What Is Too Much Power In 1984

1143 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Winston smith 1984 character analysis

1984 is a dystopian book by George Orwell that shows the world what it would be like if the central government controlled every aspect of our lives. Many people may believe that the government has to be strong for the nation to succeed. This novel shows us the many reasons as to why it is not such a good thing and the many problems that will come with it. The central leader “Big Brother” doesn’t even allow the citizens to talk against him in any way! He has many different tactics as to how he enforces it. Big Brother uses fear and hysteria against all the citizens to keep them from even thinking of doing against him through The Thought Police, and the way the government makes everyone think “Big Brother is always watching”. The book shows the third person point of view of a man named Winston Smith, who is against the totalitarian government and how he shows his feelings about the entire government. He doesn’t have many people who believe the same way as him about the government, but as the book goes on he finds out about the Brotherhood, a secret underground society that is against Big Brother. This essay will show you how the theme Too much power in the hands of one person will become corrupt and the many ways to show the way that it goes bad. The government used a way of telling or making everyone think that Big Brother is always watching by either hearing them through the electronic devices from hidden …show more content…

I thought that this would go the best because it could connect to the people of today and how they believe that the government should have all the power instead of the states. This book demonstrates why too much power in the central government would become corrupt, sooner or later. It shows that no matter who the leader is or acts at the beginning of his leadership will become more corrupt no matter how they may act before or even right

Show More
Related

  • 1984 Conflict Essay

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today I am going to be writing an essay on the book, 1984 by George Orwell. This book is about Winston Smith and Big Brother where an external conflict arises between the two. The internal conflict that also takes place in this book was between the two ideas, democracy and totalitarianism. The reason this novel was written was to show society what it could and or would become if things continued to go down the worse of the paths: Orwell sensed of the expansion of the great communism when he was thinking of this novel. The conflict that took place between these two ideas in the year 1945 created the two characters, which were the two characters above Winston Smith and the Big Brother, in his mind. The Big Brother is head of the totalitarian

    Read More

  • Memories of Life Before Government Control: Orwell's 1984, Atwood's The Handmaids Tale, and Huxley's Brave New World

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1984 by George Orwell, the government of Big Brother is overbearing and all knowing which crushes freedom of speech and free thought. Big Brother easily edits history and tries to convince people that reality is something different. The main character, Winston can remember what life was like before Big Brother and when he first comes into power. The memory of his father being vaporized also serves as a catalyst for his hatred of Big Brother and leads him...

    Read More

  • 1984 Power Of Government

    2011 Words  | 5 Pages

    The novel 1984 over the years has so gained much recognition. This particular novel portrays the image of totalitarian regimes and how they can massively affect the setting wherever this form of government takes initial place. Author George Orwell talks about these dangerous governments in society in mostly all of his novels. George Orwell was one who pushed for social movements such as pushing towards social reform throughout the world. Social reform was a social movement that aimed to make gradual changes, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes in governments particularly.

    Read More

  • Internal and External Conflict in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book, 1984 by George Orwell, is about the external conflict between Winston Smith and Big Brother; and the internal conflict between the two ideas, democracy and totalitarianism. Orwell wrote the novel to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse: he sensed of the expansion of communism when he wrote the novel. The conflict between democracy and totalitarianism at the year of 1945 created two characters, Winston Smith and Big Brother, in orwell's mind. Big Brother is the embodiment of all the ideals of the totalitarian party. In contrast to Big Brother, Winston Smith keeps the idea of democracy emphasizes freedom, he has to hide his own thought because the Big Brother's party will punish him by death if the party finds it out. George orwell criticizes of Big Brother's society by describing it as a dark and a gloomy place. It warns that people might believe that everyone must become slaves to the government in order to have an orderly society, but at the expense of the freedom of the people.

