1984 Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characters, key concepts, and locations in George Orwell's 1984 based on the lecture notes.

Winston Smith

Outer Party member who rewrites history at the Ministry of Truth, quietly hates the Party, and attempts rebellion through his secret diary and affair with Julia.

Julia

Winston’s lover who works in the Fiction Department, whose rebellion is pragmatic and personal rather than political, seeking pleasure and freedom in the present.

O’Brien

Powerful Inner Party member who poses as a member of the anti-Party resistance (the Brotherhood) to entrap Winston, later torturing and re-educating him in the Ministry of Love.

Big Brother

The figurehead and worshipped leader of Oceania, though it remains ambiguous whether he is a real person or a political myth created by the Party.

Emmanuel Goldstein

Supposed leader of the anti-Party Brotherhood and author of "the book," used as a scapegoat during mandatory Two Minutes Hate sessions.

Mr. Charrington

Antique shop owner in the Prole district who rents a room to Winston and Julia, but turns out to be a member of the Thought Police.

Syme

Philologist working on the 11th Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary who is "vaporized" because he understands the Party’s intent to control thought too clearly.

Parsons

Winston’s neighbor, a loyal, brainwashed Party member who is eventually reported to the Thought Police by his own children for speaking treason in his sleep.

Doublethink

The ability to hold two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accept both (e.g., "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength").

Newspeak

The official language designed to eliminate words that could express anti-Party thoughts, making subversion (Thoughtcrime) literally impossible to conceive.

Ministry of Truth

The government department that continuously alters past news reports so the Party is always right.

Junior Anti-Sex League

An organization used by the Party to suppress sexual desire and channel human devotion strictly toward Big Brother.

Room 101

A torture chamber located in the Ministry of Love that contains a prisoner's worst nightmare, where Winston is confronted with rats and betrays Julia.

The Chestnut Tree Café

The venue where a broken, re-educated Winston sits alone, fully capitulated, and realizes he genuinely loves Big Brother.