ipl-logo

Stupidity In 1984

656 Words3 Pages

When a person loses the ability to think, that person becomes a puppet, controlled with ease. With deplorable housing, synthetic food, and ubiquitous bombed sites, life in Oceania is not pleasant. The dystopian novel 1984, written by George Orwell, follows Winston, an outsider living in a broken world, whose government has complete control over its inhabitants. Whether it is the Youth Spies, coworkers, or even television, the government is always watching, making it impossible to express heretical thoughts without being severely reprimanded. By making the citizens completely absent minded, the government is able to control the whole population. This theme of a vacuous, compliant society that fears the intelligent, is evident the characters …show more content…

Parsons encompasses the aspect of stupidity in the community of Oceania. Described as a sweaty, fat man with features of a boy, Mr. Parsons is Winston’s neighbor. When in the Cafeteria, Winston is approached by Mr. Parsons. Interrupting their conversation, a distorted announcement about the increase in chocolate ration was displayed on the telescreen, when only last week it claimed a decrease in chocolate ration. Winston takes note of Mr. Parson’s behavior during the event: “Parsons...sat listening with a sort of gaping solemnity… Parsons swallowed it easily, with the stupidity of an animal”(58). Parsons believes something such as chocolate ration, completely irrelevant to the importance of society, is something to be dignified. Parsons is a dog, loyal to its owner. The government is throwing a ball of deceit, and he is chasing right after it. Mr. Parsons accurately represents the theme of a dumbed down …show more content…

Syme is a prime example. Syme is a friend of Winston, which is quite unusual given the fact that no one can be trusted in Oceania. He is a specialist on Newspeak, a version of the English language, editing and creating new words to the Newspeak dictionary. Unfortunately for Syme, his intelligence kills him. Winston predicts this outcome after he has a conversation with the Newspeak aficionado: “Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he will disappear”(53). Oceania fears citizens that hold intelligence will be able to see the truth. The party believes that the intelligent will lead an uprising against the government, causing a rebellion. Syme’s consciousness is feared throughout Oceania, a common theme in

Show More
Related

  • Ayn Rand's Anthem: Fearing Our Society

    425 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fearing Our Society THESIS: In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the fear created in response to society's strict collectivist code causes characters to suffocate their potential, proving that the individual suffers when he or she individualism. Because all characters silence their individual voices in response to the strict collectivist rules, the individual is unable to pursue happiness, proving that suppression of individualism causes discomfort. Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that worships the word “WE”.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Individuality In The Film 'THX 1138'

    1540 Words  | 7 Pages

    Accordingly, Mike O’Neal pointed out that the entire society is made up of followers (Glettler 4). Despite the lack of leaders, no individual appears capable of performing independent actions. Furthermore, the society has laws that require perfect conformity with the subjects being reminded to follow the motto of “performance perfect is perfect performance” (Glettler 4). Additionally, severe drugs that alter the mind are used to keep every character under intense sedation. Yet, none of the characters can question their use of the drugs because body implants and constant surveillance prevents such inquiries.

    Read More

  • The Most Empathetic Character In Of Mice And Men

    416 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Look, Candy. This ol' dog jus' suffers hisself all the time. If you were to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head-" he leaned over and pointed, "-right there, why he'd never know what hit him" (page

    Read More

  • George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: Literary Analysis

    1092 Words  | 5 Pages

    George Orwell’s classic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, follows the life of 39-year-old Winston Smith in Airstrip One, a city in Oceania, a super-state controlled by a totalitarian government called the Party. Wherever he goes, Winston is haunted by massive posters of the Big Brother, the supposed leader of the government. When Winston starts keeping a journal, which warrants torture and execution, he begins to question everything that has been taught to him since the Party took over. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel because of the Party’s perpetual lying to all of its subjects, conscious effort to reduce the quality of everyday life, and cruel treatment to people deemed heretics.

    Read More

  • Ignorance In 1984

    1324 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 1984, the restriction of information makes the population ignorant and easy to manipulate, allowing the government to stay in control by making society conform to whatever they desire. Winston states that if there is any hope that the Party would get overthrown, “it lies in the proles” (Orwell 208). However, Proles are unable to revolt against their government because they are too ignorant to question the Party’s authority. The Party uses “prolefeed” (Orwell 201) to control the population with a constant supply of entertainment and spurious news, which fills their mental horizon. Along with a lack of knowledge that keeps them from organizing themselves or questioning the powers that oppress them, the Proles are unable to rise up and overthrow the authoritarian regime, demonstrating the party slogan, “Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell 3).

