Ampleforth's forte is words. The man is a born poet who nonetheless shamelessly abuses his talents in service of the regime. As part of his job in the Records Department at the Ministry of Truth he rewrites poems written before the revolution—Oldspeak poems—to glorify Big Brother. Ampleforth's work is a further example of how this dictatorial regime manipulates language to serve its own ends.
For a while, Ampleforth gets with the program and expertly makes government propaganda out of famous poems. But there are limits, even for a humble state functionary like Ampleforth. Disillusioned with turning some of the greatest works of the English language into vomit-inducing love-letters to a crazed tyrant, he refuses to remove the word "God" from one of Rudyard Kipling's poems.
In the socialist "paradise" of Oceania, belief in a transcendent deity is strictly forbidden. There's only one God here, and that's Big Brother. No one else is worthy of unconditional worship and adoration. God has been removed from society, and so must also be expunged from any works of literature. Ampleforth's refusal to do this lands him in hot water with the authorities and he is imprisoned for his defiance.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What is ampleforth's forte?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
It seems most likely you are asking about Michael Halliday's theories of language. He argues children have seven main functions they use...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
Under common law, any hotel, inn, or other hospitality establishment has a duty to exercise "reasonable care" for the safety an...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
No comments:
Post a Comment