https://rauterberg.employee.id.tue.nl/lecturenotes/DDM110%20CAS/Orwell-1949%201984.pdf
Part I
Chapter 1
3rd person limited (only Winston’s feelings being described)
Small, frail unhealthy- Winston
Depressing gloomy mood- world being described as colorless
Big Brother representing Hitler, Stalin
INGSOC- English Socialism is the main party.
Use of irony- victory mansion/gin
War is peace (keep the country united in war), Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength (keep people
under the control and surveillance of the government.)
The Ministry of peace, love, plenty, truth are ironic in itself. Used to control people.
Doublethink- agreeing with two contradictory opinions
Telescreen represents surveillance and control.
Chapter 2
The parents being afraid of their children because they might report them to the party, police etc
Similar to the Hitler youth; children being brainwashed by the government and becoming fanatics.
P26 last paragraph; “Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was
that by means of such organisation as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable
little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of
the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party and everything connected with it… the worship of
Big Brother. It was all sort of glorious game to them. All their ferocity was turned outwards, against
the enemies of the State…”
Mrs Parsons: Winston’s neighbor. Has 1 boy (9), 1 girl (7) (2 children). The children are rowdy, Party
fanatics. Colorless & crushed looking woman, dirty depressing house.
Chapter 3
Vaporized- the government “deletes” a person. The thought government kills then removes all records
of their existence.
Winston’s dream: he feels responsible for his mother’s death because she sacrificed herself for
him. The dream about the dark haired girl represents his repressed sexuality.
Chapter 4
Winston works in the Records department of the ministry of truth
, “But actually, he thought as he readjusted the Ministry of Plenty’s figures, it was not even
forgery,” (43) doublethink
The government falsifies history, spreads lies
Memory hole is used to delete the past- ironic
The inner party (2%)- outer party- proletariats (85%) the aim is to keep proles ignorant and
prevent an uprising p.46
Chapter 5
Syme is presented as an intelligent man whom Winston enjoys the company of. Winston
finds him interesting but he knows that Syme dislikes him, he thinks that Syme would report him to
the Thought Police given the opportunity. Winston believes that his fate is to be vaporized because he
talks too much. He does things that are unexpected of party members such as going to the Chestnut
Tree Cafe where Goldstein used to frequent. “There was something subtly wrong with Syme. There
was something he lacked; discretion, aloofness, a sort of saving stupidity… a faint air of disreputability
always clung to him. He said things that would've been better unsaid…” (Orwell 58). This quote tells
the reader what Winston thinks about Syme and it sums up his character. I think Syme being
included in the book shows that even the people who blindly follow the government are not safe if
they do not fit a standard.
Winston recalls that just the previous day the chocolate ration was reduced to 20 grams a
week but the government reports this as an increase. Neither Parsons nor Syme is aware of this fact,
Winston believes that he is the only one who remembers the truth. This shows that citizens believe
anything that the government tells them, they do not question it. They trust the government’s lies
over their own memories.
A facecrime is having an expression or acting in a way which indicates that the person is
hiding something. For example a thief sweating and not making eye contact indicates they are guilty
so it would be a facecrime. The Parsons children show their fanatic patriotism for the party by setting
fire to a woman’s skirt because she wrapped sausages in a poster of Big Brother. Their “training”
pushes them to act this way.
Chapter 6
In chapter 6 Winston writes in his diary about him fornicating with a prostitute. While doing so he
reminisces about his short term marriage to a woman named Katherine almost 12 years ago.
The Party has control over their body and emotions. Katherine ‘the human soundtrack’, she
constantly repeats the slogan of the Party.
Chapter 8
Newspeak: ownlife- individuality and eccentricity
Part I
Chapter 1
3rd person limited (only Winston’s feelings being described)
Small, frail unhealthy- Winston
Depressing gloomy mood- world being described as colorless
Big Brother representing Hitler, Stalin
INGSOC- English Socialism is the main party.
Use of irony- victory mansion/gin
War is peace (keep the country united in war), Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength (keep people
under the control and surveillance of the government.)
The Ministry of peace, love, plenty, truth are ironic in itself. Used to control people.
Doublethink- agreeing with two contradictory opinions
Telescreen represents surveillance and control.
Chapter 2
The parents being afraid of their children because they might report them to the party, police etc
Similar to the Hitler youth; children being brainwashed by the government and becoming fanatics.
P26 last paragraph; “Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was
that by means of such organisation as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable
little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of
the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party and everything connected with it… the worship of
Big Brother. It was all sort of glorious game to them. All their ferocity was turned outwards, against
the enemies of the State…”
Mrs Parsons: Winston’s neighbor. Has 1 boy (9), 1 girl (7) (2 children). The children are rowdy, Party
fanatics. Colorless & crushed looking woman, dirty depressing house.
Chapter 3
Vaporized- the government “deletes” a person. The thought government kills then removes all records
of their existence.
Winston’s dream: he feels responsible for his mother’s death because she sacrificed herself for
him. The dream about the dark haired girl represents his repressed sexuality.
Chapter 4
Winston works in the Records department of the ministry of truth
, “But actually, he thought as he readjusted the Ministry of Plenty’s figures, it was not even
forgery,” (43) doublethink
The government falsifies history, spreads lies
Memory hole is used to delete the past- ironic
The inner party (2%)- outer party- proletariats (85%) the aim is to keep proles ignorant and
prevent an uprising p.46
Chapter 5
Syme is presented as an intelligent man whom Winston enjoys the company of. Winston
finds him interesting but he knows that Syme dislikes him, he thinks that Syme would report him to
the Thought Police given the opportunity. Winston believes that his fate is to be vaporized because he
talks too much. He does things that are unexpected of party members such as going to the Chestnut
Tree Cafe where Goldstein used to frequent. “There was something subtly wrong with Syme. There
was something he lacked; discretion, aloofness, a sort of saving stupidity… a faint air of disreputability
always clung to him. He said things that would've been better unsaid…” (Orwell 58). This quote tells
the reader what Winston thinks about Syme and it sums up his character. I think Syme being
included in the book shows that even the people who blindly follow the government are not safe if
they do not fit a standard.
Winston recalls that just the previous day the chocolate ration was reduced to 20 grams a
week but the government reports this as an increase. Neither Parsons nor Syme is aware of this fact,
Winston believes that he is the only one who remembers the truth. This shows that citizens believe
anything that the government tells them, they do not question it. They trust the government’s lies
over their own memories.
A facecrime is having an expression or acting in a way which indicates that the person is
hiding something. For example a thief sweating and not making eye contact indicates they are guilty
so it would be a facecrime. The Parsons children show their fanatic patriotism for the party by setting
fire to a woman’s skirt because she wrapped sausages in a poster of Big Brother. Their “training”
pushes them to act this way.
Chapter 6
In chapter 6 Winston writes in his diary about him fornicating with a prostitute. While doing so he
reminisces about his short term marriage to a woman named Katherine almost 12 years ago.
The Party has control over their body and emotions. Katherine ‘the human soundtrack’, she
constantly repeats the slogan of the Party.
Chapter 8
Newspeak: ownlife- individuality and eccentricity
