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Orwell's views on totalitarianism
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Totalitarianism in George Orwell 1984
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Senior Thesis In the novel 1984, published in 1949 by George Orwell, he uses manipulation through language as a weapon of psychological control and abuse of power. “Psychological manipulation the Party uses on the citizens is one of the first themes Orwell exposes in this dystopian society” (Bartleby). The control of language is centralized in the Party; therefore, the Party alters the structure of language to make it impossible for an individual to be disobedient or capable of rebellious thoughts because there are no words which to think them. This idea reveals itself to the people of Oceania as the language of Newspeak, which the Party originated to substitute English. The Party is continuously filtering and perfecting Newspeak …show more content…
for the crucial goal of no one being able to conceptualize anything to question the Party’s absolute power. The Party not only uses manipulation of mind control but physical control begins to take place; the party does not only control what people think, but what they do every day of their lives. Orwell’s most critical message is that language is the central importance to Lewis 2 human thought because it structures and limits the ideas of individuals to express their emotion. The Party subjects citizens in the society to present signs declaring, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell).
Most citizens view Big Brother as a father figure and feel safe with them. Big Brother is the ultimate figure used through technology of the telescreen to maintain the Party’s power. The Thought Police have telescreens in every house and public area along with hidden microphones and spies to catch anyone with the potential of threatening the sanctity of the Party. The citizens do not have the power to turn off telescreens, but only dim the sound. The telescreens represent how the Party is always watching and controlling your thoughts and actions. The telescreen is constantly sending messages and propaganda to citizens so they will have no time for independent thought. The propaganda is designed to make the Party look as glorious and successful as possible. The citizens think the Party is a necessity for doing well but in reality, the people are better off without them. Citizens are forced to treat sex as a job, lose any sexual desire, and beget children for the purpose of new, loyal Party members. The Party rids the foundation of families by letting the children into the Junior Spies. The children are brainwashed by the Party and encourages them to spy on their parents or any adult for thoughtcrime. The Party watches for any sign of disobedience or disloyalty to the Party and reacts consequently. Winston wishes to overthrow the Party …show more content…
after Lewis 3 having a conversation with an old man about life before the Revolution.
Winston begins to think the Party is purposely weakening people’s memories in order to terminate the possibilities for citizens to challenge what the Party claims about the present. If no one can remember life before the Revolution, then no one can believe the Party has failed. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth where the falsification of history takes place. He buys a diary, which is extremely illegal, to write that he understands how but not why. Winston begins to recall things from his past such as when the Party said that Oceania had never been an alliance with Eurasia but Winston remembers otherwise. “The Party said that Oceania had never been in alliance with Eurasia. He, Winston Smith, knew that Oceania had been in alliance with Eurasia as short a time as four years ago” (Orwell). Winston could use the knowledge he has to question the Party but the Party does not look forward to being questioned. The Party wants complete control of citizens, so they cannot have that control if the citizens know the history of where they lived or life before the
Revolution. He meets a dark-haired woman named Julia that he has a love affair with. Winston receives a note from Julia that says, “I love you”. They plan to meet up and they have sexual intercourse for the first time but will not be the last. Winston asks Mr. Charrington if he can rent a room above his shop for him and Julia to meet up. Mr. Charrington promises to tell no one. Winston feels this was a rebellion against the Party. “And what he wanted more even than to be loved, Lewis 4 was to break down that wall of virtue, even if it were only once in his whole life. The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thoughtcrime” (Orwell). The Party views any emotion as an act of rebellion which makes Winston want to continue doing it. Winston becomes fired up and cannot handle the thought of Big Brother controlling him. He realizes all of his frustration by writing on a piece of paper “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” and feels a connection with O’Brien. Winston and Julia’s rebellion reaches a climax when they meet O’Brien and he has the power to turn off a telescreen. Winston and Julia promised to each other in front of O’Brien they would never betray each other when they were caught by the Thought Police. If they did not betray each other they were “beating” the Party. Winston believes O’Brien and him are on the same side but in reality, he is a part of the Party. O’Brien and Julia are bombarded