Martin Luther King Big Brother Power Analysis

The renowned Martin Luther King Jr, known for being a social activist on the matter of equality for all races and ethnicities exclaims that, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people”. Through Martin Luther King Jr, one can presume that the notion of oppression causes a society without any diversity. Power is a quality desired by every human being; some people crave the notion of complete and utter dominance over every human being. It is a sense of control that gives them a certainty assurance that no other desire can live up to. The desire for power goes as far as committing atrocities such as murder, genocides and wars to gain absolute control over one another. The

results of this matter being that the other feels belittled and dissatisfied that their thoughts and feelings are being neglected from the absolute control and power of the authority. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the exploitation of power by Big Brother ultimately brings about oppression over the people of Oceania.
The society of Oceania contradicts the idea of a democracy, and models a totalitarian state that is contrary to the perceptions of freedom of speech, thought or actions. Firstly, the novel is told in the character Winston’s point of view as Winston is writing in a smuggled diary he mutters to himself, “It was curious that he seemed not merely to have lost the power of expressing himself, but even to have forgotten what it was that he had originally intended to say.” (Orwell 9). One can presume that due to the sheer length of time upon which the party has had unlimited control over the population of Oceania, the people have forgotten how to express themselves. Along with the notion of Big Brother and his reign over the people of Oceania, the idea of freely expressing one’s self is unheard of and the consequence are Big Brother’s to decide. As Winston’s attempts to convey his struggles in life he comes to the realization, “That it was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty five years in a forced-labour camp.”(8). The idea of expressing yourself is punishable by death in Oceania, the thought of not being able to express yourself by something as trivial as writing in a diary is punishable by death or a labour camp demonstrates the government’s complete dominance over the people of Oceania. Furthermore, the domination of Oceania creates a society that feels oppressed as individuals feel meaningless in the grand scheme of things with nothing to live for.
Loyalty is a tremendous factor in obtaining power; without loyalty in a position of power, one is susceptible to uprisings and usurpations of power.

In Orwell’s’ novel, Big Brother holds the position of ultimate power in society. Firstly, he is proposing the idea that one must adhere to all the demands of the party and also must complete loyalty to the party. O’Brien, a delegate of Big Brother, enlightens Winston that the ambition of the party is that, “The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party.”(280). In order to obtain complete and utter control of the people of Oceania, the party is willing to eliminate sex to ensure that no enjoyment or loyalty will come from sex, and that women and men will not develop any sort of relationship or loyalty with each other, but instead to the party. Secondly, the corruption of young minds and the brainwashing of the youth is an essential method through which the party is creating a future generation of no loyalty but to the party, and that no one can be trusted but Big Brother. While Winston was in prison for defying Big Brother, his neighbour was put in jail with him as

well;
Who denounced you?

Said Winston. It was my little daughter, said Parsons with sort of doleful pride. She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh? I don't bear her any grudge for it. In fact I'm proud of her. It shows I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway (245).

The people of Oceania have been so brainwashed that not even parents with their very own children show any bonds or loyalty to each other, even the father isn’t upset that his daughter reported him while he was sleeping. Being completely autonomous the father was actually quite happy, this shows the distortion in the society. Therefore, one can pursue the idea that the society of Oceania denounces the idea of any loyalty to ensure the party keeps supreme rule of power of the people of Oceania.

In conclusion, in the novel 1984, the society of Oceania is one of a totalitarian state that promotes the idea of oppression. In order to secure its absolute power over their people, the state creates a society of no thought but the party; denying all creative thoughts or actions and also making a society with no loyalty to anyone except the party. Martin Luther King Jr and Orwell both contemplate the idea of society without freedom of speech, and come to the conclusion that it is a society without

reason.