The definition of the word "Utopia" is defined as a place or state of ideal perfection (A Dictionary of the English Language 1575). How can a society reach a point of Utopia? Although many countries have tried to achieve such a goal, they have been unable to attain a state of perfection. In 1984, written by George Orwell, government takes control of every aspect of person’s life in an attempt to achieve "perfection". In Childhood’s End, written by
Arthur C. Clarke, the human race is assimilated into a Supreme Being allowing humanity to enter into state of Utopia. Did Orwell and Clarke really characterize utopian societies? Although on the surface the two books seem to portray characteristics of Utopian societies, in reality both societies leave people without free will and individuality leading to an anti-utopian society.
George Orwell creates a society, Oceania, which revolves around "Big Brother," the name of the government in power. Big Brother controls every aspect of society including political, social, and economic activities as well as every aspect of the individual including both physical and mental behavior. Big Brother is able to manipulate its citizens to suite its own needs. Using science and technology as well as fear and intimidation, Big
Brother eliminates all forms of individualism, independent thinking, and free choice. This leaves the government with the freedom to continuously shape and reshape all thoughts and activities of its citizens. In effect, Big Brother creates a utopian society by constantly monitoring, brainwashing, and if necessary destroying its citizens. This perfect society is achieved through the principles and practices of totalitarianism.
The goal of creating a utopian society is attained by eliminating unhappiness. Big Brother uses a number of different techniques to acquire the support of his citizens and to control their behavior and actions. By using various psychological techniques such as fear, intimidation, and brainwashing, the government is able to rid society of problems.
The Thought Police, a division of the Ministry of
Love, are the enforcers of society and strike fear into the minds of all the citizens of Oceania. They are the eyes and ears of Big Brother and are in control of monitoring every single person in
Oceania. Because of the number of people within
Oceania, telescreens, televisions that while displaying images also serve as surveillance cameras, serve as a way for the Thought Police to watch every movement and listen to every sound in
Oceania at anytime.
It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself—…to wear an improper expression on your face…was itself a punishable offense (Orwell
In the book “1984” by George Orwell, Big Brother has the power to decide what is real and what is not. The citizens of Oceania are told not to use their own knowledge to gather facts or information, but to get their information from Big Brother, and the party. This show that the party has great control over its citizens. Big Brother’s power can decide what is real and what is not.
In my opinion, the way Orwell wrote the book makes his world seem more like a dystopia than a utopia. The only community that I have seen that I would even consider calling a utopia is "Star Trek." I just can't see Oceania as being a perfect vision of happiness. Everyone is constantly being watched, people aren't allowed to have their own thoughts, their past history is entirely made up. I don't see how it could get much worse than that. Unless you are a member of the Inner Party. They can have their own thoughts and aren't watched all the time. The lowest class in Oceania, the Proles, can also have their own thoughts. But "Nobody cares what the proles say"(Orwell, p11). So their thoughts never really get heard or paid any attention to at least. The Inner Party basically runs things and they only do what they want. They have no reason to listen to the proles.
James Stacey Taylor's article, "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance" begins reviewing the concept of "Big Brother" as it was originally presented in George Orwell's 1984. The Big Brother started off as a fictional character in 1984-- a dictator of Oceania within a totalitarian state. Set within a society in which everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens, the people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase “Big Brother is watching you” (Wikipedia) . Taylor goes on to explain some examples of recent surveillance technology and how it is applied in lives today. An interesting note and comparison between today’s technology and that of the telescreens in 1984, is that people could be sure that they could not be watched by Big Brother’s telescreens by going out of the cities into the country, where they only had to take care that their conversations were not monitored by hidden microphones (Taylor 227). He contrasts the two, highlighting the fact that “Such an escape is not impossible, for spy satellites can be used to monitor people wherever they go” (277). From there, Taylor perpetuates the framework for his position on the Big Brother notion. Taylor argues that, "rather than opposing such an expansion of surveillance technology, its use should be encouraged -- and not only in the public realm" (227). Taylor’s argument presented in a more formal construction is as follows:
The 1984 community provided many ways to surveill its citizens, one being The Thought Police The Thought Police were undercover operatives who hid amongst everyday citizens, and could be found at any given time or place, to monitor people for thoughtcrimes against the party. The problem with this was the fact that “A few among of the Thought Police moved always among them, spreading false rumors and marking down and eliminating the few individuals who were judged capable of being dangerous” (Orwell 62). The people of Oceania knew that Thought Police were always around, but could never know which certain individual or individuals were actually one of them. This caused them to be suspicious of everyone and focus on not committing any violations. Along with telescreens, “You had to live - did live from habitat that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 6). Although not every single citizen can be watched at every moment, they never know exactly when they are being watched. Therefore causing most of them to always follow the rules especially when every...
