Premium Essay

Love in 1984

In: English and Literature

Submitted By blaine
Words 2250
Pages 9
Love in George Orwell’s 1984 Love can play many roles in society. It can bring many people together happily or it can tear families apart so they will never speak to ach other again. Love can also be a political force. It can be an act of rebellion by individuals. It can also be a means to control individuals. This is what has occurred in George Orwell’s book 1984. George Orwell was born on June 25, 1903 as Eric Arthur Blair, in Bengal, India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair, was an administrator in the Opium Department of the Indian government. (Mullen 3) Eric, his mother, Ida Mabel Limouzin Blair, and his older sister left India for England in 1908. (Flynn 9) In England the family lived as a “shabby-genteel family,” in his own words, at Henley on Thames. This was a happy time in his life and an inspiration for some of his writing, such as the essay, “Such, Such Were the Joys.”(Mullen 3) Also at this time Eric first showed signs of poor health. His mother recorded in her diary her concern for his bronchitis and a weak chest. (Flynn 11-12) In 1911 Eric went to St. Cyprian’s prepatory school. He was eight. (Flynn 19) Eric’s family kept him there at a great sacrifice to his family but at reduced fee because the headmaster hoped Eric would be able to win a scholarship. At the age of thirteen Eric went to Eton College after winning two scholarships. Eric was at Eton from 1917 to 1921. (Hopkinson 276) Eric praised Eton by complimenting its tolerant and civilized atmosphere but said that the school turned him into “an odious little snob.” After graduating thirteenth of fourteen in his class he had no chance of going to college. He chose to become a policeman in India and left England on October 27, 1922. He stayed in India, working and doing a small amount of writing until 1928, when he returned to England and decided to be a writer. He had written almost

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Examples Of Love In George Orwell's '1984'

...I am not sure if I am willing to go with hatred being more powerful than love in the book. I will say that the book shows fear being more powerful. In either case, I can go with love as being secondary in the book. I think that part of this comes from the fact that Orwell is dying as he is writing the book. Certainly, this aspect of knowing one’s reality and one’s fate that cannot be avoided and is inevitable is something that looms over the reading of the novel and Orwell’s writing of it. We can see this in how the love affair between Winston and Julia is shown. The initial hope and expectation of the reader is to hope that there might be some level of liberation and some level of freedom expressed in their union. Perhaps, we can view...

Words: 326 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Love or Rebellion: Explore How Shakespeare and Orwell Present Forbidden Love in Romeo and Juliet and 1984

...he ends up betraying Julia once their relationship was put to the test and he saw that his life had been threatened by O’Brien; if Winston was put in Romeos position, he probably would not have committed suicide for Julia. As the mask came towards him and time was mocking him, he wished Julia could be in his place instead of him, he could of wished for it just to stop, but as well as the thought of her being there he also ‘shouted frantically’ . To shout it frantically meant that there was no hesitation in this order and he added that he wouldn’t care if they wanted to ‘tear her face off’, so he knew that she would suffer because of her crime and for his too. This seems to be the transaction period at which Winston’s learns to believe and love in Big Brother, in saying this I believe that Winston had realised that all of his thoughts of defeating big brother was not worth him dying and he had already converted. After Julia had recovered, her glance at Winston was full of hatred and ‘dislike’, it is not clear why but after they had confessed to betraying each other she gave him another look of dislike. I think Orwell planned this conversation to occur, to signify the moment they realised it was not worth them loving each other, Julia says that during the torture ‘all you care about is yourself’ but they were quite selfish throughout the whole of the book because they both new that if they were...

