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1984 Compared To Today

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1984 is the epitome of everything that author George Orwell despised. Ingsoc’s regime uses surveillance, language, and information to manipulate and control its citizens. Although 1984 is presented as a work of fiction, Orwell intended the novel to reflect the political climate of his time in the late 1940s. Without the foresight of the Cold War, 1984 proposed a real and terrifying analogy to readers due to the ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union. When former Supreme Court Justice Member William H. Rehnquist (2004) described the reaction of current readers to the novel, “...it will seem to them like a work of science fiction, in a setting conceivable only on some other planet. But in England in 1949, it would have …show more content…

Nevertheless, many individuals see odd similarities between 1984 and the modern world as more than coincidental. Despite the extremity of comparing the modern world to the perfect totalitarian state of INGSOC, George Orwell’s 1984 recurring themes of totalitarianism, disinformation, and over-surveillance can be applied to today’s political climate.
Before engaging in the debate over the extent to which 1984 applies to the current political climate, it is imperative to understand the context in which Orwell created 1984, alongside the reasons why 1984 is compared to today. 1984 follows Winston Smith, a citizen of a totalitarian regime in Oceania, who is constantly wary of the watchful eye of Big Brother, the party’s emblem (Voice, 2019). He works at the Ministry of Truth, designed to rewrite the past to hold a monopoly on communication and information. For example, the party says that Oceania is at war with the regime of Eastasia, even if they are actually at war with Eurasia. Ingsoc’s control over information is …show more content…

Oceania’s dystopian yet fictional setting created an authentic reality for readers to connect to as they saw Winston's world reflected in their own. Although 1984 was meant to represent Orwell’s time, the end of the Cold War created a divide on the extent to which 1984 still applied to the current political climate. For some readers, 1984 is a direct analogy to the current politics, as they find a significant amount of overlap between Ingsoc’s brutal tactics for manipulating citizens and the current use of government power, such as oversurveillence and the use of language and disinformation. To others, 1984 is an extremist and unfair comparison to today, as Orwell himself agreed that it was infeasible for any government to master the use of totalitarianism as compared to Ingsoc. However, regardless of the perspective, it is undisputable that Orwell designed his novel to reflect certain themes of totalitarianism that Orwell feared and worried would continue into the future. Everything Ingsoc did, though taken to the extreme, directly represented one or more societies within history. The novels grim narraitive served as a reminder of what could happen in the worst of society if totalitarianism continued to

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Grace Edwards 4/4/23 Period 2 English 10 H 1984 Final The strength it takes to follow society is minimal, but the strength to create change is unbearable. In George Orwell’s 1984, Oceania is harshly watched and controlled by, what they call “the party” or “big brother,” a profoundly communist government that allows for no individuality or even freedom is thought/speech. Due to this controlling society, my advertisement allows Winston to promote awareness of the party’s power and control over everyone in society.

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“I saw it coming at me, and there was nothing I could do. It hit the finger section of my glove, deflected off, smashed into the upper rim of the left lens of my glasses, glanced off my forehead, and knocked me down” (33). In this incident from Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen, Reuven Malter receives a smack in the face from a ball during a baseball game. Afterward, he undergoes surgery on his eye and spends a week in the hospital. This turning point in his life and the events that follow fully reveal Reuven’s character to the reader.

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1971 Words | 8 Pages

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

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1984 George Orwell’s 1984 created a society that created men that work like machines, this allows for anyone to be submitted to do the unthinkable. George Orwell captured this concept by forming unusually long sentences to give the audience a true understanding of how machine like the people of Oceania are by explaining ideas so in depth. Also the use of connotation and specific diction, gives the reader a chance to really see how different the views and responses of the people of Oceania are, compared to the views and responses today. Along with diction, connotation, and unusually long sentences, George Orwell utilized periodic sentences to help the audience understand how a character was feeling or describe a situation in ‘layman's terms’

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849 Words | 4 Pages

George Orwell’s 1984 is a dystopian novel that depicts a world in which conforming is a must, the government is almighty, and the people are oppressed through the use of lies, threats, and constant fear. Orwell reveals that propaganda can alter the public’s opinions, ideas, and values into what they believe in. Orwell uses doublethink, Big Brother and the party to illustrate the citizens suffering from propaganda. In 1984, Orwell demonstrates that if the government can control public opinion then they have all the power.

