1) What is a Dystopian fiction, Is 1984 a Dystopian fiction?
1] Dystopian Literature
What is Dystopia :-
According to Oxford dictionary,
"Dystopia is an imagined or society in which there is a great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post - apocalyptic."
In another words, "Dystopia is a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening."
Dystopia is basically refered as a antonym of utopian. A term which was coined by sir Thomas More. The word Dystopia, was derived from adding the Latin 'prefix dys', which means 'bad', to the word utopia. So a dystopia is a utopia gone wrong. Here i put a video, which shows, what kind of Dystopian world actually are.
Dystopian Literature :-
Dystopian literature is a form of writing novels or any other literary work, as a response of utopian literature. We can able to say that Dystopia or Dystopian literature is an Antonym of Utopia or Utopian Literature. Dystopian literature gives us a vision of future. It is a society that is dehumanizing and frightening. It is also a speculative fiction that explore social and political structure.
We can also able to say that, Dystopian gener, create a world or society, where life is extremely bad, because of lot many reasons. like, human misery, such as squalor, oppression, disease, overcrowding, environmental destruction, war, terror, political issues etc. We find such kind of Dystopian portrayal in novel, films, video games, comic books, graphic novels, short stories etc. Let me discuss some of the central Characteristics of Dystopian literature.
Characteristics of Dystopian Literature :-
1) Government control
2)Environmental destruction
3) Technological control
4) Survival
5) Loss of Individualism
1) Government control :-
If we see any Dystopian literature. We find that, Government play vital role. Generally in Dystopian literature, either there is no Government or an oppressive ruling government. If we see in Ursula k. Le Guin's novel 'Always Coming home'. Written in 1985. Which is a science - Fiction. In this work we find the kesh repudiate a government system and are self organized. Also '1984' by George Orwell, the world is under complete government control. And we a find a very popular dialogue, "Big Brother is Watching you". Which means, people are under the strict government watch, who gave them no rights to do anything individually.
2) Technological Control :-
In Dystopian World, we find extremeness of technology, and mainly technology and tools work for improving every day life. Technology was controlling by humans. Sometimes technology also creates fear and unemployment for people of that particular Dystopian Society. For example :
1. Aldous Huxley's 'Brave new World'. Which was written in 1932, in this work Huxley explores danger of technology.
2. Work of Philip K. Dick named 'Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?' Also talk about dangers of advanced technology. There are many robots who disguise as humans, and mass extinction led to artificial animal.
3. A novel written in 2002, titled 'Feed' by M. T. Anderson, is also Dystopian novel. Talks about a computer network, that is implanted into the brain of 73% of American Citizens.
3) Environmental Disaster :-
Dystopian novels and works are mainly set in destroyed places, or a places which are close to destruction. Mainly the settings are in gloomy, dark places. For example :
1. The Maza Running, a series by James Dashner, shows that how Dystopian world had been destroyed by massive solar flares and coronal mass ejection. In first book of series, a group of a teenage boys are stuck in an imaginary place called 'Glade' and try to find their way.
4) Survival :-
Dystopian story is also about survival of human. For example :
1. William Golding's 'Lord of the flies', written in 1954. It talks about a group of school boys, that abandoned on Island, and struggle of that boys to built civilization and fight for survival.
2. Jeanne Duprau's 'The city of Ember', which set in underground world, known as Ember. The city is constructed and impending disaster. And there where a group of teenagers who working to find their way out.
5) Lost of Individual :-
Dystopian brings loss of individualism and represent needs of society, Rather than individual. For example :
1. 'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin, written in 1920, follow a spacecraft engineer, living in the future nation called one state.
2. 'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury, written in 1953. Mainly talks about protagonist, who is a fireman and whose job is to burn books.
1984 as a Dystopian Litliterature.
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) is consider as Dystopian literature. The novel is about a society under dictatorship.where everyone is controlled by ruling party, also their thoughts and actions are monitored and controlled. The story occurs in London, a province of the state Oceania. Beside Oceania, there are two more totalitarian states that controlled world, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oseania is totalitarian state. Where big brother his ruling. In each one's home there is a big screen of Big brother's face. Along with the slogan "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU". through which big brother can observe everyone's all actions. Also strange kind of slogans are given by big brother : War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Big brother divided all the people of Oceania in three part, Inner Party, Outer Party, and the Proles. They don't allowed to keep diary, to love somebody, to think or to raise voice against injustice or evil. They don't have anything kind of personal life. Even their food and day to day necessaries are also restricted by government.
