George Orwell - 1984: 1984 Academic Articles

Abstract:
The article proposes a theoretical foray into Orwell’s 1984, one that
offers insight about how complex the fabric of, perhaps, the most well known
classic dystopia of the 20th century, really is. Discussing auctorial intention and
the inherent structural aspects of a utopia/dystopia, a close analysis of 1984
reflects the lesser known aspects behind creating some of the most familiar
contemporary images related to the disappearance of personal freedom and the
birth of the surveillance state.
Keywords: dystopia, bibliography, constructivism, literature, language

Breton examines George Orwell's approach to the failure of middle-class liberals to connect with the working class...

Dystopian literature has existed for over a hundred years, being as popular as any other moderately successful literary genre. Over the past few decades, however, it has become increasingly acclaimed, particularly after the turn of the century. There is no single factor that
can properly explain the reason behind this popularity, although there are a number of likely ones which can paint a relatively clear picture of matters. The world that young adults of today are experiencing is different from that of their predecessors, the reason being a number of world events, from the aftermath of the Cold War, to fears of terrorist attacks, a rapid evolving of technology and beyond. All these factors, followed by a broader world view
brought forth by the Internet, have contributed to a greater awareness among young people today of social issues, such as equal rights.

This paper attempts a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of mind control strategies in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948). More specifically, the paper tries to shed lights on the discursive practices that are used to
control the public’s minds in a way that guarantees complete compliance to a specific ideology. Orwell’s novel is one of the distinguished narratives in the twentieth century. This type of fiction has always been a site of power conflict reflecting the atrocities committed against the public by those in power. The main objective of the paper is to uncover the strategies employed to control minds. It tries to explore the extent to which these discursive tactics are used to direct attitudes and change behavior. The paper therefore attempts to offer a linguistic shield against the manipulative use of language. In doing so, the paper adopts CDA in the analysis of the selected data. Some CDA’s strategies have been marked and analyzed as indicative in exposing the extent to which language is biased towards mind control. Three main strategies are discussed here: simplification, euphemism and morphologicalization. The paper reveals that specific discursive practices have manipulatively been used by the elites to reformulate the ideological responses and attitudinal thinking of the masses.