1984 by George Orwell makes several statements about control, security, and how governments should treat their citizens. However, a reader can also look at chapters 1-7 of the book as a statement on social classes and how the government keeps everyone in a certain social class.
What values does the work reinforce?
The book is mainly about control of the government. One form of control is keeping people in the poor and working classes. The book reinforces how all the citizens are in the same social class, “ ‘I wanted to ask you whether you’d got any razor blades,’ he said...Everyone kept asking you for razor blades” (Orwell 63). This quote shows how the working class has equal opportunity and all has the same products. The upper class or …show more content…
Another example of this idea is the food, “ ‘Nex’, please!’ yelled the white-aproned prole with the ladle. Winston and Syme pushed their trays beneath the grille. On to each was dumped swiftly the regulation lunch” (Orwell 64). The government gives out regulation lunches to the working class since it is all the same for each person, while the upper class has better food. The upper class gets better food and products than the working class that is actually helping the country grow. The upper class controls what is given to the lower class and even cuts down on what or how much the lower classes get, “It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be REDUCED to twenty grammes a week” (Orwell 74). This reinforces the idea of having everyone stay in the class that they …show more content…
He is not rich because he rations off his gin, cigarettes, and razor blades. Party members and people who go to the Two Minute Hate are seen as a higher class than those who don’t. Inner Party members are also seen as higher than Outer Party members. This is shown when Winston mentions, “Party members were supposed not to go into ordinary shops (’dealing on the free market’, it was called), but the rule was not strictly kept, because there were various things, such as shoelaces and razor blades, which it was impossible to get hold of in any other way” (Orwell 9). The party members are seen as a higher class than those who aren’t and should act like they are better than the lower classes. Winston isn’t very outspoken or pretentious, so instead he goes against that norm and buys products from places where the lower class people go. Winston is also shown to be the working class by, “It was nearly eleven hundred, and in the Records Department, where Winston worked,” (Orwell 13) which shows how he is the one working for the government and doing their dirty work. Other characters in the book that the reader meets also are in the working class, such as, “It was his friend Syme, who worked in the Research Department” (Orwell 62) which shows how Winston has friends that are strictly in the working class. Big Brother wants the working class to make friends with each other so the citizens don’t find out
What values does the work reinforce?
The book is mainly about control of the government. One form of control is keeping people in the poor and working classes. The book reinforces how all the citizens are in the same social class, “ ‘I wanted to ask you whether you’d got any razor blades,’ he said...Everyone kept asking you for razor blades” (Orwell 63). This quote shows how the working class has equal opportunity and all has the same products. The upper class or …show more content…
Another example of this idea is the food, “ ‘Nex’, please!’ yelled the white-aproned prole with the ladle. Winston and Syme pushed their trays beneath the grille. On to each was dumped swiftly the regulation lunch” (Orwell 64). The government gives out regulation lunches to the working class since it is all the same for each person, while the upper class has better food. The upper class gets better food and products than the working class that is actually helping the country grow. The upper class controls what is given to the lower class and even cuts down on what or how much the lower classes get, “It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be REDUCED to twenty grammes a week” (Orwell 74). This reinforces the idea of having everyone stay in the class that they …show more content…
He is not rich because he rations off his gin, cigarettes, and razor blades. Party members and people who go to the Two Minute Hate are seen as a higher class than those who don’t. Inner Party members are also seen as higher than Outer Party members. This is shown when Winston mentions, “Party members were supposed not to go into ordinary shops (’dealing on the free market’, it was called), but the rule was not strictly kept, because there were various things, such as shoelaces and razor blades, which it was impossible to get hold of in any other way” (Orwell 9). The party members are seen as a higher class than those who aren’t and should act like they are better than the lower classes. Winston isn’t very outspoken or pretentious, so instead he goes against that norm and buys products from places where the lower class people go. Winston is also shown to be the working class by, “It was nearly eleven hundred, and in the Records Department, where Winston worked,” (Orwell 13) which shows how he is the one working for the government and doing their dirty work. Other characters in the book that the reader meets also are in the working class, such as, “It was his friend Syme, who worked in the Research Department” (Orwell 62) which shows how Winston has friends that are strictly in the working class. Big Brother wants the working class to make friends with each other so the citizens don’t find out