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George Orwell uses the protagonist 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 change. Orwell uses Winston to emphasize the importance of individual freedoms, as they give us the ability to fulfillingly lead our individual lives.
In order to remain in power, the inner party must have complete rule over each of the citizens in Oceania. Totalitarianism is achieved when the citizens have surrendered their
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free will to the government; they must choose to obey the Party’s teachings. The government encourages this mindset through propaganda. Winston describes, “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It is one of those pictures which are so contrived that eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran,” (5). In psychology, one of the motivators is the ego; our conscious that makes us behave according to expectations . If one feels that they are being observed, he will be much more likely to behave according to society's standards. The poster is a constant reminder of this god-like figure watching over them. Any sane citizen would avoid punishment and the immense feelings of guilt by simply obeying Big Brother. PARAGRAPH CITING IMPORTANCE OF BIG BROTHER AS THE NAME OF THE FIGUREHEAD ADD AN INTRODUCTION The entire controlling power of the Party in Oceania stems from their slogans: “WAR IS PEACE,” “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,” and “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (7).
The juxtaposition of these terms obliterates their true meaning, an example of doublethink. (expand on this, perhaps in another paragraph and add “connective tissue”) Although these slogans may be oxymoronic by our connotations, for the citizens of Oceania they aare the utmost truth. Although war results in destruction and the loss of life, it provides peace because it provides socioeconomic security. By allowing the lower classes to constantly struggle in a state of wartime rations, more goods are available to the upper class. Freedom is a sign of individuality; it poses a threat to the hierarchy of society, and therefore results in punishment (slavery). For this reason, ignorance truly is strength. Today we often hear the cliché “ignorance is bliss.” Being unaware of all the injustices in the world is much simpler and safer than knowing the truth and accepting cruelty.
In nearly every aspect of life, the Party is in control. Even past events may be altered. For example, at Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue in Newspeak), he must edit old articles and other mediums that are no longer “true.” If an item in the past contradicts what the Party says is true, then it must be altered and all evidence must be destroyed. Winston
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explains: Do you realize that the past, starting from yesterday, has been actually abolished . . . Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right . . . The only evidence is inside my own mind, and I don't know with any certainty that any other human being shares my memories (128). This obstruction of truth is what allows the Party to stay in power. The Party can falsify any information they deem necessary, to the point where certain events never occurred and people never existed. Without any proof of this deception, the people have no choice but to accept these lies of truth. As Winston said, no one is certain of anything, including the present year. They live in a continuous present, therefore no advancements can truly occur. People cannot learn from the past, because there is no real past to judge. This fraudulence severely undermines human intelligence and the right of the people to know the truth. In order to avoid the possibility of revolt, the Party has eliminated all forms of emotion and expression, including love.
The ability to respect and care for one another is one of the things that makes us human. Love is also, to some extent, a biological requirement. We need love for proper psychological development and for reproduction. However, the Party has removed love because true love takes away love and loyalty to Big Brother. When they were hiding in the woods, Julia and Wilson agree, “If they could make me stop loving you – that would be the real betrayal… [But] It’s the one thing they can’t do. They can make you say anything – anything – but they can’t make you believe it. They can’t get inside you."(137). Emotional expression is innate in everyone; it gives us our unique personality and our will to
live. Because of the longevity of true love, the Party must destroy it to create love for only Big Brother. With pernicious conditioning and brainwashing,
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 ...
The novel 1984 by George Orwell is a fictional future where The Party controls everything. The Party is lead by a larger than life figurehead named Big Brother. The main character is Winston Smith. The story is divided into 3 parts and chronicles Winston’s rebellion against and then re-entering of The Party.
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.
...ntrols the citizens’ emotions, everyone under their control becomes predictable. Citizens not only become predictable though emotional control but psychological control as well. Through altering the past and eliminating the ability for people to effectively express thoughts and opinions the government is successful in employing their tactics to create a perfect subservient homogeneous society. With the inability to have individual thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and experiences, one cannot be unique. As shown, the manipulation Big Brother exerts takes away the individualism of the citizens of Oceania and leaves them as nothing but obedient servants of the Party.
