1984 Imagery

In 1984 George Orwell uses very descriptive and complex words to create the image of a horrific future society and world. For example, Orwell paints a mental picture of a futuristic community cafeteria, that is poor and uncomfortable; "In the low-ceiling canteen deep under ground, the lunch queue jerked slowly forward. The room was already full and deafeningly noisy" (Orwell 43). The first point he makes in this passage is that it is a low-ceiling room and deep underground. This paints us a picture of an uncomfortable place, as well as raising questions in our minds. When I first read this, I wondered why the room was underground, then I came to the conclusion later that it was because of the constant bombing that the city endured. Also the fact that the place is deafeningly noisy and already full tells us that it is crowded and overpopulated, and the government cannot support its people with enough shelter.
Along with describing the terrifying aspects of an extreme totalitarian, communist society, Orwell uses vivid descriptions to paint a picture of the hidden places in the corrupted world that are beautiful. "It seemed to him that he knew exactly what it felt like to sit in a room like this, in an armchair beside an open fire with your feet in the fender and a kettle on the hob, utterly alone, utterly secure, with nobody watching you, no voice pursuing you, no sound except the singing of the kettle and the friendly ticking of the clock" (Orwell 82) He talks about how alone and secure one would be in an "old-fashioned" home. How nice it would be to have no voices following you, and calls the sound of a kettle "singing" and calls the ticking of a clock "friendly". This is calling the old way of life and homes much more peaceful then the new futuristic society.