1984 Message Analysis

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

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

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