Transcript File
1984 by George Orwell What is a Utopia? • A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions. • Example: The Garden of Eden What is a Dystopia? • A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society (Utopia) are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system. Characteristics of a Dystopian Society • Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. • Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. • A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. • Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. • Citizens have a fear of the outside world. • Citizens live in a dehumanized state. • The natural world is banished and distrusted. • Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad. • The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. A Dystopian Protagonist • Often feels trapped and is struggling to escape. • Questions the existing social and political systems. • Believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives. • • Helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective. Examples of Dystopian Literature • • • • The Giver by Lois Lowry The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Divergent by Veronica Roth Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Dystopian Movies • • • • • The Matrix Blade Runner V for Vendetta Elysium iRobot 1984 by George Orwell After The Atomic War, the world is divided into three states. London is a city in Oceania, ruled by a Party who has total control over all its citizens. Winston Smith is one of the bureaucrats, rewriting history in one of the departments. One day he commits the crime of falling in love with a woman named Julia. They try to escape Big Brother's listening and viewing devices, but, of course, nobody can really escape... Background • 1984 was published in the year 1949, but very closely manages to predict technology as modern as what we have today. Technology in 1949 • • • • The very first Jeep The first color TV The microwave The Slinky Technology in 1984 • The first CD-ROM • The first IBM PC • The first disposable camera Technology Today • Google Glass • Apple Watch • iPhones 1984: World • The world in the novel 1984 has been divided into three superstates • Oceania: London (specifically Airstrip One) • Leader: Big Brother Society • Inner Party: Elite Upper Class (2%) • Outer Party: Middle Class (13%) • Proles (Proletariat): Lower class (85%) Government • Ministry of Peace(minipax): – deals with war and defense • Ministry of Plenty (miniplenty): – deals with economic affairs (rationing and starvation) • Ministry of Love (miniluv): – deals with law and order (torture and brainwashing) • Ministry of Truth(minitrue): – deals with news, entertainment, education and art (propaganda) Thought Police (thinkpo) • The Secret Police of Oceania • It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals • They use psychology and omnipresent surveillance(such as telescreens) to search, find, monitor and arrest members of society who could potentially challenge authority • They use terror and torture to achieve their ends Winston Smith: Our Main Character • Outer Party member (middle class) • Works at the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue) rewriting history (propaganda) for Big Brother – He re-writes old newspaper articles and alters photographs that mention “deleted people” or “unpersons” in order to keep Big Brother in power • Fascinated with the idea of a “true past”, Winston begins to keep a diary…which could get him killed. Two-Minutes Hate • A daily practice by the people of Oceania where Party members must watch a film depicting the Party's enemies (notably Emmanuel Goldstein and his followers) and express their hatred for them. • Propaganda Newspeak • The controlled language of Oceania, created to limit freedom of thought, self-expression, individuality, and peace. • It has limited synonyms, antonyms, and adjectives • The government hopes to limit the words of the people with an end goal of controlling their thoughts Examples of Newspeak • Unperson: a person who has been “vaporized” • Ownlife: the tendency to be alone. This is illegal. • Doublethink: accepting two contradictory ideas as true (hypocritical/propaganda) • Thoughtcrime: Socially unacceptable thoughts • Facecrime: An indication that a person is guilty of thoughtcrime based on their facial expression. • Telescreen: television and security camera-like devices used by the ruling Party in Oceania to keep its subjects under constant surveillance • bb: Big Brother The Slogans of Big Brother