1984 By George Orwell: A Literary Analysis

In society today, many people have a fascination with how governments work with the people to run a country. People who live in countries like the US have the idea that citizens have the freedom to do whatever they want. On the other hand, citizens of countries like North Korea would definitely toss that idea out of their minds. There are many examples of this topic found in literature. One example, George Orwell’s 1984, focuses on a dystopian society where the government is all-powerful. It displays features of dystopian societies and what some possible consequences of dictatorships are. Orwell’s 1984 depicts the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, which is ruled by an all-powerful government, the Party. Winston works in the Ministry of

Citizens were always conscious and aware of the force that was always watching them. Fear and terror always surrendered them because everyone knew the consequences of opposing the government. People became like robots. They had to keep poker faces so as to hide their feelings and would eventually lose their humanity. For example, during the Two Minute Hate, people would shout angrily at Goldstein’s speech. Even though some people did not believe the lies, they later became so used to the lies that it became part of them, and they would always find themselves doing what they do not believe in. It also shows how they can shape people’s minds into whatever they desire. For example, a man like Winston had always argued that he would never let them change him and get into his brain. However, the torture he had to go through for restless days and nights and the hunger he was subjected to caused him to lose his will and broke. In the end, they are able to shape him in a perfect Oceania citizen. Even though most cases in real life do not have to torture people to make them believe what the governments want them to believe, somehow the citizens are shaped to love the government and embrace their despicable conditions. For example, during the 1994 Tutsi genocide, the Hutu extremists were fed with anger against the Tutsi by the government. Some of them were too poor to afford food, yet they were happy to receive machetes to kill their neighbors. Dictatorship shapes and affects citizens in a way that their humanity is drawn and