by the Thought Police after hearing the voice of Mr. Charrington come from a picture of a church. The picture is really a telescreen and the Party has been watching and listening to everything Julia and Winston have been saying and doing. O’Brien is the main operator of the Ministry of Love and that is where rebellious people like Winston and Julia are tortured. They are separated and Winston is pushed; not only pushed to his physical limit but his mental limit. While Winston is in jail he refuses to accept the morals and lifestyle of the Party that are being thrown in his face. O’Brien begins to explain that Winston has Lewis 5 learned how the Party operates, but now he is ready to learn why. O’Brien tortures him intellectually and assures him the Party will rule forever through fear and pain. Through the torture, starvation, threats, and bashing Winston refuses to accept the totalitarian ideas. “When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party. That is the fact that you have got to relearn, Winston” (Orwell). O’Brien introduces Room 101 to Winston which is where the worst thing in the world is. Every citizen who betrays the Party ends up in Room 101, which is the final stage of accepting Big Brother. O’Brien says. “The worst thing in the world varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive or death by fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it is some quite trivial thing, not even fatal” (Orwell). The scariest thing in the world waiting in Room 101 for Winston was rats. Winston’s face is fitted into a wire cage that contains large, rabid rats and if the doors open they will devour his face. Winston reached his breaking point because his fear of rats was greater than his love for Julia. Winston screams to O’Brien, "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what Lewis 6 you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!" (Orwell). Winston’s mental state has been completely broken down. O’Brien used the manipulation of language as a weapon through physiological control and abuse of power to brainwash Winston and the citizens of Oceania“No one cared what he did any longer, no whistle woke him, no telescreen admonished him” (Orwell). As tears trickled down the sides of his face he realized he had won the victory over himself; he loved Big Brother.
The book 1984, by George Orwell is based on the theory of “Big Brother” and how he is always watching you. In the book, the Oceania government controls their citizens by saying and ordering them into not doing certain things. Which then forced their citizens to deceive their government by going in to hiding. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, Japanese-Americans were ordered to do certain things as well. Both of these two events prove that the government can force their citizens to do anything under their power. I think some parts of the government abuse the right of their power and manipulate their citizens into doing unlawful events.
Throughout the rising action, Winston recalls his memories and fails to remember a period after the revolution when Oceania has not been at war. He relives a season about four years from modern times when Oceania had been at war with Eastasia rather than Eurasia; that has been wiped from the memories of the people due to their current circumstances. Winston deviates with what the government claims has happened in the past, yet “… the Party [can] thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened, that, surely, [is] more terrifying than mere torture and death” (34). In order for the people to believe that the past as they remember it is inaccurate they must have a sense of ignorance about them. The Party favors naive members of society because it makes it much easier to change the past; therefore, increasing their strength. Furthermore, Winston has become accustomed to living in the type of environment where he pretends to trust everything the party expresses. Many characters in the novel are ignorant enough to forever be oblivious to reality; meanwhile, those possessing intelligence will inevitably catch on sooner or later. Winston has lunch with his comrade Syme when he realizes that “…Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like
In 1984, the manipulation of the body is an effective practice that oppresses a population. The Party maintains absolute control over Oceania’s citizens by manipulating their physical state to better repress them. This leads to them being more about their own pain and physical well being, thus distracting them from the suffering that is happening in the world around them, and distracting them from thought of rebellion. The Party uses physical manipulation via overworking them to exhaustion and torture methods.The Party keeps their citizens in a state of exhaustion as they are easier to control, as the narrator explains while Winston works in the Ministry of Truth:
Today’s modern world may not be exactly like 1984, but there are some issues that are very similar to it. Some of the biggest issues that is becoming compromised today is the issue of privacy, which in the book 1984 was something that the people did not have much of because of things like telescreens. Not only is our privacy compromised but the government is also being too controlling. Ways today’s privacy is being compromised are through things like game consoles, phones, social media, and drones and not only is our being compromised through these things but the government is also gaining too much control by compromising our privacy.
