In 1984, George Orwell explores the power of thought and the control of the past and reality. The complex ideas of mind control and the power of individuality in a totalitarian society are represented within a society held together by limited expression. The spirit of one’s individuality relies on personal memories and experiences, and the expulsion of thought gives one power over their mind past and reality, making the ability to control one’s reality the biggest threat to any controlling power.
The power and control of Big Brother, the totalitarian leader of The Party, are fueled by his ability to warp the past in order to control the reality of the citizens of Oceania. Winston, the frail, thoughtful character of prominence, experiences
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The goals set by Big Brother and The Party, but not seen by the citizens, aid to eliminate thought, leading to the expulsion of the spirit of man. Individuality stems from the ability to learn from experiences in order to remain sane. “It was not by being heard but by staying sane that you carried [carry] on the human heritage,” Winston learned as he rifles through his thoughts, determining his ultimate fate for thoughtcrime (28). Allowing oneself to be heard and voicing any individualized expression would be suicide in the totalitarian society of Oceania, but by possessing a personal thought, one can protect their humanity behind the barrier of mere existence. Human nature and mankind itself are the biggest threats to any power who seeks total control. Bodies can be beaten down, minds can be probed, habits can be formed, and boundaries set, but by simply staying sane, within our own minds we maintain control over ourselves, removing partial control from the centralized power. Big Brother fears this loss of control. Ultimately this fear acts as a driving force for the elimination of the spirit of man. It all works together from newspeak and its depletion of expressive language, to the falsification of events and experiences, to the “300,000 million people always the same face” (76). By physcologically manipulating the throughts of the citizens, …show more content…
Love the a core being within our humanity, and desires and affection form us. Love is rarely seen, frowned upon by the Party, and any signs of affection are thoughtcrime. By terminating all emotion and expression love must be eliminated too, but love and need for affection remain a built-in part of our human nature that is nearly impossible to entirely extinguish. As simply another emotion, love would be easier for the Party to successfully eliminate, but it runs in our blood. “The animal instinct,” that resides beneath the surfaces of us, “that was [is] the force that would [will] tear the Party apart” (128). The “animal instinct” refers directly to our human desire for affection, and the manipulation of the emotions of love injures and evokes our natural instincts. The biggest weakness of the Party is what happens beneath our skin, in our minds, and in our hearts, because when it all comes down to it, the animal instinct can never be persuaded or tortured out of
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
Out of the smoke and coal came fear as well, fear of the unknown. What was this bright thing called electricity and what could it do? Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel Frankenstein showed this fear. Through this single book many concerns were addressed. This made sense, people fear things they don’t know and this was a time of confusion just as it was a time of advancements. This deep rooted fear was the cause of Frankenstein. Another fear arose as individuals gained more power and monopolized more influence over people, dictatorship. George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, understood this fear well and went in depth on the idea of this suppression of the people. The book introduces what it might be like to live in a society that contains and suppresses its population. These two books were written during a time of great change, and when change is sudden it’s hard to handle. This is obviously shown in these books. The current dreams and imagination of the people at the time is reflected in these two works proving people continued to look to themselves as the source of their literature from Old English even to the
Noah Miller English Honors: D Ms. Hiller 13 December 2013 1984 Major Essay Assignment. Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. When put into a collective whole, one might do for the whole more than one does for oneself.
He expresses the views that no few in the society will. Winston rebels against the government to find meaning in his life. His journey into finding individuality shows his expression of freedom, which no one else has expressed. Alex McGuinnis, a professional academic writer part of the Professional Development Collection, discusses the “Allness” language used by Big Brother to control a populous and perpetuate conformity within a society. As McGuinnis states, “Allness thinking is especially dangerous because those who influence our minds most frequently are the people who are constantly using allness” (108).
Consider how the natural development of narrative techniques in George Orwell’s 1984 creates a theme of individualism verses state. What was the point in writing such an obvious theme, since a dystopia is the prime example of an imperfect world? He uses extremely well-developed techniques to demonstrate the dystopian society. Specifically, Orwell uses symbols as well as the setting to thoroughly contribute to the idea of a totalitarian state in his dystopian society; the ideas are in symbolic objects, themes, and characters. Orwell clearly suggests that are flaws in the world that he has created, and, more importantly, Orwell the possibility of the characteristics becoming reality.
