If the government controlled everything in life and didn't let people love, care, or have anything of value, would it be worth living? That's how life was under the watch of Big Brother, the ruler, in Oceania. The book 1984 by George Orwell follows the life of Winston Smith, who lives in Oceania, which is controlled by the Party and led by Big Brother. People are controlled by the party, who propagates propaganda, manages their lives, and demands loyalty to Big Brother. Although, Winston loves Julia, but loving her goes against the parties rules and leads to severe repercussions. In 1984, Orwell depicts a government that systematically undermines human dignity, serving as a cautionary tale against the perils of absolute control. Through the …show more content…
Telescreens, were “Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed -- no escape. Nothing was your own, except for the few cubic centimeters inside your skull” (27). They were constantly under surveillance by people around them, telescreens, and even hidden microphones, preventing people from doing anything against the parties rule. Still, this constant surveillance violates people's human dignity, freedom of privacy, and their freedom to do what they want. Although, Julia found ways to meet with Winston and pass him a note despite the surveillance and “At the sight of the words I love you the desire to stay alive had welled up in him, and the taking of minor risks suddenly seemed stupid” (109). Winston's discovery of the message “I love you” sparked hope in him, reminding him of his own humanity under the control of the party. In its desire for absolute control, the Party recognizes their love’s power to inspire hope among individuals. And as a response, it tries to remove this hope by undermining genuine emotional …show more content…
Their embrace was a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the party. It was a political act” (126). Their act of loving each other was a “political act” because it defied the government’s rules of ‘sexcrime’. Therefore, not only are they reclaiming their human rights, including the right to sexuality, which has been undermined by the Party, but they are also betraying their reverence for the government's authority. Although, this crime will get back at them as the government tries to take back control over them through torture, “but he had suddenly understood that in the whole world there was just one person to whom he could transfer his punishment -- one body that he could thrust between himself and the rats” (286). Party members tortured Winston, in their attempt to suppress his love for Julia. And they break him by bringing out his greatest fear, rats, making him betray the person they wanted him to, Julia. Betrayal was the only way out of the pain, and when he betrayed Julia, he was released back into the world because his love for Julia was gone; and he only had love for Big
The novel, 1984, by George Orwell, depicts a dystopian society where no freedom exists; not even the freedom of thought. The scene takes place in Oceania, a society in which the ruling power called “the Party” strictly controls everything people do: from the way they speak, to how they move, to their very own thoughts. Winston Smith, the main character of 1984, struggles through the day to day life of having to blend into the brainwashed citizens of Oceania, where monitors called telescreens record and analyze every little movement. Anyone not showing signs of loyalty and homogeneity become vaporized, or in other words, cease to exist and become deleted from history. Tired of his constricted life, Winston decides
As expected, the Party captures the couple and both are tortured by the Party in attempt to change their negative connotation surrounding Big Brother. Winston immediately confesses his crimes, although he still clings on to the hope and trust he has in his love for Julia which prevents him from giving into the Party’s initial torture. However, Winston does not expect the Party to be aware of the depth of his trust; it was their plan all along to capture Winston at the peak of his relationship with Julia, The Party captures Winston at that moment because they know that his trust in Julia is at an optimal level for exposure. By targeting that trust, the Party is able to stop that trust dead in their tracks and instead manipulate it towards Big Brother. Eventually, Winston follows this path and betrays Julia. The Party destroys his love by exposing his deepest fear of rats. This leads Winston to realize that his love for Julia is not all powerful and eternal since he is able to give it up so readily in order to save himself. After being released, Winston sees Julia and she describes that she betrayed him as well. She comments that in regards to the betrayal,
Winston finds a loophole to expressing his thoughts through writing in a journal. Since Big Brother is always watching everything that Winston does through telescreens, he cannot verbally express his feelings towards The Party without being caught. Living in a world full of mostly uniformity, Winston obviously stands out as a recalcitrant individual. Winston is fully exposed to The Party at all time, leaving him without any privacy. Winston uses his writing to express his individuality, but he does not even feel completely safe because “The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed--would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper--the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.” (15) Even when he is not expressing any opinion verbally, Winston is still in danger of being caught by the Thought Police, leading him to have a hatred and conflict with The Party because they do not allow him to express his individuality. Winston is never alone, even when he is physically alone, which diminishes his sense of any privacy. Winston’s invasion of privacy by The Party does not end with the telescreens. In Oceania, “In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between
In the novel 1984 ever since the beginning of the book propaganda has been used by The Party to have absolute control over its people. The Party used a varieties of techniques to maintain their power. The telescreens, child spies, and the thought police. It is made important that the first job of the Party is to break down self confidence in the people. They focus on destroying peoples confidence in their common sense, ability to make their own decision and intelligence. How they party does this is through what they call double think. This is propaganda suggesting that if the people are having other thoughts then what The Party says it is a crime because it isn’t what the “truth” is.
