1984+essays

In George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-four, the character of Syme is important in portraying the themes of **dying humanity and indoctrination.** He is as close to being Winston’s ‘friend’ as is allowed in the reordered, totalitarian society of Oceania. He is one of the editors for the 11th edition of the Newspeak dictionary and is an adamant supporter of the core tenets of The Party. He represents how the people within the society have been desensitised to abuse of human rights surrounding freedom. He is fanatically devoted to his work and service to The Party’s regime, rather than questioning what he is actually doing. Syme is described to us as a “tiny creature, with large protuberant eyes”. This physical description of him gives us a feeling of what he is like mentally. He is, physically, the typical ‘geek’, and he maintains this image by being fanatically obsessive over things. Absorbed in The Party’s dogma, he is completely desensitised to the abuse of human rights, and the violence which is prevalent in the society in nineteen eighty-four. We meet Syme in the cafeteria, and one of his first questions to Winston is “Did you go and see the prisoners hanged yesterday?” and when Winston confesses that he didn’t see them Syme begins to tease him. Syme’s reaction here shows that though he is not necessarily a violent person himself, he accepts and furthermore supports the violence which is publicly displayed in the society. In addition to his acceptance of the violence publicly promoted in society, Syme sees this violence as a form of entertainment. He reminisces that “It was a good hanging”. This suggests that it is not the first hanging he has been to observe – and we can gather from Winston’s absence from the hanging that viewing such events was not mandatory. The way he then goes on to talk about the hangings he has seen shows him to be comparing previous ones for gruesomeness, and almost equating this to entertainment factor. He offers his favourite features of a hanging and disappointment in the most recent – “I think it spoils it when they tie their feet together. I like to see them kicking. And above all, at the end, the tongue sticking right out, and blue...That’s the detail that appeals to me.” What we gather from the way that Syme speaks about the hangings that most people view this sort of thing, and that the way he compares and enjoys them sits perfectly normally within the society. Syme may feel the need to support this as a service to The Party – and he is quite obsessed with supporting The Party. Syme is a very intelligent man, and, as Winston predicts, this proves to be his undoing. Even though he is “venomously orthodox”, and fanatically supportive of The Party’s central tenets, he is too intelligent and the threat he poses if he were to awaken to the inhumanity, and begin questioning The Party is far too great - “Unquestionably Syme will be vaporized.” Rather than opposing The Party, Syme is at the other extreme, venerating the party entirely. The way he supports The Party so completely is in his job. He is obsessed with the way that the language is being changed “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.” An intriguing thing to note here is that Syme understands full well why the language is being destroyed “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible...” He is so wrapped up in the propagated doctrine he has drunk in his entire life that, even with his intelligence, he is unable to see that by removing the ability to think through the restriction of language, one removes a basic human right to freedom even to the extent that people are controlled and limited within their minds. The character of Syme is completely indoctrinated. As a result of this solid belief of the dogma of The Party he devotes all of his intellectual energy, and free thought, to develop a way to eliminate these two things from society. His character portrays the themes of indoctrination and dying humanity. These aspects of his character are strongly supported in dialogue from and about him. **Fredi Jones
 * Analyse **** how dialogue helped you understand ONE main individual **

Merit

//- M//rs Tinning's notes: //You make some very good points throughout this. Another paragraph and further insight would have got you a higher mark.//**