Big Brother and modern day government have been able to control its citizens through surveillance equipment, and fear all for a little more power. There is much to learn from such an undesirable form of society, much like the one of Oceania in 1984. Examining Big Brother government closely, alarming connections can be made to real-world government actions in the United States and the cruel world within Orwell's book.
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell, is a superb novel with outstanding themes. One of the most prominent themes found in this novel is psychological manipulation. Citizens in this society are subject to ever present signs declaring “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 1). Along with psychological manipulation, physical control takes place. The Party not only controls what people in Oceania think, but what they do as well. Technology is another important theme. Without the constant telescreens, microphones, and computers, the Party would be all but powerless. Big Brother is the main figure of the Party. The main symbol that drives these themes is the telescreens. It is representative of the party always watching and controlling everyone at all times.
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...
In 1984, George Orwell explores the many facets of a negative utopia. Orwell seems to focus on the measures that the government takes to maintain a public of plebeians who have no personality or identity and believe that they are not unique individuals, but instead are part of a greater senseless mob of people who constantly work for a hostile and oppressive government which is involved in incessant wars. These people are taught to love. They then learn to fear their government because they believe all of the propaganda that is constantly instilled into their minds. They willing follow their government without contest for the duration of their meaningless lives. The government controls all forms of the media (thus denying the people the basic right of free speech) and use it to personify the government (known as “big brother”) .The government therefore seems omnipotent, or all knowing and always correct. Forecasts are changed from one week to the next always proving the government was correct. As was mentioned before, many of the rights that present day Westerners take for gran...
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.
From Big Brother, the Thought Police, the telescreen and the Two-Minutes of Hate, Orwell shows that with control on what you see, hear and think through media one can lose their independence and have a structured, robotic daily life. By the telescreen displaying the citizens rules and tasks, taking away their privacy and Big Brother controlling Oceania’s thoughts, Winston fearing his own thoughts and love and judgement on Goldstein at the Two-Minutes of Hate, proves that totalitarianism leads to the ultimate controlling of the citizens of Oceania in 1984.
In the novel 1984 by Orwell, an extremely controlling totalitarian government called The Party, rules the society. They have introduced Telescreens which monitor your every movement, conversations and any other action. The citizens of Oceania, located on Air Strip One, are psychologically manipulated to believe in the three main slogans of the party: ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength’ (1948, Orwell). The citizens of Oceania are so brainwashed that they don’t question anything the party tells them or any new law they make. Thought crime occurs when someone does not fully agree and follow what the Party has said. People who commit crimes become unpersons; therefore, they stop existing, and any record of their existence is erased or they can be sent to the ministry of truth, where The Party will try to break them, and force them to love Big Brother. This is very relevant because in order to serve justice which according to them is having everyone love the Party and nothing else, everyone else must be eliminated or brainwashed. The use of technology in this novel is very important because it is the main way in which justice is carried out. Telescreens, microphones and cameras cover the whole nation. Every conversation is recorded and every action is taken note of. The government will make anything to keep their power.
Utopia, a term that appeared in the 16th century, was invented by Sir Thomas More in 1516. Many define utopia to be an idealistic and utterly perfect society. However, theoretically, utopia has nearly perfect qualities, not exactly perfect. In history, there has not been any specific record of a utopian society existing and there has been controversy on that it will never exist. However, a utopian society is possible because a utopia does not necessarily need to be absolutely perfect, society can come together and put aside its differences, and because the people learn how to improve situations that can happen or have happened.
...Ministry of Love, once said, “The object of terrorism is terrorism. The object of oppression is oppression. The object of torture is torture. The object of murder is murder. The object of power is power” (Orwell____). All Big Brother wants is a continuous flow of power, and they will stop at nothing to get it; even if it means wiping out all the identity and diversity in the millions of people in Oceania.
Each person has their own vision of utopia. Utopia means an ideal state, a paradise, a land of enchantment. It has been a central part of the history of ideas in Western Civilization. Philosophers and writers continue to imagine and conceive plans for an ideal state even today. They use models of ideal government to express their ideas on contemporary issues and political conditions. Man has never of comparing the real and ideal, actuality and dream, and the stark facts of human condition and hypothetical versions of optimum life and government.
In the novels Utopia, written by Thomas More and Ecotopia, written by Ernest Callenbach there are many similarities between the themes in these two utopian societies. One theme mentioned in both novels is the status of women; women are viewed as slightly differently in the Utopian verse Ecotiapian society. Another theme with similar features is happiness; the two societies portray happiness for those who live there. The citizens in both societies are productive members, working towards sustainability. They respect agriculture, growing crops from season to season, allowing all to be fed.