1984 By George Orwell: A Literary Analysis

Imagine a world where you can be prosecuted for simply thinking the wrong thing.

This is example of what life would be like in a dystopian society. A dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening. The book 1984 by George Orwell is a prime example of dystopian literature because of his use of a futuristic setting and the Thought Police that ensure no one will disobey the rules by constantly monitoring the citizens. In the global society as depicted through dystopian literature and current events, some traits of a dystopian society are present such as the establishment of complete control, which creates citizens that have no power or say in their societies and can ultimately lead to the conclusion that our society is

Governments in a dystopia control their citizens in many ways. For example, in Patricia Smith’s article, “Putin’s Russia,” President Putin controls his citizens by silencing critics. Putin “has shut down independent TV stations that once criticized him.”(Smith 1) This type of censorship allows Putin to control what his citizens know. Another example of a government that has total control is in the book Gathering Blue. The citizens in this book have no control over who lives and dies. The government chooses who lives based off of if the person has imperfections. If the person has imperfections, he is taken out to the leaving field and left to die. In the novel 1984 Big Brother controls how his citizens act. He does this through telescreens that are placed in everyone's homes. The telescreens are so advanced that “any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper would be picked up by it.”(Orwell 3) These TV like devices also have cameras that are able to see most of the home. This invasion of privacy allows the government to see and hear everything that happens. Overall dystopian governments gain control of their citizens in a variety of

Governments abuse their control and restrict the citizens from having basic rights. For example in the article “North Korea: On the net in the world’s most secretive nation” , leader Kim Jong-un doesn't allow his citizens to have access to the internet essentially cutting them off from the rest of the world. North Korea can be described as “a country where citizens are intentionally starved of any information other than government propaganda.”(Lee 1) Since the population is kept in the dark about everything they are easier to control. In Bradbury’s F451, the residents don't have the right to read books. If a family is caught with books in their home it will be burnt down and they will be sent to an insane asylum. With books being prohibited people no longer have access to knowledge and different ideas so they think whatever the government tells them; they know no differently. Lastly in 1984 the inhabitants of Oceania don't have the right to think for themselves and are forced to think what the party tells them. Thinking anything against Big Brother is considered thoughtcrime and in this society “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death” (Orwell 28) The party has taken away this right in order to maintain their control over civilians. Overall individuals in a dystopia lack basic rights, this is also relevant in many forms of government today like communism or a totalitarian state like North