1984 Hypertext Project

Created by Allie Pellerito & Alex Runowski

“In a way she realized that she herself was doomed, that sooner or later the Thought Police would catch her and kill her, but with another part of her mind she believed that it was somehow possible

to construct a secret world in which you could live as you choose. All you needed was luck and cunning and boldness. She did not understand that there was no

such thing as happiness, that the only

victory lay in the far future, long after you were dead, that from the moment of declaring war on the Party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse” (Orwell 135).

Literary DeviceOrwell uses this polysyndeton to portray all of the qualities needed to overthrow Big Brother. He uses the word “and” between each quality to emphasize each individual quality making it clear to the readers that one needs all three in order to have even the slightest chance of defeating Big Brother’s oppressive rule.

Happiness: Denotation and Connotation

Denotation- feeling or showing pleasure or contentment; delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing

Connotation- freedom to make own choices and decisions; being able to love someone without the sole purpose being to produce children for the party Effect- to show readers the overall unhappiness of Winston and society as a whole; to show Winston’s desire for himself

Corpse Denotation and Connotation

Denotation- a dead body, esp. of a human being rather than an animal; the remains of something discarded or defunct

Connotation-to show that Winston already considers himself as a dead man because he no longer considers himself capable of human emotions Effect-to show the theme of fatalism that Big Brother brings upon society

Victory Denotation and Connotation

Denotation- an act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other competition

Connotation- to overthrow the Party and their oppressive nature Effect- the help readers see that Winston’s goal will not be fulfilled until the Party is overthrown and to show the hopelessness of a society that exists far in the future

Literary Devices Cont.

The author uses this simile to show the bleakness of Winston and Julia’s situation. No matter how hard they try to reform the government and society, there efforts are, in the end, useless. They have come to the realization that they will die for their unorthodox political views. Also, again Orwell shows the idea of fatalism; the idea that one’s fate is predetermined.

Intertextual Connections

This passage relates to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury when he writes “If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war” (61). This quote relates to the idea of Double Think seen in 1984. For example, the Party pushed the idea that “2 + 2 = 5” and although people knew that this was false, they accepted the lie in fear of being persecuted. Anyone who even had thoughts against Big Brother or they Party would be hunted down by the Thought Police and vaporized. The citizens were only allowed to believe in Big Brother; they could not have their own opinion. This is similar to Fahrenheit 451, and the oppressive leaders of the fire department.

Literary Devices Cont.

The use of foreshadowing once again shows the idea of fatalism. It also adds elements of suspicion as it leaves the readers wondering when and in what manner Winston and Julia will die: will they be tortured prior to dying or will they simply be “vaporized”. Also, readers wonder whether they will achieve their goal of overthrowing the Party before their tragic death.

In this image one can see the similarities between Hitler’s mein Führer reign and Big Brother. The citizens of Oceania mindlessly obey the Party, and a majority of them do not question the authority. Like Oceania convinced its citizens that “2 + 2 = 5” Hitler convinced Germans through his totalitarian governing, that they were superior and those who opposed him faced severe consequences.

http://www.ww2incolor.com/german_leadership/1269879426334.html

Questions

1. Will Julia and Winston lead a revolution against the Party, or will fatalism hold true?

Questions

If Winston and Julia join the Brotherhood, will they be able to create a secret world?

Personal ReactionsI believe that this passage showed Winston and Julia’s unorthodox opinions that the party despises. Julia wants to create a secret world where she can have more freedom, which is a serious thoughtcrime. When Winston believes that there is no happiness in the world, readers can visualize his internal struggle to seek out his personal freedom. The use of polysyndeton creates the overall effect that the Party has made it nearly impossible to overthrow their rule.

Personal ReactionsTo me this quote shows the reoccurring theme of fatalism. Throughout the book the idea that Winston and Julia will die is constantly repeated. Orwell uses this to create suspense among the readers especially in this quote because the thought of creating a secret world is brought up. This gives the readers the idea that Julia and Winston might be able to escape death. Also, the quote highlights the breakdown in society. Julia and Winston see society as being beyond helping and live in fear of the government. Their sole goal is to stay alive for as long as possible in attempt to make at least a slight impact in Oceania.

SynthesisOur final analysis of this quote and 1984 as a whole, is that the theme of fatalism is very prominent. The characters are in constant fear of their own thoughts. One wrong thought could lead to vaporization. Winston and Julia are painfully aware that their actions could lead to their demise. The Party has an oppressive grip on society as a whole. Freedom and happiness are virtually extinct from Oceania.

Work CitedBig Brother. Digital image. Blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Eye. Digital image. Wikimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Fall Out Boy. "Alone Together." Rec. Oct. 2012. Save Rock and Roll. Butch Walker, n.d. MP3.

The Fray. "Happiness." Rec. July 2008. The Fray. Aaron Johnson, 2009. MP3.

Heil Hitler. Digital image. InfoBarrel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Party Slogans. Digital image. Wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.