George Saunders

Modern Day Technology is Creating a 1984-Type Society George Orwell’s novel 1984 tells the story of Winston Smith, a man living in the dystopian society of Oceania in the year 1984. Oceania is ruled over by Big Brother and the Inner Party, a political group that believes in Ingsoc, English Socialism, and creating a world free of unorthodoxy and individuality. This is done by inventing Newspeak, Oceania’s official language designed to limit individual thought, and organizations like the Thought…

The ‘800 years’ of English rule began when a group of British soldiers invaded Ireland in 1169. Ever since then, the Irish have been fighting for their independence, finally gaining it in 1922. However, now it’s technically under home rule, British rule, and Irish rule, due to the “Good Friday” agreement in 1998. Bloody Sunday, a violent clash between British and Northern Irish soldiers in 1972, was a flashpoint in the conflicts of the two governments. Troops opened fire upon the crowd of…

As Greil Marcus once said, “It is a sure sign that a culture has reached a dead end when it is no longer intrigued by its myths.” For a story to be considered part of a nation’s mythology it has certain criteria it has to meet. “Rip Van Winkle” is a short story written by Washington Irving right before the American Revolution. This story does not just meet all of the requirements to be considered part of our nation’s mythology it surpasses them all. The short story “Rip Van Winkle” meets all…

Animal Farm is a book of political satire that takes place on a typical English farm in when England was still in the Agricultural Age. It was written by George Orwell in 1954, August 17. The particular farm is called Manor Farm. The story also uses a third-person narrator to comment on events indirectly and how animals perceive certain events. Our tale begins in in the big barn where Old Major, ( a prize winning pig) has gathered all the animals to relate to them one last message before he…

the paradoxical “truths” everyone believes. Author George Orwell illustrates how the exploitation of language can lead to the full control of people—and their minds. This control seems to be a hauntingly plausible scenario, but fortunately, the world we live in today is far from the society of 1984. Language is constantly changing in our modern day society. Words are twisted from repeated use and often taken for granted. However, the change in George Orwell’s 1984 is entirely different from the…

Relationships In George Orwell’s novel 1984, the author portrays the relationships between people as one’s that are essentially close, sexual, and forbidden by the Party. Two main relationships that make an impact in this book would be Winston’s connection with both Julia and O’Brien. This book illustrates that power and authority can be used to destroy individuality and break the bonds of love as shown through the relationship between Winston and his wife Katherine, and between Winston and…

What would you do if you lived in an altruistic society where individualism is forbidden and you work and live for the common good? Would you conform or would you rebel like the main character, Equality 7-2521, in Ayn Rand's novella "Anthem"? In the novella Equality 7-2521's is constantly breaking the laws until his final act of rebellion against the World Council and the collective society. The archetype of a rebel is someone who resists authority and refuses allegiance to the head of…

I am Emnjundi Jacqueline Longton (call me Jackie), and this is my story. I live in the utopia of Colorum, or perhaps it is the dystopia of Colorum. Utopia is certainly what our world appears to be. We all have our jobs, our lifestyles. When we change, we can change our surroundings if we wish. Everyone is happy, except for those who are misfits. Those who don’t get along with our law. No one knows what happens to them, just that they get removed. To where? No one knows. To people in Hyacinthum,…

Comparison: “2 + 2 = 5” by Radiohead For many centuries, art has been a medium through which writers and musicians have chosen to express their political views and opinions on the world around them. One of the world’s most celebrated political writers, George Orwell, strongly influenced culture, including music, with his dystopian novel 1984. The 80s English alternative rock band, Radiohead, was inspired by the book’s commentary on what the world will look like in the future and wrote a song…

Fahrenheit 451 is one of the many books that is injected with multiple instances of social commentary in which Ray Bradbury critiques the citizens and their home society. Most of which refer to the censorship the government imposes on the society and their people. The citizens have been brainwashed to destroy all of their community’s past. This is evident when we see that firemen are completely different than what we know today and what they were in the past. Firemen are now trained to light…