Comparative Essay On 1984 By George Orwell

George Orwell’s 1984 is one of the most revolutionary novels in the history of literature. Even 75 years after its original publication, 1984 is still in curriculums around the nation today. The novel’s theme is control. However, it’s not control, meaning the government is able to keep their country under control, it’s manipulatively controlling the people of the country to get them to do what the government wants them to do. Unfortunately, this theme tends to be seen in modern day politics. It is unfortunate to see similarities in today’s world because the purpose behind 1984 was to highlight caution to what lives under totalitarian governments would look like. Specifically, the most controlling similarities between 1984 and modern politics

This is what helped lead to his election as president, as people had been taught to think that in order for America to be good, Donald Trump had to be elected, and that he was the only candidate who could make America great again. Correspondingly, Big Brother also uses two slogans to help themselves stay in charge, the first one being “Big Brother is watching you,” (Orwell, 1984, 3). Saying that Big Brother is always watching stops Oceanians from disobeying laws, because they associate “doing something when no one is watching” with the fact that Big Brother is in fact actually watching them. Constant surveillance keeps Big Brother in charge, as no one is ever brave enough to go against their laws since they will get caught. In parallel, Big Brother’s second slogan states, “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, and Ignorance is strength,” (Orwell, 1984, 6). The idea that war is peace gives a sense of unity in hating the same enemy, leaving no room for anyone to hate the

Ignorance is strength gets Oceanians to rely on Big Brother, because it is teaching them to be ignorant of what is actually happening, is to be strong. Leaving the people of Oceania to just allow Big Brother to do whatever they want, because people would be weak if they actually tried to look deeper into what the actions ensued. In 1984, Big Brother spoke in a language made up by George Orwell called “Newspeak.” Newspeak by definition is an “ambiguous euphemistic language used chiefly in political propaganda.” The purpose of Newspeak is to overcomplicate the people of Oceania with words, and never allow them to ever fully understand what Big Brother is saying. Newspeak also has such few words in the language that it limits how Oceanians are ever able to express their own feelings. They are never able to think to such an extent beyond what Big Brother has already imprinted in their heads. This empowers Big Brother to remain in control and to embed their own ideas into the people of