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Below are two in-class rhetorical analysis papers from last year. While much shorter than the assignment you have, they provide good examples of what rhetorical analysis of 1984 might look like.
Mr. Wesley
AP English 8
17 November 2015
1984 Rhetorical Analysis
In the
third part of 1984, by George Orwell,
Winston suffered through brutal torture to pay for his disloyalty to the party.
He was betrayed by O’Brien, the person he felt most connected to, because of
his unorthodox views. Orwell goes into great detail to describe the mental and
physical pain Winston was put through, and his reactions. This passage portrays
the incredible power of the Party over the people of Oceania, and how far they
are willing to go to maintain their control. The rhetorical devices he used,
such as imagery and irony, help the audience to connect with and understand
Winston, as well as see the cruelty of the party.
While in
prison, Winston was taken to a room where O’Brien used a torture device that
created the sensation of the spine being snapped. The pain would flow through
Winston’s body as a punishment for his individual thought. The pain became so
intense that he began to hallucinate and “four fingers filled his vision”
(250). Winston saw that “the four fingers stood up before his eyes like
pillars” but the pain did not change the fact that he saw only four fingers,
not five like O’Brien wanted (250). Orwell’s use of a simile to directly
compare the fingers to pillars shows how prominent and strong the Party is. The
Party had become a permanent fixture in Winston’s life, blocking him of
thinking freely. This part of the passage portrays Orwell’s message that this
government plays overpowering role in the lives of the citizens.
Orwell
uses imagery to describe Winston’s suffering caused by the torture device.
After receiving horrible strikes of pain throughout his whole body, Winston
“felt very cold, he was shaking uncontrollably, his teeth were chattering” and
“the tears were rolling down his cheeks” (250). Orwell’s diction allows us to
almost feel what Winston is feeling, which is what makes this passage very
powerful. It could be seen as a symbol for the suffering that Big Brother has
caused all of Oceania to go through. When O’Brien turns up the dial again, to
extreme levels of pain, Winston begins to see “a forest of fingers” that seemed
to be “moving in a sort of dance” (251). As much as he tried to count them, it
was impossible “due to the mysterious identity between five and four”
(251). The imagery and personification
of the fingers allows the reader to peer into Winston’s mind. O’Brien and the
Party’s efforts to brainwash Winston are clearly working because he could no
longer definitively say that there were four fingers. Orwell used the image of
the fingers to show Winston’s transition into a loyal party member.
After
causing severe pain to change Winston’s desire for individuality, O’Brien waved
over his assistant with a syringe of painkiller. “A needle slid into Winston’s
arm. Almost in the same instant a blissful, healing warmth spread throughout
his body” (252). The diction of this passage allows the reader to almost feel
this soothing warmth that Winston felt. Orwell’s use of sensory imagery helps
to connect with Winston and the story. The positive tone gives the reader a
warm, happy feeling, just as the injection made Winston feel. The ability to
connect with him makes the story more enticing and relatable.
Throughout
all of Winston’s torture in prison, one thing does not change in his mind- his
opinion of O’Brien. No matter how much pain he causes Winston, he still feels a
special connection to O’Brien. Winston sees him as a protector instead of an
enemy, which is a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome. After the intense wave
of pain, Winston “clung to O’Brien like a baby, curiously comforted by the
heavy arm round his shoulders” (250). Instead of blaming O’Brien and being
upset, he saw him as a strong, comforting figure. Winston “had never loved him
so deeply” because he focused on the fact that O’Brien stopped the pain instead
of causing it (252). The connection
Winston feels to O’Brien was a driving factor in his transformation. Orwell
focused on this to show the psychological damage that the Party had caused and
the power they held over all of society. In addition, the irony allows the
reader to see how Winston is being broken down and changed by the party.
Orwell’s
use of rhetorical devices give the audience a real sense of Winston’s pain and
mental torment. This passage exemplifies the Party’s full control over society,
and how they can change anyone and anything into what they want. Because of
their power of peoples’ minds as well as actions, Winston, who used to think of
the party as the enemy, looked up to O’Brien like a hero. Orwell made it
possible for the audience to connect with Winston and see the horrendous acts
of the party almost through their own eyes.
Light
vs. Dark
The
life of Winston in Oceania compared to the life of Winston while he is with
Julia could not be more different. In Oceania, he is unhappy and does not find
joy in life. However, with Julia, Winston feels free to express himself and is
a happier person overall. In 1984 by George Orwell, the author uses setting and
detailed imagery to contrast the hope and beauty of a new relationship with the
darker realities of life in Oceania.
As
Winston travels from Oceania to the country, he steps “through dappled light
and shade” and “into pools of gold.” The word choice and detail that Orwell
chooses clearly represents that Winston is moving from a place of darkness to a
place that holds hope for his future. The “sweetness of the air” and “May
sunshine” highlights a warm, pretty, and calm setting for when Julia and
Winston first meet. The description of the setting allows the reader to
naturally associate their relationship with happiness and peacefulness.
However, there is always a secret fear of Oceania lurking in the background of
the setting. For example, the very feeling of sunshine makes Winston “feel
dirty…with the sooty dust of London in the pores of his skin.” Winston will
always be reminded of Oceania in some way, and is always looking out for
suspicious activity. For instance, “there [is] always the danger of concealed
microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized.” This
suggests that the Party hides microphones everywhere, even in the country, in
order to detect people who may be breaking some type of law. This contrasting
of light and dark highlights the danger of wanting to be in a genuine
relationship with someone in Winston’s society.
Moreover,
Orwell uses very detailed imagery to contrast Julia and Winston’s relationship
with the reality of what Oceania is really like. The “faint sickly scent” of
the bluebells lingers in the background of Winston being in the meadow where
him and Julia are supposed to meet. Orwell uses the bluebells to represent the
romance and thrill of the new relationship when Winston wants “to have a bunch
to offer the girl when they [meet].” In addition, the “greenness of the leaves”
and the fact that “the air seemed to kiss one’s skin” highlight the excitement
of being somewhere other than drab Oceania. Unfortunately, this excitement is
soon overpowered with the thought of “patrols hanging about the railway
stations” and Julia’s “warning that [Winston] must keep silent” until they get
to a more private area. Almost immediately after Winston arrives at the secret
location and begins to appreciate the natural beauty of life, he is shot down
by the reality of the danger that he is going through to even be anywhere but
Oceania.
In
conclusion, Orwell contrasts the hope of Julia and Winston’s new relationship
with the darkness and melancholy of
Oceania through setting and detailed imagery. The use of these rhetorical
elements is important in hinting to the reader that their rendezvous is
dangerous and highlights the fact that Oceania does not allow hopefulness in
its society.
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