The book 1984 and the movie Brazil are very similar in some areas and different in others. The main characters in each story share almost identical traits, views and actions. Aside from the main characters being parallel, other aspects in the novel and movie are comparable. The two main subjects are depicted in each are government with absolute control and the people living under it. The novel and the movie portray how life or the future would look like if the government had absolute and complete control over citizen’s lives. They picture life under the government control in detail by describing everyday life of two men. Winston Smith who is the main character in the 1984 novel has a very complicated personality. A man named, Sam Lowry, is the lead character in the movie Brazil, but his personality is rather simple. What joins the two right from the beginning is that they are employees of their government. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth where history is rewritten to fit the needs of the government, Big Brother. (1984) Sam works for the Ministry of Information. (Brazil) Winston from the beginning questions the role of the government even though he should be completely controlled by Big Brother, when Sam at first is overall happy with his job and life. Winston believes that the unfair nature of the government is wrong and he wants to rebel against it. There are many different ways that Winston shows his rebellious goals. At the beginning of the novel, he starts by writing in journal, which is strictly forbidden by the Party. While he writes, his dislike towards the Party is so great that he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”. (1984) At first this scares him but he becomes braver and repeats wr... ... middle of paper ... ... (film)." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. . C, Court. "Movie analysis: Brazil - by Court C - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "NovelGuide: 1984: Theme Analysis." Novelguide: Free Study Guides, Free Book Summaries, Free Book Notes, & More. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "The Horrors of Government Control essays." MegaEssays.com - Over 85,000 essays, essays and term papers available for instant access!!. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "SparkNotes: 1984: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .
In “1984,” Orwell uses Winston to portray a single individual’s attempt to take action against a powerful government, culminating in his failure and subjugation. His individual efforts failed tremendously due to the overarching power of the Party to control every aspect of social life in Oceania. Orwell uses Winston’s deeply seated hatred of the Party to portray his views on power and social change. Winston’s actions show that even in the direst of situations ...
...es of individuals can be used to explore a broader social wrong, in this case the injustice of a totalitarian government. Both authors use their protagonists to depict how a dictatorial state can destroy all sense of individuality, Orwell by presenting Winston in his fight against “The Party” and Niccol by depicting Vincent in his battle against society. Both authors also use individuals, who must isolate themselves in order to survive to expose how an unjust authoritative government can manufacture isolation. Orwell and Niccol also present conflicting views on the possibility of individual rebellion in an oppressive society, reflected by the success of Vincent and failure of Winston. In their prophetic dystopian texts both George Orwell and Andrew Niccol use the experiences of their protagonists to explore the broad social wrong of a totalitarian government.
Winston Smith is a thirty-nine year old man who participates in a group of the “outer-party,” which is the lower part of the two classes. Smith works in one of the four main government buildings. This building is called the Ministry of Truth; his job is to rewrite history books so those that read them will not learn what the past used to be like. The occupation Winston is the major factor that allows him to realize that Big Brother is limiting people’s freedom. He keeps these thoughts to himself as secrets because the totalitarian party will not allow those of rebellious thoughts around. The tensions between the two grow throughout the book because the Big Brother becomes very suspicious of Winston. The Big Brother becomes so suspicious of Winston that he sends a person by the name O’Brien, to watch over him. Mr. O’Brien is a member of the “inner party,” which in this book is the upper-class. Winston doesn't know of the trap that Big Brother had set tells O’Brien of his own idea and plans. He tells Winston of a rebellious leader that has been rounding up those that want to go against the totalitarian government. But like the Big Brother had done, he set a trap and O’Brien betrayed Winston. During the story the conflict between Big Brother and Winston climaxes when Winston is caught. He is taken to some sort of bright underground prison type
George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.
... way about the world I live in, and who is controlling it. I loved how the use of such brutal twists created a sense of realism, turning a book with an extremely fictitious story, into what the world may look like in the near future. But a part of me wished I had never read it. Books like these cause me to over-think, to over analyse the world around me. Ever since I picked up 1984 I have constantly thought “I wonder what the government is doing now? Are they working to better our society or finding ways to better control it?” A part of me wishes I could go back in time and warn myself that this book will cause me to be slightly paranoid for a couple of weeks. However, I’m glad I read 1984. It is a marvellously constructed text that had left me asking questions and has altered my perception about the capacity for betrayal by governments and even individual citizens.
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.
The conflict between Winston and Big Brother starts from the beginning of the novel when Winston begins to keep his secret diary about Big Brother. Winston Smith is a third-nine years old man who is a member of the 'outer-party'--the lower of the two classes. Winston works for the government in one of the four main government buildings called the ministry of Truth where his job is to rewrite history books in order for people not to learn what the past used to be like. Winston's occupation is the major factor which lets him to realize that Big Brother is restricting people's freedom. However, Winston keeps his complains about Big Brother and the party for his own secret because the party will not allow anyone keeping a rebellious thought. The tension between them gets serious when Big Brother becomes suspicious of Winston. Winston is therefore watched by O'Brien, an intelligent execute at the 'Ministry of Truth', who is a member of the 'inner party'--the upper class. Without doubting Big Brother's trap, Winston shares his ideas with O'Brien. O'Brien mentions a gentleman named Emmanuel Goldstein whom he claims to know the leader of the rebels against the party. O'Brien also promises to help winston, and promises him a copy of Goldstein's book. But O'Brien betrays him as Big Brother has planned.
Works Cited for: Orwell, George. 1984. The 'Standard' of the ' London: Penguin Books, 2008. Print. The.
middle of paper ... ... Due to the travesty of 9/11 society today lives in post 9/11 fear where citizens want protective polices in place but don't want those actions used against them. What government has done is manipulate this fear, while 1984 helps those who welcomed intrusive surveillance question this as another form of government manipulation to bolster government power over its citizens. Ultimately, common ideas found in the novel 1984, totalitarianism, surveillance, and lack of privacy are also ubiquitous in modern society and government.
1984 is about a totalitarian form of government that has taken over the country of Oceania. In this country, Big Brother controls all. He is the leader of The Party, which is the only form of leadership present in Oceania. A mystery that presents itself throughout the book, is whether or not Big Brother, the person, does or ever actually existed. Everything The Party does, ...
An important motif that emerges in the first three chapters of 1984 is that of urban decay. Under the supposedly benign guidance of the Party, London has fallen apart. Winston's world is a nasty,
5. Mackey, Erin Shelby, (ed. “Fahrenheit 451, Themes.” Gradsaver, 16 October 2005 web. 16 February 2011.
The government portrayed in the book as well as in the film is referred to as “Big Brother” the mastermind of establishing a totalitarian government. A totalitarian government is a single party that rules over everything and is superior to everyone. The totalitarian government was created to prevent corruption in the society and keep the people believing in what “Big Brother” wants them to believe. “Big Brother” kept the society in believing his reality by intimidation and brain washing. Also the lack of privacy was enforced by the use of surveillance like system known as the tele. The involvement of the government helped in conforming and controlling the society.
Lynch, Sean. " 1984: An Alternative Analysis of the Classic Dystopian Novel. " Understanding the Weakness of the. WordPress.com, 9 Sept. 2012.
In 1984, Orwell makes excellent use of symbolism to further enhance the novel's theme and to reveal character. He wrote 1984 as a political message to warn future generations about the dangers of totalitarian societies. He relays this message through various themes and characters, in turn utilizes powerful symbols to give them further significance. His symbolism is very vast but it can be classified into three categories: characters, places and objects.