As a part of syllabus activity we have presented introductory presentation on 1984 by George Orwell in the department of English mkbu University of Bhavnagar.M.A(sem 2)

1. George Orwell's 1984

2. Table of contents
● Introduction of Author
● Introduction of Novel
● Story Overview
● Characters of Novel
● Themes of the Novel
● Symbols of the Novel
● The Purpose of Newspeak
● Newspeak Glossary
● The Mutability of History
● THE DANGERS OF SURVEILLANCE
● 1984 and the Power of
Technology
● Graphic Adaptation
● Conclusion

3. Eric Arthur Blair
● Born: 25 June 1903, Motihari in India
● Pen Name: George Orwell
● Novelist,Essayist,Journalist,and Critic
● He graduated in Eton University
● He has to join British imperial army from 1922 to
1927.
● Served in WWII as a Home Guard in England
● His work is characterised by lucid prose,social
criticism,Opposition to Totalitarianism and
Support of democratic Socialism.

4. Major Works
"Animal Farm"
(1945)
"Nineteen
Eighty-Four" (1949)
"Homage to
Catalonia"
(1938)
"The Road to Wigan Pier"
(1937)
"Burmese Days" (1934)
"Keep the Aspidistra
Flying" (1936)
"Shooting an
Elephant" (1936):
"Coming Up for Air"
(1939)
Facing
Unpleasant
Facts(1999)

5. ● Originally published: 8 June 1949.
● Setting: 4 April,1984 London in The mythical Country of
Oceania(In the Future).
● Genres: Science fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Social science fiction,
Political fiction
Important Concepts
● Utopia: Utopia is a perfect Paradise that Doesn’t exist, But which
we all dream of anyway.
● Dystopia: Opposite of utopia, it describes an imaginary Society that
is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.
● Totalitarianism: If the government has complete and absolute
power over the people,that’s Totalitarianism.This is a repressive
unfree type of society.
Key Facts

7. Story Overview
➢ Winston is sick of his job fabricating and changing history at the ministry of truth
➢ Winston has a sexual affair with julia he trusts her and shares his rebellious thoughts with her
➢ Winston wants to get involved with O’brien who he thinks is part of the Brotherhood rebellion
➢ Eventually both winston and Julia are Captured by the Party
Why did George Orwell wrote 1984?
❏ To warn the dangers of totalitarianism
❏ Example of Soviet union
❏ Against of the Absolute power
The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three perpetually warring totalitarian states (the other
two are Eurasia and Eastasia). Oceania is governed by the all-controlling Party, which has
brainwashed the population into unthinking obedience to its leader, Big Brother. The Party has
created a propagandistic language known as Newspeak, which is designed to limit free thought and
promote the Party’s doctrines. Its words include doublethink , which is reflected in the Party’s
slogans: “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and “Ignorance is strength.” The Party
maintains control through the Thought Police and continual surveillance.

9. Characters of Novel
Winston
- Protagonist of novel,39 years old man, worked in “Ministry
of Truth”.
- Winston is also an amateur intellectual who nurses a
secret hatred of the Party.
- Winston is in love with “Julia”, but affair is short -lived and
the couple is arrested.
- extensive torture and humiliation, which force him into
submission.
- At the end of the novel he loses all rebellious thoughts,
gains unadulterated love for Big Brother and the Party,
and eradicates his love for Julia.

10. Julia
- A 26 year who works in Department of
fiction Ministry of Truth.
- She also secretly despises the party, but
accept it's rule over her.
- Julia declares her love for Winston, thus
beginning their affair and setting them
down the path towards their eventual
imprisonment.
- Julia and Winston caught and arrested.
- when they meet again after their releases,
She was spiritless, physically broken, and
even nurses a vague dislike for Winston.

11. O’Brien
- A prominent Inner Party member.
- O'Brien is a large, graceful, and clearly
intelligent man who leads Winston to believe
he is part of an underground movement
against the Party, but in fact helps turn
Winston in for thoughtcrime and tortures him
in the Ministry of Love.
- He can be fatherly - and even tender - even
while fanatically expressing his devotion to the
Party by torturing Winston.

