1.Language/Logic, Setting: What does the opening sentence suggest about the book?
-) The opening sentence of the novel holds two unusual details which suggest that society has evolved into another form, where everything is different from the past. First of all, as the month "April" represents the time when trees and flowers begin to open, the phrase "a bright cold day in April" from the opening sentence conjures up a cold image, a society frozen in time, oblivious to the evolution and progress of nature . Other than that, the phrase "the clocks were striking thirteen" marks that the past was either being erased or forgotten as the following phrase only implies to military time. Which suggest that the life of an ordinary citizen in Oceania is strictly controlled and monitored by the government.
2.Irony, Language/Logic, Character: The name “Winston” means “from a friendly country.” “Smith” is a common last name. From these names, can you suggest a possible irony? Also, consider the association of Winston Smith with Winston Churchill. What similarities do you see between the two? What else do we know about Winston concerning his age, abilities, and occupation?
-) Winston Smith is the main protagonist of the novel. Throughout the novel, readers would experience the complex journey of living under the control of an oppressive government in Winston's perspective. Winston is a middle-aged (39 years old) man who works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, in which to reedit documents such as newspapers and photographs for the party.
Aside from Winston's background, his name also has some interesting meaning. Since the name "Winston" means "from a friendly country", "Smith" is an typical last name in the English language, readers would identify Winston as an ordinary character who would make good effort in extreme conditions in order to make the situation better. Ironically, Winston Smith lives in the Land of Oceania (London). A totalitarian regime where everything is closely monitored by the government. Other than that, Winston is an exceptional character with extraordinary personalities. He is thoughtful and curious of how why the government (Party) would wield ultimate power over Oceania.
Furthermore, there are many similarities between Winston Smith and the honourable British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Both of them have a strong personalities and would always question their beliefs. They would always make good effort to change for the better.
3.Irony/Paradox, Language/Logic: What are the Party mottos? What is unusual about them?
-) The Party mottos are:
"War is Peace"
"Freedom is Slavery"
"Ignorance is Strength"
These Party mottos are confusing and incompatible because each motto contains two contradictaory words, which make the mottos nonsense. Moreover, it is very unusual of the society to follow and obey these ideas.
4.Language/Logic, Theme: What is Newspeak? What is its purpose?
-) Newspeak was the official language of Oceania, a replacement of the Standard English. The Party (Current Government) created Newspeak with the purpose of destroying the English Language, which would abolish free thoughts, love, happiness and desire.
5.Why is it essential for the Party to rid the language of synonyms and antonyms?
-) On the surface, the Party promote Newspeak to make people stop using unnecessary words to make communications more simpler and easier. However, the true aim of promoting Newspeak is to place a limit on the English Vocabulary, which has an affect of stopping free thoughts. Other than that, the Party can easily control people's mind by removing synonyms and antonyms.
6.Language/Logic: Who is Big Brother and what is the significance of his name?
-) "Big Brother" is known to be the leader of the Great Revolution in Oceania (A Ruler). He was a middle-aged man whose face is commonly being displayed on big posters in Oceania. According to the novel, it follows that those posters "depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features". Moreover, those posters would also bear the message: " BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.". The significance of his name represent his almighty presence in Oceania, which can be a replacement of a "Family" since he is always watching you and looking after you.
7.Language/Logic: What is facecrime? Why is it so easy to commit?
-) Facecrime is a new unlawful act that is punishable by the party (Party of Oceania). It is a concept of one's thoughts being reflected through facial expressions. To the party, it is offensive for citizen and members of the party to spread their feelings and thoughts through facial expressions. According to the novel, it follows that: "It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within a range of a telescreen. The smallest thing can give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself- anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face was itself a punishable offence. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: Facecrime, it was called." One can easily commit Facecrime as facial expressions are spontaneous reactions of a human body. It is part of an natural mechanism that is difficult to conceal.
8.Theme, Irony/Paradox: How does the Party control history? Why?
-) The Party established the Ministry of Truth (Record Department) to reedit every piece of records. Including newspapers, photographs and other data to control history. By doing so, it would change the minds of people. People would always believe in what the party says since they don't know the difference. This means that the party would choose and determine what is "Fact". As stated in the novel: "And if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed - if all records told the same tale - then the lies passed into history and became truth. "Who controls the past," ran the party slogans, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. "Reality control," they called it: in Newspeak, "doublethink." As history is constantly being reedit, even lies can become facts.
9.Plot, Theme: Who is Emmanuel Goldstein and how is he presented to the people of Oceania? What is the probable significance of using the obviously Jewish name?
-) In contrast to Big Brother, Emmanuel Goldstein is declared to be the "Enemy of the People" in Oceania. He was known to be once part of the "Inner Party" with Big Brother but is now accuse of being the leader of the so-called "Brotherhood", an secret organisation who work against the party by spreading corruptions and promoting crimes such as thoughtcrime, drug abuse and prostitution to weaken the party. As mentioned in the novel:"He was the primal traitor, the earliest defiler of the party's purity. All subsequent crimes against the party, all treacheries, act of sabotage, heresies, deviations, sprang directly out of his teaching."
Moreover, the name "Emmanuel" and "Goldstein" also hold few reflective meanings. For instance, the name "Emmanuel" represent "Saviour" and the name "Goldstein" is an obvious Jewish name. As Jewish people are often considered to be minorities everywhere, George Orwell would like to emphasise the fact that Emmanuel is and "Outsider", causing readers to conjure up an conflicting image among other characters. According to the novel's description of Goldstein:"It was a lean Jewish face, with a great fuzzy aureole of white hair and a small goatee beard - a clever face, and yet some-how inherently despicable, with a kind of senile silliness in the long thin nose near the end of which a pair of spectacles was perched. It resembled the face of a sheep, and the voice, too, had a sheeplike quality."
Furthermore, Emmanuel Goldstein and Big Brother both share a similarity in the novel. Both of them were unknown and their existences are very questionable. In spite of the fact that there are certain pictures and written records about them, it is possible that they are simply conceptual characters created by the party as a form of propaganda.
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