Words: 407 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Manipulation of Love

...“Love comes when manipulation stops,” Dr. Joyce Brothers once said. In other words, love is natural, and unless an individual is manipulated, love will come. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell are both dystopian novels in which a totalitarian government manipulates its citizens’ relationships to inhibit love and therefore conserve the status quo of society. Brave New World and 1984 possess certain similarities and differences in the manner by which each government controls relationships to preserve its society. The main goal of relationship manipulation in both novels is to prevent couples from becoming too attached to each other. In each dystopia, one of the roles of the government is “to prevent you from loving any one person too much” (Huxley 237), because both governments fear that an allegiance to another human could compromise allegiance to the ruling power or create a love stronger than the government itself. Mustapha Mond, society’s engineer in Brave New World, states, “There is no such thing as dual-allegiance” (Huxley 237). This means that it is not possible for one to have a perfectly unequivocal allegiance to the ruling power if he or she is plagued with another allegiance. Both novels describe governments which strive to expunge the idea of dual-allegiance; however, Brave New World and 1984 use different means by which they achieve their goal. 1984 sees a starkly contrasting view on monogamy compared to Brave New World. Marriage...

Words: 817 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

1984 and Romeo and Juliet

...how Shakespeare and Orwell present forbidden love in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘1984’. Introduction What is love? What are the main similarities and differences between the presentation of forbidden love in 1984 and Romeo and Juliet? Relate briefly to the contexts of both texts. Paragraph 1 Why does Romeo love Juliet? Why does Winston love Julia? Look at how Romeo is attracted to Juliet for being beautiful and compare it to how Winston loves Julia for her lack of purity. Explore this idea. You could use the quotes: ‘The brightness of cheek would shame those stars’ – Romeo about Juliet, page 53, Romeo and Juliet “Listen. The more men you’ve had, the more I love you. Do you understand?” “Yes, perfectly.” “I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.” – Winston and Julia, page 144, 1984 (part 2, chapter 2 end) Paragraph 2 What is the connection between hate and love? What similarities do you notice between the two texts? Look hatred has become an important element of each relationship. You could use the quotes: ‘My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself’ –Romeo, page 55, Romeo and Juliet “As soon as I saw you, I knew you were against them.” Julia says this about Winston, page 140, 1984. Paragraph 3 How is sex presented in both texts? Is sex a natural or unnatural act? Look at how sex is shown to be unnatural in 1984 – birds singing, etc. Effect is that the reader...

Words: 882 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Brave New World

...World and 1984 are two novels that both take place in a totalitarian world; however the two worlds are very different. Huxley explains a world where the only things that are forbidden is having babies, being unhappy/questioning the state, and refusing to do the jobs and duties assigned to them. Contrastingly, 1984 is much more restrictive in the fact that they have complete control over the people, not allowing them to find love, not giving them privacy, nor allowing them to think badly about the government. Furthermore, in 1984 the government puts effort in inducing fear in the citizens by saying that they are in war, and they also use threats of torture if someone steps out of line, even in the slightest. Although both regimes control their citizens through the destruction of social relations, technology and controlling their sense of freedom, Huxley’s world state will clearly outlive Orwell’s party because Brave New World supports the development of a blissfully ignorant society, thus preventing rebellion, whereas 1984’s use of fear will inevitably destroy the stability of the nation. In addition to their methods, the destruction of social relations is something that appears in both texts. In Brave New World, sex is encouraged because it keeps people happy, though love is not. The state does not encourage the people to fall in love with someone because love leads to the want to start a family and have kids. Although both societies do not want the people to fall in love, Brave...

Words: 1136 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

George Orwell's Dystopian Novels

...Atwood’s and Orwell’s novels share the fundamental idea that control of language and thought are crucial to dystopian novel. George Orwell’s ‘1984’ was written after World War Two building on people’s fear of the political stability of the world. His novel includes the all-powerful Big Brother, which monitors and controls Oceania, where the novel is set. Margaret Atwood’s delve into control of thought and language is through religion. Her novel set in the near future religious state, Gilead, in North America. The inspiration for the two dystopian novels comes from the election of conservative power, Thatcher and Regan, in the western world, and the general fears that civilisation had in the 1980’s about declining birth rates and the dangers...

