The Balance Of Power In George Orwell's '1984'

Throughout history, those in power have consistently sought to establish control over the masses, utilizing various tactics to accomplish this goal. While some governments employ diplomatic and peaceful means of maintenance, others, particularly totalitarian regimes, will use inhumane tactics to secure their power while their citizens are left suffering. The balance of power between the government and its people is fragile. As enlightenment thinkers like Rousseau have pointed out, without a social contract between these two groups, the governments will continue to seek control indefinitely. We, as a society, need reminders of the government’s’ tendency to consolidate power. George Orwell’s cautionary noveltale, 1984, serves to portray a future

As the protagonist, Winston, arrives in his apartment, he points out the Telescreen that which exists in the center of the room with which “he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment”(Orwell 6). The telescreens exist primarily so the government can not only monitor people’s behavior, but also control it. With the constant possibility of being watched, the majority of the civilians live in paranoia that they may unknowingly act against the government. George Orwell does an excellent job at portraysing this constant fear through Winston’s anxious language as seen when he says “no way of knowing” and “any given moment.” In creating the telescreen George Orwell hoped to establish a realistic form of surveillance that could incite fear within the readers and warn them of the harmful conditioning which can take place in a totalitarian society. Another form of surveillance used by the government is the people themselves. The society in 1984 has an organization of elite government spies known as the “Thought Police.” The Thought Police are crucial to the government’s structure of control as they divide and create suspicion among the citizens, preventing unification and rebellions. The constant reminder that you

As Winston walks to work one day, he finds himself facing a poster, “Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own”(Orwell 12). The government's public announcement that “you,” the civilians, are being spied on serves as a unique form of psychological manipulation. The poster's statement that it is “watching,” instills a sense of fear and intimidation within the people as the poster itself establishes a connection between the people and the government. This emphasizes the fact that Big Brother is “above” the citizens. Additionally, the visual of the eyes within the poster that look “deep into” Winston’s own eyes causes the reader to feel a deep and personal sense of fear and smallness when compared to Big Brother. This reinforces Orwell's warning that a totalitarian government will not hesitate to use psychological tactics, predominately the use of fear, to control and oppress the