ipl-logo

Ultimate Power In George Orwell's '1984'

1424 Words6 Pages

Maia White
Mrs. Davis
Honors Junior English
13 Jan. 2023
1984 Essay
Imagine living in a world where freedom is not a natural right of a human, where one can not fall in love, have every day hobbies, and experience any other emotions for anything outside of one's "ruler". The novel 1984 by George Orwell is a book about a man named Winston Smith. Winson Smith lives in Oceania, which is always at war with either Eastasia or Eurasia. He works in the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history for the Party. If something that happened in the past does not match what the Party wants, then they will change it so that it does. One's every move is being watched through what they call a telescreen. Every thought that one makes the party knows, and everywhere …show more content…

The party uses multiple tactics and methods to make what is natural to humans not existent. If one experiences these thoughts that do not consist of loving the party, or loving big brother, they are considered a criminal; criminals are then tortured into believing the Party's rules and beliefs. After being tortured, there is no other thought but loving Big Brother. The Party maintains ultimate power throughout the process of language, fear, and manipulation.
The party maintains ultimate power through the limitation of words, which is the language that they have created for the people of Oceania. Newspeak, the official language of Oceania, was created to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, also known as English socialism. The purpose of Newspeak is to provide a minimum amount of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of Ingsoc, making all other modes of thought impossible (Orwell 299-300). Winston has a brief conversation with a man named Syme, Syme works in …show more content…

Winston’s job in the Ministry of Plenty is basically to rewrite history. The Party makes up things to put the Party at this high standard that makes people believe that the party is good. The party created 3 slogans that they look up to, which is War is Peace, Slavery is Freedom, and Ignorance is Strength. The Party wants to control the past to gain full power over the citizens of Oceania. Everyone knows that history is extremely important. Physical proof of history is there so we do not repeat ourselves again and we learn from our mistakes. The Party has a slogan dealing with the controlling of the past “Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past… We, the Party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not?” (Orwell 248). O'Brien, speaking with great sternness like he is 7ft tall with big muscles, explains to Winston that the past only exists in one’s memory. Reality only exists in the human mind, not in the individual mind in which the individual mind makes mistakes. Whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth. The Party maintains control by controlling the past so when people look back and see that it was always the party then they will not question anything and go against it. The party takes away the people's freedom and the people's urgency to go against the Party because there is

Show More
Related

Dialectical Journal For 1984 Part 1

1048 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the novel, the Party systematically destroys and information they say is not correct and replaces it with information they say is. For example, the Party claims they invented the airplane, but the reader knows they were created by the Wright brothers. Winston himself has a job in the Ministry of Truth “rectifying” Times articles. By controlling the past, the Party is able to justify the wrongs they do in the present. This creates the mentality in denizens that the Party can do no wrong because there is no proof of their wrongs.

Read More

Big Brother Is Watching You Rhetorical Analysis

434 Words | 2 Pages

They have methods of monitoring people that are set up so that, hypothetically, the Party could be watching them at all times. This panoptical nature of society is what inspired the common slogan plastered on posters around Oceania, “Big Brother is watching you” (Huxley 3). If someone is caught doing something that goes against the Party’s ideology, or even just thinking it, they are taken by the Thought Police and

Read More

How Did George Orwell Change In 1984

497 Words | 2 Pages

Winston Smith was not the only party member that knew about the changing of the past. People from all types of social status understood and obliged by that element in their society. In part two of 1984, Orwell showed the audience how easy it was to change the population’s minds and opinions. During Hate Week, an orator of the Inner Party, who was giving a rousing speech to the people, was handed a sheet of paper informing him that Oceania was now at war with Eastasia, not Eurasia. “He unrolled and read it without pausing in his speech.

Read More

Analyzing The Poem 'The Juggler'

505 Words | 3 Pages

In the Poem, “The Juggler” the speaker develops a very exciting tone which eventually evolves into a very solemn and serious poem through the uses of very strong diction and sophisticated use of personification that helps develop a shift in the tone. Throughout the beginning of the poem, the speaker personifies the balls and uses positive diction which creates a very light hearted and joyful atmosphere to start off the poem. For example, phrases such as “our hearts from brilliance” and “Whee, in the air” helps develop a positive attitude towards juggling for a group of people. The speaker enjoys making “brilliance” with his skillful abilities and just wouldn’t sacrifice that for anything.

Read More

How Does Orwell Use Abuse Of Power In 1984

748 Words | 3 Pages

In the dystopian society of 1984, the people, separated by class, are all under the Party’s monitor. Telescreens, microphones, Big Brother posters, and the lack of privacy are common to all classes. Through these advanced technologies, the Party not only prevents rebellious actions, but they also deprive society of individual thought. In 1984, fear, punishment, and the deprivation of privacy are the controlling methods of cruelty that the Party utilizes to assert complete dominance and force both mental and physical obedience among the proles, Outer Party, and Inner party.

