Tuesday, August 26, 2014

In 1984, what kind of imagery is depicted in Part One, Chapter One and Part Two, Chapter Two?

In both of these chapters, Orwell uses a wide range of sensory images to bring to life the experiences of the protagonist, Winston Smith. In Part One, Chapter One, Orwell opens the story with a tactile image of a "vile wind" which bites at Winston's neck. He also employs a gustatory image to describe the setting, Victory Mansions:



The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats.



In Part Two, Chapter Two, Orwell continues with the creation of vivid, sensory images to depict Winston and Julia's first meeting in the woods. There are a number of tactile images, including:



The mass of dark hair was against his face. . . he was kissing the wide red mouth.



These are followed by a strong gustatory image to depict the sensation of eating the black-market chocolate Julia brings with her:



The first fragment of chocolate had melted on Winston’s tongue. The taste was delightful.



Finally, Orwell closes this chapter with a visual image of Winston studying Julia as she sleeps:



There was a line or two round the eyes, if you looked closely. The short dark hair was extraordinarily thick and soft.



This visual image leads Winston to his important conclusion: having sex with Julia is a "political act" which represents the beginning of his rebellion against the Party.

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