Thought police are always observing everyone at every place. People don't even allowed to think. They always listening people from microphones hidden behind telescines in home and everywhere in public area. Also Childrens are trained as a spy and taught them to report about their parents thoughts. there are four ministries: Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, Ministry of Truth and Ministry of Love, in Newspeak : Minipax, Miniplenty, Minitrue and Miniluv. Newspeak is the minimalist artificial language invented by The Party. In ministry of truth only lie is surved, ministry of peace all the time talking about war This kind of contrast are there. All the way if we see, Nineteen Eighty-Four is Dystopian literature.
2) What is according to you is central theme of the novel?
Main themes of the novel is Totalitarianism, Psychological Manipulation, Physical Control, Control Of Information And History, Technology, Language As Mind Control, Loyalty, Resistance And Revolution, and Independence And Identity.among them totalitarianism is central theme according to me. The entire novel is revolves around totalitarian society. Where one party is ruling over all, party of Big Brother. Generally nineteen Eighty-Four is political novel,which talk about danger of totalitarian government. George Orwell himself however suffered in Spain and Russia, under totalitarian government, he wrote this novel to aware readers about this danger of west. George Orwell himself was very much tired and disturbed of communist countries who are become very harmful and cruel in his time.
Similar totalitarian society we find in Nineteen Eighty-Four. The novel written in 1949 but orwell gave future vision that, if all this kind of communist government will not restrict then our society became as bad as hell. In novel, Big Brother is ruling a party who is totalitarian person. Everything is in control if him. No one is allowed to speak against him, or even to think against him. Thinking against Big Brother is considered as a thought crime. Everyone is forced to respect big brother, not only respect but to love big brother. As we see in last part of movie our protagonist of this novel goes against big brother and suffered then at the end by force he started loving big brother.
Also all the activities of each citizen are controlled by government, where they are not allowed to love, to eat whatever they want, to raise their voice and to express their views, also keeping personal diary is also not allowed. However Wilson dare to do all this, he love Maria, keep diary secretly, try to raise his voice but at the end he failed front of the torture given by Big brother's inner party member O'Brien. So in the whole novel voice of totalitarianism is so strongly heard.
3) What do you understand by the term 'Orwellian'?
In simple words Orwellian means questioning the language. According to Oxford Dictionary, 'Orwellian' means characteristic of the writings of George Orwell, especially with reference to his dystopian account of a future totalitarian state in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Also according to Cambridge Dictionary, 'Orwellian' is used to describe a political system in which the government tries to control every part of people's lives, similar to that described in the novel "Nineteen Eighty Four", by George Orwell.
Term 'Orwellian' is generally indicate society or a government which controlling people and restrict them from living freely.In Nineteen Eighty-Four we find this kind of situation.where everything is restricted by government and Big brother. To read more about term 'Orwellian', click here
4) Write in brief about Newspeak.
Newspeak is a fictional Language used in novel of George Orwell entitled Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel this kind of language created by Party of Big brother in Oceania. This kind of language is simplified and controlled by government. Also vocabulary are restricted and only chosen words are given to refer so that Party of big brother can easily mislead people in whatever side they want. Also make them think in a way they want. The language is designed to limit eachones individual abilities, to compress imagination of all, and to restrict self expression and freewill. This kind of Language in novel used by Big brother's party which they called Newspeak.
Also if we see there are four ministries in novel like, Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, Ministry of Truth and Ministry of Love. In Newspeak it is called Minipax, Miniplenty, Minitrue and Miniluv. Newspeak is the minimalist artificial language invented by The Party. As we see ministry of truth is always making fack news to Disilluminate people. Protagonist Wilson of this novel is working in this ministry. Also ministry of peace always sing a song of war and violence. Similarly ministry of love put lots of restrictions on love and relationships, and at last ministry of plenty are disillusionment people about food. In newspeak all the words are use as a contrast of actual words.
