1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell: Part 1 and Part 2 (ch1-3) Q1.Choose 2-4 meaningful quotes and analyze "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" (Chapter 1): This is perhaps the most famous quote from 1984. 1984 depicts a totalitarian society in which people are always being watched. The name 'Big Brother' attempts to suggest that the leader takes a fatherly interest in his citizens although the reality is that most live in fear of being punished for the slightest infraction. "With those children, he thought, that wretched woman must lead a life of terror.

Another year, two years, and they would be watching her night and day for symptoms of unorthodoxy. Nearly all children nowadays were horrible." (Chapter 2). Orwell's novel portrays a future in which children are more loyal to the state than to their own family. Children are blank slates and they are so corrupted they are without feeling when they see supposed traitors hung and they take delight in exposing their own family members. Dissent is so difficult to express because even family members cannot be trusted. Q2.

Construct three high -level questions 1984 depicts a society in which residents must believe contradictions like "WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH." How does the obvious falseness of these statements prove the strength of the government, not its weakness? What is the purpose of the mandatory calisthenics Winston and the other citizens are forced to perform (i.e., does it have a meaning other than physical activity)? Is Winston nostalgic about the life he remembers before the current regime took hold? Q3.

Make a connection about this part of the reading to some other text or current events Fortunately, becoming the type of totalitarian society as portrayed in 1984 is no longer seen as a meaningful risk for the United States as it was during the Cold War when the book was written. However, the concept of always being 'watched' is actually a part of contemporary society in a manner people have come to accept.

People actually willingly post a great deal of private information online in a way that allows them to be watched by friends, relatives, employers, corporations, and the government. It could be argued that this would be the sneakiest way of all to enact a form of social control over people. Rather than using terror and enforcing people to do one's bidding, encouraging people to volunteer information and making it seem like a way of establishing social connections with others and a source of pleasure is much more effective.

To some degree this can be seen in the children of the novel who enjoy informing on their parents and other adults because of the sense of empowerment it brings to them. Q4. Make an insightful comment about this reading Although the society portrayed in 1984 is depressing, the first chapters are uplifting because they suggest.