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Danger Of Totalitarianism In 1984

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Danger of Totalitarianism in 1984 Totalitarianism is frequently compared to authoritarianism, but it goes much further by enforcing extreme control on all aspects of citizens’ lives. The impact of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 lies in its realistic description of the consequences of a totalitarian world in which a governing force has ultimate control over every aspect of citizens' life. Winston Smith, a working member of the Party, starts to doubt the oppressive methods used by the government and falls in love with a rebel. The book examines the perpetuation of oppression through surveillance, disinformation, and the dangers of unrestricted authority. …show more content…

Marxist concepts regarding the function of power and ideology in society are reflected in Orwell's portrayal of a society in which the ruling class utilizes technology and oppressive measures to uphold its dominance. According to Orwell, “We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power" (Orwell 173). The Marxist theory that the ruling class utilizes language to manipulate people's thoughts and sentiments is reflected in the Party's use of language and the development of Newspeak. In order to keep the masses in line and the ruling class in control, the Party adopts Newspeak to restrict people's freedom of expression and critical thought. People cannot oppose the Party's power or the ruling class because the Party is able to influence their inner thoughts and sentiments through language. Marxist theories are reflected in the idea that language is a form of oppression and that the ruling class used language to uphold its power. Orwell warns against the potential dangers of language by depicting a world in which the ruling class controls language to hold onto power by illustrating a society in which language is governed by the ruling class. Orwell portrays a society …show more content…

The Party, the ruling class, manipulates people to accept opposing viewpoints as true by using Newspeak and Doublethink to control their thoughts and beliefs, restricting their freedom of thought. "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength" (Orwell 4). This statement is a juxtaposition due to the twisted logic and propaganda used by totalitarian regimes to control citizens. According to Marxist theory, To keep the proletariats under control, the ruling class use propaganda. In the novel, the Party employs propaganda to maintain its hold on the people by influencing their beliefs and actions. The purpose of the Two Minutes Hate is to divert the citizens' attention away from their own concerns and onto the opponents of the Party, thus preventing them from organizing against the Party. By instilling a false sense of awareness in the general population, the Party is able to maintain its power over them The Party can keep control of the lower classes and stop them from rebelling against it by utilizing propaganda. The use of propaganda is an example of the Marxist theory of false consciousness. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past" (Orwell 162). The upper class insulates the lower classes from reality in order to keep them from

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