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1984 Message Analysis

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Since its first publication in 1949, George Orwell's classic 1984 has captivated audiences with Winston’s struggle against “Big Brother’s” government. The novel was written in the aftermath of World War II as a warning to his modern society against tyrannical rule, such as the leadership of Hitler and Stalin through the war. Orwell’s message warned that society must be aware of and defend their personal freedom as those in power can take it away, often without the public realizing it. While this was a caution for the people of 1949, Orwell’s message transcends time and is still considered to be concern of people in today’s society, revealing the truth behind Orwell’s message. Orwell’s message that governments can take away one’s personal …show more content…

The Proles made up the majority of the population, yet they were blissfully unaware of what was occurring in the government. The minds of the paroles is filled with mindless entertainment and simple problems, to the point where “even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because being without general ideas, they could only focus in on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice” (Orwell, other pages). The paroles, under constant oppression, are not aware of their ignorance as the government continues to hide information from them. The government feeds the paroles lies, and they accept these lies without question. While they may be “free” in some aspects, they live a life of lives and have no free will to develop their own political opinions. Thus, their ignorant bliss that stems from the government hiding information ultimately leads to a loss of …show more content…

According to the novel, the proles have “heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbours, films, football, beer, and above all, gambling, filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult” (Orwell, pg heck if i know). This is eerily similar to life today, where social media and other forms of entertainment distract us from larger issues that are occurring. Even without electronics, as a society people tend to care more about their family and everyday lives than the happenings in the government. Society assumes that they are told the events that occur in the government, yet there has been recent events that suggest otherwise. According to CNN, “a disclosure of an October 2011 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinion, which found that the NSA had violated the Constitution and federal law with its surveillance program.” However, it is also revealed that “ the government hid the FISA court opinion from the public for years” (Rumold, “What the Government is Hiding From You”). The fictional world of 1984 is becoming increasingly prevalent in the lives of the public today, echoing the message of Orwell that a government withholding information can take away a sense of freedom from the

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551 Words | 3 Pages

(Orwell 193). They want to eliminate individual freedom and thoughts for good. This essay confirms Orwell’s warnings because they have fixed their own “truths” just to abide by the government and their lies. People’s love for the Party was very strong they took back their statements and described them as mistakes, justifying the government. In Nineteen Eighty – Four Julia says “It’s always one bloody war after another, and one knows the news is all lies anyways” (Orwell

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Demonstrating how the party’s ideals have caused Winston to automatically make the assumption that all proles are subhuman. In the text, Winston never actively challenges this presumption; consequently, displaying his unconscious superiority complex caused by the government's orthodoxical ideals. Correspondingly, the use of the third-person in the second quotation serves to distance Winston from the proles; further empathizing the class division between Winston and the proles, which distinguishes the likelihood of insurgency to

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909 Words | 4 Pages

The Proles are lower class citizens of Oceania, and they represent the “uninvolved in politics” people of the real world that we live in today. These Proles represent about 85 percent

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870 Words | 4 Pages

In the 1984 society , people are purposely left to feel alone to make them fear getting caught by the Party. Although many people commit thoughtcrime, they will remain silent because they know the consequences of engaging in rebellion. This constant source of fear holds the community together and manipulates people’s thought processes. The government often leaves the people

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Imagine being followed everywhere by a government agent. They’re watching your every move, and they’ll report you if you even make a wrong facial movement. This is essentially the case in George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Run by an English socialist government called the Party, the people’s every move is watched through telescreens. Citizens are not individual, but rather an extension of the Party.

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Those whom are part of the inner party are constantly surveillanced and kept “wealthy”. 1984 is effective because the higher class gets privileges that the middle and low income don’t have. It also thrives to predict how the party and current government rises in power and the poor stay poor. Yet, it fails to accurately suggest that

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In the novel 1984, George Orwell illustrates a classic example of why the proles are reluctant to change their lifestyle-simply because the costs outweighs

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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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853 Words | 4 Pages

In 1984, a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, proles are represented as being generally incompetent in the ability to think and rebel against their stolen rights. However, as the story progresses, Winston comes to a realization that proles are the only ones with the character of human beings and the strength to gain consciousness to overthrow the party. Through this characterization of the proles, Orwell satirizes the detrimental effects of Stalin’s totalitarian government in employing total control and perpetual surveillance of the people in USSR to maintain an established hierarchy. The nature of how the system views the proles is clearly visible through the treatment and description of the proles in the eyes of Winston.

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Nowadays, we live in a democratic state, in which we can express ourselves, to act and to protest if we do not comply with the laws. We can move freely, without being anxious that we will be denounced to the police for breaking the rules. In ‘1984’ by George Orwell the situation is different: Big Brother is watching you, the Thought Police could be ubiquitous, even your children accuse you.

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“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter”.-George Washington. Although the dystopian world of George Orwell 's 1984 does not have any laws, it doesn 't make it free. People are constantly being monitored by telescreens and their own children, they are punished for even thinking something remotely negative or expressing emotions, and they are brainwashed into thinking that their oppressors are helping them and giving them more than what they need. Freedom is having the ability to think for yourself and express your opinions. First of all the people in 1984 are constantly being monitored by telescreens and even their own children.

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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.

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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

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by dividing the populace into sections in hopes of ultimately keeping members powerless. The society of Oceania is divided into four sections with Proletarian (at the bottom), Outer Party, Inner Party, and Big Brother (at the top). The Proles and Outer Party reflect the lower classes in the U.S. meanwhile the Inner Party and Big Brother represent the upper classes whom possess the most power in society. “But the proles, if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no need to conspire” (2). The Proles are comprised of the majority of the population of Oceania and if they wanted to have the potential of causing a change in their government.

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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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