Thursday, August 29, 2019

How are individual and collective human experiences presented in George Orwell's '1984'. Answer the question with adequate textual support and literary techniques.

Individualism is represented in 1984 primarily through Winston Smith and Julia and the relationship they have. Winston takes an individual stance is first shown through his questioning of the “truth” of the ministry’s claims and by keeping a diary which includes such ideas as “Down with Big Brother.” Julia, despite belonging to the Anti-Sex League, freely expresses her own sexuality. Together they enter a clandestine sexual relationship as well as begin rebellious actions.
The collective experiences are shown through the enforced share experiences, including rituals, in which everyone is expected to partake. One such experience is the Two Minutes Hate through which Party allegiance is strengthened by focusing antipathy on the Party’s enemies.
One of the primary literary techniques that George Orwell uses is extensive use of oxymoron. In this device, two or more apparently contradictory ideas are juxtaposed to create an effect. This device is shown in the slogans that the Party promotes, notably “War Is Peace.” It also applies to the names of the government agencies, such as the Ministry of Truth, which produces propaganda consisting of lies that change every day. Another device that the author uses is coinage, or neologism, the invention of new words, often through combining others. Examples are “doublethink” and “newspeak.”
http://www.literarydevices.com/oxymoron/

https://literarydevices.net/neologism/

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