Questions tagged [george-orwell]

Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and commitment to democratic socialism.

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In Orwell's "1984," why did Winston take Julia with him to the meeting with O'Brien?

Winston understood pretty well that Julia, in many aspects, held the opposite view to himself, regarding the party and their overall life situation -- her way of rebelling was way different than his, ...
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Did George Orwell know Ronald Syme (and/or was his character Syme in 1984 in some way based on him)?

This is a question I have for those trained in the classics and have read the novel, 1984. One of the minor characters in the novel is a man called Syme, who works on Newspeak. He waxes eloquently ...
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How do you compare two things in Newspeak? [closed]

Let's say one thing is good, but the other thing is better. In Newspeak they would be would be "good" and "doubleplusgood". So how do you compare two things in Newspeak?
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Is there any evidence George Orwell intended the ending of 1984 to be ambiguous?

In this other question I ask about what happens to Winston Smith at the end of 1984. Without going into spoilers, arguments can be made for two different endings. Much of that is based on a ...
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Why didn't Winston know what Room 101 was?

In 1984 by George Orwell, the protagonist Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love and put in a cell there. When causing trouble, prisoners in the cell are threatened with 'Room 101', or told to sit ...
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Why did David Bowie's proposal for a musical version of Orwell's "1984" fall through?

In honor of the late, great David Bowie, who died on January 10, 2016 As many people are aware, David Bowie's album Diamond Dogs contains several references to George Orwell's classic dystopian ...
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Is Big Brother an actual person in the novel 1984?

I understand that Big Brother represents the Party, and is considered the leader of Oceania. Posters of Big Brother are everywhere, depicting him as a man with a mustache, and the Party expects people ...
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Why is Oceania only at war with one other nation?

Eastasia and Eurasia have both, at times, been at war with both other nations. Oceania, however is always at war with only one. Why is this so?
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Were there mind reading devices in 1984?

How was it that O'Brien could read Winston's mind so well in 1984? Is it possible the Party had a mind reading device?
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What happened to Winston Smith at the end of George Orwell’s “1984?”

If you haven’t read George Orwell's 1984 this question contains potential spoilers regarding the ending of the book so you might want to stop reading now. At one point, Winston is told that the Party ...
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What is the symbolism of rats in George Orwell's "1984"?

Why are rats used as Winston's greatest fear? What do they represent?
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What do the other farmers symbolize in Animal Farm? [closed]

I remember reading somewhere that Mr. Pilkington, Frederick, and the other farmers in Animal Farm symbolized different countries, but I forgot which country they each symbolized. Is that true, and if ...
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