**__ Merit - Fredi Jones __** **Analyse how a text you have studied revealed aspects of human nature or human society ** If a text confronts society and reveals flaws, this text is often held to be controversial and satirical. This is the precise purpose __George Orwell’s__ novel __Nineteen Eighty-Four.__ Through Orwell’s use of present circumstances taken to an extreme (but possible) future society, he offers a warning to us essentially against communism, and governmental control. Through the actions and reactions of the characters; and the society presented; Orwell manages to reveal aspects of human nature and society within the storyline of the novel. In this book, Orwell presents a dystopic society ruled by a dictatorship referred to only as ‘The Party’. The leader of this political establishment is a mythical man ‘Big Brother’. At the time Orwell wrote this book, WWII had only recently finished, and the Cold War was just beginning. Orwell’s novel can be seen to directly criticize communism. He draws blatant comparisons between the dictator in his invented ‘Oceania’, and the Russian dictator Stalin. His physical description of ‘Big Brother’ directly resembles that of the Russian “a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features.” Though the comparison is never directly stated, Orwell’s intention was definitely for the reader to make the connection. His intentions were met, so much so that the novel was banned in Russia. Not only the connection of Stalin, but also some of the events in the novel are based on truth taken from events that occurred in Stalinist Russia. With the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell wants to warn present society of the dangers of communism and a dictatorship. His use of ‘Stalin’ as the leader in Oceania is the connection he wants us to make to bring reality to the storyline. He wants us to fear this possibility of a future. The aspect of human society that Orwell reveals here is that for a communist government to function properly, the individual is exploited greatly. Throughout the novel there are many parallels drawn to Stalinist Russia, and the great many flaws of communism are revealed. It is interesting to note that any totalitarian government that has ever arisen in history has eventually failed. Orwell warns of a system that cannot fail, one in which the citizens are exploited to the extent at which they begin to exploit themselves. In Oceania, Orwell shows us a civilisation of people who are greatly exploited. They are exploited on many levels; the most aggressive of these is that of human rights. Their human rights are abused mainly in terms of personal liberty, but also freedom of speech, right of assembly, and right to love. Interestingly, in Oceania there are no laws, merely understandings: ‘(nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it [writing a diary] would be punished by death...” Observing this society is very fascinating, the idea that there are no laws is incredibly alien. It would appear that there are no restrictions on the individual. However, with no restrictions, there is also every restriction. As there is the understanding among the citizens that you can be executed for doing certain things, the individual therefore cannot really do anything that may be seen slightly controversial as there is a risk that it may be punishable by death. As there are no laws, anyone found to be breaking these non-existent rules would not see a fair trial and would be executed – this is another parallel Orwell draws to Stalinist Russia. The ‘laws’ of the society are therefore mediated by the individual – they are placed upon oneself, by oneself. This means that essentially the individual has to restrict itself to what it thinks is appropriate. The government in Oceania has found a way that it no longer needs to exploit the individual because the individual will exploit itself, leaving the government virtually blameless. Orwell reveals the aspect of human society that the people within a society are very controllable, and the situation seen in Oceania is not so implausible. Also the aspect of human nature that the person can be ‘taught’ to place restrictions on itself if that is an accepted norm. He reveals to us our malleability in this regard, and warns us to be wary of what the government asks us to do. The point of the individual exploiting itself is further illustrated through the invention of ‘Newspeak’ the new language of Oceania. This language is being constructed with the sole purpose of limiting thought. The language is being formed out of English, and those who are writing the dictionaries are essentially locating and destroying all words that inspire feeling, and are deemed as unnecessary for daily function. The result hoped for is that the citizens will no longer even be able to have any thoughts against ‘The Party’. Winston’s friend Syme is one of the people working on the destruction of the thought, and has been programmed into unquestioning acceptance “Don’t you see the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?” Syme clearly outlines the horrifying aim of the Language he is helping create, but doesn’t think that this is a problem. Syme is described to us as a very intelligent man, however, we see him here pouring out blind faith in the government. Syme is a man capable of higher level thinking, however, he has been so programmed into doing what he is told that he is willing to play an integral part in getting rid of this ability. This is a very confusing passage of the novel and has us asking why Syme cannot see what is in front of his eyes. However, the answer is simple and the same that arose before. The government in Oceania has found a way of controlling the individual that comes from within the person themselves. Syme doesn’t see the atrocity he is committing because he has been told he is doing a great service to the society and this is what he tells himself and others. Orwell reveals here that even the strongest mind can be controlled and moulded to suit a purpose. It has been said that the difference between communism and fascism is: fascism is where man exploits man; communism is the other way round. Orwell presents us a new government, extending out of communism, where those in charge no longer need to exploit the persons in the society. Surely this is far scarier. George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is a masterpiece of satire. It confronts and reveals aspects of human nature and human society that some would rather ignore. His major criticism in the novel is of a communist government and he uses parallels to Stalinist Russia to make his Oceania seem more realistic to us. He reveals the exploitation of the individual in a communist government. He then goes beyond this and criticises human nature as well as society. He reveals the aspect from within ourselves that we are very malleable and will do what a government asks without asking questions. He reveals that we could so easily be made to exploit ourselves, which would essentially leave the government blameless. Orwell uses this novel to warn us of governmental control in our lives. He also shows us that we need to be wary of what we ourselves do to restrict our own actions.  **__Mrs Tinning's notes:__** You have demonstrated some real insights throughout this essay. I feel you need to check some of your understandings as most markers would have read the novel.

