Topic > Orwell's Use of Rhetorical Strategies in 1984

Throughout the novel 1984, the infamous George Orwell uses rhetorical descriptors and vivid diction to describe the tyrannical lifestyle the characters go through. As the days pass, the citizens of London live under 24-hour surveillance while simultaneously experiencing a destructive war. Each thought must be approached with caution and with the knowledge that there are consequences to resistance. Orwell conveys important struggles and conflicts with his dark tone, vivid imagery, frequent repetition, and many other elements throughout this book. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Written in 1949, this futuristic novel depicts a sense of desperation and a dark tone with extreme sides. The intensity of Orwell's words reflects the dangers of each character's life. For example, at the beginning of the book, Orwell writes: "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU," read the caption under the poster. This creates concern and confusion among the public, as this is not a normal occurrence for most people in the real world. The fact that the words are all capitalized also creates a serious tone towards the book. The use of the peculiar description of “Big Brother” adds to the eerie feeling of the novel. Each page lists a strong description of something that may seem important. George Orwell's use of imagery creates a specific image in your mind. This image can represent something normal in one case and in another something so surreal that one cannot understand its reality. An example of this is written on page 133: "Another bomb fell on a piece of waste land that was being used as a playground and several dozen children were blown to pieces." Orwell normalizes these bizarre incidents by repeating these events over and over again while the citizens find it very common. These unconventional situations are not the only thing Orwell describes. It incorporates the audience's feelings towards the city, as well as being shocked by the recurring sight of dead bodies. It includes images of beautiful, bright things such as talking about the morning with "a yellow ray of the sun setting slanting through the window." In this case, and in many others, Orwell integrates pieces of hope, mainly for the reader. Since most of the story is desperate, the reader needs the desire to move forward. These pieces of hope are invoked because of the connotation of Orwell's diction and syntax. It is affirming the public's aspiration to discover more seeds of hope. That being said, Orwell includes a main character who has a strong mind with perseverance and resistance to whatever comes his way. Without Winston Smith as the main character, the goal of Orwell's novel would not be clearly expressed. Similarly, Orwell uses positive and negative diction to demonstrate the meaning of certain parts of the story. Most of the word choices in this book represent a type of pedantic and abstract diction. The pedantic diction is represented through its detailed description while its abstract diction is similar. Abstract word choice is used often in this novel to create descriptions of emotions and the unknown. Since most of the novel creates a mysterious atmosphere, Orwell uses abstract diction perfectly. As for Owell's pedantic diction, he tells the story as if he could see into Winston's mind. In this way he shows specific feelings and descriptions of Winston's thoughts and actions. To enable the audience to understand the main arguments of his novel, Orwell.