Paradox in "1984"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews Orwell's "1984", examining how paradox and irony contribute to the general sense of anxiety in the novel. The paper shows how from the names of the Party institutions to doublethink, "1984" is full of paradoxical statements about Oceania and the oppressive regime of Big Brother.

From the Paper:

"The Party's attempts to control language and thus control the basic building blocks of thought are first evident in the ironic Party institution names. The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are anything but truthful, peaceful, loving, and abundant. In fact, their newspeak names more accurately sum up the institutions' objectives: minitrue, minipax, miniluv, and miniplenty represent the miniscule amount of these proposed virtues. Orwell, through Winston, explicitly refers to the paradoxical names: "the Ministry of Peace...concerned itself with war," (p. 3). The Ministry of Love's building is windowless, loveless, and impenetrable, its walls hide a prison that contradicts the concept of love."

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• Analytical Essay # 23908 : "Control of "The Party" in "1984"

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