The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay Example

The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four both describe cultures that encourage us to see ourselves as others see us. Consider the political implications of seeing and being seen in Nineteen Eight-Four and The Orchard, focussing on one passage or scene from each book, and one relevant image or written text you collect from print media. The Orchard, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Dougs Story, all describe cultures that have both subservant characters as well as dominant ones; creating an unequal society. The political figures affect how the individuals see themselves; through many techniques including creating institutions, generating propaganda, having constant surveillance and interpellation of genders. I endeavour to examine each of these tools on their success to affect their victims and influence the society. Nineteen-Eighty Four is a dramatic novel which examines Orwells speculation of a possible future under a communist-dominated regime. It eliminates freewill there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.1 The political implications of seeing and being seen in 1984 is that due to constant surveillance and brainwashing, someones perception of reality can be altered, so that they truly believe they are living in utopian society, which is actually dystopic. Through habit and not knowing any better, individuals copy each other: as a satisfied conformist who does not have emotions except their love of Big Brother. We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Orchard and Nineteen Eighty-Four specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Nineteen-Eighty Four does describe a culture that encourages us to see ourselves as others see us This is Big Brothers powerful role as the watcher, that everyone one will match each other; as a modelled citizen representing Big Brothers ideology. Victims reflect what everyone else is doing eg yelling during Two Minutes Hate2; otherwise they are punished eg. the stretch exercises, when Winston is reprimanded by the instructor for not touching his toes properly, he is aware of being seen, so touches his toes3, showing that surveillance works from fear, as he does what he was told. During this he realises that he must remain inscrutable for a single flicker of his eyes will give him away this was called facecrime4. Winston believes his worst enemy was his nervous system, at any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom.5 As Winston is a different individual. Winston final reformation pg. 310-311, shows the success of seeing and being seen as a method of controlling people. After torture and rehabilitation, Winston ultimately betrays himself and extinguishes all his dignity. We meet him at the Chestnut cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, where he is now a perfected robot Big Brother has cured. Winston sees himself as Big Brother wishes, he now has no individual identity; revealed in the simile his soul white as snow 6lacking its previous impurities and originality. Big Brother is symbolised as white and Winston is black, the last humanist7 or enemy of Big Brother black horde8, expressed in the extended metaphor of the chess game; in which Winston subconsciously cannot defeat the black, he keeps getting distracted could not settle down to the serious study of the chess problem9. This is because he is now brainwashed to believe in no chess game has black ever won.10 Evidently showing, that Winston is still subconsciously fighting the battle against Big Broth er. This is symbolic to the whole book of Winston struggle to be black. Propaganda is shown through vivid imagery on pg 310 Triumphant phrases complete demoralisationcontrol of whole of Africagreatest victory in human history victory, victory, victory, with all truths being pushed into victims minds. Revealing how political implications are used by Big Brother to manipulate its population. This was Winston previous political job at The Ministry of Truth to update files to get them to comply with Big Brothers beliefs Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.11 With the victory over the Eurasian army12; Winston expresses that he now feels healed13, he was now in a blissful dream14, a meaningless, dead and empty body of cells nothing mattered.15 In the last paragraph, Winston creates pathos through emotive words and repetition of O, where he expresses how foolish it was to resist. It had taken him forty years to see himself as a conformist needless misunderstanding. He should not have been so stubborn and self-willed as an exile of Big Brother16. Who can be symbolised as his father, it is not enough to obey Big Brother you must love him17, an allusion to the stereotypical role of the father: all-knowing, who teaches, protects, educates, p rovides, and punishes. This is also evidenced in The Chestnut Cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ with an allusion to the nursery-rhyme symbolising that Winston is now a child-like being with a lost soul as his priorities and beliefs were crushed into thin air. He is just another cog in the wheel of the machine which is Big Brother. The Orchard describes a patriarchal society, which encourages women to see themselves as others see them. Throughout history, many political movements18 have taken place over the mind/body split by Berger19. Including the Feminists, who argue that women have been made objects, designed to flatter men by advertising sex appeal20. They believe women are restricted to conform to this stereotypical image21. This is evidenced in old paintings where the dominant male is the creator who paints women only as the surveyed object. Although in The Orchard Artemisia Gentileschis self-portraits, went against these traditions; she became subject and object, process and image, the creator and the art itself22. Proving she believed she wasnt alive to be just an object of mens desire, but to be her true self without hegemonic discourses.