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1984 Totalitarian Government Essay

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The Effects of a Totalitarian Government on Society
A totalitarian government controls all aspects of the state, leaving the civilians with little to no freedom. George Orwell’s 1984 portrays how cruel and controlling such a government can be. The protagonist, Winston Smith, faces challenges when attempting to express himself, he is unable to dress, act, or even think different from what the government accepts. His freedom of expression is stripped from him, leaving him expressionless, and essentially a dull human being. There are telescreens constantly monitoring the citizens of Oceania, completely disregarding their privacy. No citizen is allowed to act how they feel at any moment, leaving them to live in fear of being prosecuted. Thoughtcrime …show more content…

Nothing is truly illegal because that would require the government to follow the law, but the consequences are still instilled into the hearts of the citizens using fear. Winston commits criminal acts to escape his dystopian lifestyle; such as “illegally” purchasing a diary and writing about his hate towards the party and Big Brother. Many of these examples can be connected to current events, such as Trump’s America. Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker states, “There is nothing subtle about Trump’s behavior. He lies, he repeats the lie, and his listeners either cower in fear, [...] or try to see how they can turn the lie to their own benefit.” This relates directly to 1984 in the sense that anything the party deems to be true, the citizens of Oceania must accept it and use it to fuel their patriotism. Whether it is through fear of consequence or simply because they have gone beyond understanding, listening like mindless sheep. “Stupidity was as necessary as intelligence, and as difficult to attain.” (Orwell 351). George Orwell portrayed that the people of Oceania had attained a level of stupidity to have blind faith in their country and follow whatever they are told. A totalitarian government creates an unjust society for the people living it, reducing them to measly pawns that have no

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