Power Of Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984

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The book 1984, by George Orwell, stated, “..if you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” (p. 231). For the power of an entity to control even human thought is on the level of God. Such a God made by human creation exists as an entity commonly known as “Big Brother.” Big Brother is known by many other names such as Ingsoc, Oceania, or the Thought Police. All share the same values and oppressive views of the people. The power of Big Brother lies not in the country and military power, but rather the mind. When such a large entity such as Oceania is able to convert hate to love, there is nothing that stands in the way. Big Brother makes Oceania society impossible to resist and rebel against. Along with the society, Big Brother substantiates the order by the production of fear using tactics such as Thought Police and torture. Oceania is also constantly …show more content…

Uncle Sam is the embodiment of the United States government and usually represents patriotism. Both entities were based off of real people and fill people with extremely strong emotions. While both are either admired or hated, the emotions instilled are polar opposites. Big Brother attempts to provoke fear and oppression into the heart and souls of Oceanic citizens. Such a strategy works well to force people into submission and maintain order. However, the United States manages to encourage and maintain order with freedoms and rights. Many view the United States as a land of opportunity and freedoms because of the way the government operates. The power is in the people, while the power in Oceania continues to be all about Ingsoc. Big Brother is extremely powerful, but in the end, the deleterious society of Ingsoc will never have the same power as the United States. For as the saying goes, “A king is no king without his people, but a people without their king would be lost as