Words: 926 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

George Orwell's 1994 Dramatic Elements Critique

...watching. George Orwell’s novel 1984 springs to life with this stage adaptation presented by the highly entertaining theatre company Shake and Stir. In the totalitarian society of 1984, lies, myths and false information dictate the population and this is portrayed beautifully in the theatrical presentation of the novel. 1984 tells the story of Winston, a man with no hope, the party controls his life, his not his mind. He believes that the party is spreading false truths to retain power over the people, and to rebel, he commits ‘thought crime’ by thinking and writing about taking down the party and destroying the power that they possess. Little does he know, the party is onto him. Orwell uses this as a comparison to the real world. It is his view that the If communist governments take over the world there will be no escape from their supreme rule. He instead believes in democratic socialism where there are still free elections. Socialism stops privatization by establishing collective ownership of major factors of production. And if there is no privatization the theory is there will be no corruption. Well executed dramatic elements of role, mood and symbol, as well as the set and costumes of 1984 are what make it an outstanding piece of theatre and one that is effectively designed, not only through live presentation but with the aid of audio and visual pre-recordings. Like Shake and Stir’s previous Orwell reboot, Animal Farm, 1984 is presented through elements of realism...

Words: 1465 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Never Let Me Go vs. 1984

...to attribute to us that make us different from animals and it is also what is missing to a large extent in Orwell’s “1984” and Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go”. The futility of relationships in these works is part of what makes the worlds in which they are based seem so bereft of hope and consequently, dystopic in nature. Never Let Me Go is a supreme dystopian example of a modern day 1984 because the authors give hope to the characters and the audience, they both have an intrinsic human emotion to hold on to, and the people’s future isn’t clearly explained. The vision of humanity’s future, the only truly acceptable thing to ‘love’ is Big Brother. The Party restricts all other love so as to break down the ties between family, friends and lovers whilst transferring this loyalty to the Party itself as a form of control. The Party is said to have, “cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and women.” This does not just show the breakdown of relationships, but the reduction of the self. The Party is removing the essential links that allow humanity to be more than a collective of individuals and instead uses this to its own ends, although what these are, beyond a desire for control, we never truly discover. It is partly this lack of knowledge of the Party’s overall goals that makes the situation seem so desperate, it is as though love is being removed without explanation or justification, making the whole process seem devoid of hope as there is no...

Words: 2087 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Technology Through the Eyes of George Orwell

...Technology through the eyes of George Orwell Summary of the story The novel 1984 published in 1949 takes a look at society of future in 1984. This society called Oceania is a totalitarian one, where state controls everything including the people’s thought. The government, which runs Oceania is called INGSOC (English Socialism). The controllers are known as “The Party”, whose leader is Big Brother. Winston Smith, the central character, a 39-year old man lives in London. He secretly hates Big Brother. He decides to rebel by keeping a diary in which he reveals his rebellious thought. He knows the crime he is committing and also that one day the thought police would discover his crime and probably kill him. The lowest class in the social hierarchy of Oceania are “proles”, who are relatively free of police surveillance. He befriends Mr. Charrington, the prole owner of a junk shop, who shares similar interest in the past life before the rule of Big Brother. A dark haired girl, in another department slips a piece of paper in Winston’s hand. It says, “I love you.” Winston is surprised and disturbed as any sexual relation between Party members is strictly forbidden. Nevertheless, he falls in love and they meet secretly. A love affair begins and the girl finally introduces herself as Julia. They are careful enough to meet in places unlikely to be watched. Winston and Julia eventually hire a room above Mr. Charrington’s junk-shop as a place for the two of them to...

Words: 1538 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Theme of Political Strife

...The theme of Political Strife in Orwell’s 1984 Student’s name Institution name Abstract Orwell’s 1984 is another masterfully done piece of work that captures the political scenario across the world. Having written it in 1964, the book foretells the political events of the coming 1984 generations. This is a purely prophetic book that is inspired by Orwell’s sharp observation and political analytical skills. In this book, the life of the characters is purely determined by the political happenings of the time. (Bloom, 2007). Many literary and political analysts have found a place to refer to in interpreting political realities of the world in George Orwell’s works. Orwell is remembered for his other book Animal Farm that continues to spark emotional reactions from all over the world every day. A look at how the political theme gets manifested can help one to understand better the happenings in the story and their general applicability to the world we are living in. The Theme of Political Strife There are a number of themes that Orwell (1964) brings out in his book 1984. It is a prediction of the coming political sceneries in future since its publication came earlier before the year 1984. Among the major themes that can be found in the story are betrayal...

