Our programme is approaching to the present days and the
following writer is one who really deals
with themes so common to us.
Eric Blair, best known by his pen name George Orwell.
His Big Brother
is one of the most famous characters of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , really well-known nowadays, for different
reasons!
In 1949, when Nineteen
Eighty-Four first appeared the New
York Times book reviewer wrote that though it was “not impressive as a novel about
particular human beings”, it was “superb” as a “prophecy and a warning”.
Most of you should know the story, as I suggested to read
the book in the summer. Anyway, you will have heard it for sure, since it is mentioned
everytime newspapers talk about “privacy
“.
That’s why I’d like you to learn something more about the word “orwellian” and what it really means.
Watch the following video from TED, a helpful educational website. It explains the origin of the
word and gives information about Orwell and his novel.
- What sense is “orwellian” commonly used for?.
- What is the sense Orwell used it for actually?
- What about Orwell’s political ideas?
- What’s his opinion about language?
- What is Oceania? What do they try to do there?
- What forms of control are present in the novel?
- What is “propaganda” for?
- What is “doublespeak” and why is it ironical?
- How does the regime control language?
- What is Newspeak? What’s the effect created on the mind?
- What’s the connection with totalitarianism ?
- What was Orwell warning democratic societies against?
- What is “political language” according to Orwell?
- What’s the aim of media language nowadays?
- Finally, what’s the real sense for “orwellian” then….?
Let’s give a definition for totalitarianism
The historical background for Nineteen Eighty-Four is two totalitarian dictatorships, the Nazy Germany and the Soviet Russia.
Dictators such as Adolf
Hitler in Germany and Joseph Stalin
in the Soviet Union inspired Owell for his novel. Stalin himself may have suggested the famous
character of Big Brother.
Like Stalin, Adolph Hitler denied his subjects access to the
truth. His Third Reich “can be read
as a war against memory_ an orwellian falsification of reality…” (Primo Levi)
Nineteen Eighty-Four has
a particular geopolitical situation.
The novel opens with the main character Winston Smith commiting
thoughtcrime by keeping an illegal diary which describes his nightmarish
life and his hatred of The Party. He
falls in love with Julia who also hates
The Party. Eventually they both join an anty-Party group called The Brotherhood but this leads to major
problems for Winston and Julia.
2nd TASK:
- Why keping a diary?
- Can you make examples of people keeping a diary?
- What do you think about writing to keep memories ? Have you ever done that?
Some of the main themes
dealt with in the novel are:
ü
The deprivation
of privacy
ü
The prohibition
of sex
ü
The destruction
of history
ü
The essential
nature of memory
ü
The appreciation
of history
ü
The ultimate
fallibility of human mind
ü
3rd TASK: For the ones who have read the book , look
for examples of these themes.
In this website
you will find the entire novel. Have a look if you like!
Well, let’s give a conclusion to this topic…..
Can we define “1984”
a novel of despair?
NO!
George Orwell offers a
political choice, between the protection of truth and a slide into
expedient falsehood for the benefit of rulers and the exploitation of the
ruled. It’s a protest against immoral
rulers, the authoritarian in every personality and unquestioning
conformism.
After the information above and after defining the word “orwellian”
a question…..
DO WE LIVE IN AN ORWELLIAN WORLD? Waiting for your opinions!
Now I want you to watch a very particular and viral video:
it’s the famous “1984” Apple Macintosh
commercial which ran during that year’s Super
Bowl. It pioneered the idea of big-concept, big-budget spots created
especially for the occasion.
Do you think at present we can give it the same meaning? Or
do you think it may have something in common with Big Brother?
To give a perfect ending to this post, I ‘d like to give a
tribute to the greatest Thin White Duke,
David Bowie.
“1984” is a 1974 single from his album Diamond Dogs. Written in 1973, it was inspired by George
Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and,
like much of its parent album, originally intended for a stage musical based on
the novel, which was never produced because permission was refused by Orwell's
wife.
Let’s enjoy the video with scenes from the movie “1984”directed by Michael Radford, starring
John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, and Cyril Cusack.
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Prof
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