‘1984’ can be extremely beneficial in an effective Common Module HSC English Essay, with your essays demonstrating a deep level of understanding and analysis that HSC markers will appreciate.

Key Ideas in ‘1984’

Orwell’s concerns within his own evolving society are reflected in ‘1984’ – evident as he provides insight into the oppressive nature of life in Oceania as dictated by the ruling Party in Oceania. Some examples:

• The Party’s initiation of Newspeak – a language designed to “diminish the range of thought” – has the main aim of making “…thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” The Party is essentially assassinating words, thus, removing the capabilities of citizens to have any independent thought that would otherwise counter the Party’s accepted norms and standards.
• The Party’s system of pervasive surveillance, in which, “To keep your face expressionless was not difficult…but you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up.” This demonstrates the invasive nature of the Party, driving citizens to live in constant fear – allowing the Party to maintain control.

Rebellion & its repercussions

In an environment so heavily restricted by government power, any act of self-expression is punishable by death; this lack of individuality ultimately driving main protagonist, Winston, to rebellion. Examples:

• Winston’s self-expression – writing in a diary for, “…a time when thought is free…a time when truth exists.” Winston deliberately defies the social constraints placed by the Party in hope of individuality and autonomy.

The repercussions of Winston’s rebellion, however, becomes clear as Winston is subject to a range of punishments, Sometimes it was

• fists, sometimes it was truncheon…boots.” This reiterates the extent to which the Party has control over its citizens.

George Orwell’s ‘1984’ is considered to be one of the greatest literary works of the 20 th century, renowned for its warning on the dangers of a totalitarian system. Analysis of a text as complex as this can be difficult, but it’s doable – and you’ll be able to ace HSC English by understanding exactly what Orwell is warning readers about.

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HSC Texts and Human Experiences - 1984, by George Orwell - Part 1

HSC Texts and Human Experiences Rubric | English

Guide for Students If you’re studying English Advanced, English Standard or English Studies – you’ve come to the right place! At Schooling Online, we understand that HSC English can be challenging, especially because it’s a compulsory subject. It doesn’t help that the first Texts and Human Experiences module is completely new! Don’t sweat it. We’re here to help! Our animated videos will guide you through the Texts and Human Experiences rubric with the help of engaging explanations and entertaining illustrations. We’ll develop your deep understanding of human experiences by covering the key ideas, complex vocabulary and prescribed texts. Soon enough, you’ll improve your ability to respond to reading comprehension questions and write analytical essays that stand out from the crowd. It’s easy when our videos are always at your fingertips! Breaking Down the Module First, check out our unique six-part series that breaks down the syllabus rubric in detail. We’ll prepare you to understand and analyse any text that explores human experiences. You’ll love our top tips for tackling unseen texts and reading comprehension questions in your Paper 1 exam.  Over six videos, we’ll cover: 1. Individual and Collective Human Experiences 2. Human Qualities and Emotions  3. Anomalies, Paradoxes and Inconsistencies 4. Seeing the World Differently 5. Representing Human Experiences 6. Unseen Texts and Reading Comprehension Along the way, we draw on ideas from literature, philosophy, psychology and even biology. That way, you’ll be able to appreciate complex ideas about human experiences in your prescribed and related texts.   Understanding Prescribed Texts We also offer lessons that explore the prescribed texts for the module. These videos draw on the syllabus content, which will prepare you to develop sophisticated arguments in your essays. We’ll introduce you to the central themes, characters and quotes in each text, while maintaining a focus on how they portray human experiences. You’ll love our clear explanations and helpful tips for assessments and exams! How to get the most out of our videos: 1. Before you start studying the module at school.  Start your HSC year strong! Why not watch our lessons during the holidays or a few weeks before covering the module in class?  We’ll take you step-by-step through the syllabus rubric, introducing you to the key ideas and terminology. We offer you deeper insights into diverse human experiences and ask probing questions that will help you analyse your texts. Our videos encourage you to develop personal definitions of key words, which are required in essay writing. As you watch our videos for the first time, jot down notes or create a visual mind-map to refer to at school.    2. While your class is studying the module.  Watch our lessons one by one as your class covers the module. Use our lessons to enhance your understanding of the rubric before reading and analysing your texts.  Once you start studying your prescribed texts, watch our videos to understand the central themes and notable quotes. We clearly relate each prescribed text to key ideas in the Texts and Human Experiences module. We want you to study the module at your own pace, so feel free to replay challenging sections and skip parts that you already understand. By viewing our lessons on a regular basis, you’ll improve your understanding of complex concepts. Draw on this knowledge to analyse each text independently and develop your own ideas. As you watch each lesson, write down notes that could be valuable for your school work and future exam revision. Remember, you can always re-watch any of our videos to achieve a full understanding.  3. When preparing for an assessment.  Watch our videos before assessments to refine and enrich your understanding of the module. You can revise the whole rubric to find fresh inspiration and hone your analytical skills. Otherwise, you can re-watch specific videos to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. Maybe you could revise with some classmates and discuss the major ideas in your texts. Soon enough, you will feel confident to tackle all your school assessments... and the big HSC exam itself!

