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Examples Of Totalism In 1984 By George Orwell

1427 Words6 Pages

Juan Barreno
Ms.Alcaraz
ERWC
30 May, 2023
Dangers of Totalism

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”.This quote by George Orwell, an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic, shows the negative things that could happen if they allow the government to take absolute power over society. George Orwell sends a message to his audience in his novel book 1984, his main character being a man named Winston, demonstrating someone’s life in a totalism society. George Orwell uses Winston’s character to demonstrate how sad and lonely he feels because the government is in full control and he has no freedom.

Orwell’s message to his audience is how one would live in a society controlled by a government. …show more content…

Winston’s society lives with big telescreens that are placed in their homes to allow The Party to watch and hear over it’s citizens. In the graphic novel Winston quotes “The instrument (the telescreen) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off. And any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper would be picked up by it”(Pg 32 Panel 2). In other words, Winston can’t have small conversations and can’t do any actions without the government listening to you or hearing you. This is important because the use of technology in Winston’s society dominates his world and is one reason to why Winston and Oceania’s people have no freedom. Winston also quotes “Immediately beneath the telescreen, in such a position that anyone who was watching at the other end of the instrument could read what he was writing, he scribbled an address and tore out the page”(Pg 14 Panel 4). Basically, Winston is saying that even writing down a small note can still be reported to the authorities. Furthermore, Orwell wants his audience to know that technology is only controlled and used by evil. In short, technology will only be used to watch it’s citizens and be beneficial to make the government …show more content…

In the book, Big Brother is able to make people in Oceania believe his lies due to manipulation that he uses. Winston states “A few lines of print and a couple of faked photographs would soon bring him into existence”(Pg 45 Panel 2). Winston was referring to comrade Ogilvy, Ogilvy never existed and was only created to make the people of Oceania to believe that he was a war hero. Orwell’s claim in this part of the book was that if a government is able to control it’s history then it can manipulate people into believing such things and it also helps the government into keeping his authority over anyone he chooses. The book also states “And then the cell, or room, in which he now was and gradually materalised round him”(Pg 173 Panel 2). This quote refers to room 101, in which it is used by the thought police to brainwash people and in this case, Winston was sent to this room to change his mind after disobeying Big Brother. This is important because if the government is able to brainwash people at whatever cost then citizens have no point in going against Big Brother because this can result into death. Thus, Orwell wants his audience to know the dangers of manipulation if such thing falls into a corrupt government because this helps the government into desiring anything he

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