A totalitarian government is where one person controls everything and civilian rights are taken away. In George Orwell's novel, 1984, Winston lives under a totalitarian government. Throughout the novel, it is shown how the government controls everything and how the citizens of Oceania cannot exercise basic rights. Citizens in countries with this type of government, both past and present, are manipulated and every aspect of their lives are controlled. In the novel 1984, Oceania is controlled by a totalitarian government, which is similar to the system of Soviet Russia and North Korea because they use close monitoring and threats of war against their citizens.
The totalitarian government in 1984, The Party, regards love and sex as, “a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act,” it is an act that aims to change the social order of the Party, which may eliminate Big Brother‘s influence. Therefore, during the torture of the rebel protagonist Winston, The Party forces him to betray his lover, Julia to eradicate feelings of love for anyone that is not Big Brother. Winston is threatened with his biggest fear - rats - and during the torture he pleads, “do it to Julia… I don’t care what you do to her.” Rats are significant because they could be a metaphor for The Party’s influence. O’Brien - Winston’s torturer, explains that rats will “strip [children] to the bone… They show astonishing
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
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."
To start, the government in 1984 can be seen as self-serving with the use of physical control. For example, they force their party members to do physical exercise every single morning. In the book Orwell wrote, “The pain of the coughing fit had not quite driven out of Winston's mind the impression made by his dream, and the rhythmic movements of the exercise restored it somewhat. As he mechanically shot his arms back and forth, wearing on his face the look of grim enjoyment which was considered proper during the Physical Jerks, he was struggling to think his way backward into the dim period of his early childhood” ( Orwell Page 34). This quote shows how powerful and demanding The Party truly is. They can make people who do not like exercising,
Rebellion, protests and freedom is a thing of the present day and to a certain extent is a given right, but what would society be like without control of the people and with a Gruesome leader such as Big Brother? In 1984 by George Orwell, Big Brother cuts of all sense of privacy and puts in secret police in their lives to keep control of order and construction in Oceania. False memories influence the way of life and creates three kinds of people, those who believe and honor Big Brother himself, those who go on with life day by day doing what their told and people like Winston and Julia who want freedom and happiness.
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...
Yet, Winston and Julia commit this forbidden crime of love to rebel against the Party’s ideals. Their relationship begins as an act of rebellion but soon blossoms into a fulfilling love for one another. They take enormous risks to be together despite the consequences the two can endure. A strong bond can save someone from the hatred they feel, whether it be towards themselves or others. Specifically, Winston’s love for Julia only becomes stronger the more he spends time with her. He begins to feel carefree and satisfied in a society of conforming, emotionless people. Orwell illustrates the affect of love when he writes:
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
By enforcing these simple laws and regulations, the government is able to keep a tight grip on its people, with few ever releasing themselves from its grasp. Winston Smith, on the other hand, seeks to know the truth behind the government, he is constantly questioning everything and repressing all the ideas forced upon him. Winston “seeks truth and sanity, his only resources being the long denied and repressed processes of selfhood” (Feder 398). All identity is gone in this place called Oceania, and for the sake of Big Brother and its continuous control of the people, it will never exist again. In 1984, the absence of identity strips the people of all creativity and diversity, as well as takes away any chance the society has to advance as a people or in the area of technology.
Toxic Side Effect is a murder mystery story about Jennifer's father who passed away suddenly and suspiciously, leaving a lot of unanswered questions. From page 1 you can already gather that Jennifer is an impulsive person which is aggravated by her father being rushed to the hospital. Finally, when the worst thing Jennifer and her mother could think of happened - the death of a loving father and husband - everyone is puzzled by what the cause of his death was and who is responsible. After all, he was a very good father, a stand-up husband and everyone who knew him loved him, so who would do this to him? The answer is much more complicated than anyone could have expected.