Describe an important symbol(s) in the text you have studied AND how the symbol(s) helped develop ideas in the text.

In his novel, __1984__, George Orwell shows us the true power and brutality of a totalitarian government. Through Winston Smith (the protagonist) he is able to present his main ideas of memory/history, illegal love, individualism and total control when Winston takes a shine to a small, round, glass paperweight. Intrigued by a small, curved piece of glass with a ‘sea rose’ in it, Winston purchases this paperweight from a little antique shop on the Prole side of town. When the store owner tells Winston that it would be no more than 100 years old, he seems to become even more fascinated with it because of its link with the past. Orwell uses this paperweight to develop further his idea of the importance of memory and history as this is one of the main things the Party is trying to eradicate. It is essential we note at the start of the novel, that Winston has no recollection of the past but longs to know what life used to be like before the totalitarian regime. In that same visit, Winston also discovers that Mr Charrington (the store owner) has a spare room above the shop with a double bed and no telescreen. To him this means freedom. Freedom to be himself without Big Brother ‘watching [him],’ and freedom to do what he likes. Secretly he tells his lover Julia, and together they decide to rent this room, which develops into a safe haven for them both. Throughout the use of this room, Winston continues to carry around his paperweight, which becomes symbolic of their sanctuary. Orwell uses the glass paperweight to show us how fragile and delicate this relationship is and how the spare room becomes a home away from home. He also uses it to convey his idea of illegal love in the sense that the more they do it, the easier it becomes and the better it feels to rebel against such an inhumane government. With the freedom which comes with the room, Winston is able to heal. Not only does his varicose ulcer disappear, but his need for cigarettes and ‘victory gin’ decrease, showing us that he is now able to function better as a human as ha doesn’t need anything to dull the pain. Winston sees the coral inside the paperweight as a ‘beautiful thing,’ which is representative of the fact that he can enjoy life more. He finds beauty in the small things, which mean a lot, rather than the large things that mean little to him. Orwell’s purpose of the fragment of coral is to show us that enjoyment of life can come from the small things, which have sentimental value to us, and not necessarily others. Here he is able to show us a main idea of individualism as Winston is allowed to enjoy the beauty in his personal space. Life becomes quite easy for Winston with work running smoothly and regular meetings with Julia. But in this world ruled by fear, it is not long before the Thought Police surround their room to gain control, the paperweight falls out of Winston’s pocket, shattering when it hits the floor. Orwell uses this to symbolise how fragile their world is in the hands of others in the hands of others. When the paperweight is broken, it foreshadows how their love will be broken too, as the love was only able to exist in their world. Through the shattering of the paperweight and their microcosm, we can see Orwell’s idea of total control. The suprising thing for us is that this is the norm for them even though Winston knew he was a ‘dead man walking.’ Presented a lot in this novel is the symbol of a small, glass paperweight. Orwell manipulates this symbol to develop main ideas such as ; the importance of memory and history, illegal love, individualism and total control. By using these themes, we begin to realize that we have the freedom to say that ‘two plus two equals four.’
 * MARK; Merit. **
 * AUTHOR: Anna Squires :) **
 * // COMMENTS: A thought out and well developed essay. Further development and substantial quotes needed for a higher grade. No new information in the conclusion! //**