1984 Technology Analysis

Technology in 1984 In the book 1984, technology is seen all throughout the book. In fact, its importance to the whole story is greater than you may think. In the book the party uses technology to maintain control over its citizens. They use it to monitor people, control and alter sources of information, and inflict torture upon those they deem enemies.

One piece of technology most commonly mentioned in 1984 is the telescreen. A telescreen is an, “… oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror… the instrument could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely. The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound… made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained

To summarize, the telescreen is a version of a flat screen television, with a built in camera and microphone. It is used by the Thought Police to constantly monitor the people of Oceania. Because of the constant observation, the telescreen effectively imprisons the citizens of Oceania. Therefore, it is safe to assume that without telescreens, the Thought Police would have never caught Winston, and he never would have gone through “reeducation”. In fact, if there weren’t telescreens, the party may have been overthrown by the time Winston’s story starts.

The other thing that the party does, is alter information to suit their views and needs. They don't only alter history, but also dictate the information they want people to know. The Party does not allow the people to have pictures or documents (such as diaries) of the past. As a result, many people’s memories become ‘fuzzy’ and unreliable; people become willing to believe whatever the Party tells them. The party does this to exercise more control over the people of Oceania, because they believe, "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past" (Orwell 39). By controlling the

The one who brainwashes him is O’Brien. As O’Brien brainwashes him, he subjects him to great pain using a device known only as the “dial”. The book doesn’t inform the reader exactly how the pain is inflicted; only that the level of pain is consistent with the needle as it rises and falls. The device allowed O’Brien to gradually increase the pain during the questioning and brainwashing sessions. When the device was first used, Winston felt as though, “…his body was being wrenched out of shape, the joints were being slowly torn apart” (Orwell 268). During the questioning, whenever Winston lied or gave an unsatisfactory answer, O’Brien would turn the dial to a number. The other device O’Brien uses is never given a name in the book, although it is hinted at to the reader. It allows him to read the thoughts of Winston during the