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1984 Theme Essay

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Destin Cengalovic, Efren Gutierrez, Bryce Simmons, and William Key Mrs Stockman English 12 7 Mar. 2024 “The History of 1984’s Themes” In 1984, the presentation of corruption and political manipulation shows the outcomes when power is mishandled. 1984 is about a dystopian culture, where Winston Smith attempts to split away from the extremist party driven by Big Brother. It shows how a corrupt government can strip people of their freedoms and beliefs. When corruption occurs in a society, it can lead to rights and freedoms being taken away, creating inequality in the hands of those in power. In an article by Abass Salim, “The Corrupt Absolute Power of Big Brother,” he states, “Corruption deprives the society of essential rights and freedoms; it …show more content…

“As a manipulation tactic, the Party controls the masses through this new use of language. Newspeak is constantly being altered and perfected” (Themes, Motifs, and Symbols, 1984). Anything that the Party deems to be a violation of what they are allowed to say, which is slander against the party, and you will be met with physical and psychological torture. If that is not enough, they also control what you do in your daily life. The people of Oceania are forced to do numerous tasks throughout their day which range from a daily physical jerk to tending to their government positions which were forced upon them. “The punishment for any sort of rebellion is met with physical and mental torture” (Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in 1984). This is how the Party keeps absolute power, by making sure no one rebels against them. The Party even goes as far as to use symbolism for further control. For instance, Big Brother is the head of the totalitarian government and also serves to represent control via propaganda and surveillance. “The concept behind Big Brother represents more than just the leader of Oceania, but rather the dictatorial presence over the nation” (Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in

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Discussion Director-1984 When Winston states that, “If there is hope, it lies in the proles.” (pg.72), could you relate the disregarded mass which are the proles to individuals of the world today? If so, do you believe that there is a chance this group will ever rebel? Why or why not?

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In Orwell’s 1984 there is a political party that believes in English socialism called Big Brother. They are the rulers of a nation called Oceania and hold absolute power. The tactics they use are based on techniques used by other totalitarian rulers and dictatorships throughout history, mostly focusing on German Nazisam and Stalinistic Communism. However, since this book was written over fifty years ago and is based in a dystopian future, some of the predictions Orwell made about dictatorships abusing technology have come to fruition in the modern day. The thing that sets Big Brother apart from dictatorships of the past is that they admit to themselves that the only reason they want to be in charge is so they can have power.

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The Party continuously keeps the people of Oceania in a state of physical exhaustion. Anyone that thinks differently or disobeys this law is punished and brainwashed through systematic and brutal torture. Winston experiences this great torture throughout the end of the novel and comes to the conclusion that nothing is harsher than pain and no feeling or emotion can overcome it. The Party completely shapes the victims minds into how they desire through physical torture in means of controlling

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How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In George Orwell’s book 1984 there is a social group known as the proles which are depicted as simpleminded and subservient to the Party, an elitist class that presides over a totalitarian government. The proles are represented this way as part of George Orwell’s warning to society, particularly the majority working class, about the dangers of passivity and the power of the masses. Orwell conveys this message through subtle comparisons of Oceania to Marxism and totalitarian regimes as well more direct assertions about governments of the past and present.

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The Party in “1984” has total control over oceania and its people and uses strict codes to maintain their power and also uses the power to reconcile the past of the party to make them look better. In attempts to reconcile their past and its uncertainties by creating situations for the people of oceania that forces them to forget about the past. These situations including changing the past it self, they change the predictions, assumptions, and speeches of big brother into ones that make the party look better and big brother look like an all knowing deity. The party seeks to keep its power and will lie as much as it wanted in order to maintain that power over the citizens, they will vaporize or torture anyone who seeks to remove that power. The party also invented the idea of thoughtcrime in order to eliminate the people who seek to pry at the uncertainties of the party and attempting to remove the party of power and expose that the foundation of the society’s power is lies.