  Guide for Educators Teaching a new module can be challenging, even frustrating, due to the paucity of up to date materials. At Schooling Online, we recognise the need for high quality teaching resources that cover the new Texts and Human Experiences module. Our engaging videos support students as they launch into the first module of HSC English. Our videos create opportunities for active learning in a classroom environment. We take the hard work out of learning by explaining concepts in a clear and structured manner. This effective approach caters to a broad range of learners. Students that struggle with interpreting and analysing texts will gain confidence and new skills, while higher-level students can deepen their understanding and excel. We encourage you to integrate these videos into your yearly, monthly and weekly teaching planners. Our videos are based on the NESA Stage 6 Syllabus requirements for English Advanced, English Standard and English Studies. We also want students to meet national requirements, so we have closely referred to the Australian Curriculum content and outcomes. Sign up your school with Schooling Online today and set lessons for students to watch in class or at home. Breaking Down the Module Over six lessons, we unpack every element of the syllabus rubric. We know that students rarely read the rubric on their own, so we’ve extracted the important information for them.  These videos also include top tips for tackling unseen texts and reading comprehension questions in the Paper 1 exam. Over six lessons, we’ll cover: 1. Individual and Collective Human Experiences  2. Human Qualities and Emotions  3. Anomalies, Paradoxes and Inconsistencies 4. Seeing the World Differently 5. Representing Human Experiences 6. Unseen Texts and Reading Comprehension Human experiences are diverse and nuanced, so we’ve combined concepts from literature, philosophy, psychology and even biology to explore the major ideas. With a strong foundational understanding of the module, your students will be ready to approach their prescribed and related texts on their own. Understanding Prescribed Texts We also offer lessons that explore the prescribed texts for the module. These videos draw on the syllabus content, which will prepare your students to develop sophisticated arguments in their essays. These valuable teaching resources cover the central themes, characters and quotes of each prescribed text. How to get the most out of our videos: 1. Introducing students to the module.   Human experiences are so broad and profound that students may be overwhelmed at first. Why not give your students an overview of the rubric and key ideas by showing our videos in class? The videos take an interdisciplinary approach to the rubric and explain each element in detail. For example, the first video explores what it means to be human by considering the views of Descartes, Darwin and the Existentialists.   Our videos also give you full flexibility. You can introduce students to the module by watching our breakdown of the rubric in class. This will pique students’ interest and establish the overarching goals for the module.  Students can also watch the videos for homework to consolidate their understanding. It’s so easy when our videos are a click away! Feel free to use our videos as resources for the following sample activities. Students may:

• Create a colourful mind-map to represent central ideas about human experiences.
• Research some of the great thinkers and theories introduced in each video 
• Apply ideas from the videos to analyse a range of short texts 
• Find related texts that explore major ideas covered in the videos

