1984

Topics
-Domnguez, Ariana
-Nunes, Paola
-Prez, Arianna
1984. Topics
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a political novel of dystopian
fiction written by George Orwell between 1947 and 1948
and published on June 8, 1949. Orwell published this
novel, not as a prediction of actual future events, but to
warn the world against what he feared would be the fate
of humanity if totalitarian regimes were allowed to seize
power
Totalitarianism and Communism

In writing 1984, Orwell's main goal was to warn of the serious
danger totalitarianism poses to society. He goes to great lengths to
demonstrate the terrifying degree of power and control a totalitarian
regime can acquire and maintain.

During a time when much of the Western world was lauding
communism as a step towards human progress in the development
of equality in government, Orwell clearly and definitively spoke out
against the practice.
The Individual vs. Collective Identity

One way a totalitarian regime seeks to stay in power is by
denying human beings their individuality, eradicating
independent thought through the use of propaganda and
terror. Winston tries to assert his individual nature
against the collective identity the Party wishes him to
adopt.
Reality Control

The Party controls the citizens of Oceania through a
combination of surveillance, terror, and propaganda.
The party can indiscriminately use torture,
imprisonment, or vaporization on anyone whose
thoughts or actions indicate that they may commit a
crime in the future.
Sex, Love and Loyalty

The Party works to quell all physical
sensations of love, and depersonalizes
sex to the point where it is referred to as
a "duty to the Party" (for the purposes of
procreation). The Party polices sexual
relationships because it realizes that the
hysteria caused by sexual frustration
can be harnessed into war fever and
leader-worship. Because of this, when
Winston and Julia make love they think
of it as a political act, "a blow struck
against the Party."
Class Struggle

Society is made up of three distinct social classes: the
elite Inner Party, the industrious Outer Party, and vast
numbers of uneducated proles. The chasm between
poverty and wealth in the novel is striking.

Orwell presents this dichotomy to demonstrate how
totalitarian societies promote the wealth of the ruling
regime while decreasing the quality of life for all other
members of society.