Common Module – Essay on 1984 (Multiple Examples)

Resource Description

ESSAY WITHOUT ADAPTIVE MATERIAL ANDJUST SYLLABUS:
Texts shape the audience’s understanding of individual and collective human experiences,
as they reveal the complexity of human qualities and emotions. George Orwell’s dystopian
novel Nineteen Eight-Four (1949), represents how a totalitarian authority controls individuals
by eradicating all personal freedom and individuality. Furthermore, Orwell demonstrates
how within this political system, individuals are unable to establish genuine, loving
relationships. Ultimately, Nineteen Eight-Four reveals how the power of storytelling
influences an individual’s identity and their experience of the world. Hence, Orwell explores
an individual’s interaction with the world and how this affects their lived experiences.
Orwell portrays how individuals are restricted in their freedom of thought and expression
within the control of a totalitarian government. Orwell represents Winston’s restriction of
individuality through the kinesthetic imagery during “Two Minutes Hate”, “In a lucid moment
Winston found that he was shouting with the others and kicking his heels violently against the
rung of his chair.“, which shows how Winston is overwhelmed into complying with society’s
collective emotional reaction of rage towards Goldstein, even though he is not personally
invested in the exchange. However, the capitalisation, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”
reveals how Winston is able to privately access his personal truth of disagreement towards
the Party’s ideology and express his desire to overcome their beliefs. Winston’s desires to
overthrow the party are revealed when he confesses his motives to O’Brien in the anaphora,
“We are enemies of the Party. We disbelieve Ingsoc. We are thought criminals.”which reveals
Winston’s newfound sense of individuality, as he is able to openly express his complete
rejection of the Party’s expectations, and admit his unwillingness to obey their expectations
in favour of free thinking. Despite Winston’s ability to freely admit his thoughts, the Party
inevitably is able to oppress this through violence, as conveyed by O’Brien’s violent imagery,
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.” This
symbolises how the Party disregards the individual experiences of its citizens and utilises
fear to intimidate society into a collective acceptance of their ideology. Winston is ultimately
shown to surrender to this collective acceptance as upon his release from the Ministry of
Love, he unquestioningly rejoices for the Party’s military achievements in the auditory
imagery, “He was with the crowds outside, cheering himself deaf.” The juxtaposition
between his final compliance and his earlier wary participation in Two Minutes Hate portrays
how Winston’s individuality has been eradicated, to ensure his full compliance to the Party.