2. Supporting students as they study a text.  At Schooling Online, we want your students to become independent learners. That’s why our videos model and teach analytical skills in addition to explaining concepts. We recognise the need for students to develop their unique insights into a text, so we’re offering useful resources that support students in studying their prescribed and related texts.  Every video is appropriate for watching in class or as an extra resource for students to use at home. In particular, our lesson on ‘Representing Human Experiences’ introduces students to storytelling, narratology and metalanguage, which will enhance their understanding of how composers represent human experiences. Additionally, our lesson on ‘Unseen Texts and Reading Comprehension’ targets students’ reading and analytical skills.  Turn your classroom into an interactive environment by watching each video in short segments. Pause the video at the beginning or end of each key section and open a discussion with your class. For example, after watching our definition of “human experiences” in the first video in the rubric breakdown, ask students if they have anything to add. Feel free to use our videos as resources for the following sample activities. Students may: 

• Analyse their prescribed or related text through the lens of a philosophical, psychological or biological theory
• Write a paragraph or essay response based on a specific idea related to human experiences

3. Use our videos for internal and external assessment preparation.  Do your students stress out when you remind them of an upcoming assessment? Make the task more enjoyable by using our videos! Play our videos when revising over content in class. You may also assign videos for students to review at home in preparation for an assessment, especially in the lead-up to trial or HSC exams. Internal school assessments may take a variety of forms, including multimodal presentations, creative responses and reflection tasks. The wide range of ideas and approaches in the videos ensures that they are appropriate for students of diverse academic capabilities.  Feel free to use our videos as resources for the following sample activities. Students may:

• Create a set of notes identifying key ideas on human experiences in their prescribed and related texts 
• Analyse a given extract from a prescribed text in preparation for an analytical task
• Discuss how to practice self-reflexivity while reading or composing a text 

As trial or HSC exams approach, feel free to use our videos as resources for the following sample activities:

• Discuss the videos that break down the rubric to prepare students for questions in Paper 1
• Discuss the videos on the prescribed text to revise the key ideas on human experiences
• Compose responses to a practice reading comprehension paper   

In this lesson, we’ll show you how key ideas in the Texts and Human Experiences rubric are represented in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. We’ll look at how the novel depicts individual and collective human experiences, along with the human qualities and emotions associated with these experiences. As always, we’ll guide you through the analysis using plain language, vibrant visuals and clear examples from the text. Learn how to analyse Orwell’s choice of literary form and language techniques so you can tackle your Common Module essays with confidence and style. Techniques: plot device, juxtaposition, stream-of-consciousness, internal narration, narrative framing, sensory imagery, analepsis, foreshadowing, monologue, tone  

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HSC English Advanced – Common Module (1984)

This is a set of high quality Band 6 (97/100) HSC English Advanced Essays for the Common Module (Text: 1984 by George Orwell) and additional quote banks with techniques that is a great foundation for any HSC English Advanced student to use.

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This is a set of quote banks and 3 Band 6 sample essays for the HSC Advanced Common Module (1984). Developed and used by Emma, a recent 2020 graduate (99.45 ATAR) from Pymble Ladies College who got a Band 6 (97/100 mark) in English Advanced, these will no doubt be a great help for any student taking HSC English Advanced studying George Orwell’s 1984. I have vetted this set of notes and picked it for its quality, clarity in explaining concepts and conciseness.

Included is:

• Handpicked quotes for 3 themes covered in the text, more than enough for a 3 paragraph essay and the techniques to go along with them
• 3 high quality essays written on 1984 for written HSC English Advanced assessments (including a 20/20 trial essay). These will also help you to see how to answer questions (example questions provided)

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• Secondary Education
• Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences

Key human experiences in 1984 (1 Viewer)

• Thread starter NexusRich
• Start date Jul 22, 2021

I am writing an essay for 1984 which I could adapt for my trials, but Im kinda stuck with the structure of the essay; I am not too sure which human experiences I want to talk about in my 3 body paragraphs. right now, I am thinking of memories, love and hatred. But at the same time, majority of the novel is also about truth and propaganda. So I am not too sure which ones to include. Please let me know what human experiences you think are essential to include in a 1984 essay  

jimmysmith560

Le phénix trilingue.

Common Module - Essay on 1984 (Multiple Examples) - AceHSC

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