“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength” (Orwell 17). The chilling dystopia presented in 1984 exemplifies the malicious nature of totalitarian governments in their pursuit of power and the various methods implemented to achieve control over the population. Using psychological manipulation and fear through war, falsehoods, and torture, Big Brother retains absolute control over one’s thoughts and actions, and thus strips the individual of humanity. Although the society illustrated in George Orwell’s novel seems implausible, Orwell aimed to reflect certain aspects of the time period in which he lived and warn readers of the impending future he foresaw. The rise of tyrannical governments during the 1940s, such as Hitler in Germany …show more content…
Incessant war plagues Oceania for the duration of the novel, “which kept the citizens in a constant state of mobilization and alert. Exploding bombs kept the citizens in an actual state of perpetual fear and the continuous warfare distracted them from thinking about the oppressiveness of their actual society,” which exemplifies the role of fear in a totalitarian government to exploit citizens and thus maintain power (Kellner 8). Similarly, individuals who pose a threat to societal institutions of Big Brother endure psychological torture until conformity, as Winston ultimately gives in to the facts of the Party following intense torture, reflecting the practices of governments in terrifying citizens into submission (Orwell 206). Overall, Orwell strived to illustrate the fear implemented by malevolent dictators of Orwell’s time, as “Stalin ruled with an iron fist, and was famous for his midnight purges...Adolf Hitler, in Germany, had slaughtered his enemies as well,” encompassing the power of fear and the danger it presents to a society (Stanley 243). Moreover, “Orwell's rediscovery of his sense of patriotism deepened his understanding of how fascism had used patriotic and nationalist concepts to win over the masses,” highlighting another crucial aspect of 1984, …show more content…
“Winston finally comes face to face with the Party's monstrous and irresistible final aim: to stamp out utterly the last vestiges of human individuality and independence of thought, all in the name of the unalloyed and unapologetic pursuit of absolute power,” stating the intention of totalitarian governments as annihilating free thinking and therefore preventing the downfall of their regime (Scaliger 30). Additionally, “ Much of Orwell’s success in 1984 lies in his creating a plausible description of how totalitarianism can destroy the individual and turn him into an automaton...terror is not a nightmare; terror is a realistic possibility,” thus showing the impact of Orwell’s novel despite the passage of time, as his dystopia becomes increasingly imminent through the ages (Thorp 16). Specifically, 1984 recognizes the consequences of totalitarianism upon the lives of numerous individuals, including betrayal of families when Tom Parsons gets convicted of thoughtcrime by his own children and Winston and even the betrayal of Julia and Winston, who had previously abhorred the Party’s ideals, ultimately proving the power of the unrelentless government to eradicate every trace of rebellion (Orwell 192, 213). Considering the effects of
In George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, the author uses cacophonous and anaphora diction with rhetorical and imperative syntax to convey the fragility and selfish state of human nature; the author further portrays the immense suffering guided by abused power at the hands of a totalitarian government. An analytical and commentary writing on society, 1984 discusses topics such as the exploitation of and total control in the absolutist manner of tyrannic leadership. Written through the perspective of Winston Smith and his conflict between reality and illusion in a deceptive society, Orwell intentionally warns the future society of these topics. While forcefully observing himself in a mirror, Winston notices that “a…skeleton-like thing was coming towards him… [with] a bald scalp, a crooked nose, and battered-looking cheekbones” and under the layer of dirt, “the red scars of wounds, and… the scraggy neck seemed to be bending double under the weight of the skull” (296-297).
Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally
1984 Essay Imagine a world where being an individual was punishable by death. In 1984 by George Orwell Winston had to take on the risk of cruel punishment in order to be himself, an individual. Winston rebels against the party in order to search for his individuality and past self. Violent and nonviolent acts of cruelty alike were inflicted on the citizens of Oceania by the Party in order to take away people’s distinctiveness.
1984 written by George Orwell is a novel based on a society ruled by a totalitarian government that prohibits independent thought in order to conform all individuals. Emotional manipulation and torture is utilized in the book to control all of Oceania into believing what the government wishes its people to believe. Although propaganda is apparent all throughout Oceania instilling specific ideas, some individuals, like Winston, oppose the Party’s thoughts, questioning the information that is presented to them. After Winston is caught for committing his acts of rebellion and defying the Party, he is continually tortured in hopes that he will be “cured.” In George Orwell’s book 1984, the Party effectively tortures Winston through both physical
The purpose of the novel was to warn the readers of the potential threat a totalitarian government can have on a society. Orwell depicts the horrifying degree of power and control a totalitarian government can maintain through technology, manipulation of the truth and through the use pf propaganda. In regimes such as this, personal rights and freedom are stripped from the individuals within the society. Within 1984, Orwell depicts a state known as Oceania in which the government controls all aspects of life. The audience are able to understand the destruction such regimes can have on individuals through Winton’s eye.
