ipl-logo

Examples Of Oppression In 1984

2743 Words11 Pages

Ellie Hefetz Ms. Novick-Carson AP English IV 15 February 2024 Orwell’s Cautionary Tale: Examining Resistance and Oppression in Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell died from tuberculosis in January of 1950, just months after the release of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949, but his impulse to publish his novel was stronger than his pain. While suffering from tuberculosis, he was able to finish his manuscript, but his health deteriorated over time (Bastian). Orwell understood the vitality of his message, driving him to publish his novel despite his illness. In his dystopian novel, George Orwell showcases the dangers of having a totalitarian government, including propaganda and oppression. The novel takes place in Oceania, a fictionalized …show more content…

Although Winston Smith strives to resist the Party, he fails, illustrating Orwell's warning that individuals should fight against a totalitarian government and society should resist unwavering obedience to power in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the first half of the novel, Winston attempts to find the truth about the past; however, he is unsuccessful due to the constant rewriting of history by the Party. Winston works at the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites history. Rewriting history makes him feel “as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the monster”. He was alone in the night. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable” (Orwell 21). As an employee who changes Oceania’s history, Winston sees how far the Party will go to remain in power and feels lost because he has no sense of history. He hates being a citizen in Oceania, a result of power distribution, but he can not do anything about it without educating himself on Oceania's …show more content…

If an event is hurtful to the Party’s reputation, they can erase any person or action from every news source in Oceania. The Party will do this whenever they see fit, quickly and efficiently. Tying into the process of doublethink, the concept of believing two ideas that contradict each other. Lillian Feder, a writer at The Georgia Review, describes that Winston perceives the world as "labyrinthine" because it is like a maze, something that should have an ending/stop point but a person can not seem to find it (396). Winston feels that he is walking through a never-ending maze because he will never find his end goal: the truth about the past. Winston can search for eternity, but he will continuously run into dead ends so long as the Party has power. Through Winston’s affair with Julia, Orwell showcases the desire for humanity and individualism, which the Party suppresses, ensuring loyalty from the citizens. Near the middle of the novel, when Winston and Julia have their first meeting, they walk through the woods when Winston spots a bird singing. He wonders why the bird was singing because “No mate, no rival” was watching

Show More
Related
541 Words | 3 Pages

In 1984, written by George Orwell, the past is seen or portrayed to be a very crucial part of the understanding of the novel. A few examples that illustrate this theme of the past are Winston's job as a records editor at the Ministry of Truth, O'Brien destroying the photograph of three one-time party members, and the use of Telescreens. Winston's occupation entails the destruction of past records, which solidifies the theme of purging the past in the novel. One example of this is demonstrated when Winston is describing the Records Department. He says, “the records department, after all, was itself only a single branch of the Ministry of Truth, whose primary job was not to reconstruct the past but to supply the citizens of Oceania with newspapers, films, textbooks, Telescreen programs, plays, novels- with every conceivable kind of information.”

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel that follows protagonist, Winston Smith, as he retells the past in his own point of view. This novel is set in a fictional country, known as Oceania, during the year 1984. This novel is told in the past tense and contains elements of figurative language, including hefty loads of foreshadowing. Dark and frustrated, the author utilizes this tone to illuminate the dystopian aspects of the book. Winston is a low-ranking member of society, which is under the rule of the Party.

Read More
1200 Words | 5 Pages

Unlike a sun behind the clouds, the rays of hope in the battle between Winston and the Party are not concealed, but rather undoubtedly extinguished by the end. In the book 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith. a bureaucrat in IngSoc, and his lover Julia question and resist the dogmas of the Party in which freedom and truth do not exist. In this society the practice of “doublethink” inherently weakens the man, breaking his grasp of common sense and sanity by believing wholeheartedly one claim one moment, and a completely contradictory statement when told. Winston and Julia cannot express his thoughts and ideology in a corrupt society, and end up capitulating to O’Brien’s manipulation.

Read More
1188 Words | 5 Pages

In George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, we follow Winston Smith through the challenges of society controlled by the Party; he echoes a warning not to lose your freedom to a higher power. Orwell accomplishes this with many rhetorical devices found in both the book and the current presidential election. Reality control is used to maintain authority over society. In 1984, while Winston is imprisoned in the Ministry of Love, the party slogan,”Who controls the past controls the future.