Constantly changing these facts makes Winston and other Outer Party members question the legitimacy of it, but they have no other choice but to agree with it and show their excitement about it. This shows how powerless the Outer Party truly is. Secondly, by including that “in the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it”(80), it shows the huge amount of power the Party withholds, and it shows how much impact the Party can have on its people. By pointing out a clearly false fact, it reinforces the idea that the Outer Party can be related to those who are brainless – those who are almost like robots that can be forced to do things that the Party wants them to do.... ...
The “WAR IS PEACE” is a. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH, “ (Orwell 4). There is no desire for freedom, because they are told it is slavery. If freed, they would be unhappy and would not live the way they do. In doing so, society believes that war establishes peace and serenity.
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
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.
Liberty and truth are the fundamental aspects of human rights. When we lack these freedoms, we lose a large part of our humanity. In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston represents truth in a deceptive world. Big Brother is the omnipotent and all-powerful leader in Oceania. 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.
The major aspects of the aforementioned control stratagem are the alterations of history as the wishes, the invention of Newspeak to eliminate any chance of rebellion, psychological and physical intimidation, and the use of technology to monitor citizens. The Party changes records of the past constantly to match its needs. If someone commits a crime, they are vaporized, and then erased from any and all historical records. There are no more martyrs, because no one remembers them after they are killed. The government also changes history to make people believe that the Party has been in power since the beginning of man.
Imagine everything you know being a lie, if every belief you’ve ever had was suddenly changed. The Party is in a position of such power, that they can force anyone to follow their ideas in order to ensure your safety. They are capable of portraying any information in a such way that it will benefit them and their stigma. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984 , the Party uses fear and control not only for methods of torture but a way to manipulate the minds of people all across Oceania.
In George Orwell’s novel 1984, the people of Oceania are the victims of total dictatorship with no hope of escape. Big Brother is the leader or dictator of Oceania, under him is his trusted Inner Party who enforces that which he says. Then there are the Outer Party and the Proles, these people are the true victims of total dictatorship and make up almost 98 percent of Oceania's population. Winston Smith, the main character in the story, is a member of the Outer Party and starts to see the evil side to Big Brother’s government. Through Winston’s words and actions, how the people of Oceania are treated as well as how they act is shown. I believe the people are victims of total dictatorship because they cannot do anything to end it and because
In 1984, Orwell attempts to warn us that if given enough time and power, governments will become more totalitarian and repressive to the point where they spy on their citizens, hunt down dissenters, and control the lives of its citizens. Orwell’s prediction only proved partially correct. While the world has indeed become less free and many countries are now using mass surveillance, many governments in the world have not fallen to totalitarianism and have remained free and partially free. Orwell’s main character, Winston Smith, is a realistic character in the end of the text since he, just like most other people, can be eventually broken down by a powerful totalitarian government.
The struggle for complete domination and power has been apparent in the past, most notably when Germany and Russia conflicted to maintain control in World War 2. In 1984, written by George Orwell, a totalitarian society seeks unlimited power by constantly monitoring it citizens. This monitoring was used to manipulate the minds and alter the thoughts of the people of Oceania. The population of Oceania is led to support ideas, which they do not truly believe. The lack of privacy and personal belief in citizens induces the idea of “doublethink”, where two contradictory ideas are both accepted. This is utilized by George Orwell to demonstrate political power and dominance. The Party forces the people to believe that “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,
We, the party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not” (Orwell 248). In a world where the party controls all records, Winston refuses to give up his belief in the immutability of human memory. Winston is a rarity, he isn't afraid to think for himself and question the world around him, and this frightens the party. As humans progress through the stages of life, it is rare for one to stop and look at the world around them.