1984

Newspeak Dictionary

Understanding Concepts:

Communism/Socialism: Here is how dictionary.com defines it -
1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.
2. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
In todays time we have China and North Korea as examples of communist governments. The Soviet Union used to be one before it collapsed and became Russia. This book seeks to show what would happen if government goes too far. It uses communism and Marxism (what communism is based on) as the basis for the government in this book. The government in this book is a mixture between communism and totalitarianism, as Webster's Dictionary puts it: the political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.

Psychological Manipulation: the goverment in this book keeps people in line by controlling how they think. This is based off of the famous psychologists Pavlov and Skinner. Pavlov found that dogs salivated when they smelled food. He rang a bell everytime he fed this one dog until the dog began to salivate everytime he heard a bell. Humans can be controlled in like manner, associate one behavior with some other stimuli. Skinner found that by introducing loud noises in assoication with a white rabbit he could make a child fear rabbits and anything furry and white.
The government uses these techniques to introduce bad things to associate them with what they do not want the people to do. They also use newspeak - a new language that removes words that could be used to think negatively about the government. The idea is that if the word "freedom," for instance, did not exist, then noone would even think about the concept of freedom.

Control of History: This government also seeks to control people by controlling history.
"Those who control the past control the future. Those who control the present control the past."
If the government does not like something that has happened, they erase it. As far as the people are concerned, they are conditioned to think only of the present.

Technology: The government uses extreme technology to control the people. There are microphones and telescreens (think of it as a television that can also video you) everywhere. Anything you say could be used against you later.

Symbolism

* The paperweight that Winston buys in the old junk shop represents the fragile little world that Winston and Julia have made for each other. They are the coral inside it. Orwell states "The coral was Julia's life and his own, fixed in a sort of eternity in the heart of the crystal" Julia was someone who Winston could share his private emotions with.When they were together it created a small world of feeling for themselves for a short period of time before they are betrayed. Orwell also says "It is a little chunk of history that they have forgotten to alter". This line expresses that their love can never be altered no matter how much they try to change it because in their minds it will always exist.

* The "Golden Country" stands for the old European pastoral landscape. The place where Winston and Julia meet for the first time to make love to each other is exactly like the "Golden Country" in Winston's dreams. It represents a place where Winston can never be hurt. It is his place where he is truly free and he relates that to the place Where Julia and himself first meet.

* The nursery rhymes have a romantic value to them. They have become distorted and manipulated by the Party. For example one rhyme ends with "I sold you and you sold me", expressing things that will happen in the end of the novel. The only people allowed to sing these rhyme were the proles. It was uncommon for a Party member to sing aloud to themselves. This signifies, in a small way, that the proles have more freedom then the outer Party members. Freedom, which Julia and Winston search for, is given to the proles.

* Orwell divides the fictional superstates in the book according to the division that can be found in our history's own Cold War. Oceania stands for the United States of America , Eurasia for Russia and Eastasia for China. The fact that the two socialistic countries Eastasia and Eurasia ( in our case Russia and China ) are at war with each other, corresponds to our history.

George Orwell

The British author George Orwell, pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, born in Motihari, India, June 25, 1903, died in London, Jan. 21, 1950. He achieved prominence in the late 1940s as the author of two brilliant satires attacking totalitarianism. Familiarity with the novels, documentaries, essays, and criticism he wrote during the 1930s and later has since established him as one of the most important and influential voices of the century.

From: www.levity.com/corduroy/orwell.htm

More about his life here.

The complete Bells rhyme (called "Oranges and Lemons"):

Oranges and lemons,

Say the bells of St. Clements,

I owe you five farthings,

Say the bells of St. Martins,

When will you pay me ?

Say the bells of Old Bailey,

When I grow rich,

Say the bells at Shoreditch,

When will that be ?

Say the bells of Stepney,

I'm sure I don't know,

Says the great bell at Bow .

Here comes the candle to light you to bed,

Here comes the chopper to chop off your head,

Chip chop chip chop the last man's ..... HEAD

Study Guide for the test:

What is Newspeak?
What is the least influential group in this society?
What is a thoughtcrime?

What is Winston's first act of rebellion?
What is the photo that Winston finds?
What is the children's organization called?

What is doublethink?
Who wrote the manifesto?
How is Winston tortured in room 101?

What does Winston trace in the dust?
Know about the glass paperweight.
Where is the telescreen that catches Winston?

What is the Two Minute Hate?
What are the three countries in this world?
Who is Syme?

What happens to Parsons?
Who does the prole woman think she is?
Who is Mr. Charrington?

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1984 Study Questions

Here is a .pdf file of these questions. Thanks to www.gerenser.com/1984 for this list of questions. Use these to check your understanding.

Book One, Chapters 1-2
1. What bothers Winston?
2. What is wrong with his society?
3. What are the three slogans of the Inner Party?
4. What are the four ministries?
5. What items are written in italics?
6. How does the Two Minute Hate work?
7. What happens to Winston during the chant?
8. What happens between O’Brien and Winston?
9. During the film, how did the audience react?
10. What is "thoughtcrime"?
11. What are the Thought Police?
12. Who are the Parsons and what do they represent?
13. How do the Parsons’ children behave?
14. What is Winston's dream about O’Brien?
15. What is announced on the news?