As you read 1984, you are immersed into the abstract world of ‘Oceania’ where society is nothing we see in present day America. A proper description of Oceania is a dictated country, ruled by the Party, there main goal is to brainwash the society they rule over and eliminate whoever stands in their way. The Party created a society where everyone within it is under absolute control by the Party, causing people to be stripped of their freedom by means of deception and fear. In the book 1984, Winston Smith longs for power over himself while The Party’s main goal is to leave people powerless and unable. George Orwell tries to convey the message in which human nature will always desire control or power, especially over oneself, under any circumstance.
Orwell wrote this novel after World War II was over, and during the beginning of the Cold War. After having just experienced the fall of the Nazis and the rise of another strong world power, Russia. Orwell was using what occurred during the wars to predict an impending gloomy dystopian future. In his novel, the totalitarian government would be known as Big Brother, who watches over everyone and everything in Oceania. Big Brother was meant to symbolize how the world would be under a totalitarian communist government.
The novel, 1984, is a dystopian story of corruption and describes the dangers of a totalitarian government. The story highlights Julia and Winston’s journey to bring down the party and Big Brother. It is clear that the novel, published just four years after World War II ended, was designed to inflict fear. Orwell’s vision of the tyrannical style of government demonstrated in 1984, serves to enforce the notion that power and manipulation are treacherous. Throughout the novel, Orwell uses unique diction, and sense of fear in order to appeal to pathos and logos and represent his idea of an authoritarian society.
Written in 1948, on his deathbed, suffering from tuberculosis, George Orwell gave the world a brilliant piece of work predicting the world to come. Instead of a shiny new tomorrow with modernity, freedom and technological advancements, he viewed and presented to us a dystopic future. Where there was enough advancement in technology but no freedom. The world was divided into three big states and no man was free to think of his own accord. Set in Oceania, this is a story of a man named Winston Smith, who works for the Party headed by the Big Brother.
Living through the first half of the twentieth century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Soviet Union. Fighting in Spain, he witnessed the brutalities of the fascists and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. In his novel 1984, Orwell paints a dark and pessimistic vision of the future where society is completely controlled by a totalitarian government. He uses symbolism and the character’s developments to show the nature of total power in a government and the extremes it will go through to retain that power by repressing individual freedom and the truth.
A totalitarian ruling party as defined above that virtually controls all aspects of its citizen’s lives dominates George Orwell’s novels, 1984 and Animal Farm. In these novels, the dangerous effects of a totalitarian society are portrayed through the theft of the mental wellbeing of individuals, halting of the progress of society, and restriction and abuse of the physical rights of citizens. Argument 1: The tyrannous supremacy, which Napoleon and Big Brother’s worshipping party held, robbed the individuals of their mental wellbeing through their deliberate actions to establish ultimate power. Julia and Winston underwent intensive mental torture in the Ministry of Love for commiting open acts of rebellion against the Party caught by O’Brien and Mr. Charrington, two of the few people Winston and Julia trusted in this cruel society. When O’Brien, the man who personally took on the task of crushing Winston’s soul,
In 1984 one will wonder how George Orwell life influence his book. By reading the book and knowing his life was, one will then be able compare how significant those two are. In his book he talks about a world consisting of totalitarian states who are constantly at war with each other and using technological and other advancements methods to keep their members under careful observation and control. In Orwell’s book, the way he wrote his story seems that he was more influenced about how the totalitarianism government during his era.
Their society has no convictions, the government is the definition of restrictions, and freedom is fiction. In 1984, Orwell expresses within Winston’s point of view that he is truly worried for the future. During Orwell’s time, social, political, and economic hardships began to overbear the European nations. For a very unfortunate recover, totalitarianism induced its chaos and World War 2 began. Russia, yet and still, struggles with power hungry leadership by their government.
George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, set in a dystopic future where England, now known as Air Strop One is the home of an evil totalitarian party who rules those in Oceania with fear and ruthlessness. The novel follows the life of Winston Smith, a regular middle-class man who hides a rebellious nature. The world has become a place full of propaganda, intimidation, where people and history itself is manipulated in order to uphold the pristine image of the party, who holds power for their own enjoyment. The novel is a thrilling literary piece that explores the evils of totalitarianism, the nature of truth, the purpose of war, the nature of power and the human spirit. Written shortly after World War 2, Orwell wrote the novel with the purpose
Totalitarian governments, with the main group of leaders suppressing its people, limits free speech, individual thought, and creative ideas. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, a world void of individuality and personal thought is described in the least endearing terms. Orwell warns his readers about the dangers of this style of government, when everyone is the same, no matter how hard one works. This written warning is full of imagery that enhances the reader’s understanding of what living in this oppressive state is actually like. George Orwell was born as Eric Blair in 1903 in India; throughout his life, he had fought in the Spanish Civil War and was part of the Home Guard in World War II, which helped shape his views of dystopian