1984' Critical Analysis Essay

1984 is based on a dystopia. “The war is within measurable distance of its end” implies that war has become such a common phenomenon to the point where the outcome could be easily predicted. This means that people are suffering and living in poor quality lifestyles not just due to the war but also because of the Party's control evidently in the quote “there seemed to be no color in anything'. The 21st-century version will most likely be based in a utopia mainly due to the resolutions of conflicts in the early 2000s.

In 1984 most symbols such as “telescreen”, “BIG BROTHER” and “the Party” represent manipulation and control. Similarly, in the 21st-century version, most symbols will represent manipulation and control mainly due to manipulation still being common mainly due to technological advancements. In 1984 the oxymoron ' war is peace' is used but in the 21st-century version, a more positive oxymoron will be used mainly due to war not being a common concept in the 21 century.

George Orwell tries to warn his readers about a totalitarian government as themes of war, surveillance, and power we prevalent due to the world war ending a few years earlier. However, if it was written in the 21st century themes used will be themes that are specific to this time such as truth and virtue.

Nineteen-Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel published in 1949, written by English writer George Orwell. The novel is set in 1984 when the people of London have been enslaved by a Totalitarian government. If the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in the 21st century firstly, the setting will be different, it will most likely be based in a utopian era. This is a result of the conclusion of all the great wars Secondly, the manner in which the literary devices are used will be different mainly the symbols and oxymorons. Finally, the writer's messages and themes used will change primarily as a result of the writer themselves being influenced by global issues that a more prevalent in the 21st century such as racism and sexism.

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Firstly, the setting of both novels will differ as they will both have different contexts. The novel “1984” is based in a dystopian era in Oceania also known as Airstrip One in what was originally known as London. The country is told to be in a constant state of war, evidently in Part 1 Chapter II where it is announced “the war is within measurable distance of its end” This declarative sentence implies that war had become such a common phenomenon to an extent where the outcome could be easily predicted. The theme of war is present due to the fact that WW2 had recently ended which then inspired Orwell when planning the novel. Moreover, the population of Nineteen Eighty-Four appears to have a poor lifestyle, evident in the quote 'there seemed to be no color in anything' which is used to describe the surroundings such as buildings on the streets to imply that the streets are lifeless and cold as the words 'no color' suggests a lack of joy or excitement in anything or anyone which resulted from the Party’s overwhelming influence. Furthermore, streets in Oceania are shown to have 'whirling dust and torn paper into spirals”. This further suggests lifelessness as 'whirling dust” implies that the streets are deserted since whirling dust is common in uninhabitable and lifeless areas such as deserts. Whereas if the book was written in the 21st century, it would most likely be set in a utopian era mainly due to people having better quality lives as a result of the resolution of most of the large-scale wars in the early 2000s and also because the few remaining ones are on local scales and not global. Due to the lack of conflict, the writer of the new novel will not feel the need to set the novel in a Dystopia but a Utopia. Although the theme of manipulation might be present in the 21st-century version of the novel, it will not be to such an extent as exhibited in Orwell’s version.

Secondly, the literary devices used will be similar but the context in which they are both used will be different essentially due to the different times and settings. In Orwell’s novel, there is a use of symbols to symbolize the misuse of power and manipulation such as ' the Party' which symbolizes a totalitarian government, “ Telescreens' which symbolize the misuse of technology to surveil the people, and “BIG BROTHER” which represents the all-powerful Party. However, if the novel was written in the 21st century, the types of symbols used will be similar because the concepts of manipulation and surveillance are still occurring due to technological advancements such as mobile phones. However, they are not as common due to the development of antimalware which protects technological devices against cyber-attacks or hacking and keeps people from being monitored. Moreover, there is the use of oxymorons such as “war is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength “, this quote is full of contradicting statements such as “war is peace”. Even though contradictory, the statement holds some truth to them because warfare eventually leads to peace. Nevertheless, the oxymorons used in the 21st-century novel will contain statements that are relatable to the issues people were encountering in 2000 such as racism and sexism but not war as it was common mostly in the 19th century due to the 1st and 2nd world wars.

Finally, the writer's message and the overall themes will be different. Orwell intends to warn his readers about a totalitarian government mainly due to the fact that in 1948 themes of war, surveillance, authority, and power were prevalent due to world war II which had ended three years earlier hence Orwell included these themes in his novel. Orwell states that 'He who controls the past controls the future'. This quote is significant because it informs the reader that a totalitarian government could control the future if they control the past. This is evident in 'two-minute hate' where the Party manipulates the information provided to the people in order to control their emotions. Through the 'two minute hate,' the Party demonizes 'Emmanuel Goldstein' by labeling him as an 'enemy of the state' whereas, in reality, he was allegedly the leader of an underground resistance force against the Party ruling and as a result of this people were persuaded to support the party. However, if the novel was written in the 21st century, some of the themes explored could be about truth and virtue as people were growing more curious about their surroundings and society as a result of the internet which gave them access to a vast network of information which made them more knowledgeable and curious about the truth.

If the text was written at different times it would be affected by various factors including setting language and theme mainly due to the fact that the writers will both have different experiences. Orwell's message is about fighting against totalitarianism due to his having experienced WW II and his feelings of oppression by his government when he worked in their police force. However, in the 21st century, people have a different lifestyle due to the resolution of wars and technological advancement hence the novel will differ.