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In George Orwell’s incredibly famous book 1984 is the story of a dystopian government that is highly controlling. In fact, readers even believe that the writer had even predicted modern-day society. Countless predictions are reflected in 1984 in present day America. A few ideas that were predicted are the cults, the government being controlled, and how the society projects hate. Although our society in the present day and in 1984 are vastly different, there are quite a handful of times they are very much alike.

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Big Brother is another powerful example of symbolism in 1984. Big Brother is an omnipresent image that serves as a constant reminder of the government's power and control. As a representation of complete control over every aspect of the citizens of Oceania’s lives such as their thoughts, beliefs, actions, and relationships, The Party idolizes Big Brother as a higher power though he is a fictional character used to instill fear in people, much like Uncle Sam is used to represent the United States government in order to encourage people to enlist in the military in America. The slogan “Big Brother is watching you” serves the purpose of emphasizing 1984’s themes of oppression and the importance of resisting totalitarianism. The symbol of Big Brother is used to illustrate the dangers of governmental control and violation of Fuchs 3 human rights by showing how the government seeks to maintain dominance over people and demonstrates how the fear of being watched and monitored on a continual basis can lead people to abandoning their principles and submitting to the government's authority.

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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.

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Readers gain a closer insight as to how they are always manipulating the intricate details, such as they have a new language called Newspeak. The party also vaporizes people and removes their existence to keep control over rebels. They even have absolute power to increase or decrease the rations for the people. Throughout book 2 of the novel 1984, readers gain an idea of how far the Party would actually go to sustain their power over Oceania, especially when they were able to establish classes within their association. The Party has even created a new language called Newspeak which is essentially an altered version of their current language, where they shorten the language usage of antonyms and synonyms and title it Newspeak.

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In George Orwell’s novel 1984, Winston Smith lives in a society where the government, also known as the party, controls everything. The citizens of Oceania have almost no freedoms whatsoever. There are telescreens in everyone’s homes that disrupt their privacy, spout propaganda, and cannot be turned off. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, which is responsible for changing the records of the past and pretty much rewriting history. There are three other ministries where people of Oceania can work.

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The Party in 1984 Oceania has one main goal: keep the citizens under their complete control. The Party as a group is a massive force that will stop for nothing. Their altercation of the past and the spewing of propaganda tv’s keep the people believing the Party’s every word. The corruption has gone so far that they even drag on wars to make people have a strong sense of togetherness and nationalism. In the book 1984, the villainous qualities of the Party create the biggest impact on the story by causing hatred, converting minds, and creating a new Winston.

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Perspectives towards authority depends on the beliefs of one’s community. As the novel “1984” by George Orwell, suggests, the way one views leadership can be shaped by the authorities themselves. The novel is told from the perspective of Winston Smith, whose descriptions create the settings of a society that unknowingly fall victim to the corruption of its rulers. Thus, George Orwell depicts the corruption of authority when greed exceeds need and goes beyond established social structures in “1984”.

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Greek religion was polytheistic, meaning the Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses. The Greek gods were anthropomorphic, meaning they were portrayed as human-like in appearance and behavior, with their own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Each god had a specific domain or field of influence, and they were often associated with natural phenomena such as thunder, the sea, the sky, and fertility. For example, Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder, Poseidon was the god of the sea, and Demeter was the goddess of agriculture. (Cartwright, 2018) Greek religion was not a united system of beliefs and practices but was rather a collection of regional cults and traditions that were different from one city-state to another.

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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

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The Party is able to shape millions of minds through propaganda techniques, which shows the control the Party has on society. When there are certain expectations held in society, it can cause fear among people, so they are more willing to follow those expectations. If the Party or a dystopian government can successfully manipulate its citizens, then they can receive absolute power and control in society. Orwell’s novel 1984 follows many common characteristics of dystopia by the persuasion of propaganda, the brainwashing of citizens, and a uniform lifestyle is integrated to please Big Brother and the Party which highlights their power. The Party controls propaganda and expectations in Oceania to make the citizens think and act a certain way, which dehumanizes them.

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