"It 's a Beautiful Thing": Art, Culture, History and Humanity in George Orwell 's 1984
In 1984 George Orwell pulls readers into his horrific and at the same time awe- inspiring totalitarian society, dictated by a dystopian political system that builds a world on omnipresent surveillance, public manipulation, oppression, hatred, propaganda and "their sole motive, [which is] the quest for power" (Paul 215) . Due to the unconditional control the party has over Oceania, there is evidently a paucity of beauty, culture and history. Art plays a crucial part of humanity, history and our depiction of the truth. It helps us capture certain moments, enriches our emotional world and illuminates our inner lives. In Oceania, Minitrue dictates entertainment, …show more content…
Who controls the present controls the past.” The people are enslaved to the party and in some aspect have lost a piece of what makes them human. Therefore, in 1984, Winston 's love for cultural artifacts, the beauty of nature, language, the arts and his obsession with the past, result in him becoming the most artistic and fully human character. Orwell further enhances the anti-utopian quality of his totalitarian society by showing us the importance of art on humanity, culture, history, "the spirit of man" and our intellect.
Cultural artifacts give us a brief glimpse into the past and into the lives of the people who made them and aid Winston in his quest for the truth. He seems to have this connection with the "junkshop" because he continually visits it and is drawn to it, "as he had sworn never to come near the place again . . . yet the instant that he allowed his thoughts to wander, his feet had brought him back there of their own accord." He describes the friendliness of the room and had said that it "awakened in him a sort of nostalgia." Furthermore, Winston also encounters a number of cultural relics within the shop such as "the diary itself . . . …show more content…
It shows Winston 's strong will to hold onto his belief in the "spirit of man." Winston also tends to cling onto Oldspeak and continues to use it in his writing. When Syme addresses Winston by saying he has no appreciation for Newspeak, Winston looks at him sympathetically because he knows that its only objective is to narrow the thought process and takes away the human ability of expression. Winston is also captivated by the rhymes and prole songs he hears. When
Mr.Charrington tells him the rhyme "Oranges and Lemons," the "rhyme kept running through his head(Orwell 103)," and he felt as though he could hear the bells ringing and remarked how the prole woman sing so "tunefully" despite the fact he thought the song itself was rubbish. Winston is also able to imagine a world with emotion and has an amazing imagination as he is able to picture the "Golden Country" and creates a fake story about some
Comrade named Ogilvy. Therefore, Winston does in a sense does become the most artistic character because he holds onto his love of literary art and his
In 1984 George Orwell pulls readers into his horrific and at the same time awe- inspiring totalitarian society, dictated by a dystopian political system that builds a world on omnipresent surveillance, public manipulation, oppression, hatred, propaganda and "their sole motive, [which is] the quest for power" (Paul 215) . Due to the unconditional control the party has over Oceania, there is evidently a paucity of beauty, culture and history. Art plays a crucial part of humanity, history and our depiction of the truth. It helps us capture certain moments, enriches our emotional world and illuminates our inner lives. In Oceania, Minitrue dictates entertainment, …show more content…
Who controls the present controls the past.” The people are enslaved to the party and in some aspect have lost a piece of what makes them human. Therefore, in 1984, Winston 's love for cultural artifacts, the beauty of nature, language, the arts and his obsession with the past, result in him becoming the most artistic and fully human character. Orwell further enhances the anti-utopian quality of his totalitarian society by showing us the importance of art on humanity, culture, history, "the spirit of man" and our intellect.
Cultural artifacts give us a brief glimpse into the past and into the lives of the people who made them and aid Winston in his quest for the truth. He seems to have this connection with the "junkshop" because he continually visits it and is drawn to it, "as he had sworn never to come near the place again . . . yet the instant that he allowed his thoughts to wander, his feet had brought him back there of their own accord." He describes the friendliness of the room and had said that it "awakened in him a sort of nostalgia." Furthermore, Winston also encounters a number of cultural relics within the shop such as "the diary itself . . . …show more content…
It shows Winston 's strong will to hold onto his belief in the "spirit of man." Winston also tends to cling onto Oldspeak and continues to use it in his writing. When Syme addresses Winston by saying he has no appreciation for Newspeak, Winston looks at him sympathetically because he knows that its only objective is to narrow the thought process and takes away the human ability of expression. Winston is also captivated by the rhymes and prole songs he hears. When
Mr.Charrington tells him the rhyme "Oranges and Lemons," the "rhyme kept running through his head(Orwell 103)," and he felt as though he could hear the bells ringing and remarked how the prole woman sing so "tunefully" despite the fact he thought the song itself was rubbish. Winston is also able to imagine a world with emotion and has an amazing imagination as he is able to picture the "Golden Country" and creates a fake story about some
Comrade named Ogilvy. Therefore, Winston does in a sense does become the most artistic character because he holds onto his love of literary art and his