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George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: An Analysis

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Freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In the 21st century, the federal government ensures freedom as a human right, but to an extent. There is a thin line between where freedom ends and breaking the law begins, resulting in consequences from the government. In essence, no one is truly free; the government remains in power and continues to have control over its citizens whether or not it is publicized. The world can be seen spiraling into an Orwellian state as the advancement of technology infringes one’s freedoms and right to privacy. In the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell the Inner party uses technology as a means to control the masses and remain in power. …show more content…

The telescreen was a propaganda tool implemented by the party to instill fear and control its citizens. “The instrument … could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely (Orwell 4). This emphasizes the amount of power the party possesses; the citizens could never get rid of them. Through the use of invasive technology, individuals were being monitored in private and public areas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The telescreen is designed to physically observe and detect conversation in order to prevent one from rebelling. “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away … anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide (Orwell 65). The extreme advancement of surveillance equipment in Oceania can detect instances of rebellion from the slightest movement. Citizens do not have the freedom to have diverse thoughts without the party finding out. If one knows that they are being watched by the party, they can be forced into conforming. They must behave in which they are expected to, otherwise, there will be consequences. One is less likely to break the rules (thoughtcrime) or act out when there is no possibility for them to get away with it. The use of surveillance equipment relates to McLuhan’s ideas in The Medium is the Massage. The telescreen is a medium and the message being conveyed is that is individual is observed constantly. McLuhan defines media as “extensions of ourselves” (“Understanding Media”). The technology in a sense becomes an extension of the party as it is able to communicate with the citizens and gives the impression that they are being followed. McLuhan also states, “the content of any medium blinds us to the character of

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Big Brother’s main focus is to maintain power of the citizens. Big Brother is so power hungry that he uses the Thought Police, citizens who can “read their minds” and know if other citizens are thinking of rebelling, to control the citizens. Telescreens, a television with a camera in it, are set up throughout the town and in the homes of the citizens. This way, Big Brother has total control over their lives. Sometimes, Big Brother hides telescreens in the house to spy on people more.

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In both 1984 by George Orwell, and The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, the themes presented are both able to present a clear warning to the readers of the power of technology, and the damaging power it can have on our lives. In Part 1 of 1984, The Inner Party establishes a facade of protection to gain control over Oceania and the citizens. This is mainly achieved through the technological advances that gives The Party authority over people 's actions because of the 24/7 surveillance of their every move. At the beginning of the novel, protagonist Wilson says “the instrument (telescreens) could be dimmed but there was no way of shutting it off altogether” (8). These telescreens are used to minimise the amount of Thoughtcrime, which, in Oceania, violates

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Technology is everywhere and is relied on by almost everyone in today’s society. However, rarely does anyone thinks about the fact technology is controlling its users. This idea is seen in the book Fahrenheit 451. As the book’s society advances their technology to the point where the citizens in the society are connected to the technology and use it all day. In the process, they lose their awareness on events around them.

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For a Utopian society, Big Brother must watch everyone’s actions. In chapter one of book one, “Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen… even a back can be revealing.” This indicates how any behavior that is even small can seem suspicious to the Party. Orwell states in the novel that it is “terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen… In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face… was itself a punishable offense.”

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In it, he teaches his readers that technology gives those who have authority over the common person the ability to do anything, and to create the belief that “democracy [is] impossible, and that the [government is] the guardian of [it]” (Orwell 32). In other words, it teaches that technology gives authority the ability to control our thoughts, to create their portrayal of perfection, and to empower themselves to a never ending limit. It is important that one stays in touch with his true character and beliefs, as if they let the advancing society take over, it will negatively affect them, and only give excess power to those that will abuse it. In addition to this, Orwell shows that if society continues to allow technology grow in power and frequency, the freedom that most have in current day will become “[...] the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows” (Orwell 6). This proves what the author believes the state of the world will be.

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From Orwell’s novel, “1984”, it can be determined that his opinion on the most powerful means of control by the government would be the government’s use of fear to instill paranoia among the people. One powerful piece of corroboration for fear to paranoia would be Oceania’s obvious, and constant, use of technology to fulfill this goal. Take, for instance, the telescreens. Because of their existence in every buildings’ rooms and corners, they can be easily used to keep an eye on party members, and if need be, used to track their location and arrest them. Winston experiences the surveillance inflicted by the government during one of his daily workouts,as right when he stopped trying in order to ponder the conspiracies surrounding the party,

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Throughout the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the usage of technology is beginning the development of an isolated and detached society. The technological advancements have grown to be used as sources of information instead of factual knowledge being received from books or real evidence. The reliance of technology makes screens consume everyone into defenseless and vulnerable individuals rather than technological devices used as an assisting guide further displayed in Wall-E. The opposite effect of these electronics is represented in Fahrenheit 451 and Wall-E when the government is authorizing decisions for everyone as society believes dealing with opposing opinions will result in counterproductive complications.

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As shown in Orwell’s novel, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in public place … with a suggestion of abnormality … [it] was itself a punishable offence” (Orwell, page 62). They hid behind curtains of loyalty to Big Brother to not be punished for their thoughts which is a very personal part of a person’s belief. Take their inner thought you take their

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Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard” (Orwell 3). Winston explains that the telescreens always soy on the people of the party as long as they are in the field of vision of the screen, it also picks up any noise that is heard above a whisper. At times you would are not able to tell if the Thought-police are watching you, “How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork…. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to”(Orwell 3). The telescreens are positioned

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Ubiquitous pictures and telescreens reminded citizens that the government would know whether people had any actions and ideas to might compromise the Party’s regime. Winston

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In 1984, people of Ingsoc are constantly monitored through telescreens as all members of Ingsoc, the inner party and the outer party, have a telescreen in their house with the exception of the proles - because the government are unimportant to the

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For instance, you can see the effect of technological power and control in the book 1984. “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very lower sound would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he maintained within the field vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard.” (Orwell 4) This quote shows how the government is manipulating society by using the power ability of technology.

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Imagine being followed everywhere by a government agent. They’re watching your every move, and they’ll report you if you even make a wrong facial movement. This is essentially the case in George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Run by an English socialist government called the Party, the people’s every move is watched through telescreens. Citizens are not individual, but rather an extension of the Party.

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Nowadays, we live in a democratic state, in which we can express ourselves, to act and to protest if we do not comply with the laws. We can move freely, without being anxious that we will be denounced to the police for breaking the rules. In ‘1984’ by George Orwell the situation is different: Big Brother is watching you, the Thought Police could be ubiquitous, even your children accuse you.

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This led to immense curiosity and interest in the field of Surveillance Studies. In the course of my research I have tried to use resources from various interdisciplinary fields, to understand how surveillance changes us as citizens, neighbors and human beings vis-à-vis determine whether it causes an improvement in the quality of life or a causes for infringement of civil liberties. An aspect which has not been dealt with the paper is what if the observer has no awareness that he/she is being observed or commonly referred as voyeurism. Though the paper provides no definitive answers on the legitimacy and moral judgments on the systems of surveillance, it has tried to meaningfully conceive of surveillance, where some see it as a legitimate technology that allows to care for the interests of everyone, whereas others see it as a powerful instrument of coercion and

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