Everett Chi Ms. Krusmark H. English 2 12 April 2023 The Grip of the Powerful The Mind. Not a sword, not a knife, not even a gun. The control of people's minds was the most dangerous weapon of them all. More specifically, in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, we meet a totalitarian government that reflects many real-world scenarios involving the manipulation of people's minds. These different tactics used by the inner party to maintain control over the outer party include extreme surveillance and propaganda; These tactics instill fear and uneasiness within the people and pressure the citizens by making them feel like the government is beneficial, while in reality, it is actually hurting them. Extreme surveillance, as the name suggests, seems like a very uneasy and uncertain way of living …show more content…
Being unable to have a sense of self, is a big factor in the totalitarian government shown in 1984. Winston Smith, in order to convey the oppression he faced living as an outer party member, said “You had to live - did live, from the habit that became extinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized” (Orwell 4). Extreme surveillance, by instilling fear in people for being in any way out of character makes them lose their sense of self. After acting as obedient soldiers of the government conforming with society, people nevertheless become what they pretended to be and transformed fully into those government soldiers. This builds the foundation of a totalitarian society where only the very top of the food chain could have their thoughts echoed. While this method proved effective for the government, it had more than one solution for the future. This is shown when Winston is slandered by the Parson’s children, stating