Eyes constantly follow every movement; ears hang on every word. In a terrifying futuristic world, the government controls everything from the current economy to ancient history. Big Brother, the blindly accepted leader, is a phantom figurehead that the people of Oceania follow like sheep. George Orwell shows the most effective means of control in 1984 is intimidation, which is conveyed through the government’s use of surveillance and torture. The Party controls its citizens though different forms of surveillance, including telescreens and the Thought Police. Telescreens, small units that closely observe sounds and movements of people, are installed in every building in 1984. Citizens understand that they are constantly being watched, and this keeps them from committing thoughtcrime. At the beginning of the novel, Winston describes the telescreen’s power. “There was of …show more content…
Winston shows that everyone is intimidated by the telescreen’s omnipresent, incredibly powerful eye. It denounces criminals daily, and Winston lives in fear that the telescreen will pick up on even the slightest flicker of dissent report him. The telescreen is a very effective way of maintaining control because of its ubiquity. People are not given any privacy to think freely. Citizens live with the fear that someone is always watching them through the telescreen, analyzing every word and motion. Another, more violent means of surveillance and control is the Thought Police. Trained and armed, this threatening group weeds out thought criminals quickly and silently. Winston describes the fear and desperation instilled in him by the Thought Police: “thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while […] but sooner or later