ipl-logo

1984 Dystopian Society Essay

370 Words2 Pages

Who has never dreamt about a society where everything would be perfect? A place where everyone would have what they want. While for some it would be about being rich, having a mutant society like X-men, others would ask for justice, freedom and equality. All of them are acceptable; it is your point of view of a perfect society. This type of society is known as Utopia (which, according to Merrian-Webster is “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect”). Its complete antithesis is the Dystopia, a “futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control are maintained through a totalitarian control.” Moreover, a dystopian society is usually used in literature as a moral or political warning. However, I firmly believe that a dystopia goes far than that. There are other elements that shape a dystopian society, like nationalism.
Through George Orwell’s novel, 1984, I want to demonstrate how nationalism has a strong influence to incept a dystopia. Although 1984 is a novel that usually has been classified as a warning for the western about tyrannical and totalitarian governments, specially related to Communism and fascism, we …show more content…

Many of his works, especially in his essays, reflect his personal idea of nationalism. For example, in “Notes of Nationalism”, Orwell writes that it is “inseparable from the desire for power […] for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality”. Hence, he connects his idea of nationalism with the corruption of the government, which only has an objective, to obtain power. This same pattern can be clearly seen in 1984. One of the most important scenes in the novel, in which Winston asks to O’Brien why the Party subjugates Oceania’s population, he defines the Party’s objective as to “seek power entirely for its own sake [and] interested solely in

Show More
Related
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

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

Valerie Nea Ms. Chang Honors English August 17, 2016 In what way is George Orwell’s 1984 relevant (or irrelevant) for today’s world? George Orwell 's novel “1984” describes a dystopian future set 38 years from its time of writing (1946). Orwell created his vision of the future not by inventing a new world, but by showing already existing conditions.

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

The Boom Of Dystopian Literature Why are kids finding dystopian stories so interesting and relatable? Dystopian Novels are becoming more and more known by people everyday. They are intriguing thousands of teens by the dark and mysterious plots they hold. Anthem was one of the first dystopian novels and it keeps recurring in people 's lives through education or personal likeness. Dystopian films and books are frequently recurring in the top written books, for example

Read More
1226 Words | 5 Pages

George Orwell’s 1984, is a classic dystopian novel written in 1949. The story depicts an over powerful government, in which the people due to their lack of knowledge or power, have no influence on revising the government. In 1984, neither Winston and Julia, who rebelled against the Party, were successful. Their lack of success illustrates Orwell’s belief that over powerful governments in the end, negatively affect their citizens.

Read More
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
1559 Words | 7 Pages

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery.

Read More
999 Words | 4 Pages

Ingsoc as a totalitarian ideology Introduction George Orwell’s classic 1984 written in the year 1949 tells the story of a dystopian society under a totalitarian regime. The novel is set in Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, which is a province of the super-state called Oceania. The throne of power is epitomized by Big Brother, the quasi-divine cult leader who is at the same time infallible as well as invisible. Orwell in 1984 depicts a dystopia which is riddled by perpetual wars, omnipresent government surveillance, manipulation and historical revisionism.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

This is a literary analysis on the novel 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 is a more recent classic dystopian novel. Written in 1949, it's based in the future year of what is presumed to be 1984. It focuses on the life of Winston Smith, a member of the newly established Party that rules over a territory called Oceania and that is led by a man called Big Brother. This novel provides a rather frightening insight into a dystopian socialist environment.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In 1984, George Orwell depicts a dystopian society pervaded by government control and the obsolescence of human emotion and society. Winston is forced to confront the reality of a totalitarian rule where the residents of Oceania are manipulated to ensure absolute government control and servitude of the people. The theme of totalitarianism and dystopia is employed in 1984 to grant absolute power to the government and ensure the deference of the people through the proliferation of propaganda, the repudiation of privacy and freedom, and the eradication of human thought and values. The repudiation of privacy and independent thought and the ubiquity of government surveillance is employed to secure absolute power to the government over the populace

Read More
1500 Words | 6 Pages

In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the main theme is of conformity to the wants of society and the government. Themes of dehumanization of our species, as well as the danger of a totalitaristic state are repeatedly expressed. Orwell demonstrates this theme by using setting and characters in the novel. The setting helps to convey the theme because of the world and kind of city that the main character lives in. Winston’s every move is watched and controlled by the governmental figurehead known as “big brother”.

Read More
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
869 Words | 4 Pages

Nineteen eighty-four is a highly constructed dramatic experience which effectively delineates totalitarianism and controlling governments within Oceania, revealed through its respectable language. The language used by Orwell critics how the dystopian land of Oceania was during the time of the cold war. Within the last paragraph of 1984, Orwell effectively depicts the dystopian world of Oceania and shows that through the extreme control of human nature by using INGSOC’s, the representation of big brother and the act of dehumanisation, portraying that the government is purely a one sided and controlling government. Through Orwell 's use of techniques, he prompts the reader to question the ideals totalitarianism and government control. Thus, the audience is informed that the totalitarian government has a vast amount of capabilities, that can be used ultimately to control the minds of individuals in 1984.

Read More
968 Words | 4 Pages

What is the difference between a dystopian society to our society? How about the similarities between the two societies? There are definitely many discernible unorthodoxness in a dystopian society versus the “real world” like the fact, that a dystopian society is more grotesque, to the point that it’s boring. On the other hand, there are plenty enough similarities like, how both societies strive for better, a utopia. In other words, dystopia compared to society, more specifically dystopian society, education systems, rules/laws, and family between our society’s education systems, rules/laws, and family, is substantially different, but there are some associations that could be made.

Read More
771 Words | 4 Pages

How Does 1984 Conform to, or Deviate From, the Conventions of Dystopia, and For What Purpose? 1984 was written by George Orwell in 1948 and it is a dystopian novel. The novel takes place in a futuristic time period in a section of the world called “Oceania”. Oceania is led by the Party, whose leader is Big Brother, and they control everything that happens in Oceania. The Party and Big Brother are constantly watching their citizens through telescreens, which are large screens that are placed throughout Oceania like modern day surveillance cameras.

Read More
1539 Words | 7 Pages

Our history or our past is what defines our existence in the present. It decides what measures we should take to safeguard our future. Through history we identify with who we are, where we come from and what defines us as a person. Take our history away from us and we are left alienated and confined to a world that is meaningless. George Orwell 's novel 1984 is a 20th century political novel, that depicts a dystopian society built on a totalitarian ideology.

Read More

More about 1984 Dystopian Society Essay

Related Topics

Open Document