Human Rights And Violence In George Orwell's 1984

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In George Orwell’s novel 1984, A theme of violation of human rights is thoroughly present, from violation of privacy, violation of the freedom of speech and religion, and the loss of humanity in general from the ever present form of Big Brother. As the villain of the novel, Big Brother- who represents the government -has absolute control over the citizens’ lives. While 1984 effectively conveys the dangers of a totalitarian government, Orwell’s predicted society is not present in today’s world. Comparatively speaking, the United States of America has more rights and freedoms than Orwell’s Oceania, but in some cases the rights of the citizens must be violated for safety reasons and other justifiable causes. Orwell’s novel 1984 paints a picture …show more content…

In Saudi Arabia, “it is illegal to publicly practice any faith other than the state’s official religion Sunni Islam. Members of other faiths can worship privately, but non-Muslim houses of worship may not be built” (Index). The abandonment, rejection, or blasphemy against Sunni Islam can be punished by death. While it is often taken for granted, the United States allows a person to participate in any religion that he may choose. In Orwell’s 1984, there is no religion. On page 230, we see Winston’s old friend Ampleforth brought in to prison. When Winston questioned him as to why he was there, Ampleforth replied “We were producing a definitive edition of the poems of Kipling. I allowed the word ‘God’ to remain at the end of the line. I could not help it!...It was impossible to change the line...There was no other rhyme” (230). Even mentioning the word “God” was not allowed, and Ampleforth was sent to prison- more specifically, room 101- where prisoners were tortured. In our nation, we are lucky to have the freedom to choose a religion or to not even have one at all. Other parts of the world may be like Orwell’s Oceania, but the United States of America is not one of