Book One, Chapters 3-4
1. What is Winston’s dream about his mother? How does he feel about himself in that dream?
2. What is his dream about the "Golden Country"?
3. What does he remember about the big events of the past? Bombs? Past Wars?
4. Explain the Party slogan, "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."
5. What does he know about the legends concerning Big Brother?
6. Describe Winston’s job.
7. How is the past controlled?
8. What special literature, music, and entertainment is produced for the proles?
9. How does Winston feel about his work? What sort of "creativity" is involved?
10. What is the significance of Comrade Ogilvy?

Book One, Chapters 5-7
1. What is the problem with obtaining razor blades?
2. What is revealed about Inner Party philosophy in the discussion between Winston and Syme?
3. Why does Winston feel that Syme will be vaporized?
4. Parsons brags about his children for doing what?
5. What is the significance of the telescreen announcement?
6. What are Winston’s feelings about the present time after he hears the cheerful announcement on the telescreen?
7. Winston predicts that certain people will be vaporized and that certain people will never be vaporized. Who? Why?
8. What is the purpose of marriage in the state?
9. What do Winston’s memories about visiting a prostitute reveal about his attitudes towards sex in Oceania?
10. How does Winston view the proles?
11. How are the proles controlled (prole control)?
12. What lies/half-truths does the Party teach about history?
13. Winston suspects that the Party lies about progress made since the war. What Party claims does he doubt?
14. What is the story of Aaronson, Jones and Rutherford?
15. Why is this story so meaningful for Winston?
16. What is Winston’s unanswered question?

Book One, Chapter 8
1. Why does Winston go off on his own? What activities is he missing out on?
2. What is life like in the proles’ end of London?
3. What does Winston think about after his conversation with the old man in the pub?
4. What does Winston discover at Mr. Charrington’s shop?
5. What is Mr. Charrington like?
6. What does Winston think when he sees the dark-haired girl outside Mr. Charrington’s shop?
7. How does one’s own body betray a person?
8. Why does Winston wonder about church bells ringing in London?

Book Two, Chapter 1
1. How does Winston react to the note from Julia before he reads it?
2. How does Winston react to the note after he reads it?
3. How do they manage to meet?
4. Describe the "parade" in Victory Square. Why does the Inner Party provide the spectacle for the proles? For the Outer Party members?

Book Two, Chapter 2
1. Why is Winston ill at ease once he is alone with Julia?
2. What does Julia bring with her that she has obtained on the black market?
3. What is Julia’s philosophy?
4. What familiar sign does Winston find?
5. What is the significance of the thrush music?
6. What does Winston mean when he says that he loves Julia all the more because she has had scores of sexual encounters?

Book Two, Chapter 3
1. How and where do Julia and Winston meet?
2. What is Julia’s job?
3. What is her background?
4. What is her attitude toward the Inner Party?
5. Describe Winston’s marriage.
6. What do Winston and Julia disagree about?

Book Two, Chapter 4
1. How does Winston react to the singing prole woman?
2. What is Winston’s reaction to rats? Julia’s reaction?
3. Winston is interested in the church bells that once played in the city even though he is not religious. What do church bells mean to him?
4. Winston sees the coral paper weight as a symbol of what?

Book Two, Chapter 5-6
1. Who has vanished?
2. Describe the preparations for Hate Week. In what ways does the Inner Party excel in building spirit?
3. Julia and Winston have some differences. Explain them.
4. What finally convinces Winston that O’Brien is a member of the Brotherhood?

Book Two, Chapter 7
1. What does Winston remember about his family and his relationship with his mother?
2. What does Winston realize about love and loyalty as a result of his dream?
3. What is the difference between confession and betrayal?

Book Two, Chapter 8—9
1. How does O’Brien test Julia and Winston?
2. What information does O’Brien give them about the Brotherhood?
3. How will O’Brien get The Book to Winston?
4. What are the ways in which the Inner Party builds spirit during Hate Week?
5. What are the two aims of the Party?
6. What are the two problems with which the Party is concerned?
7. Why do all three superpowers forbid their citizens from associating with foreigners?
8. What is doublethink and what is its purpose to the ruling class?

Book Two, Chapter 10
1. What understanding does Winston gain about the common people?
2. What is the significance of the glass paperweight here?

Book Three, Chapter 1
1. Where is Winston? How is he treated there and why?
2. What happens between the starving man and the chinless man?
3. What effect to the words "Room 101" have on the skull-faced man?
4. Who truly is O’Brien? What do he and Charrington have in common?

Book Three, Chapter 2
1. What sort of treatment does Winston receive?
2. What is O’Brien attempting to teach Winston?
3. What effect does the (painless) shock treatment have on Winston?
4. What questions does Winston ask O’Brien and what are the responses?

Book Three, Chapter 3
1. According to O’Brien, what are the three stages in Winston’s re-integration, and which stage is he about to enter?
2. Who wrote Goldstein’s book? Is what the book says true?
3. Why does Winston feel he is morally superior to O’Brien and how does O’Brien prove that Winston is wrong?
4. What good thing can Winston say about himself at the end of this chapter?
5. How does Winston feel about O’Brien? Why?
6. What final question does Winston ask O’Brien?

Book Three, Chapter 4
1. How has Winston’s environment changed? What does he do with his time? How does he show his obedience to the Inner Party?
2. How does Winston show that he is not entirely true to Big Brother?
3. How does Winston feel about Big Brother?

Book Three, Chapter 5
1. What happens in Room 101 and how does this "cure" Winston?

Book Three, Chapter 6
1. What is the setting?
2. What is Winston’s job? (Look up "sinecure" if you don’t know it)
3. How did his meeting with Julia go?
4. How is it evident that Winston really is a different person?
5. What is happening in the last two paragraphs of the book?