    Read More

  • The Dangers of the Government Controlling Thought Based on 1984

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    The belief that a government is always watching their citizens can control people’s thoughts and propaganda can help to establish this belief. The leader of a totalitarian government is often “omnipresent, all-knowing, larger than life and half-divine” (Roelofs 4). An omnipresent leader can institute an extreme level of obedience into the citizens of their country because the citizens may conclude that the government could determine if the citizens support most of the government’s actions by analyzing videos or other visual evidence collected by the government. The leader can force the citizens to act in a similar way to help create a sense of unity. In 1984, Big Brother is omnipresent and spies on all of the citizens of Oceania through the façade of moving eyes on the posters that say “Big Brother is watching you” (Varricchio 7). The moving eyes of Big Brother demonstrate that Big Brother watches all of the citizens of Oceania all of the time since the average citizen of Oceania is unable ...

    Read More

  • Betrayal In George Orwell's 1984

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Authors often use their works as a way to express their own opinions and ideologies. However, it is the skill of the author that determines whether these ideas are combined with the plot seamlessly, making a creative transition of ideas from the author’s mind, to the reader’s. There is no doubt that George Orwell is a masterful writer, and one of his most popular works, 1984, clearly expresses his negative views of the Totalitarian government. A common theme in the dystopian society in 1984 is betrayal: The Party is very intolerant towards any form of disloyalty, and anyone who plots against them or Big Brother will eventually either betray their own mind and accept Big Brother as their leader, or be betrayed and revealed to The Party by one of their so-called comrades. Overall, Orwell is using this constant theme of betrayal to show how alone and alienated the protagonist (Winston Smith) is in his quest against Totalitarianism, thus showing how flawed and hopeless the political system is.

    Read More

  • 1984: Oppression Of Truth

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    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."

    Read More

  • Essay On Lack Of Privacy In 1984

    1567 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ultimately, common ideas found in the novel 1984, totalitarianism, surveillance, and lack of privacy are also ubiquitous in modern society and government. 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.

    Read More

  • Analysis of George Orwell's 1984

    4217 Words  | 9 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • 1984 George Orwell Analysis

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    George Orwell’s 1984 created the term “Orwellian,” and this term continues to play a significant role in today’s society. “Orwellian” is a term often used to refer to a society or an aspect of society that exhibits some characteristic of 1984’s Oceania. When Orwell wrote this novel, he was predicting what the technology would be in the future. A recent New York Post article proves that technology has surpassed Orwell’s expectations. The article specifically explains mysterious actions taken by the FBI. Some FBI planes have the ability to capture video and cellphone activity. This situation is similar to George Orwell’s 1984, as they both invade people’s privacy by capturing video and listening to conversations. The technology of the 21st century is closely linked to the technology used by Big Brother in 1984.

    Read More

  • 1984 Dehumanization Analysis

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    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

  • The Influence Of Social Media In 1984 By George Orwell

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    “You have nothing to fear, if you have nothing to hide.” This phrase was first introduced in George Orwell’s novel 1984, where Orwell created a dictatorial government that addressed itself as “Big Brother”, a sort of benevolent nickname for the higher powers that actually watched over it’s citizens obsessively, and managed their behavior like an eye in the sky. The phrase has also been used in British closed-circuit television (otherwise known simply as video surveillance), which was used experimentally during the 1970’s. During that time period, citizens rebelled against the higher-power that had assumed the right to sift through personal information for the sake of monitoring individuals. New-age technology has herded first-world citizens to document their lives for the public, using methods such as “Tweeting”, “Snapchatting”, and “Facebooking”.

    Read More

  • Comparing 1984 And Today's Government

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel “1984” is a story about people striving for a utopian society. This fictional world depicts a hopeless and nightmarish state. The main character Winston is a meaningless member in the party, the party uses a totalitarian authority to enforce perfect conformity amongst its members. In 2017 there are many similarities and differences between the book and today’s society. George Orwell might have wrote “1984” in the 1940’s but, he may not have been far off from predicting the truth in 2017.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Social Control In 1984 By George Orwell

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel 1984 by George Orwell, the protagonist Winston lives in a futuristic society where the government constantly watches over its people, forcing them into blindly believe in everything it does. In the book, there is no such thing as privacy and freedom, because Big Brother is always watching over its citizens. There are many parallels that can be seen between the methods of social control in 1984 and our modern society.

    Read More

More about What Is Too Much Power In 1984

Open Document