Examples Of Government Control In George Orwell's 1984

590 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The governments power and control in george orwells book 1984

In George Orwell’s 1984, an extreme example of government control evolving from common government forms of Orwell’s time, serves as a warning of the effects of methods used to obtain control and the effects of total government control in itself. The main character, Winston, experiences and observes many aspects of these methods, and appears frightened by the Party itself, mainly because of his opposition and memories. He tries greatly to hide and disguise his uniqueness by attempting to blend in, but eventually his differences must and do emerge, silently and then suddenly. As the protagonist develops, another character aids him in the finding of his voice to achieve the rebellion against the Party. The fear of Thoughtcrime makes Winston …show more content…

The aging man works in the Ministry of Truth to “correct” and essentially rewrite history; however, unlike his other coworkers he remembers vividly the changes he makes and past memories of his personal life. While in a state of paranoia, induced by being watched by a young girl who he believes to belong to the thought police, Winston mentions how, “terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when [...] in any public place or within range of a telescreen” (62). The main character’s differences and memories cause an internal struggle, because of not being able to release and talk about the truth in fear of the consequence, more than likely death. The reader observes the Ministry of Truth worker’s fear of being constantly watched and discovered for what goes on in his mind, which his actions of being aware of his facial expressions, comments made on fellow citizens, writing in diary, knowledge of the location of telescreens and more clearly show. The fear of the Party runs through all of Oceania, but Winston carries a much tougher fear and ability leading to a greater internal struggle eventually having to burst

Show More
Related

  • Government Power in 1984, by George Orwell

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Big Brother Control In The Book 1984

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine living under a complete totalitarianism government, where everything is controlled by the government, all political, social and economic activities. The movements by the people in the society will be monitored by telescreens, people who have thoughts against or who are speaking out against the party or government will be prosecuted by the thought police. In George Orwell’s book 1984, the party has multiple methods of how to control the people using big brother to create fear, the telescreens to watch the movement of the people in the society and lastly the thought police to prosecute anyone who is against/speaking out against Big brother and the party. In the book 1984, the author uses the futuristic setting to craft the theme that

    Read More

  • Winston’s Struggle in 1984

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Government Control and Privacy Issues in 1984 by George Orwell

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Struggle is Imminent

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Winston is confronted with struggle throughout the entirety of George Orwell`s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Living within a totalitarian regime subsequently causes Winston to seek approaches for dealing with such abundant oppression; he finds liberation through self-awareness, understanding and ultimately rebellion. First, Winston realizes that “if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself”, alluding to the notion of thoughtcrime (162). This recognition exemplifies the complete cognizance that Winston has regarding the oppressive society displayed throughout the novel. Next, Syme states “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words”, alluding to the idea of Newspeak (28). This statement directly correlates to Winston speaking with other party members to gain knowledge about how others feels about policies deployed by the government. This information-seeking also connects with Winston`s rebellion, as he actively searched for others to join his uprising, which is shown when Winston tells O’Brien “We want to join [The Brotherhood]” (171). Winston’s attempt to join a rebellious organization exhibits his evident desire to release his suppressed emotions. Winston devises a very methodical approach to deal with the problematic society he resides in.

    Read More

  • Betrayal In George Orwell's 1984

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    The constant theme of betrayal in 1984 is being used by George Orwell to show how hopeless Winston’s struggle against the Totalitarian system is, giving the reader an idea of how bad this type of government is. The reader is introduced to this dark time and given hope in the form of the rebellious protagonist, Winston. However, the reader soon realises how hopelessly alone Winston is in his silent battle when they see that the government is against him, he has no support or allies, and that even his own mind can be turned against him. The message is clear and makes readers who live in a democracy happier with what they have.

    Read More

  • 1984 by George Orwell: The End of Freedom of Speech

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the novel 1984, George Orwell predicts the world’s future, when human rights, such as freedom of speech, do not exist anymore. Everyone has to obey the government. The government controls its citizens’ lives. No one speaks up against the government yet because they do not even have a chance to make up a thought about it. The government dominates the citizens’ thoughts by using technologies and the thought polices to make sure no one will have any thoughts, that is against the government. George Orwell wrote:“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows,” (Orwell.2.7.69) the government tries to control Winston knowledge and change it to fit into the purpose of the Party. To Winston, O’Brien said: “Whatever the Party holds to be truth is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party.” (Orwell.3.2.205). As a citizen, no one get to look at or tal...