Firstly, O’Brien, a member of the inner party, uses technology to accomplish complete control over the public through the means of telescreens, hidden microphones and torture machines, ‘Any sound that Winston made… could be picked up by [the telescreen]. [Winston] could be seen as well as heard’. This emphasises to the reader the extent of control that the party can exercise over the public, enabling them to eliminate any potential rebels. Furthermore, this loss of freedom and individuality exterminates any real friendship, family or love forcing the public to turn to Big Brother for companionship. This in turn minimises the chance of rebellion as everyone views Big Brother as a figure of comfort and security, ‘As he seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector…’ O’Brien also uses a torture machine on Winston, ‘[He] had never loved [O’Brien] so deeply as at this moment’. This machine enables O’Brien to manipulate Winston’s views, personal opinions and even feelings. O’Brien is able to make Winston view the world as he wants him to, even to the extent of making Winston love him, his tormentor, the person inflicting the pain. ...
George Orwell’s key objective throughout his novel, 1984, was to convey to his readers the imminent threat of the severe danger that totalitarianism could mean for the world. Orwell takes great measures to display the horrifying effects that come along with complete and dominant control that actually comes along with totalitarian government. In Orwell’s novel, personal liberties and individual freedoms that are protected and granted to many Americans today, are taken away and ripped from the citizen’s lives. The government takes away freedom and rights from the people so that the ruling class (which makes up the government), while reign with complete supremacy and possess all power.
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.
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.
Every single place Winston goes, even his own home, he is under constant surveillance by the Party through telescreens. Wherever he looks he sees the omniscient leader of the Party known as Big Brother. The Party’s supremacy
Fowler equates the short and abbreviated language of Newspeak to the language that the media uses in today’s world. These examples were useful in helping me understand his interpretation of Orwell’s purpose better because of how tangible and relatable his examples were. However, Fowler also interpreted the text in relation to the time period that 1984 was written. Because technology was not as developed then, Fowler uses other media platforms, such as newspapers and articles, to convey Orwell’s message within the context of his time. Fowler’s examples and analysis made me realize how accurately Orwell foreshadowed the way media can manipulate information. Although his prediction that the world may be governed by totalitarian governments did not pan out, Orwell’s prediction of the development of media and its use of abbreviated language and short concise titles to convey ambiguous yet influential messages was generally accurate. Fowler’s analysis also helped me to better understand the purpose of Newspeak in the novel. While I was reading 1984, it was clear to me that Newspeak was a symbol of power and a platform through which the Party controlled what information was being relayed to the public. However, the analysis that the people of Oceania internalized the language in a way that made them into machines without individual thought was something new to me. Overall, Fowler’s essay was very convincing and helped to expand my knowledge of Newspeak and what it
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in the past yet seems to show very interesting parallels to some of today’s societies. Orwell explains many issues prominent throughout the book in which his main characters attempt to overcome. He shows how surveillance can easily corrupt those in control and how those in control become corrupt by the amount of power. Those with power control the society and overpower all those below. The novel shows what could potentially happen to our current society if power ends up leading to corruption.
The satirical dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’’ by George Orwell was composed to express what life would be like in London if under totalitarian rule. One controlling method is to obliterate ‘Oldspeak’ and in place use ‘Newspeak’ in order to control the country. Newspeak is the official subliminal language of Oceania and is based on the principles of Ingsoc. Newspeak has three different classes and is used to control and manipulate the population of Oceania to make them passive and oblivious to what the government is actually doing, but more importantly to ensure they cannot oppose the government or commit Doublethink or Crimethink. The government has implored a range of methods to do this, but the language of Newspeak is the most effective.
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.
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