1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.
Dystopian novels are commonly written throughout ages of change and political commotion. Authors of those types of novels most likely write them to warn readers what may happen in the future if things continue to change for the worse. In the novel, 1984, the author, George Orwell, uses themes to show people what moral and ethical implications a totalitarian government may have on its citizens.
One theme that Orwell uses is the control of the mind. The Party (government) alters the news and books to change the history that portrays them in bad light. The Party also monitors the citizens carefully and 24/7. The citizens are not allowed to think or speak rebellious thoughts (thoughtcrime) and are forced to suppress sexual urges. Children are turned into Junior Spies to rat out people that commit those crimes. In addition, the Party creates a new language called Newspeak that contains no rebellious words so that people won't think or speak rebellious thoughts.
Another theme that Orwell includes is the control of the mind. The Party uses immoral and unethical tactics to crack Winston Smith (protagonist). The Party takes Julia (Winston's secret girlfriend) away and forces Winston into Room 101. They threaten to let a bunch of rats (Winston's biggest fear) eat his face unless he gives up Julia. Winston tells the Party to do it to Julia instead and in the end, Winston loves the Party. The Party also forces citizens to do physically demanding workouts every morning. If anyone defies the Party or commits a crime, the Party punishes them severly until they learn to love the Party (like what they did to Winston).
These themes serve as warnings to what may happen if countries convert to totalitarianism. The citizens and society will be oppressed morally and ethically.
One theme that Orwell uses is the control of the mind. The Party (government) alters the news and books to change the history that portrays them in bad light. The Party also monitors the citizens carefully and 24/7. The citizens are not allowed to think or speak rebellious thoughts (thoughtcrime) and are forced to suppress sexual urges. Children are turned into Junior Spies to rat out people that commit those crimes. In addition, the Party creates a new language called Newspeak that contains no rebellious words so that people won't think or speak rebellious thoughts.
Another theme that Orwell includes is the control of the mind. The Party uses immoral and unethical tactics to crack Winston Smith (protagonist). The Party takes Julia (Winston's secret girlfriend) away and forces Winston into Room 101. They threaten to let a bunch of rats (Winston's biggest fear) eat his face unless he gives up Julia. Winston tells the Party to do it to Julia instead and in the end, Winston loves the Party. The Party also forces citizens to do physically demanding workouts every morning. If anyone defies the Party or commits a crime, the Party punishes them severly until they learn to love the Party (like what they did to Winston).
These themes serve as warnings to what may happen if countries convert to totalitarianism. The citizens and society will be oppressed morally and ethically.
Hey Julie!
ReplyDeleteJust a few minor details:
1. You seem to REALLY (and I mean REALLY) like to use parentheses, and while they are really useful, it makes your writing seem very choppy, so you might want to try and incorporate that info into the sentences a different way on your next post.
2. I know these things are timed and its really hard to finish it, but you might want to look at some sample essays' closing paragraphs, because your essay is pretty strong but you want to end with a bang, not a wimper.
3. Again, grammar/syntax related... but you might want to mix up your sentences structure a bit. In the second paragraph you use a lot of Subject-then-Verb sentences without many clauses or sentence intros. The info is all there but if you try and mix it up it will make it flow better and easier for the reader to stay engaged.
But really, all the meat and evidence is there (which is better then most people can say) so if you just focus on details now you should have an amazing essay!
Erin Donahue
Hey, Julie! Along with the advice Erin gave you, I would include one or two more. First, try not to use qualifiers. In the first paragraph, you says "most likely," which doesn't help the reader believe your thesis. Even though a thesis does have to have opposition, your opinion should make it sound like it's the only one. A good argument shouldn't have "most likely," "kind of," "pretty," etc. The other thing is to make sure you're answering the prompt completely. You showed the difference between Winston and his society, but I didn't get the moral and ethical implications of BOTH sides from your essay. You definitely have a great start though, so keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie!
ReplyDeleteObviously both Bri and Erin gave great tips, and I would have to strongly agree with Bri's comments about how your arguments shouldn't be used with such lose words like she said. You used your evidence and examples very well, which is something I must personally work on, so I'm very jealous you're so good at it! You could probably do some work on this editing wise as well but overall I think it was very well done!