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Oshana 1 Zaya Oshana Mr. Lindblom AP Language and Composition January 2 2015 1984 Rhetorical Analysis The future can be a daunting thought. There are so many possibilities for the future, and all people can do in the present day is wait. The future can bring upon many positive and negative events. Some of these negative events can be very restricting, such as violation of basic human rights. Thoughts are very important in everyday life, and to lose the right to think freely is a very terrible thing. In the rhetorical piece "1984" by George Orwell, Orwell displayed an extreme and twisted prediction of the future, warning the readers about what may come later on. The most prominent prediction made by Orwell was that the freedom of thought would be removed, hence creating a restricted society. Orwell conveys these extreme concepts through his usage of rhetorical devices. These rhetorical devices are ethos, pathos, and irony, and they all tie together to complete a novel that is very effective at conveying an idea of what possibilities the future could withhold. First, Orwell utilized ethos throughout the book to give Big Brother a positive meaning as well as using it for irony. Big Brother must be seen as a great person, and to disagree with that idea is considered very bad, or room 101 worthy. The utilization of ethos was when the introduction of the vaporization was brought up by Orwell. The idea behind vaporization was to protect the values of the party and to "purify" people who disagree with the party. The irony behind the ethos in this novel was that if any ethos occurred within people living under the Party, it was considered thoughtcrime, hence, that person would be eventually vaporized. Also, ethos

Oshana 2 existed in the Party’s key slogan, which stated “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength”. This statement was encouraging the process of doublethink in society ruled by the Party. As people read the novel, this doublethink is seen as false, hence drawing conflicting ideologies from the Party to those of uncorrupted, or non-party ruled individuals. Many people can see the incorrect details and seemingly opposite word pairs, but those under the influence of the party are forced to believe that the conflicting word choices can coexist without any disagreement. However, many readers will notice the conflicting words almost immediately. The influence the Party has on the public is proven through the ethos the readers understand when they notice the conflicting words that the society in 1984 deems as normal. Pathos was also utilized by Orwell to display the emotional connections between society's members and Big Brother. It is necessary to love Big Brother since Big Brother loves you. This idea must be followed with such emotional passion and love, and the people who demonstrate not enough love will be vaporized. This example of pathos used by Orwell helps prove the emotional bond that is forced upon society and Big Brother. Another example of pathos demonstrated in 1984 was demonstrated through the emotional bond between Winston and Julia’s relationship. The relationship had a high amount of passion and intimacy throughout most of the book, but that came to an abrupt halt when Charrington turned the couple into the Party. Eventually, the pathos was fully brought out when Winston cracked in room 101, where he betrayed Julia. The pathos Orwell created within this relationship was very effective due to the sudden halt of emotional appeal and change to betrayal. All in all, each example of pathos helped to strengthen the rhetoric presented by Orwell in “1984” Last, the irony present in “1984” was a very effective addition to the overall rhetorical strategies used by Orwell. Many examples of irony were presented in the society living under the Party that

Oshana 3 conflicted with the typical lifestyle An example of this irony is presented in the quote, “One did not know what happened inside the Ministry of Love, but it was possible to guess: torture, drugs, delicate instruments that registered your nervous reactions, gradual wearing down by sleeplessness and solitude and persistent questioning.” (Orwell 167). The irony present is that the Party was able to take such a delicate, positive concept in love, and turn it into a despicable, horrible place where the opposite of love can take place: betrayal. Also, the idea that the Ministry of Truth does the exact opposite of its name, which is destroy truth and create lies, creates a similar type of irony to that of the Ministry of Love. The deleting of events that the Party does not approve of and substituting them with one the Party does approve of is what goes on at the Ministry of Truth. This is contradictory to the name of the area, which proves the irony present. Last, the irony involving O’Brien’s development throughout the novel is very effective rhetoric. At the first meeting, O’Brien acts like a friend to Winston and Julia as a “member” of the Brotherhood, but when Winston is approached by O’Brien at the Ministry of Love, he finds out the truth. O’Brien is a human description of doublethink. This is proven through his actions promoting the Brotherhood at one given time, but changes to promote the ideas of doublethink as a member of the Inner Party. The most striking example of this is when O’Brien asks Winston if Oceania was at war with Eastasia for the entire time, but in reality, Oceania was actually at war with Eurasia for the previous four years. This was known to O’Brien, but as a member of the Inner Party, he promotes the idea of doublethink and changing the past to make it the way the Party wants it to be. In this case, the Party said Oceania was always at war with Eastasia. These different types of ironies all combine to make a very effective and convincing piece of rhetoric.

Oshana 4 Overall in “1984” George Orwell utilizes ethos, pathos, and irony to create a very strong piece of rhetoric. “1984” is a piece that is based around satire, but also takes a look at the possibilities that could occur in a much more drastic manner. The ideas behind “1984” forge an understanding of the necessity of individuality that helps society succeed. Without individuality, actions such as doublethink may occur, hence creating an atmosphere very similar to that of the novel. In conclusion, “1984” is a very convincing piece of rhetoric that emphasizes the importance of individuality and freedom of thought.

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Work Cited Orwell, George, and Eric Fromm. 1984. New York: Penguin, 1961. Print.