PART III
KEY THEMES
Each of the themes listed below is attached with a relevant quote from 1984 to describe its significance. Based on the quote given, write a short 5-8 sentence paragraph on what you think the theme constitutes in the scope of the novel and of the world at large.
1.
TOTALITARIANISM & COMMUNISM
The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power – pure power.
2.
THE INDIVIDUAL VS. THE COLLECTIVE
Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.
3.
REALITY CONTROL
How do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?
4.
CLASS STRUGGLE
The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.
What "Orwellian" Really Means
Watch the embedded YouTube video made by Ted-Ed detailing aspects of Orwell's main concepts that have led to the coinage of the term "Orwellian."
Define the following terms: Propaganda, Doublespeak, Newspeak, Doublethink, and Thoughtcrime
Using the video as a reference as well as real-life examples, write a short response (100-200 words) on how you might discern the difference between authoritarian and Orwellian.