Exploring Totalitarianism in Orwell's 1984

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Recommended: 1984 by Orwell and Society

In George Orwell’s 1984, the author blends in his political warnings with thought provoking imagery and symbolism to create both an enjoyable and educational experience. The story follows Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, which is the totalitarian government that rules their inhabited nation, Oceania. While many citizens have accepted the Party’s wishes, Winston still retains some amount of hatred for the party that seems to grow with every passing day. Throughout Winston's course of action taken to rebel from the party, such as writing in a diary or having sex, Orwell shows the reader the dangers of totalitarianism in a modern society. Even though Orwell wrote this book in 1950, many of the ideas and warnings presented in the book …show more content…

One of those countries is North Korea, which has been a totalitarian government for several decades. ABC news even wrote an article about the striking similarities North Korea shares with 1984, saying “North Korean society today looks like a sinister replay of George Orwell's 1984.” According to ABC they even have “government-run 24-hour informant hotlines on which North Koreans can rat on their family” (The Country Where Big Brother Is Watching). The country has been constantly criticized because of the extreme control it places upon its citizens. Even though 1984 represented the extremes of totalitarianism, there are many parallels seen between North Korea and Oceania. For example, the Party uses telescreens to spy on their people, but in this case, more importantly, it was used to spout propaganda constantly. North Korea has the same thing, in that their TV’s only have one channel that is tuned into the state, delivering whatever the state wants their citizens to hear and see. North Korea also promotes hate towards the United States, creating false stories and pictures to further convince their citizens. Similarly, the Party creates false images and depictions of enemies by forcing citizens to attend hate week, which is intended to increase hatred for any enemy or the party, such as Goldstein. North Korea’s citizens have failed to stop the rise of their ruler, but surrounding nations can still succeed at ending their

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