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Essay / Futile Resistance and the Almighty Ingsoc Party
1984 is said to be one of the greatest books ever written, a work of literature that remains as transcendent as ever since its publication date sixty-four years ago years. It is a dark and realistic story conceived by George Orwell, which uses particularly effective literary elements, such as the limited third-person point of view, to follow the life of Winston Smith, the average resentful civilian which attempts to fight against the seemingly omnipotent and omnipresent powers of the Ingsoc party. The Ingsoc Party, a totalitarian government that rules the fictional country of Oceania, holds a coffin of brilliantly intelligent individuals, some of whom are members of the terrifying Thought Police and the notorious Inner Party, who use informal language against the masses without education of Oceanian civilians. . Symbolism is also a key literary element of the novel, as everything from the omnipresent TV screens to the infamous Big Brother ultimately contributes to Winston's realization of the unbreakability of the Ingsoc Party's power. Throughout 1984, George Orwell uses the elements of diction, point of view, and symbolism to drive home the novel's theme of how futile resistance against established totalitarian governments is. In a totalitarian government like that of 1984, the use of language and diction is severely restricted by the Oceanic authorities as a tool used to crush any potential resistance from the public. As model examples of the linguistic limitations of ordinary Oceanian civilians, Winston Smith and most of his associates in the novel exercise the use of colloquial language in the form of Newspeak, the official language of Oceania. What most civilians in Oceania don't know is that Newspeak is... middle of paper ......e and the omniscience of a totalitarian government established over the powerless forces of the rebellion. the pointless resistance against powerful established totalitarian governments like Ingsoc is most clearly manifested through the use of the three literary elements of diction, point of view, and symbolism. Everything from the glass paperweight to the very words Winston speaks symbolizes inevitable defeat. A completely converted Winston Smith appears at the end of the novel, joining in the cheers and shouts of those celebrating the most recent military victory led by Big Brother. Grimly realistic and a literary warning to the political world of the mid-20th century, George Orwell uses 1984 to paint a clear picture of the unequivocal omnipotence that a totalitarian government can exercise if nothing is done to stop it immediately..