12. Big Brother (Emannuel
Goldstein)
- The symbol of Oceanin and
the party, Big Brother is
Oceanin spreme leader.
- He omniscient, telescreen,
projection, coins and even
large posters warning “BIG
BROTHER IS WATCHING
YOU”

13. Themes of the Novel
1) Totalitarianism :
In writing 1984, Orwell's main goal was to warn of the serious
danger totalitarianism poses to society. He goes to great lengths
to demonstrate the terrifying degree of power and control a
totalitarian regime can acquire and maintain. In such regimes,
notions of personal rights and freedoms and individual thought
are pulverized under the all-powerful hand of the
government.The Party is unflawed in its universal control over
society, as evidenced by its ability to break even an independent
thinker such as Winston, and has mastered every aspect of
psychological control, largely through utilizing technological
developments to their advantage.

14. 2) Propaganda :
J
A major factor in the Party's rule over Oceania lies in its extremely
well organized and effective propaganda machine. The Ministry of
Truth, which is ironically where Winston works, is responsible for
disseminating all Party publications and information. All figures and
facts come from the Ministry of Truth, and all are dictated by the
Party.
3) Independence and Identity:
Through its effective psychological manipulation tactics, the Party
destroys all sense of independence and individuality. Everyone wears the
same clothes, eats the same food, and lives in the same grungy
apartments. Life is uniform and orderly. No one can stand out, and no one
can be unique. To have an independent thought borders on the criminal.

15. 4) Technology :-
Technology is an extremely important tool that the Party uses to
maintain control over its citizens. Without telescreens, the Thought
Police would not be nearly as effective, and propaganda would not be
so widespread. The constant supervision of the telescreen effectively
imprisons citizens of Oceania in their daily lives: they are always
under observation.
This theme comes to a head during Winston's torture, when Winston
argues that he is a man, and because he is a man O'Brien cannot
tell him what he thinks. O'Brien counters that if Winston is a man, he
is the last man on earth.

16. 5) Language:
Newspeak plays an extremely important role in Oceanian society
and in the Party's control over its population. As Syme says,
Newspeak reduces and limits the number of words in the English
language, and removes words used to describe rebellion or
independence . Interestingly, the Party works to form a language
around itself rather than naturally accepting and assuming the
language of the people that make up the country. In this way,
language is used as yet another mechanism of mind control.

17. Symbols of the Novel
1) Telescreen :
T. V potrait in the novel as a “smart” device that was spiyin on
all Oceania citizens. In the novel Telescreen become symbol of
absolute propaganda and total control , absence of privacy .
2) 2+2=5:
Winston had to admit to this famous calculation when he was
tortured by the Though Police. This is the symbol of a vivid false
statement that is accepted socially in the society governed by a
totalitarian ideology.

18. Winston's job was about changing the news so that it
matched the reality that Oceania wanted its citizens
to see. In his office there were three holes in the
wall: for notes on changes that had to be made, for
newspapers that had to be edited and for recycling
of all the materials. They were called "memory
holes" as symbols of ways to destroy and alter
memories of thousands of people. Memory holes are
also symbols for distorted communication channels
Oceania used to brainwash its citizens.
3) The Memory Hall:

19. The Purpose of Newspeak :
● Language Decline: political and economic factors,
Dictatorships,Corrupted language-corrupted thought.
● "When the general atmosphere is bad, language must
suffer."
● Totalitarian Language Restriction:use language to
narrow ideas-"Politics and the English Language"
● Creation of Newspeak: to manipulate of language in
Oceania.Absence of Freedom in Newspeak
● Word Elimination in Newspeak: Removal of words
representing opposing ideas promotes a narrowing of
thought. Example: "good" eliminates the need for the
word "bad.".(“Critical Essays The Purpose of Newspeak”)

20. Newspeak Glossary
Prefixes and Suffixes in Newspeak: All
degrees of goodness expressed through
standard additions to the root word.
● Warning on Government Control: Orwell
warns that a government controlling
language controls the minds of its
citizens
● .(“Critical Essays The Purpose of Newspeak”)
Click here to visit
website of 1984

