Summary 1984 Sample Student Essay: Power and destiny
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Module
English
Institution
5
Question: 1984 encourages the responder to rethink their ideas about the individual’s power over their own destiny. Discuss this statement with close reference to 1984 by George Orwell.
Good for: gathering evidence, considering arguments.
Includes a little bit of teacher feedback.
Written...
1984 encourages the responder to rethink their ideas about the individual’s power
over their own destiny.
Discuss this statement with close reference to 1984 by George Orwell.
Destiny is a fascinating notion within the human experience, central to the idea of power;
questioning whether we are in control of our own lives. In modern society, democratic values (such
as freedom of speech and freedom of thought), give us the secular impression that we can act as we
wish, within the law, and thus shape our own destiny. This idea is challenged in 1984, as Orwell
presents a world in which the manipulation of one’s behaviour and even one’s thoughts is controlled
by enhanced governmental control. Whether the population realise this or not, they remain
dominated and unable to freely live their lives, destined to live under the Party’s rule. Thus, Orwell
encourages us to rethink our understanding of controlling our own destiny; warning us to be vigilant
of the power the government commands.
Orwell argues that too much? obedience to the government sacrifices the autonomy of the
individual, ultimately giving it unchecked power over one’s destiny. Was this something you already
understoos before reading his book? Primarily, he encourages us to see the undesirable
consequences of government over-reach through the use of dark satire, as Orwell accentuates the
citizen’s collective ignorance of this control. A prime example of this is when the Ministry of Plenty
announces false standard of living statistics, which Parsons “swallowed easily, with the stupidity of
an animal.” Later called an “eyeless creature”, Orwell uses metaphors related to blindness?and a
satirical tone directed at ?? to exaggerate those contemporary elements in his society with the
benighted state of Oceania, in which a deliberately withheld and falsified lack of information
diminishes their understanding of their lives. This concept is reinforced through Orwell creation of
doublethink, which confuses one’s thoughts to create conformity. In Winston’s words, doublethink
encourages the citizens "To know and not to know...to use logic against logic”, thus manipulating
their freedom of thought, at the Party’s benefit. Orwell employs a repetitive stream of consciousness
[where?] to highlight the paradox associated with doublethink, creating dramatic irony as Winston
recognises this but is simultaneously a victim of it e.g.?. By emphasising this unconscious deference
to the words of authority, Orwell urges us to be more critical of the world around us, so that unlike
in 1984, we might remain in control of our destiny.
Orwell also indicates that acquiescence makes us vulnerable to exploitation to the whims of others,
provoking the individual to lose agency over their own destiny. In 1984, the Party achieves this by
restricting the display of human emotions, and redirecting them in a patriotic manner. This can be
observed with the Two Minutes Hate, which provides an outlet for anger and frustration; “a hideous
ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness”. However, the citizens are so detached from their feelings that
"the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion...", allowing the Party to determine
where it is focused. This total dominion over the citizens is accentuated when they dissolve into “a
rhythmical chant of B-B!...”, which Orwell describes as “curiously savage”. Repetition and asyndeton
underline the collective devotion to Big Brother, creating dramatic irony as the audience
understands how the Party has manipulated their emotions to generate this. Orwell continues to
dehumanise them, with primitive connotations emerging from the auditory imagery within “the
stamp of naked feet… The throbbing of tom-toms”. He argues that this degree of control causes a
loss of identity, and thus, humanity, as the citizens become undeniably fated to serve the Party.
Hence, Orwell advises us to hold power over our own emotions, to preserve our humanity and the
ability to determine our lives.
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