Read More
611 Words | 3 Pages

With this act of rebellion against the oppressive system of Oceania, Winston showcases his courage because he does all of this to aid him in his journey towards uncovering the truth of the past. Next, there is the selflessness that Winston possesses. For this specific quality, it is shown most prominently when Winston gets into a disagreement with Julia on their goals for their rebellion. During this argument, Winston firmly states that the reason for his desire to obtain and keep incriminating records of the Party’s lies is so that they can be left behind, thereby allowing for “‘the next generations [to] carry on where [they] leave off’” (196). From this, Winston demonstrates how unselfish he is because, rather than worrying about himself – like Julia – he wants actual change and progress to come as a result of his rebellion.

Read More
1505 Words | 7 Pages

Winston is working in his department on “rectifying” documents the Party has assigned to him. He begins to explain how his job is to change the original information given to him, to what the government wants it to be. Winston describes just how the government is able to influence the people’s minds: “It was therefore necessary to rewrite a paragraph of Big Brother’s speech in such a way as to make him predict the thing had actually happened” and later Winston says, “in no case would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place” (Orwell 39-40). Winston’s job is to change and delete the past in order to match the Party’s current slogan or belief. The government is creating false facts and manipulating the truth to control the citizens of Oceania.

Read More
220 Words | 1 Pages

In Oceania there are four ministries, Ministry of Truth, Peace, Love, and Plenty. Winston works in the records department of the Ministry of Truth, his job involves “revising” and “fixing” records in newspapers to uphold the Party’s rendition of the past. He is agitated by this control of history, for example the Party claims that they are allies with Eastasia and at war with Eurasia, but what Winston remembers is the opposite. This contradiction is referred to in Newspeak as doublethink which is “the act of holding, simultaneously, two opposite, individually exclusive ideas or opinions and believing in both simultaneously and absolutely.” Winston does not want to live in a society with a prohibitive government.

Read More
1347 Words | 6 Pages

George Orwell's novel “1984” is a story that takes place in a society where the government controls every aspect of people's lives. The three main characters, Winston Smith, Julia, and O'Brien. They go through significant changes as the novel progresses. Winston Smith is the protagonist of the story, and the reader follows his journey as he begins to question the society he lives in and ultimately rebels against it. At the beginning of the novel, Winston is a cautious and secretive person who hates the oppressive regime that he lives under.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

’Who controls the past,’ ran the party slogan. ‘Controls the future; who controls the present controls the past'” (30). Winston starts to question everything the party has told society, like being at war with Eurasia and

Read More
1159 Words | 5 Pages

This paper explores the relationship between the fantasy of Winston’s dream and the English Socialist Party (Ingsoc) of Oceania in 1984 based on the first passage. In Oceania, privacy is almost unachievable. Everyone is subject to being watched by family members, friends, Big Brother and the Thought Police. In this paper I show how the society of Oceania limits thought, individualism, and Winston’s hate for Ingsoc, and the society. In order show this I will first show Winston’s hate by the images shown in Winston’s Dream.

Read More
885 Words | 4 Pages

This declaration from Winston is seen as an extreme act of rebellion, where he acknowledges his contempt and disagreement with how the Party governs Oceania, and actively states it out loud. Orwell develops Winston as a dystopian protagonist who becomes self aware and accepting of his rebellion against the party. This

Read More
1735 Words | 7 Pages

Orwell describes this government as a totalitarian one that should be disliked; however, it is almost untouched by any plots to overthrow it. Orwell shows how this is possible through the thoughts and events of the main character’s life. The totalitarian government of Oceania

Read More
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

Read More
1504 Words | 7 Pages

George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts a dystopian totalitarian society and explores the interlinking concepts of time, memory and history through the examination of the ability to manipulate by censoring information and via propaganda. It also examines the power of memory and history in influencing and controlling people’s lives. This essay will explore these themes through the disillusioned protagonist Winston and his life under dictator rule. In the novel the Party controls every aspect of their citizen’s lives. They tell them what to think, how to behave and who to love all through the help of the Ministries of Truth, Peace and Love.

Read More
238 Words | 1 Pages

As someone who’s been lucky enough to travel the globe, I understand the need for a strong health sector. Seeing the difference in the livelihood of people around the world, the differences in rich and poor, children and adults, is an eye-opening experience. Without someone to manage our health equipment and resources, there will be high mortality and burden of disease. In addition, I’m interested in pursuing a career in the health sciences and I’d like to go to dental school in the future.

Read More

More about Examples Of Oppression In 1984

Open Document