Ways of social control and identity opression in animal farm (1945) and 1984 (1949) by George Orwell

Abstract

recurring dystopian discourse in George Orwell's works, having as its axis the Language that produces Memory to interpret the Image as an element of maintenance for social control. As a methodology, the Intra-authorial Comparative Literature according to Caravalhal (2006) was used, considering its use for the study of the author's literary aesthetics. The theoretical foundation was based on the studies of Fairclough (2001), who discusses the discourse of the narrative and its importance for social changes; Halbwachs (1990), Ricoeur (2007) and Rossi (2010), authors who base the arguments on the axes of Memory, Identity and Language as instruments for the perpetuation of social control. As a result, we obtained that the author's recurring discourse in both works reveals the importance he gives to political writing, in how its criticism is necessary for him and others to understand the scenario in which they live and to be able to avoid contributing to the implementation of a totalitarian state. As final considerations, we indicate that, for Orwell, positioning himself socially and politically through his literary work represented an ethical commitment, since his social context was full of repression and inequality.