1984: The Dangers Of A Totalitarian Government

Forty fourth president Ronald Reagan once said, "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." In the novel 1984, the main character Winston struggles to live his life in the totalitarian state that his country is in,. Total control and monitoring of citizens is enforced in absolutely every aspect of life. Through 1984, George Orwell warned about the dangers of a government that monitors their citizens ' everyday lives and how that translates into paranoia in the people. First and foremost, one way that George Orwell warned his readers about the terrors of a totalitarian government was through the telescreens strategically placed in every apartment, workplace, and public place in the novel. Winston and other citizens are monitored constantly with video recording and audio recording. On page 17 of the text, Orwell writes “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made,

Winston witnesses several forms of propaganda used in the novel to promote the Party, specifically the Two Minutes Hate showing everyday that promotes the Party and makes anyone against the Party an enemy. Describing the powerfulness of this showing, Orwell writes "“The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretence was always unnecessary." This form of propaganda is shown to have an effect on all of the citizens, even Winston who is able to see through some of the Party 's flaws. Through this propaganda, it is obvious that the Party is able to manipulate and change minds into believing and rooting for their own ideas without any awareness. This sly method allows the government to have heavy influence on the once most private part of a human being, their own