Today, a political dispute is not uncommon, and that is due to the fact that politics is the driving force of the world. Almost every aspect of our lives is associated with the politics that govern the decisions we make. Unfortunately, the politics that are in our everyday lives are filled with a majority of deceitful people and ideas. George Orwell states, “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” George Orwell is clearly stating that people cannot escape the chaos that is produced around us through politics. This world is built off of the betrayal and lies in this mass jungle of politics, and there is …show more content…
no way to ignore the continuous cycle of this untrustful society. In America, people have been struggling in the economy to take care of themselves and their families.
One cannot ignore that given situation since it affects everyone. In “1984”, Orwell states in the book written by Goldstein that there must always be different type of people considered the High, Middle, and Low in order for an economy to work. However, Mac McClelland explains in “Goodbye Columbus” how severe just the middle class is. After many interviews with different middle class people of Ohio, she remarks, “I’m reporting from Ohio, for God’s sake, not the Third World, yet still my interviewees are sweating over how they’ll manage to survive despite living in the richest country in the history of the world” (McClelland 11). These people aren’t even considered to be the low class, yet they can not escape this constant thought of how they will be able to provide for themselves and their families. The irony of how this is the richest country in the world, but McClelland compares it to the Third World shows exactly how ridiculous the politics is behind it. She also then reveals one of her interviews in which people are getting fired left and right for the most ludicrous issues. McClelland states in shock how the supervisor of the business fired someone for purely talking on the job. People are agonizing over how they will be able to afford to continue to live day by day, yet underpaid workers are being dismissed to add to the growing problem of debt in …show more content…
families. Like Orwell stated, one cannot simply “keep out of politics”.
Politics is surrounding every idea or problem one may have. No one wants to be involved in any of the undesired issues, yet there is always something going on in the world. In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, the speaker was hated by large amounts of people for being in Burma and having to watch over the colonists as a police officer. Orwell writes, “I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible” (Orwell). The speaker is furious that he was involuntarily put in this country to patrol people that despised him being there. Him nor the people were directly involved in the politics behind the speaker needing to be present, yet everyone has to suffer. Patriotism is another political example in which it is always present, but not always desired. Sarah Vowell states in “Partly Cloudy Patriot” that American Flags literally represent the government, so that makes her nervous to support the country and show her patriotism. The politics behind the flag is filled with betrayal and the distortion of information, but the flag symbolizes patriotism so the two cannot be separated. When an American flag was set in her lawn, she called furious and complained that they should take that down because she does not agree with the politics behind it. Vowell cannot remove herself from being involved in politics because, like the
American flag, the undesired shadow that follows it cannot be removed. George Orwell made the statement that political issues cannot be removed from one’s life, yet these political issues are a mass of hatred and fraud. This interpretation of the world could not be more correct, and that is obviously shown if one were to look closely at the economic situation of America, and certain situations in the world which are always there, but not always wanted. Politics today should not be something that people look at with wariness, however, with all the lies and distrust one cannot help but see politics as the reason for the downfall of a given situation.
In "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios says that "when politicians and social commentators draw attention to the plight of the poor, they do so in a manner that obscures the class structure and denies any sense of exploitation." Based off our readings, class discussion and films, income inequality is known to be erased or ignore. Our society frowns upon the expression of income in our daily conversations, as it could be seen braggy or a complaint depending on your status of income. Because it's frowned upon to talk about, the topic of income inequality becomes erased or ignored. In addition, income inequality in America's class structure can affect people's ability to reach their American Dream.
Year’s ago, mention of this widening gap between the privileged and the struggling was considered “Marxist”, but now the facts are too evident to be blamed on a belief. The richer continue to get richer and the poorer get poorer; due to the fact that, the wealthy pay the labor working majority unfair wages. Ironically, this “supreme” group makes their fortune because of these under paid people. For example, Walmart a low paying corporation owned by the wealthiest family in America. As previously stated, the success of the upper class is at the expense of the lower class and we see this in more ways then one: late fees and rates are collected by the rich, Realestate is bought up by them, and they have control of politics. The solution seen most fit by Ehrenreich and Lowenstein would be to remove the classes and have an egalitarian
Readers often find themselves constantly drawn back to the topic of George Orwell’s 1984 as it follows a dystopian community which is set in a world that has been in continuous war, has no privacy by means of surveillance and has complete mind control and is known by the name of Oceania. The story follows a man by the name of Winston who possesses the features of “A smallish, frail figure… his hair very fair, his face naturally sanguine [and] his skin roughened” (Orwell 2). The novel illustrates to readers what it would be like if under complete control of the government. As a result, this book poses a couple of motifs’, For instance part one tackles “Collectivism” which means the government controls you, while part two fights with “Romance” with Winston and Julia’s sexual tension as well the alteration of love in the community, and part three struggles with “Fear” and how it can control someone physically and mentally.
