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Literary analysis of 1984
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In George Orwell’s novel 1984, there are many powerful compelling themes such as the idea of having vast amounts of power, similar to an oligarchy, the concept of mind control, and finally the theory of War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. These three topics are all genuinely relevant to the Mongolian empire, and how Genghis Khan became one of the most influential and robust leaders of all time with similar actions of the party in the novel of 1984, but their power would be less prevailing if they did not have the support from a band of illiterate people. The idea of an Oligarchy is very prevalent in the novel 1984 with the theory of a small group of people running the territory of Oceania. This small group is known …show more content…
as the party, the party has complete and total control over the people of Oceania, the people have little to no say because if they disagree or think otherwise of the party’s views they will be executed or imprisoned. Orwell states in Goldstein’s book that most regimes fail because they seek power but not absolute power and with absolute power you cannot fail. The party does a good job controlling power and they have no competition or chance of losing power because of the lack of education in the proles. The party is quite comparable to the Mongolian Empire and Genghis Khan because in 1209 Khan had launched a major initiative to gain land to help acquire more power. Khan had many followers known as Khan’s childhood which is similar to the proles in 1984. The proles blindly followed the actions of the party which is what the childhood did in the early 1200’s, Khan’s war tactics were extremely savage and barbaric and the childhood continued to praise his actions because they felt secure with their lack of education. Another significant approach is the use of mind control in the novel of 1984, the party used the concept of doublethink. When the party used doublethink which is accepting contrary opinions and beliefs at the same time, they had a goal which was to manipulate the minds of the less intelligent. This became very successful in their society and helped them gain power because what they did was always “right” in the minds of the proles. Also when an unordinary prole was to act abnormal and go against the party they would be captured by the thought police for thought crimes and face crimes they would be captured and before the party would execute them or imprison them they would go out of their way to brainwash their mind to believe in the party’s ways and one example is when Winston is captured and O’Brien teaches him that 2+2=5 when clearly it equals 4. As time progressed and the torture became more baneful it would change the views of the imaginative and wise people. During the Mongolian take over in the west Khan did not have many followers in the early stages of his domination.
He would promise people better lives and that they would be more prosperous if they would consider his ways. Many joined because of the constant war of the surrounding nations and needed the hope of prosperity. As time progressed and the Mongolian Empire became more successful and powerful with many followers including: Christians, Muslims and Buddhist. The mind control in Khan’s regime was a little more subtle, he started by gaining his followers and promising them success but this was only possible by influencing his people to destroy everything and the only way to be completely victorious is to annihilate everything within other villages and countries. At first people were fleeing the acts of war but when the joined Khan the slowly became apart of dominant empire and eventually overlooked all other countries of the west. Khan later became known as Chinggis Khan or Universal ruler after vanquishing all rivals of the …show more content…
west. The three important paradoxes of 1984 are War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is Strength.
Oceania is constantly at war with other two super states, but the proles are aware of the war but also act like there is constant peace as well due to what the party brainwashes them with. Freedom is slavery is supposed to discourage people from seeking individual freedom because even in democratic governments when people have the mindset they are free they actually known as currency slaves which means they have to work to survive but still can have the things they own taken away if they do not pay taxes to the government. Last but not least ignorance is strength, this shows the importance of the proles. Oceania is 80% proles and they help lead the revolution because they are blind followers. These three paradoxes are all examples of doublethink which were created by the government, the lack of education in the society is what makes the party so fortunate. The event of the hate week is to regain the support of the proles to increase the hatred of the current enemy of the party which is always
changing. The universal leader of the west, Khan, had ideas similar to 1984’s hate week. The only difference in Khan’s views and ideologies was that he hated all nations at once. He wanted to obliterate all countries to leave himself the most authoritative leader of all time. He used the idea of “War is Peace” to conquer all nations to have the most upright respect until his death in 1227, by conquering the nations of the west he was left with no competitors which left peace within his conquered land in the west (See Figure 1) In conclusion, George Orwell’s novel 1984, has many powerful compelling themes such as the idea of having vast amounts of power, similar to an oligarchy, the concept of mind control, and finally the theory of War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. These three topics are all comparable to the Mongolian empire, and how Genghis Khan became the universal leader of the west. Khan and the party of Oceania had similar concepts to gain and maintain power, the blind followers for both factions most definitely helped reach the peak of the power in the Mongolian empire and in Oceania.
