Examples Of Rebellion In 1984

Rebellion is a way for people to express their dissatisfaction with their government. Throughout George Orwell’s 1984, Winston attempts to start a rebellion against the Party– an action that mirrors that of the American Revolution through the driving factors, political conditions, and steps towards success.

Oftentimes, extreme and controlling governments are the ones to experience rebellion. In 1984, Winston lives in the oppressive Oceania. The government, the Party, manages everything from portioning food rations to eliminating independent thoughts. In reference to this mind-control, Winston says, "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows" (Orwell 103 PDF). In history, before the Americans

Throughout the book, Winston becomes more outspoken about his hatred for Big Brother, as seen when Orwell writes, "And yet the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp. Thus, at one moment Winston’s hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police…" (Orwell 19 PDF). Similarly, Americans grew more angry with Britain as they continued to add relentless acts. This dissatisfaction lit the fire under the colonists in their fight for freedom: “These taxes, enacted without assent from the colonies, galvanized opposition to the British and led to colonial resistance" (Goldberg). In 1984, Winston largely disagrees with Big Brother and his policies. He wants to overthrow Big Brother for his constant abuse of power. Before the American Revolution, the colonists outwardly disagreed with the new taxes from Britain, resulting in events such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. Tensions continued to rise between the two nations, ultimately leading to the American

Despite that there has never been a true “rebellion" against the Party, the government highlights a traitor, Emmanuel Goldstein. Even though Goldstein fails in overthrowing the government, he remains influential as he openly opposes Big Brother, “But what was strange was that although Goldstein was hated and despised by everybody, although every day and a thousand times a day, on platforms, on the telescreen, in newspapers, in books, his theories were refuted, smashed, ridiculed, held up to the general gaze for the pitiful rubbish that they were—in spite of all this, his influence never seemed to grow less" (Orwell 17 PDF). Conversely, Americans achieved their desired goals with their rebellions. These actions resulted in the Revolutionary War, which eventually led to freedom from Britain. The American success, however, did not come easily, "...the Americans prevailed due to their spirit and the fact that they were fighting for something they believed in. Popular support for the Revolutionary War was overwhelming. In the end, the British desire to maintain economic control over the colonies could not match the intense desire of the colonists to be independent and free" (“How Did the Americans Win the Revolutionary War?”). To win the American Revolution, it took the effort of hundreds of thousands of people who truly believed in gaining independence. Winston did not have the resources, nor the