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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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In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” by limiting intellectual freedom through language expressing any sentiment against the ruling class would be impossible, Orwell himself also held this opinion that controlling language and expression also meant controlling minds and actions in his essay politics and the English language (1946) Orwell said ‘"If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought." Drawing from the Ussr and its suppression of though under Stalin, he was openly critical of the regime in his novel animal farm despite himself being a socialist. By suppressing intellectual thought of the party members, they suppress independent thought which is a point made throughout both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.

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In George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, a dystopian society is created and set in socialist England. The government is a cruel, tyrannical, totalitarian entity with a fearful grip on each party’s citizens including the main character, Winston Smith. Throughout the novel, Winston expresses his fear and displeasure of the party’s philosophy, Ingsog, which forces him to abide under its control. In 1984, Orwell highlights the negative aspects of socialism and how tyrannical governments hold power.

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George Orwell, the author of 1984, writes the book to warn his readers about the possible future of a tyrannical government. The Party manipulates its citizens through psychological methods to gain power. By restricting the words of its citizens,

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How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In George Orwell’s book 1984 there is a social group known as the proles which are depicted as simpleminded and subservient to the Party, an elitist class that presides over a totalitarian government. The proles are represented this way as part of George Orwell’s warning to society, particularly the majority working class, about the dangers of passivity and the power of the masses. Orwell conveys this message through subtle comparisons of Oceania to Marxism and totalitarian regimes as well more direct assertions about governments of the past and present.

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In 1984, the restriction of information makes the population ignorant and easy to manipulate, allowing the government to stay in control by making society conform to whatever they desire. Winston states that if there is any hope that the Party would get overthrown, “it lies in the proles” (Orwell 208). However, Proles are unable to revolt against their government because they are too ignorant to question the Party’s authority. The Party uses “prolefeed” (Orwell 201) to control the population with a constant supply of entertainment and spurious news, which fills their mental horizon. Along with a lack of knowledge that keeps them from organizing themselves or questioning the powers that oppress them, the Proles are unable to rise up and overthrow the authoritarian regime, demonstrating the party slogan, “Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell 3).

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Evaluating the Power of Fear in George Orwell’s 1984 Societies that function under the pretense of one caste benefitting from the other's oppression is nothing new. However, it does come with consequences, a major one being class struggles. When applying Marxist criticism, it is unmistakable that George Orwell’s 1984 presents a totalitarian government by maintaining control of citizens and putting them in a frightening state, consequently placing an overwhelming sense of paranoia and fear in citizens' everyday lives. For example, the Inner Party instills fear in citizens by utilizing propaganda, enforcing negative terms and ideas to trigger anxiety, and maintains constant surveillance of its citizens. Therefore, it is evident that Orwell illustrates how the highest class retains their power and

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One way the theme of government abuse of power is demonstrated is by placing individuals into social classes. In 1984 Citizens were categorized by proles, party members and inner party members. Proles are like a working class whereas inner party members are the most valued members of society in this novel because, ¨in the ranks of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, that the true war enthusiasm is found. World-conquest is believed in most firmly by those who know it to be impossible¨ (Orwell 216.) This demonstrates how due to the level of service that an individual may provide to the government, they are viewed as better or worse.

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The Smarthinking program offers assistance in areas that majority of adult students may struggle in such as creating a essay. Since I’ve been out of school for almost 20 years I’ve struggled with creating a successful essay. I didn’t understand why we needed to prepare to tell a story. However I learned that college was much more then just writing or telling a story. It requires you to have organization starting with a topic introduction, thesis statement, main ideas and closing statement so that your audience can have a clear understanding of the message your giving.

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Throughout the book the slogans of “war is peace, freedom is slavery, [and] ignorance is strength” is a forced acceptance by all citizens (Orwell 16). These particular slogans, that exemplify doublethink, are plastered everywhere. The illogicalness of doublethink completely surrounds the citizens, constantly exposing them to it. The second characteristic of monopoly over mass media is quite evident in Winston 's life. Government employees run the internet, newspapers, and radio/tv announcements.

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Propaganda provides a vehicle for the subversion of the people who willingly submit to the information fabricated by the party. Winston is employed in the Records section of the Ministry of Truth where he alters documents to “reconstruct the past” (45) with the “substitution of one piece of nonsense for another.” (43). Winston compares all of history to a “palimpsest”, which was “scraped clean and re-inscribed exactly as often as was necessary” (42). The Two Minutes of Hate also serves as a form of propaganda which is meant to control and restrain the masses.

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By limiting the vocabulary, Newspeak is essentially “unintelligible” and hence controls the people’s understanding of the real world. Orwell emphasises that language is of utmost importance as it structures and limits the ideas individuals are capable of formulating and expressing. In 1984, language is used as a ‘mind control tool’. The party slogan, “war is peace, freedom is

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As a result, the people have very little capacity to rebel against the Party with regards to other concepts and subject areas, as they do not have the relevant words which allow them to think rationally and to articulate themselves clearly to others. Additionally, the Party is able to manipulate the way in which the people conceive reality, by making use of principles such as “doublethink” and “duckspeak”. With all these methods, the Party is able to control and make the people submissive to itself, thus allowing it to maintain its rule and authority. Essay In George Orwell’s novel, “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, the Party implements a restrictive language known as “Newspeak”, in order to manipulate and diminish the personal thoughts of the people.

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By looking deeper into the novel and analyzing specific details Orwell included it can be seen how Orwell used the setting of the story, the city itself as well as the workplace of Winston as a few examples, and also the characters themselves, such as the Parsons, to get readers to see the message he was trying to warn of. The idea of conformity was enforced throughout the story, as shown above, in the ways that all citizens are made to essentially be the same as all others around them, with deadly consequences if they refuse. The theme of dehumanization is also deeply explored as all personal feelings and emotions are outlawed by the Party in an attempt to create people who all are the same. As well the setting is used to present the theme of the dangers of totalitarianism as Winston’s job is to change and “fix” any document that is critical in anyway of the government or expresses free speech. This use of literary devices effectively delivers the theme Orwell was trying to

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Totalitarianism in 1984 and the Real World The concept of a totalitarian society is a major theme throughout the novel 1984. This theme of totalitarianism can also be applied to the world today. The definition of totalitarianism, a concept used by some political scientists, is a state which holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible. Totalitarianism can be related between the novel 1984 and current events in the real world. George Orwell incorporated the theme of totalitarianism into his novel 1984 to display the ever changing world around him during the time it was written.

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Althusser adds that, in tandem with repression, there is another set of apparatuses that are ideological by nature. If a person does not pose a threat that needs to be repressed, then they have become ‘realized into the Ideological State Apparatus’ within their society. These apparatuses concern the ways in which characters are ‘taught to think and act in specific ways.’ The dominant classes create institutions that the lower classes believe as the correct and truthful way of life via the ‘unity’ of these apparatuses.

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