1984 post4

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
This is a very important observation made by the main character, Winston Smith, in George Orwell’s 1984. The statement helps the reader better understand how Winston feels trapped by the government and is desperately searching release. The author uses specific literary devices to emphasize the meaning of this quote and to draw the reader’s attention toward the sentence.
One very important technique displayed by George Orwell is the syntax of the segment. In the line prior the sentence in question, Orwell asks the reader a rhetorical question to spark their personal judgment of the proles with an underlying comedic tone. “Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered?” This question gives the reader a comedic way to look at the situation and still understand what Winston was trying to say. Then Orwell “answers” his rhetorical question by adding the above statement, which then lets the reader comprehend the frustration Winston experiences. Orwell syntactically arranged these two sentences in this order precisely for this reason and to help the reader feel what Winston is feeling.
Another key literary device is irony. This passage explains how the proles have the power to overthrow the Party but they do not have the mindset, or the organizational skills, required to do so. This is an extremely ironic situation since the hope for Big Brother to be overthrown rests in the hands of people who do not have the mindset to do such a thing. The irony of the statement helps illustrate the views of the Party and displays to the reader how the government controls the people. This statement is also ironic because it also happens to foreshadow the proles rebelling against the government. Orwell added this line to help foreshadow the proles defying the government and uprooting Big Brother. It is evident that it is foreshadowing this because it is as though this is their only hope to escape Big Brother and the government. It is ironic that this foreshadows this because Winston is saying that it will be impossible for the proles to rebel since they don’t comprehend doing something of that nature. Orwell uses irony to help foreshadow the proles rebelling against the government.
Therefore, George Orwell uses various literary devices in this sentence to help the reader understand the plot. After reading this line, the reader can relate to Winston because they feel his frustration and desperate quest for hope. The reader can also wonder if the proles will defy their expectations and uproot Big Brother and the Party. George Orwell inserts these techniques to emphasize the importance of this sentence.