1984 Essays (1373 words) - Novels By George Orwell,

1984 George Orwell has been a major contributor to anticommunist literature around the World War II period. Orwell lived in England during World War II, a time when the Totalitarianism State, Nazi Germany, was at war with England and destroyed the city of London. (DISC) "I know that building' said Winston finally. It's a ruin now. It's in the middle of the street outside the Palace of Justice. 'That's right. Outside the Law Courts. It was bombed in-oh many years ago.'" (Orwell 83). The main character's being reflects Orwell's own life experiences as a citizen in war torn England and how he uses this in 1984. George Orwell is famous for two major novels, which attack totalitarianism. The first is Animal Farm a satire describing the leaders of the Soviet Union as animals on an animal farm. The second novel is 1984 a story of dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the Allies lost in World War II. The government in this novel gives no! freedoms to its citizens. They live in fear because they are afraid of having bad thoughts about the government of Oceania, a crime punishable by death. By employing literary devices such as diction, foreshadowing, and symbolism, Orwell composes a novel "1984" which proves to be a gem in Orwell's collection of novels against totalitarianism. Orwell wrote 1984 as a political statement against totalitarianism. Orwell's word choice drives the plot of the story in that they introduce a new dimension, a world where everything takes place in a modern controlled society. The phrase "Newspeak" was created by Orwell to describe a derivation of the English language, which this new world uses to communicate, and to represent of authoritative dialogue which takes place throughout the novel. (Meckier) Another phrase chosen by Orwell to illustrate the new controlled society is "double-think", a word which is part of the "Newspeak" language.. He chooses to use another made up expression to further enhance the atmosphere which does not allow for an individual to "think twice" about what the government expresses. "It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." (Orwell 5) Orwell carefully selects the words for this sentence and chooses to introduce the story in the past tense, as though all things have already occurred. This suggests that the narrator has already l! ived through the actions that take place in this book and is only describing his memory. (Lawrimore) If Orwell had written this book in present tense, the opportunity to foreshadow to such an extent would have been dramatically cut down. In Orwell's above sentence, the word "thirteen" is used as an alternative to "one" to describe the time. By choosing to use the word "thirteen" Orwell portrays the society to be one which is altered and possibly of military control. "I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought Police" (Orwell 101). The choice of words here is so very descriptive that you, the reader, can actually feel the atmosphere, which the characters dwell in. This exercises the belief that Orwell does indeed realize the power of language and words, which should never be underestimated. (Lawrimo! re) "The way something is stated can affect the connotation of the whole passage, and it is quite possible that sometime, somewhere, it will be a bright, cold day in April and the clocks will be striking thirteen." (Lawrimore) Each statement Orwell makes in this novel symbolizes a great deal more than what its face value suggests for the purpose of exhibiting his deeper, personal beliefs on totalitarianism. "It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." (Orwell 5) 1984 begins with a powerful first sentence, which provides many hints about a demented society. This first sentence allows for the reader to make his / her opinions without further reading any additional words. Orwell chooses to use the word "thirteen" opposed to "one" to possibly suggest a military like society or even a world that is changing from old to new. (Lawrimore) A world with old traditions, ideas, and thinking are slowly being replaced by new. (Lawrimore) Another symbol found in this sentence is "bright, cold day in April." It is quite

Free Essays on Gender Stereotypes Among Children

Introduction In a society which is rife with gender stereotypes and biases, children regularly learn to adopt gender roles, which are not always fair to both sexes. Children are exposed to many factors, which influence their attitudes and behavior regarding gender roles. These attitudes and behaviors are generally learned first in the home and are then reinforced by the child’s peers, school experience, and television viewing. However the strongest influence on gender role development seems to occur within family setting. Children learn at a very early age what it means to be a boy or a girl in out society. It is difficult for a child to grow to adulthood without experiencing some form of gender bias or stereotyping, whether it be the expectation that boys are better than girls at math or the idea that only females can nurture children. Parental Influence A child’s earliest exposure to what it means to be male or female comes from parents. From the tome their children are babies, parents treat sons and daughters differently, dressing infants in gender specific colors, giving differentiated toys, and expecting different behavior from boys and girls. One study indicated that parents have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth. EX: One study found that children at two and half years of age use gender stereotypes in negotiating their world and are likely to generalize gender stereotypes to variety of activities, objects and occupations. Children even deny the reality of what they are seeing when it doesn’t conform to their gender expectations (ex: a child whose mother is a doctor stating that only men are doctors) Boys vs. Girls Most parents prefer male children to female children throughout the world. This preference for male children is further emphasized by the finding that parents are more likely to continue having children if they have only girls than if the... Free Essays on Gender Stereotypes Among Children Free Essays on Gender Stereotypes Among Children Introduction In a society which is rife with gender stereotypes and biases, children regularly learn to adopt gender roles, which are not always fair to both sexes. Children are exposed to many factors, which influence their attitudes and behavior regarding gender roles. These attitudes and behaviors are generally learned first in the home and are then reinforced by the child’s peers, school experience, and television viewing. However the strongest influence on gender role development seems to occur within family setting. Children learn at a very early age what it means to be a boy or a girl in out society. It is difficult for a child to grow to adulthood without experiencing some form of gender bias or stereotyping, whether it be the expectation that boys are better than girls at math or the idea that only females can nurture children. Parental Influence A child’s earliest exposure to what it means to be male or female comes from parents. From the tome their children are babies, parents treat sons and daughters differently, dressing infants in gender specific colors, giving differentiated toys, and expecting different behavior from boys and girls. One study indicated that parents have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth. EX: One study found that children at two and half years of age use gender stereotypes in negotiating their world and are likely to generalize gender stereotypes to variety of activities, objects and occupations. Children even deny the reality of what they are seeing when it doesn’t conform to their gender expectations (ex: a child whose mother is a doctor stating that only men are doctors) Boys vs. Girls Most parents prefer male children to female children throughout the world. This preference for male children is further emphasized by the finding that parents are more likely to continue having children if they have only girls than if the...