2009, Form B.
Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel
or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then write an essay in
which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue
and explain how the issue contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Do
not merely summarize the plot.
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Society is often called the fruits of humanity, one of the few things that distinguish humans from being animals or savages. Though, in this community that we build to bind one to another, comes friction and tension, constantly streaming through history. Authors are often shaped by what he or she is experiencing in their time period, like in George Orwell's novel, 1984, where he writes a story about the future of a government with unlimited power. Orwell uses elements of diction, Ingsoc, a language of Oceania, and detail to build a novel that isn't just a story, but also a chilly foretelling of the possibly of the domino effect.
In 1984, the protagonist is a party member named Winston Smith, working at the Ministry of Truth, designated to alter past articles. Winston is stuck between what he knows, like the airplanes being invented by the Wright Brothers, and what he is told, that Big Brother invented airplane. Constantly, he is being watched from telescreens and the Thought Police are patroling every corner of the every citizen's mind. He eventually finds love with a woman, another person who realizes what Big Brother is doing. Eventually, they are caught in their affair and as traitors of the country, sent to be brainwashed, and in the end, betrayed each other. By the end of the novel, Winston has completely recognized his 'insanity' and come to love Big Brother.
The diction and language in 1984 is clearly distinct. Orwell builds a completely new language called Ingsoc, specifically designed by Big Brother to manipulate the people. Through this language, Big Brother has altered the meaning of words, where people are unable to think negatively about the government, thus giving them unlimited power. This is Orwell's commentary on the growing communistic nations of his time, changing the minds of the people, manipulating it in such a sense where people are unable to even consider an alternative than communistic rule. He further explores the idea of communistic propaganda with the specific term doublethink, an Ingsoc word that Winston describes as the ability holding two contradictory ideas at the same time. For example, the political slogan of Winston's time is "WAR IS PEACE, SLAVERY IS FREEDOM, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" to the average person, it would not make sense. To the citizen of Oceania, through doublethink, it has a specific meaning. By doing this Orwell is comparing the citizen of his novel to citizens of communistic countries, where they find the laws of the countries strange in one way but accept it as is because there is no other way, an idea eerily similar to North Korea's citizens.
The issue of Orwell's time period was communism, he lived in a period of constant warfare and unstable governments which clearly provided the structure for his novel. The political issue adds to the continuing twists of the novel, where the reader wonders the reality they are being shown and whether Winston will prevail. In the end, when Winston doesn't, Orwell uses the fear of his reality to drive it home for readers. The novel doesn't provide a 'what not to do' scenario towards a totalitarian government, instead, it explores the idea of a socialistic and communistic nation, where those who control the present also control the past and future.
I liked this essay! However, I have to be constructive, so... If you were trying to give a summary of 1984 in the second paragraph, then you did a good job, but I would try combining some analysis with it, just so it doesn't lose the reader's attention. I liked your thrid and fourth paragraphs, but I feel like you could've done more with the third one! More evidence, maybe?
ReplyDeleteI think you really captured the feel of Orwell's 1984 in this essay. However, I also think you could have added more detail, maybe another body paragraph for one of the elements of DIDLS, with some more specific examples and quotes.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction paragraph was good, I liked your thesis. However, the first body paragraph seemed like a plot summary. I would advise that you avoid doing so on the Ap exam, and make sure the point you are trying to get across in your body paragraphs are clearly stated in the thesis. The third and fourth paragraphs were good and flowed smoothly. The conclusion was awesome, but some points in your conclusion weren't stated in the intro paragraph. For example, it might be useful to include the type of society Orwell is growing up in, just like you did in the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteBesides these few points, I say you did a good job with your essay.