Words: 2301 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Technology In 1984

..."If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." This quote from the book 1984, by George Orwell, portrays a theme that is consistent throughout the novel: freedom. Imagine a world where you have no freedoms; you cannot state your opinion and even having your own thoughts could be detrimental. Well, George Orwell decided to take this idea and create a story out of it called 1984. This novel is definitely worth the read and deserves to be discussed. First, I will assess the importance of reading this novel. Then, I will compare Orwell's vision of the future to our reality by looking at the government's power, our civil rights, and how technology advancements have affected our freedoms. Although...

Words: 1174 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Utilitarianism In 1984

...1984 in 2014 In 1984, George Orwell describes life in a world with an ideal government that has society’s support and citizens that obey all laws. Otherwise known as a “negative utopia,” Oceania is ruled by The Party, composed of different Ministries to maintain their compliant citizens. Thought Police work for The Party to identify those who oppose The Party by monitoring every action taken and word spoken. “Telescreens" and hidden microphones allow for effective monitoring, but the only thing they cannot know for sure are the thoughts that citizens keep in the privacy of their mind. As Winston’s life progresses in 1984, he becomes more aware of his and other’s opposition to The Party, and accepts the memories that The Party does not want...

Words: 1104 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Western Literature

...and the Lewis and Clark Expedition written in the early nineteenth century gave readers some of their first visions of the landscape and native peoples of the West. Later explorers added to the colorful picture of the West. However, as the realities of the West changed, so did the focus of writers who used the West as subject and symbol. Land became less available and the uses of land came into question. The environmental movement led to a reevaluation of humanity’s relationship to nature. As the region was settled a mix of cultures came into play. Writers now have come to emphasize the complexity of Western life, rather than its simplicity. Contemporary Westerns sound with more diverse voices than ever before. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he writes about his dark vision of the future. It may not just be of the future of the West, but the way of thinking and system portrayed are particularly Western in nature. A lot of terms coined in this novel are also use widely already in the modern day English language. It is a chilling depiction of how the power of the state could come to dominate the lives of individuals through cultural conditioning. Perhaps the most powerful science fiction novel of the twentieth century, this apocalyptic satire shows with grim conviction how Winston Smith's individual personality is wiped out and how he is recreated in the Party's image...

Words: 2722 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Comparing Gentlemen's Guide To Love And Murder '

...Theater’s production of “1984” by George Orwell. Directed by Tom Mitchell, the successful performance attracted audiences from various background. The following paragraphs will discuss the technicality, the plot, and my own opinion about the play. The production was extremely representational as it did not interact with the audience at all. The audience acted only as observers and was not involved in any ways with the performance. This can be easily concluded when compared to other plays, such as the “Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” play that I attended a couple weeks ago. In this play, the actors made jokes involving the audience, which clearly showed that the actors were aware of the audience’s existence. However, in “1984”, the actors acted as if there was no audience. The best example would be shown...

Words: 1278 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

1984

...Rachel S. Stoker Mr. Saluga Honors English 10 20 April 2015 Government’s Humanity A government is a body of power used to control a nation. Different governments use different tactics. There’s democracy, socialism, monarchy, communism, and many more. Some rule with love, others rule with fear. The government portrayed in 1984 is known as “totalitarianism.” They control everyone and everything. In order to do so, the government manipulates humans by using their own traits against them. Some say this is dehumanizing them. However, you cannot dehumanize someone by using their human qualities, instincts, and natural survival tactics belonging to humans. For example, the number one instinct humans have is self-preservation. They will do whatever they can to survive, no matter what the case. To survive in the era of 1984, is to comply. The people of that time are forced to abide by every law and rule set by the totalitarianism style government. As a result of self-preservation is a natural tactic of survival for human beings, it’s something they will do subconsciously and automatically. Conforming, in this case, is requiring to “remove emotion” and individuality. In those places, they incorporate routine, acceptance, and – most importantly – taking away thought. They practically become robots in some ways. To self-preserve, people automatically conform. Whether they wish to or not, the human mind will do anything to preserve itself. It took a decent amount...

Words: 599 - Pages: 3