Read More

How Does Orwell Manipulate The Government In 1984

1696 Words | 7 Pages

Koyie Waples Melton/Schulze British Literature 28 March 2018 Manipulation and Control via the Government in 1984 In a unique dystopia created in the world of 1984, George Orwell establishes a totalitarian government that watches and psychologically manipulates its citizens to be mere pawns. Although there is a Big Brother constantly watching over everyone’s shoulder and influencing them, there are still those who desire nothing more than freedom. This is where the main character comes in, Winston Smith, a man who works for the Ministry of Truth, which is a government run organization that changes and alters history. Winston is tired of the mundane life that he lives, and is already rebeling in his own way by keeping a personal diary that

Read More

Comparing Government In 1984 And Gilliam's Brazil

874 Words | 4 Pages

So when someone from their society points at something wrong the party did their opinion is dismissed. For example, in Brazil when the printer malfunctions and changes the name form Tuttle to Buttle, the people in charge cover it up as much as they can so that no can realize that their government is not perfect. If the people realize that the government is not as perfect as it seems and that they also make mistakes, hide facts and lie to them. Then they will no longer trust their government, they will stop obeying them which might cause a rebellion and the government does not want that to happen. The governments control of the history and past grants them leadership of the future and present.

Read More

Examples Of Timelessness In 1984 By George Orwell

783 Words | 4 Pages

One way to create a sense of timelessness and immortality is by altering historical records and documents to suit the Party’s needs and claims. The Ministry of Truth, where Winston works, is responsible for changing newspapers, books, photographs, films, and other media to make them follow the Party’s reality. For example, in chapter 17, when Oceania switches enemies from Eurasia

Read More

1984 Government Essay

1503 Words | 7 Pages

The Party brings the people into the Ministry of Love and tortures the people until they fully believe in everything the Party says. By doing so there will be no person that has belief in anything other than what the Party wants. This will also ensure that the people will follow all orders that have been set in place to protect the Party’s power. With the people being brainwashed they do not remember a time before Big Brother, who everyone is now loyal to. The party is able to completely delete people's views on the past so that they will only remember how great life is with Big Brother.

Read More

Abuse Of Power In 1984 By George Orwell

720 Words | 3 Pages

The Party has erased all recollection of history. They can change the past to control the future. Syme, who was a coworker of Winston, talks about how "the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought[.] In the end, [the Outer Party] shall make thoughtcrime impossible because there will be no words in which to express it" (Orwell, 67). The Party's intentions shine through this quote.

Read More

Memory Holes In George Orwell's 1984

1738 Words | 7 Pages

Winston reflects back on how the party alters the history of the country: “the lie passed into history and became truth” (Orwell 34). Although Winston knows that Oceania and Eurasia were in alliance before, he also believes that they did not have an actual alliance because of what the Party imposes onto the citizens’ memories of the past. Orwell’s use of the word “passed” possibly shows that the lies they create can easily to history and be masked as the truth. It can be inferred that Winston now knows exactly how the party paralyzes anyone from actual thinking, which is by changing the history.

Read More

Abuse Of Power In 1984 George Orwell

1542 Words | 7 Pages

Imagine being watched every moment of your life. It would be very absurd to live in a totalitarian system with no privacy, no emotions, no sex, and no relationships. The party controls every aspect of a person's life and they are not supposed to go against any of the rules. The main character, Winston Smith, a thirty-nine year old who is rewriting history is living this kind of life. In the novel, 1984, written by George Orwell, tells the life and the problems of Winton Smith within the party.

Read More

The Themes Of Psychological Control In George Orwell's 1984

1299 Words | 6 Pages

What this is saying is in order to stay in power, they have to manipulate the records of the past. That is actually one of Winston’s jobs as a follower of the Party. There was an instance when a person turned on the Party and was soon erased from history. Winston and others went back into official documents such as speeches and literally deleted the officer. By controlling the past this way, they control the future.

Read More

1984 Theme Essay

1559 Words | 7 Pages

This is the Ministry that Winston works at, and his job is to correct and edit documents. "This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, soundtracks, cartoons, photographs to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance" (Orwell 40). This passage refers to the process of changing the past, which is Winston's job. By controlling the past, the Party is able to manipulate the minds of the citizens. This is an example of how the party lies to the people.

Read More

The Importance Of Control In George Orwell's 1984

796 Words | 4 Pages

They had the capability to change the past. That was Winston’s job; that’s what he did for a living. The technology being used back then did not seem as very efficient but in reality it was. In my opinion, this type of technology has as much power as it does now or almost close to it. The ability to watch every movement of a person, hearing their conversations is pretty impressive.

Read More

More about Ultimate Power In George Orwell's '1984'

Related Topics

Open Document