"1984" by George Orwell and "Stranger" by Ghegi25

Stranger
By Ghegi25
I stand in front of the mirror
And wipe the fog away
My vision is still hazy
From ridding myself this way

My hair is all in tangles
My eyes are filled with tears
I wipe the warm tears away
As if trying to rid myself of my fears

I'm ashamed of what I have done
But it hurts me even more
I can't make myself stop doing it
Even though I know what's in store

It has taken over my mind
It is eating away at my soul
My throat burns with anger
While my stomach growls even more

I am still looking in the mirror
Yet I don't know who I see
All that I know
Is this sad sight couldn't be me

I grip the edge of the counter
So tightly that my knuckles turn white
I want to scream out in anger
At this ugly sight


It's your fault I hiss
That I do this to myself
If only you didn't look this way
I would be in better health

I cover the image in the mirror
With the palm of my hand
And notice a cut on my finger
That I never knew I had

I grab my hand in anger
Or is it more like fright
I'm just so shocked
To see this sight

I laugh and then I cry
Then crumble to the floor
Suddenly aware of my problem
Like I never was before

How did this happen to me?
How did I become a statistic?
I thought that I was strong,
I thought I was better than that

My head throbs in anger
My throat burns with pain
My finger loses a drop of blood
And Nothing is what I have gained


The poem “Stranger”, by Ghegi25, relates to many of the more despairing themes common in “1984” by George Orwell. The author of “Stranger, hidden behind a pseudo name, despairs about the elements of modern society that cause people to lose themselves in a mad quest for acceptance from others. The wording of stanza 3 demonstrates this well, saying
“I'm ashamed of what I have donebut it hurts me even moreI can't make myself stop doing itEven though I know what's in store”
This relates to “1984” in that Winston feels that the party’s tenements are causing him to lose his identity, as it has so many others. The author of “Stranger” feels like he or she is powerless to change anything by herself and that he or she won’t find any help from others, as demonstrated by stanza 12, which reads
“My head throbs in angermy throat burns with painmy finger loses a drop of bloodAnd Nothing is what I have gained”
This feeling is reflected in “1984” in Winston’s eventual defeat at the hands of the Ministry of Love, and his giving in entirely to the Party’s contradictory and mind washing tenements.