ipl-logo

George Orwell's 1984 Relevant

709 Words3 Pages

Valerie Nea Ms. Chang Honors English August 17, 2016 In what way is George Orwell’s 1984 relevant (or irrelevant) for today’s world? George Orwell 's novel “1984” describes a dystopian future set 38 years from its time of writing (1946). Orwell created his vision of the future not by inventing a new world, but by showing already existing conditions. The novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, struggles to live in the mega-nation Oceania, one of three superstates into which the world has become divided. Oceania is governed by “The Party”, represented by the tyrant Big Brother, whose image appears everywhere along with the warning “Big Brother is Watching You Winston must suppress his feelings and thoughts about the corrupt governing system, because …show more content…

Oceania prohibits its people from speaking or thinking about anything resembling rebellion against Big Brother. No one is allowed to disagree with the Party. I think one of the most inventive things in the book is the corruption of language called “doublespeak”, which means “...the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and believing both of them.” Doublespeak is represented by the Party’s slogan that appears everywhere: “War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is strength.” The citizens of Oceania cannot rebel against something they cannot even define, or try to replace their government with another one that their language cannot define. Even if they decided that they hated how they are being controlled, the people of Oceania are unable to act because they would be committing a crime by doing so. But in our world today, just the opposite is true. We are encouraged to speak our mind, to express who we are, what we want, and what changes we think are necessary. In our world, protest is good, and change is positive. In our democratic society we are not forced into following tyrants or parties, because we use our voices to argue, discuss, elect and protest. In conclusion, George Orwell’s 1984 is not relevant to our world today because of the contrast between the two worlds. The world of “1984” is exemplified by O’Brien’s chilling statement to Winston: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face – forever!” In our world, the world of 2016, we are free to express ourselves, to argue, to disagree, to protest. In our world, the Party does not control us. We are the

Show More
Related
678 Words | 3 Pages

This is where the concept of war is peace comes into play. The only reason that Oceania functions smoothly is because its citizens are always trying thinking that their fighting against some one. This is how they stay a general state of ‘peace’. “War it will be seen, not only accomplishes the necessary destruction, but accomplishes it in a psychologically acceptable way” (Orwell 158). This quote explains that in order for the proles to be happy/peaceful, that they need to be at war with some and working towards

Read More
1971 Words | 8 Pages

Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally

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
404 Words | 2 Pages

The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. By creating a totalitarian government in the novel 1984, George Orwell is able to express how important humanity is to not only Winston but also

Read More
936 Words | 4 Pages

Oceania one of three power countries is controlled by a political party, led by Big Brother. The Party controls their members everyday lives. They are always watching. One member’s name is Winston, a middle aged man of poor health. Winston is set apart from society with his rebellious thinking.

Read More
1136 Words | 5 Pages

You are taught to put the party before yourself and your family. You are also forced into living in lesser-than-nice housing. One main piece of propaganda is, “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength”(c1). This piece of propaganda is misleading the people of Oceania to think that to have unity, they must have a common enemy. To be free, they have to serve the state, and to be strong they have to forgive and forget all the wrongdoings of the party.

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

“[The Party] control[s] matter because we control the mind” (Orwell 274). By rewriting the past and eliminating emotions, they are able to influence what the citizens of Oceania believe to be possible. Newspeak is also

Read More
376 Words | 2 Pages

He is a low ranking government official in his fifties. He begins to realize the flaws of the government and begins to despise Big Brother, the embodiment of the government. Julia is a young woman who teams up with Winston the plan to overthrow the government. Oceania is controlled by the Party. The Party watches everyone’s every move through telescreens.

Read More
1559 Words | 7 Pages

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery.

Read More
1407 Words | 6 Pages

It displays features of dystopian societies and what some possible consequences of dictatorships are. Orwell’s 1984 depicts the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, which is ruled by an all-powerful government, the Party. Winston works in the Ministry of

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

Although it is based in 1984, the social commentary it provides is most definitely applicable in this day and age. This novel analysis will touch briefly upon a few different subjects, such as symbolism and style, and the theme of the novel. Orwell has the amazing ability to keep the image of a dull,

Read More
1803 Words | 8 Pages

1984: Challenge to our knowledge about reality The Novel 1984 needs no introduction. George Orwell’s masterstroke over the decades has become the trademark for dystopic fiction. Often the themes of 1984 have become the defining features of a dystopic society.

Read More
636 Words | 3 Pages

Alice Walker once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Walker’s quote accurately describes George Orwell’s overall atmosphere in 1984, which is depressing, dark, and lonely. Orwell first creates suspense in the novel by leaving the readers questioning what is going to happen to Winston Smith, the protagonist. Secondly, he uses descriptive imagery to show the complete control the Party has over its members.

Read More
2029 Words | 9 Pages

You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie!

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

Meanwhile, it is interesting that Aldous Huxley 's ‘Brave New World’ and George Orwell ' s ‘1984’, which were written at the same time, draw a different perspective while both drawing a dystopian future. Both the ‘Newly Beautiful New World’ and ‘1984’ portrayed a future that is thoroughly monitored and controlled and lost humanity. However, while Aldous Huxley 's ‘Brave New World’ was based on the abundance of scientific progress, George Orwell’s work was based on the poverty of totalitarian society. Humans living in the ‘Brave New World’ live in a society where material abundance and war do not exist, but humans living in ‘1984’ live in a poor housing environment, scarce food, and fear of constant warfare. So I think it would be a very interesting search to look at the view of two novelists who saw dystopian future with a totally different

Read More

More about George Orwell's 1984 Relevant

Related Topics

Open Document