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is a dystopian literary text that illuminates the tenets of totalitarian and authoritarian governance in most areas where the leaders seek total loyalty and near hero worship. It was published in 1949, but has since remained relevant because its details promoted authoritarian political constructs and the political leadership concepts that evolved in the globe over time. Set at Oceania province in Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, the book displays an omnipresent government that institutes constant state surveillance on the people that it suspects to be a threat to its regime and agitators of rebellion. It infringes on human rights
Instead, the Oceania government brainwashed their citizens into believing everything they had to say. The citizens of Oceania were convinced that Big Brother was always watching, the Thought Police could at any moment in time catch you for thinking something unlawful, or knowing there was nothing illegal, but if caught it would end in death or twenty-five years in a forced labor camp. 9. The Oceania society was not allowed to have thoughts or even opinions knowing their government has the capability of punishing them.
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:
It is clear that the government of Oceania in 1984 is self-serving, existing not to benefit its citizens or the elite Party members, but existing purely to exist and grow. Perhaps the most clear indication of this was O’Brien explaining the Party’s motives while torturing Winston. O’Brien explains that “the Party seeks power only for its own sake” and that “the object of power is power.” (185) This clearly indicates that the government of Oceania, a totalitarian state, seeks power not to improve the lives of citizens, but for power
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.
The military exploits of the Mongols under Ghengis Khan as well as other leaders and the ruthless brutality that characterized the Mongol conquests have survived in legend. The impact of the invasions can be traced through history from the different policies set forth to the contributions the Mongols gave the world. The idea of the ruthless barbarian’s intent upon world domination will always be a way to signify the Mongols. Living steadfast upon the barren steppe they rode out of Mongolia to pursue a better life for their people.
In George Orwell’s 1984, the strategies used by Oceania’s Political Party to achieve total control over the population are similar to the ones employed by Joseph Stalin during his reign. Indeed, the tactics used by Oceania’s Party truly depicts the brutal totalitarian society of Stalin’s Russia. In making a connection between Stalin’s Russia and Big Brothers’ Oceania, each Political Party implements a psychological and physical manipulation over society by controlling the information and the language with the help of technology.
In the novel 1984, Orwell produced a social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia that made the world pause and think about our past, present and future. When reading this novel we all must take the time to think of the possibility that Orwell's world could come to pass. Orwell presents the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control of the people of Oceania. The reader experiences the emotional ride through the eyes of Winston Smith, who was born into the oppressive life under the rule of Ingsoc. Readers are encouraged through Winston to adopt a negative opinion on the idea of communist rule and the inherent dangers of totalitarianism. The psychological manipulation and physical control are explored through Winston's journey, and with Winston's resistance and ultimate downfall, the reader is able to fully appreciate O'Briens reasoning, "Power is not a means, it is an end."
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.
In a 1984 book by George Orwell, the government is run by Big Brother, whose face is plastered everywhere in Oceania.. Oceania is a society that is run by the government who is in full control of how their people think and even the actions they perform. Many mechanisms of control are used by Big Brother in order to keep the people of Oceania oppressed, by any means necessary including physical means, language, technology and control of information and history. “History" is an important theme in 1984.Orwell’s novel reads like a history book.1984 was written to forewarn readers that the world of Oceania would be the future, if people fail to learn lessons reveals by major historical events and figures such as World War 1 and 2,Hitler,Stalin, and Mussolini.
The fictional world of 1984 is best described as bleak. In the aftermath of the fall of capitalism and nuclear war, the world has been divided among three practically identical totalitarian nation-states. The novel takes place in London, which has become a part of Oceania, the nation state comprising the Americas and western Europe. A state of perpetual war and poverty is the rule in Oceania. However, this is merely a backdrop, far from the most terrifying aspect of life in 1984. Oceania is governed by a totalitarian bureaucracy, personified in the image of Big Brother, the all-knowing/ all-seeing godlike figure that represents the government. Big Brother is best described as a "totalitarian socialist dictator, a political demagogue and religious cult leader all rolled into one." So great is the power of Big Brother that the reader is unsure whether he actually exists or is simply a propaganda tool of the government. The party of Big Brother, Ingsoc (English Social...
Like Nazi Germany, the government in 1984 also uses propaganda to control the people in Oceania. On page 72 “And so it was with every class of recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain.” This quote shows that the Party controls the whole society where even people’s memories are being
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 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.
In the world of 1984 readers are shown a possible future where government has complete and unchallenged control of the people. The Party exert complete domination over every aspect of the citizen’s lives.There is not a single thing that is not under the Party. Feelings, history, language, statistics, and even human nature are all monitored and limited by Party. The citizens of Oceania don’t even have the decision to fight, they must either obey or die. The intentions of the Oceania government weren’t for the people, but instead for the government. They looked out for what was best for the government, not what was best for the people. Propaganda constantly state how rich and prosperous Oceania is all the time even though the true conditions show buildings are not cared for and resources are sparse.