1984: Things to Know Essay Example

doctrine and were taught to spy and inform any and all thought criminals, especially their parents.Synopsis: 1984 starts off the bleak view of Oceania; a desolate place without plant life, full of shifting dust and images of lonely buildings in an empty street. Winston Smith walked home surrounded by posters proclaiming “Big Brother is Watching You”. Smith does not like the Party but expressing his opinion would mean certain death.

Thought crime means death or vaporization, it meant a person’s existence was never there; they were born.This story is composed in three parts; the world of 1984 as he (Smith) sees it, Smith’s rebellion and affair with Julia and Smith’s interrogation, torture, most importantly, his re-education at Miniluv. Winston Smith live in the now ruined London, “chief city of Airstrip One” as quoted in the book, living in a one-bedroom apartment. Smith is miserable and keeps an incriminating journal of all negative thoughts of the Party, if caught Smith will be vaporized, he will become an unperson. One day in the office he noticed a dark haired woman staring at him, she is “Julia”.Smith hates her, he desires to rape her and murder her.

Winston feels she’s a member of the Thought Police and that she is spying on him ready to denounce him. Her youth and decorative Anti-Sex League (Party League that degrades on the pleasures derived from sexual intercourse) sash disgusts him. Months later Winston bumps into Julia and she slips a note into his hand; the note says “I love you”. They make arrangements to meet and that starts their torrid affair and rebellion to the Party.They regularly meet in a bedroom

above shop in the proletarian district, there they are caught by the Thought Police.

The shop owner, later proved a member of the Thought Police, give them little snip bits of the pre-revolutionary past. As their love deepens they make a pact never to betray each other and join the Brotherhood (rebellion against the Party leaded by E. Goldstein1) with O’Brian. O’Brian turns out to be part of the Thought Police and is the main tormentor of Smith in Miniluv.When they are captured, they are separated, interrogated, faced their worst fear and betrayed each other for their own life. At the end Winston Smith realizes after all the pain and torture; he loves Big Brother.

What major geographical topics are discussed? One of the major geographical topics discussed in the book is the concept of Nationalism. According to George Orwell nationalism is the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or an idea, and “placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests. The people of Oceania believe the Party is above all else and that the Party is infallible. What ever mistakes or error the Party has committed does not exist and their lives are there for the benefit of the Party.

This book was written after WWII, where Joseph Stalin was in control of the Soviet Union. Much of 1984 was written to describe Stalin’s government. The concepts of censorship, dictatorship and nationalism were based on the events in Russia. How does the story relate to the syllabus?This book (1984) is heavy on the subject of political geography.

Political geography deals with military, state

and government power within its borders. The division of power among the three super states and the constant wars between them. For example Oceania was at war with Eastasia and alliance with Eurasia. However then Oceania was at war with Eurasia but in alliance with Eastasia. The three super powers are in constant battle that always result in a stalemate.

Each country has a natural defense that protect them from each other.The layout of each country allowed no one to over them but made it impossible for them to conquer each other. How are geographical themes covered in the book? The geographical themes are covered through the point of view of average citizen. Smith’s experiences and environment gives a reader of what was happening in Oceania. The Party’s slogans and propaganda fills the pages with images of a negative utopia.

Such examples can be seen in such works as: The Giver by Lois Lowry, 2002 film Equilibrium and the 1999 film The Matrix.Does the author write about population, migration, culture, language, religion, ethnicity, development, economy, agriculture, industry, services, resources etc? Orwell mainly talks about culture. The culture of the people in Oceania and culture of the Proles (which Smith thinks they are the future). The Proles retain the spirit of music, the sense of family and their ideals of community that the Party has thrown away and disgraced. The official language of Oceania is Newspeak which shortens the vocabulary instead of expanding it.