    Read More

  • A Brief Review Of Thucydides 'Athenian Demagogues'

    1536 Words  | 7 Pages

    One, previously mentioned in Finley’s work “Athenian Demagogues,” is the case of Athens and multiple demagogues. The author states that “the strength of the Athenian government comes precisely from that which many merely criticize, namely, the fact that it is government by a faction acting unashamedly to its own advantage” (1962, p. 9). Here, Finley speaks of the pseudo-democracy that was the Athenian government after the demagoguery had begun, and uses “strength” to simply mean enduring and impervious. Another example in more recent history is the more obvious Adolf Hitler. Hitler’s reign over Germany and Nazi Europe started with his skill with speaking, an essential for a demagogue.

    Read More

  • Insane In 1984

    1921 Words  | 8 Pages

    The truth that reveals, that they are the actual bad guys. Their best tries of controlling this society is by using what they are accessible to at the moment, the government police, indoctrination, propaganda and censorship to control the everyday lives of these poor citizens, driving a perfectly sane society, into a corrupt civilization that is praising maniacs, the future of this society. Dictators of totalitarian states use police terror and violence to force obedience and to crush opposition. Normally, government police are supposed to protect the citizens, but when the power of command is given into someone who will abuse this power, and bring it to such an insane point, it adds up to what the dreaded utopia is shown in novels like 1984. Explaining how thought police where one of the many techniques used by the insane government, that would use psychological methods and omnipresent surveillance (such as telescreens) to search, find, monitor and arrest members of society who could potentially, challenge the government's authority.

    Read More

  • 1984 Totalitarianism Analysis

    306 Words  | 2 Pages

    Secondly, Totalitarianism leads to the loss if individualism. Some claims that the propaganda of Oceania is what they need to follow. O’Brien says, “We control matter because we control the mind. Reality is inside the skull.” His words reflect the intention of the party to control every aspect of the human’s life not only physically, but also mentally.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ignorance In 1984

    678 Words  | 3 Pages

    The people of Oceania blame their enemies for their problems. Whenever there is a problem like low resources the people, also known as the proles, start blaming others over their own government. For example during hate week a orator was giving a speech and had to change who Oceania was at war with in the middle of the speech. The proles then started tearing down all the anti- Eurasia signs saying that it was sabotage by Emmanuel Goldstein’s agents or spies from Eastasia. “The next moment there was a tremendous commotion.

    Read More

  • 1984 Victory Gin Analysis

    973 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Dehumanization In 1984

    410 Words  | 2 Pages

    The people in George Orwell’s 1984 are dehumanized using many ways by the inner party. They have a hard life because they don’t know simple everyday things that we take for granted. When we show emotions and do what and think what we want it is something that the people of Oceania don’t have. They don’t have freedom from the government. The Outer Party controls everything using many methods.

    Read More

  • Manipulation In 1984

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first and foremost includes the Psychological Manipulation. Within the novel the Party barrages the citizens of Oceania with mental stimuli created for the overpowering of the mind’s capacity to formulate independent thought. The subjects of the Party are constantly enforced with torrents of propaganda created to generate an illusion of an undamaged and constantly successful Party. Their behaviour is monitored through surveillance and constantly reminded through omnipresent signs stating that “Big Brother is Watching You”. This resonates with the current day due to the major underlying issue of surveillance.

    Read More

  • Flaws In Lord Of The Flies

    720 Words  | 3 Pages

    Being stubborn, power hungry, and vengeful are flaws in nature that appear once a person has the right environment and freedom, and these flaws can lead to the demise of leaders, empires, and governments.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Fear In Divergent

    987 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fears and Phobias One of the major themes in the novel is the concept of facing the fear and the process of overcoming it. Throughout the novel characters faced many fears to be able to prosper or be successful. In Dauntless faction learning to face fears is a major part of initiation. they believe that best way to teach courage is through exposure to one’s fear.

    Read More

  • Griffy The Cooper Analysis

    272 Words  | 2 Pages

    The world in which the majority of people live in today is one that is imbued with greed, selfishness, and lust for power. Such things are not new concepts, but in modern society are now being presented in new mediums. Looking back on the society that Griffy the Cooper would have lived in, it is rational to have defended one’s own mind from the vast realm of unknown possibilities by building a mental structure to protect one’s thoughts from such things. To compliment Griffy the Cooper, the students in The Secret History display this suggestion in a more modern sense, as they all either create a mechanism to shield themselves from the reality that surrounds them, or they embrace the freedom of possibility that accompanies the true reality

    Read More

More about Stupidity In 1984

Open Document