North Korea, China, and even Cuba are similar to 1984. They try to control their people just the same as in 1984, and just like in Jonestown. The only people who were free in 1984 were the Proles. The community in Jonestown began as everyone wanting to be there, and then as conditions worsened the people wanted to leave. They were not allowed to, much like 1984. The people in both situations are similar, in that they are oppressed by their governments, but only the people in Jonestown are given the ability to think they are even able to
George Orwell is thought to be one of this time 's greatest political authors that ever has become very well known.While growing up, Orwell’s family was lower-upper class, using this terminology to make a comparison of his family’s working class income and social aspirations. He lived his later years in Jura, a small and isolated island off the coast of Scotland and started working on his book (Johnson 1545-46). His novel, 1984, is used to impact the governmental judgement with enhancing it from the inside out. This literary work is fierce, yet at the same time fear to the control of one’s mind. Some critics have thought of this work as a political horror comic (Deutscher 120). 1984 is based in a society where
For many readers, the ending of George Orwell’s 1984 is a kick to the gut. Throughout the novel George Orwell teases the audience with the idea that there was going to be some sort of happy ending, and that Winston as an individual could live his life without control of the Party. In the end, he becomes brainwashed just like every other member of society. However, as readers we should have been able to pick up that the real end came in the beginning. When Winston began writing in that journal it was the beginning of the end for him and although he claims he won the victory over himself, the only real victor, in reality, is the Party. Orwell uses the book, and specifically the last chapter, to give a warning of what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society under complete control of the government.
The Oxford Dictionary gives five different definitions of the meaning of “politics.” One definition is: “activities within an organization that are aimed at improving someone’s status or position and are typically considered to be devious or divisive.” Another definition is: “a particular set of political beliefs or principles.” For a long time, politics has shaped the way that people write and think about life. Politics has been a major influence on literary works, such as Dante’s Inferno, Don Quixote, and Corinne, Or Italy, and in these works you get the chance to understand the political beliefs from the author’s point of view instead of from another character in the novel.
George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 follows the psychological journey of main character Winston. Winston lives in a utopian society called Oceania. There, the citizens are constantly monitored by their government coined “Big Brother” or “The Party”. In Oceania, there is no form of individuality or privacy. Citizens are also coerced to believe everything and anything the government tells them, even if it contradicts reality and memory. The goal of Big Brother is to destroy individual loyalties and make its citizenry only loyal to the government. In Orwell's novel 1984, he uses Winston's psychological journey to stress the dangers of individuality in a totalitarian regime because it can result in death. Winston’s overwhelming desire to rebel
I strongly agree with Fromm’s viewpoints and interpretations of Orwell’s 1984 text. He warns that the future federal powers will dehumanize society and leave everyone alienated. Thus, I agree with Fromm to the extent that he acknowledges the fact that humanity can indeed cease to exist as a result of our own self-destruction as well as the effect of our actions. Many of his opinions and warnings expressed by Orwell to an extent appear in contemporary society.
War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. The party slogan of Ingsoc illustrates the sense of contradiction which characterizes the novel 1984. That the book was taken by many as a condemnation of socialism would have troubled Orwell greatly, had he lived to see the aftermath of his work. 1984 was a warning against totalitarianism and state sponsored brutality driven by excess technology. Socialist idealism in 1984 had turned to a total loss of individual freedom in exchange for false security and obedience to a totalitarian government, a dysutopia. 1984 was more than a simple warning to the socialists of Orwell's time. There are many complex philosophical issues buried deep within Orwell's satire and fiction. It was an essay on personal freedom, identity, language and thought, technology, religion, and the social class system. 1984 is more than a work of fiction. It is a prediction and a warning, clothed in the guise of science fiction, not so much about what could happen as it is about the implications of what has already happened. Rather than simply discoursing his views on the social and political issues of his day, Orwell chose to narrate them into a work of fiction which is timeless in interpretation. This is the reason that 1984 remains a relevant work of social and philosophical commentary more than fifty years after its completion.
This bitterness and deep seated resentment has caused rifts in the country which have serious consequences on our daily lives as americans. Our concept of a debate has begun to change, becoming a brawl of words and lies as opposed to a contest of ideas weighed by pros and cons. While real issues
Dystopian novels are written to reflect the fears a population has about its government and they are successful because they capture that fright and display what can happen if it is ignored. George Orwell wrote 1984 with this fear of government in mind and used it to portray his opinion of the current government discretely. Along with fear, dystopian novels have many other elements that make them characteristic of their genre. The dystopian society in Orwell’s novel became an achievement because he utilized a large devastated city, a shattered family system, life in fear, a theme of oppression, and a lone hero.
America’s upper class has been getting richer since the past three decades, and we have still not found a way to stop this. We have been unable to find a way to distribute America’s wealth equally, so we can have a decent lower class and a good middle class. Inequality has caused many people to struggle in various ways, but their is alway another side to the story.
George Orwell’s book nineteen eighty-four was an opportunity to warn society about the dangers of control and where we as the future could be heading. This warning is about allowing the media to gain control of what is reality. In the novel Orwell uses literary devices, such as irony, paradox, and allusions. He introduces new linguistic concepts; doublespeak and newspeak. Implements propaganda techniques to suppress free thought and action. The most commonly known used by Party Members is doublespeak, to distort or obscure the actual meaning of words, embodies irony.
Humans, are gullible by nature, taking in what they think would make them feel or do good and so, through proper use of this weakness, politicians could gain a vantage point of how to lay down their platforms to gain the good side of the people. An example of this would be American 2016 Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's view on gun laws, and the NRA's response to it. By using the people's fear and reliance on guns, these political propagandas reached out to the public, targeting their own feelings about these gun laws for their own advantages. Furthermore, drama also comes in handy. If you're a victim, you shall be favored.