1984
- A Novel
- Written by George Orwell in 1949
- 267 Pages
- Written in England
- Published by Harcourt
- Brace Jovanovich
- Science Fiction
A dystopian science fiction novel. This novel is written in the third person.
In a world known as Oceania, the government, known as Big Brother, rules every aspect of human life. All citizens are continually monitored, their thoughts, feelings and actions. Everything they are taught to believe is provided by Big Brother. We learn how one citizen, Winston Smith, really feels and what happens when you go against Big Brother.
- Winston Smith, the main character, works at the Ministry of Truth. His job is to help rewrite history
- Winston is unhappy with the way the Party tried to control his life, especially his thoughts
- There is a group opposed to the Party, called the Brotherhood, Winston would like to join them. A man named O’Brien is part of the Brotherhood, Winston thinks.
- Winston meets a woman named Julia, they start an affair. Sexual affairs are illegal in Oceania. They have to keep the affair hidden. Winston becomes more angry.
- O’Brien asks Winston and Julia to join the Brotherhood, they do. It then turns out that O’Brien was a spy all along. Winston and Julia are taken for reprogramming.
- Winston is taken to a torture chamber, known as Room 101. Rats, which he is terrified of are going to be placed on his head. Winston agrees to give up Julia.
- In the end, Winston learns to love Big Brother.
V for Vendetta
- A Film
- Science Fiction Thriller
- Released March 2006
- Written by Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski
- Directed by James McTeigue
- Produced by Joel Silver, Larry Wachowski and and Andy Wachowski
- Starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving
V for Vendetta is a dystopian science fiction film. The film was released in March of 2006. It is 132 minutes long and stars Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving and Stephen Rea.
This film focuses on two characters, V and Evey. V wants to change the current fascist government in Britain. V also wants revenge for past wrongs done to him at a government camp. Evey gets caught in V’s plans somewhat by accident but through her interactions with V she ends up learning about herself . Evey learns to overcome her own fears.
This film, unlike other science fiction films, has a continual emphasis on imagery and music. The letter V is used over and over again. There is a party catch-phrase “Strength through Unity. Unity through Faith that is shown continually. Also, the Guy Fawkes mask worn by V is it’s own statement on how an idea is more important than an individual.
4 Elements of Artistic Composition and V for Vendetta
Line
The best example of this in V for Vendetta would be the party symbol which was displayed repeatedly. It is similar to a cross but has an additional line added to it, so there are two horizontal lines, across a vertical line.
Texture
The lighting in this film created a smooth texture throughout. Images depicted came across as being clear and crisp.
Space
The central placement of key images in this film contributes to an illusion that the fascist party is an overwhelming force in the society being portrayed.
Color
There is a lot of use of the color red in this film. It is used on the fascist party symbol and it is used on V’s Guy Fawkes Mask, it is also used for the red roses V gives to his victims. Red is also used when we see the V symbol. It is a bright red so that it becomes a focal point on the screen. This film is shot in bright colors which makes the images clearer.
The Scream
- Painted by Edvard Munch
- 1893
- Oil, Tempera and Pastel on Cardboard
- Expressionist Painting
The Scream – Painted in 1893 by Edvard Munch. It is an oil, tempura and pastel painting on cardboard. It is an expressionist painting that depicts emotions.
The Scream, also sometimes known as The Cry. Eggum (1999-2009) noted that it has become recognized as the actual mental image of the existential angst of Civilized man. This picture shows a person, neither male nor female, in the throes of an emotional crisis. The person may have gone through an emotional crisis or some type of trauma, it is left for the viewer to decide what that would be.
4 Elements of Artistic Composition and The Scream
Line
Munch uses mostly curving lines in this painting in order to depict a state of continuous movement, which helps define the state of anguish the subject is exhibiting.
Texture
This painting gives the impression that it is not all one texture. The shading of the lake and the earth make them appear real.
Space
The fact that the central figure is set in the foreground shows that it is the focus of the painting. The other images, such as the lake and the bridge take up more space but do not appear as the central theme.
Color
The use of color in this painting accentuates the feeling of angst displayed by the central figure. The bright orange and yellow of the sky, contrasted with the dark blue and the lighter brown of the bridge, enhance the feeling of desperation given off by the central figure.
Thesis Statement
Nurse’s need to be aware that a patient’s emotional experiences can affect their physical reality. The way you treat patients and talk to them is very important. The novel 1984, the film V for Vendetta and the painting The Scream all depict how emotions have changed the main characters perception of reality.
1984 – Subjective Analysis
The mood of 1984 is fairly dark. Everything is shown as being negative.
To me this is a great novel that shows what happens to a person’s psyche when they are constantly controlled by others. It was interesting to me how Winston was constantly worried about being found out while having an affair with Julia but continued to do so despite his fears.
There were several major themes in this novel, psychological manipulation and physical torture being among them. As a nursing student I found these to be the most important.
People could not kept mementos so it is easy to forget what came in the past. This is only one form of how citizens were manipulated. Citizens only heard what the Party wanted them to hear. Whole portions of their existence were made up, even though they may not have been aware of this and even if they were they had no way to know what the truth really was.
Physical exercises were mandatory as were long work days. This kept citizens in a constant state of exhaustion which makes it hard to think. Fear is an important part of everyday life in Oceania.
I found it very interesting that when Winston was taken to the Ministry of Love and Room 101 they used his greatest fear against him. How could that not work. This novel was interesting in that it created an alternate reality from what we are used to. It did an excellent job of providing examples of how people could be controlled by a technologically advanced society. It provides a frightening picture of what could happen if people did not have the ability to think for themselves.