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397 Words | 2 Pages

The entirety of a country being controlled and fooled without their knowledge is the theme depicted in George Orwell’s novel 1984. The novel 1984 is a story that illustrates the use of totalitarianism and the means necessary to maintain power. It follows Winston Smith, a man who attempts to overthrow and expose the government for what it truly is. In the end, he is unsuccessful in defeating the totalitarian system and becomes a puppet for the government. The dominant theme in 1984 is the use and effects of manipulation, which is constantly developed throughout the story with the use of propaganda and a further understanding of the Party.

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774 Words | 4 Pages

1984 by Geroge Orwell was a novel written 74 years ago in the 1940’s. It demonstrated a lack of independence, verbal manipulation, distortion of one’s mind, following with mental and physical abuse. Many doubts that 1984 has any real importance in today’s world and the many generations to follow. Although it could be argued that there are a countless amount of relations that can be stated between the famous dystopia of Oceania and the world we live in. The government in Oceania is referenced as “the Party,” and in most cases the government could be described as the law.

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633 Words | 3 Pages

George Orwell’s 1984 depicts a dystopian society in which every minute detail is controlled by Oceania’s dictator, Big Brother. Big Brother focuses on gaining power and control, slowly destroying citizens’ free will, and destroying their human rights in the process. In 1984, George Orwell explores the vileness of absolute control, revealing that the consequences will inevitably result in revolts and rebellion against higher authority. In book one, Orwell demonstrates the beginning of this theme by communicating the dangers of propaganda. He shows a dystopian land where everything is controlled by the government, illuminating the subtle ways that misinformation leads to control over one’s thoughts and actions.

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When George Orwell wrote 1984, he had ideas for technology that weren't even invented yet. He made predictions for a distopian world that are very similar to the world we live in today. Though there isn't a ton of technology in 1984, there is enough to compare it to today. In today's world, we have a lot of technology.

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980 Words | 4 Pages

George Orwell’s, 1984, is a mere representation of government control over a society. This dystopian fiction novel demonstrates how a totalitarian government can indoctrinate an entire population. Orwell envisions a government, labeled “The Party” that spreads propaganda to keep control over the state of Oceania. The Party, led by “Big Brother,” punish those who do not conform to their ideas, representing a socialist government against the innate weaknesses of human nature. Orwell demonstrates what it is like when the desire for power consumes government control.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

George Orwell’s 1984 is a precautionary tale of what happens when the government has too much control in our lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is at odds in a world in which he is not allowed to counter the government’s surveillance and control. Perhaps more striking is the noticeable relationship between the novel and modern society. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 the book predicts the surveillance of Big Brother in modern day societies.

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1418 Words | 6 Pages

Richard Jolly Mrs. Cote English IV H 5 April, 2015 Nazi84 Nobody can disagree with the fact that George Orwell's vision in his book 1984 didn't come true, though many people were very worried that Orwell’s vision might actually take place. The year 1984 came and went and life still went on as usual. Many people wondered what was happening in Orwell’s life that made him write this interesting politically motivated book. A totalitarian world where one person rules and declares what is a crime and what is not, is something that people would have been scared about and was afraid that someone like Hitler might rise again and do the things that were happening in this book. The totalitarianism in 1984 under control of big brother and his followers

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603 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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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.

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1056 Words | 5 Pages

The novel 1984 by George Orwell reveals the destruction of all aspects of the universe. Orwell envisioned how he believes life would be like if a country were taken over by a totalitarian figure. Nineteen eighty-four effectively portrays a totalitarian style government, in which elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation with very little citizen participation in the decision-making process of the legislative body. Although the authors ideas are inherently and completely fictional, several concepts throughout his book have common links to today’s society which is somehow a realist perspective. Orwell integrates devices such as irony, satire, and motifs to illustrate the life unfulfilling life of Winston Smith.

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