21. The Role of the Author :
● Winston's Work in the Records Department: Involves producing
propaganda, acknowledging the lies he creates.
● Danger of the Printed Word: Dangerous in 1984's Oceania,books are
banned, and even personal notes can lead to punishment.
● Control over Letters and Books “Vaporization”:Letters are scrutinized,
Books are written by machines, eliminating the role of the artist.
● Manipulation of Literary Classics: Shakespeare are translated into
Newspeak, altering their essence. Destruction of literature and creativity.
● Role of Emmanuel Goldstein's Book: As a "bible" to illustrate the power of
the written word-propaganda.
● Goldstein's book-shaping ideas and resistance.
● Ambiguous authenticity
● Revolutionary document or a Party-manufactured lie.(“Critical Essays
The Role of the Author”)

22. The Mutability of History
● Mutable History in 1984: Truth is what the Party defines, and
historical facts are manipulated to control the present and future.
Truth-Fact
● Totalitarian Tactics: Fascist Germany and Stalinist Reflects the
manipulation of truth through repetition and control of information.
"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past”
● Winston Smith's Role in the Ministry of Truth: To create
unrecognizable historical narratives.
● Manipulation of War Narratives: Oceania constantly shifts its enemy,
and people accept these changes as truth.
● Leadership Influence on History: Lies find their way into history books,
shaping perspectives for generations.
● Dynamic Nature of History: With cultural and ideological shifts,
history is rewritten and distorted.(“Critical Essays The Mutability of History”)

23. THE DANGERS OF SURVEILLANCE
● Surveillance Parallel: Richards Linked modern surveillance
practices to Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four," illustrating the
novel's dystopian government control through pervasive
surveillance.
● "Some of our intuitions stem from cultural touchstones, such as
George Orwell's chilling portrait of Big Brother in Nineteen
Eighty-Four."
● Risk Emphasis: Immediate dangers, erosion of privacy and
individual freedoms in a society dominated by constant
surveillance.
● Caution Focus: "Nineteen Eighty-Four" pinpoints the specific
threat to democratic values when citizens face continuous
monitoring and control.(Richards)

24. 1984 and the Power of Technology
● Technology in 1984 is depicted as a tool for
surveillance, control, and manipulation,loss of privacy.
● Orwell warns about the dehumanizing effects of
technology, leading to a loss of individual autonomy.
● "With the development of television, and the technical
advance which made it possible to receive and
transmit simultaneously on the same instrument,
private life came to an end."
● The article explores parallels between Orwell's
warnings and contemporary society.
● It raises questions about the impact of advanced
technology on human freedom and societal
structures. (Luegenbiehl,)

25. Graphic Adaptation
By acclaimed artist Fido Nesti.
15 May 2021

26. Conclusions
As long as human beings are human, they will not stop loving, hating, and
fighting. The issues raised in '1984' are still relevant today. In our pursuit
of progress, may we safeguard the principles of truth, privacy, and
individual freedom, ensuring that the light of human dignity continues to
shine amidst the shadows of control.(ChatGPT)
‘ “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they
have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”’(Orwell #)

27. References
ChatGPT., https://chat.openai.com/share/ec10bda5-6baa-46c8-a128-165a915fcda0. Accessed 13 March 2024.
“Critical Essays The Mutability of History.” Cliffs Notes,
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/critical-essays/the-mutability-of-history. Accessed 6 March 2024.
“Critical Essays The Purpose of Newspeak.” Cliffs Notes,
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/critical-essays/the-purpose-of-newspeak. Accessed 6 March
2024.
“Critical Essays The Role of the Author.” Cliffs Notes,
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/critical-essays/the-role-of-the-author. Accessed 6 March 2024.
Lowne, Cathy, and George Woodcock. “Nineteen Eighty-four | Summary, Characters, Analysis, & Facts.”
Britannica, 1 March 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nineteen-Eighty-four. Accessed 12 March 2024.

28. Luegenbiehl,, Heinz C. “1984 and the Power of Technology.” JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23556567. Accessed 11 March 2024.
Orwell, George. 1984. India Book Distributors, 2014.
Orwell, George, et al. “1984 Characters.” GradeSaver, 29 December 2023,
https://www.gradesaver.com/1984/study-guide/character-list. Accessed 12 March
2024.
Orwell, George, et al. “1984 Themes.” GradeSaver, 29 December 2023,
https://www.gradesaver.com/1984/study-guide/themes. Accessed 12 March 2024.
Richards, Neil M. “THE DANGERS OF SURVEILLANCE.”” JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23415062. Accessed 11 March 2024.

29. Thanks!