An overview of the Orwellian world of 1984 will give some context for comparison between what is happening in our world today, how it mirrors the situation in the novel, and the implications that it carries regarding what is happening within our society...
“WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” Part 1,Chapter 1,pg. 6. These three principles were repeatedly emphasized throughout the book and helped lay the foundation of the dystopian society George Orwell imagined in his novel 1984. Fear, manipulation, and control were all encompassed throughout this dystopian society set in the distant future. The freedom to express ones thoughts was no longer acceptable and would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Humankind was rapidly transforming into a corrupt and evil state of mind.
Every part of life is regimented and controlled, but the only crime is ‘thought crime’: independent thinking and individualism. Big Brother is the figurehead of the Inner Party, and throughout the book, it is heavily implied that he may not really exist. The people are divided into Inner Party members, who control the government, Outer Party members, who make up the middle class, and Proletarians, or Proles, who make up the uneducated lower class. He utilizes strong but vague descriptions of the world around Winston to hint at the state of the world without directly saying it. He describes a bright cold day, which seems to perfectly depict the world's bleak state in a sort of indirect way (Orwell, 1948).
What does it mean to be human? Is it the millions of cells that you’re composed of? Or is it something more? In George Orwell’s book 1984, through the use of his protagonist, Orwell looks at what it really means to be human. In a world that is built on destruction and manipulation, Orwell takes a look at how a totalitarian government affects humankind and a person’s ability to stay “human”.
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
George Orwell’s haunting dystopian novel 1984 delves into the closely monitored lives of the citizens of Oceania as the Party tries to take control of society. In totalitarianism, propaganda and terrorism are ways of subjugation with a main goal: total obedience. He aimed to create a “what if” novel, what would happen if totalitarian regimes, such as the Nazis and Soviets, were to take over the world. If totalitarianism were to happen, the leader would be the brain of the whole system. Orwell emphasizes the theme of individualism versus collective identity through Winston, the protagonist, and his defiance to the Party and Big Brother, with a frightening tone, surreal imagery and a third person limited point of view.
In George Orwell’s novel, 1984 the theme is a totalitarian government has the capability to physically and mentally break down individuals and then rebuild them the way they want by using torture and the destruction of emotions and personal thought.
Big Brother is able to dominate his citizens through serious manipulation and effort, all of which is used to reach the goal of attaining all of the power. In Winston’s work at the Ministry of Truth being one of the ways I which the government attains power. The goal of the Ministry of Truth is to change history. By controlling our views regarding the past, the government is able to control how the future develops. Power is persuasive, and by using power effectively, the citizens of Oceania are persuaded that their friend yesterday is now the enemy and so on and so forth. Big Brother also gains power through the implementation of Thought Police. These Thought Police are used to control the citizens and cut down anyone that is not in 100% conformity. Lastly, the Ministry of Love is the final piece in Big Brother’s power-retainment strategy. The Ministry of Love is the last straw of sorts for the government. At the Ministry of Love, you are either manipulated into becoming a mindless government follower, imprisoned for life, or killed. With this trifecta approach the government takes in retaining power, it is now wonder why there is no hope for rebellion or change. Big Brother has and will forever hold all of the cards. The power will be forever
George Orwell uses Winston to represent truth in a deceptive world in his novel 1984. In Oceania, Big Brother is the omnipotent and all powerful leader. Everything the government dictates is unquestionably true, regardless of prior knowledge. Even thinking of ideas that go against Big Brother’s regime, or thoughtcrime, is punishable by death. Winston serves as the dystopian hero, longing for freedom and change. Orwell uses Winston to emphasize the importance of individual freedoms, as they give us the ability to fulfillingly lead our respective lives.
The novel 1984 by George Orwell presents the readers an image of a totalitarian society that explores a world of control, power, and corruption. The main idea of government control presents itself in the novel by protecting and listening to the people of Oceania. However, Orwell suggests giving too much power to the government is a mistake because eventually the decisions they make will not be about the people anymore but rather themselves. In 1984, the power and corruption the party has is overwhelming for the people. There are no ways around the beliefs of the Party, the party attempts to control and eventually destroy any mental or physical resistance against their beliefs. The agenda for the party is to obtain mind control over its people and force them to adore their leader. The methods the Party uses to achieve its goal are: the use of constant propaganda and surveillance, the rewriting of history, and Room 101.