    Read More

  • The Themes Of Individualism In George Orwell's 1984

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    George Orwell uses Winston to represent truth in a deceptive world in his novel 1984. In Oceania, Big Brother is the omnipotent and all powerful leader. Everything the government dictates is unquestionably true, regardless of prior knowledge. Even thinking of ideas that go against Big Brother’s regime, or thoughtcrime, is punishable by death. Winston serves as the dystopian hero, longing for freedom and change. Orwell uses Winston to emphasize the importance of individual freedoms, as they give us the ability to fulfillingly lead our respective lives.

    Read More

  • Government Control In 1984 By George Orwell's 1984

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 1984 Winston Smith Hero

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this dystopian society where the freedom of thought is prohibited, Winston makes his first move in acting against the government by secretly documenting his defiant thoughts in a diary in the alcove of his apartment, even though he knows that “if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twentyfive years in a forced-labour camp” (Orwell, 9). Rather than conforming to the tyrannical regulations of Oceania and living a thought-free and obedient life, Winston rebelliously defies the Party by recording his recalcitrant ideas and disobeying the rules. Despite knowing the foreseeable consequences of his actions, Winston heroically resists the leaders of society, even if it is only personally in his own home. Furthermore, Winston dedicates his diary to rebellion, as he writes “to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone—to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone” (Orwell, 35).

    Read More

  • Control In The Book 1984 By George Orwell

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is the job of workers in the ministry of truth to make sure “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted”(195). Thus, the past is bluffed in order to control the present, but even Winston explores his memory in an attempt to reconnect with the past. He in fact believes the past holds the answers to the Party’s rise. Their ongoing theory is that the only way to control the past is to control the future.

    Read More

  • Control And Manipulation In George Orwell's 1984

    457 Words  | 1 Pages

    Figures such as George Orwell have used the concept of how the future will be shaped to not entertain the audience, but to warn and give knowledge on how the future will be like if we continue our current actions. In 1984 by George Orwell, Orwell created a dystopian future in which totalitarianism rained and individualism was no more. The novel takes place in Oceania and the people living there are controlled by Ingsoc. Ingsoc controls everything and sees everything that it made sure to turn facts into questionable reality, but could be altered at any moment by Big Brother and the party. Ingsoc did not change society in Oceania, but demolished it by creating its own.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984 By George Orwell

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    George Orwell writes a dystopian fiction novel called 1984. In 1984, Orwell presents an overbearing dictatorship that is addressed by the government that deprives its citizens of having basic rights. Orwell writes this novel to show what happened when with a loss of voice of judgment in politics. Also Orwell shows how having a voice in government is important. In 1984, Orwell presents warnings about totalitarianism and the revision of history through the novel.

    Read More

  • The Psychoanalysis of 1984

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the end of the novel, Orwell describes Winston as a cured patient who has over come his metal disease. “He had won the victory over himself: he loved Big Brother” (Part 3, Chapter 6). Both Freud and Orwell break down the components of a person’s mind in the same way. Orwell’s character, Winston, depicts the different parts of the human mind so described by Freud. In Orwell’s 1984, he uncovers the same components of a human mind as seen by Freud, the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego.

    Read More

  • George Orwell's 1984: The Oppression Of Totalitarian Regime

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is 1949 in the Soviet Union, and Joseph Stalin is running one of the most oppressive regimes in human history. In order to further reaffirm his control over the citizens of the USSR, he bans books left and right, not letting the public get their hands on criticisms and new ideas as he fears being overthrown. Many authors in the region try to develop satire against the regime without directly criticizing it. One of these authors is George Orwell, who at the time had witnessed the oppression of totalitarian regimes like that of the Soviet Union. Orwell wrote 1984 to warn people about the injustices of totalitarian regimes.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Government Control In George Orwell's 1984

Open Document