I reached the conclusions about my personal interpretation of 1984 based on my experience in reading many other literary works. You can tell what a major theme of a novel is such as psychological manipulation by the amount of time that the author spends on its discussion. This novel describes in detail the way that such things as Thoughtcrime, Doublethink and the Two Minutes Hate sessions are used to manipulate the citizens.
The mood of this novel is easy to ascertain because there are not many positive aspects of life in Oceania mentioned in the entire novel, making It a fairly dark interpretation of events.
V for Vendetta – Subjective Analysis
V for Vendetta was a very interesting film. It had great acting and a story that flowed well. The mood of this film was serious but provocative. It made you think about how even revenge can be used to evoke positive change.
The main theme of this movie is revenge. The main character, V, is working on getting revenge by killing all the people that were involved in experimenting on citizens including himself. V also wants to change the form of government from the fascist state it is in to one where freedom is allowed. No more mind control, rewriting of history or imposed curfews.
I thought the relationship between V and Evey was very interesting. He teaches her about herself by making her think she is a prisoner. She learns to be unafraid through letters written by another women who was taken prisoner in the past. At the beginning of the film, Evey was not against the government and she did not understand V’s need for change or revenge, by the end of the film she does.
I liked the way that imagery was used to convey meaning, such as the roses. That V gave to his victims. Also the V’s over the party signs.
Based on the number of movies I have watched in my lifetime, I felt that finding the theme was fairly simple. This was not a film that had too many hidden meanings. V for Vendetta did an excellent job of letting you know what the film was about. The images in the film alone tell you that one of the themes is an overwhelming government presence they are very similar to Nazi Germany.
The Scream – Subjective Analysis
The mood of The Scream is definitely one of pain and anguish.
I really like this painting because it does such an excellent job of depicting. The feeling of pain that the central character exhibits. It is clear to me the figure in the painting is in pain and that it is more than they can handle. I think that without the vivid red, orange and yellow of the sky the painting would be too dark.
I reached my conclusions about this painting based on the what I felt when I viewed it . We have all had times in our life when traumatic events seem overwhelming and the figure in the painting looks the way I felt. Another important thing that I felt is that this one picture depicts as much pain and suffering in one image as it took George Orwell and the Wachowski brothers to convey in an entire novel and film.
Similarities in the three works.
Differences in the three works.
Similarities and Differences Enhance Understanding
Seeing the theme of a totalitarian government depicted in two of these works in different ways but with the same result for it’s citizens shows how oppressive they are. The citizens in both these works were not happy.
The mood of all three of the works that we are looking at is dark. Darkness makes the viewer or reader think about bad experiences that happened in their own life in order to identify with the characters being shown.
The ability of governments to control its citizens in two of the works is a scary prospect that makes you ponder the downside of technology.
In The Scream it only took one figure to make you imagine some of the emotions evoked by the entire novel and film that were discussed. That makes me realize how powerful art can be.
How 1984, V for Vendetta and The Scream Shed Light on the Human Condition
- All three of these works emphasize how fragile the human mind actually is.
- A work with a dark theme evokes strong emotions in the viewer. Even if you like what you see and you understand it’s meaning you still have a reaction to it. The works that were discusses make you think.
- One of the messages from 1984 and V for Vendetta is that no matter how hard a government tries to control everything in it’s society there will always be room for an individual to assert himself in some way.
- Man is made of many emotions and these cannot be controlled by any means even those of man.
- Evey was so changed by her experience of being imprisoned that one of her close friends did not even recognize her, emotional trauma can cause physical change.
How 1984, V for Vendetta and The Scream Relate to Nursing
- All three works deal with some form of emotional pain. The root of some physical problems is emotional pain, for instance stomach disorders, headaches and asthma.
- Psychological manipulation is a form of abuse. Victims of abuse suffer from numerous forms of mental disorders.
- Abuse victims make up a large portion of patients addicted to alcohol and drugs. Winston became an alcoholic at the end of 1984.
- Physical torture was a theme in both 1984 and V for Vendetta. Physical torture can have long lasting effects on patients, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- It is important to remember, as a nurse, that some patient’s may have issues that are more psychological than physical and it may be necessary to learn more about a patient before reaching any conclusions.
Why the Humanities are Important to Nursing
- Levine (1999) states that the questions that the humanities ask insist on the cultivation of habits of analysis and reflection, introspection and self-examination – the uses of the mind that create a thinking person.
- A knowledge of humanities helps make a nurse a well rounded individual who is able to see issues from more than just a scientific and physical perspective.
- As a nurse you come in contact with many patient’s and you need to be able to relate to people about subjects that are of interest to them. To better connect with all of your patient’s it is good to have a general understanding of as many subjects as possible.
- Humanities help you understand people better,.
- The more you learn about different ways of doing things the more you learn about yourself.
Conclusion
The major themes of 1984, V for Vendetta and The Scream are psychological manipulation, physical torture and pain. All three of these relate to nursing.
Nurses deal with patients on a daily basis who are suffering from pain. At times this pain may have been caused by traumatic events such as mental abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse. Sometimes pain can be a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Using the humanities as a study guide you can more easily learn to relate to others, through connections you feel when reading stories, watching films or viewing works of art that convey strong emotions.
All three works we looked at had a dark mood. When a mood is dark it makes you think. All people can identify with feelings of despair, loneliness and angst.
The way that you treat patients is very important. A broad understanding of different histories is vital in realizing that not every person’s history is the same. The more knowledge you have, the better chance you have of understanding all of your patients.
Experiences patient’s have lived through affect the way they react to situations.
