...The novel “1984” describes the results of drastic totalitarianism which tramples the dignity of humans who are under the control of an omnipresent, Big Brother. Many people do not believe that the novel “1984” is significant to our society. Likewise they think that the novel itself posses very little relevance to the modern world. Though many people might think 1984 is solely relevant to the post after World War II politics, but the fact is that today any of us could become Winston or Julia. It is clear that the circumstances of novel “1984” are revealing to our society with the three slogans; War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength, invasion of privacy and physical Control. This essay will go on to discuss these points in greater detail. “War is Peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is Strength” which is the three slogans of the English Socialist Party of Oceania emerges the...
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...have absolutely no freedom? George Orwell gives you a terrifying glimpse at what he believed to be a fictional future. 1984 is about a time where the main character Winston battles against Oceania’s ideologies such as newspeak, doublethink, thought crime and most importantly Big Brother. I think that technology and doublethink were the main reasons that benefited the Inner Party’s ability to maintain power because it allowed them to control their citizens both mentally and physically. Oceania’s government is shaped in a way that people’s thoughts are manipulated and actions are limited. One way the Party members maintain control is through the concept of doublethink. According to the books definition, doublethink is the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously and accepting both of them. Winston described it as “to know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies.” (P. 31) Doublethink has many different ways of basically operating the minds living in Oceania. An example of doublethink that I believe helps Winston realize that the government is controlling their society is when the telescreens broadcast a message containing bad news concerning the chocolate rations. The Ministry of Plenty had made a promise a while back to never reduce chocolate rations, but because of doublethink, even though it was reduced it made everyone feel like it was a blessing. According to this quote, “The Chocolate rations...
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...2018 Symbolism in 1984 In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Orwell utilizes many symbols that help develop the storyline, introduce and help build characters description for the reader to better understand the novel. Orwell wrote 1984 as a political message and to warn the future generations about dangerous societies watching over their people. Orwell created a fictional dystopia with a psychological and physical control over its people and the rebellious in the society who want a way out of the life they are living. Through the overflowing use of symbols such as Big Brother, Winston’s journal, glass paperweight, and doublethink Orwell is able to create a connection to the major themes in the novel...
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...the victors. In 1984 by George Orwell, the Party is the victor and holds power over the citizens of Oceania. Power can be used in many ways, some of which include the manipulation of history, as an objective view cannot exist due to bias. “Objective” accounts and “accurate” figures can be falsified. History can be written, erased, and rewritten to suit those in positions of power. In 1984, the Party controls history through the manipulation of memory with “reality control” or in Newspeak, “doublethink”. By controlling memory, they are able to control the past by manipulating the Party members into thinking that something happened, even though it may not have, and vice versa. In Oceania, Newspeak is the official language. It is a language that is very vague as it is abbreviated and is the “only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year” (Orwell 52). Newspeak’s diminishing vocabulary causes it to become vaguer and vaguer, and narrows the range of thought. According to Syme, “every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word”, this indicates that when information is given by the Party, it can easily be...
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...For example, Winston has dreamt of sleeping with an elder woman, but he was petrified of his unknown actions in his sleep. He thought “it had got to be written down, it had got to be confessed” (Orwell 68). He was afraid that his movements and speech in his sleep will be labeled as thoughtcrime. This may be viewed as a violation to freedom of speech by Big Brother. Additionally, Oceania’s citizens are obligated to refer to doublethink to be able to garner their own beliefs. Doublethink is to believe in both the information given by one’s government and one’s individual beliefs. However, through generations of limitations this concept of doublethink may vanish, and citizens become manipulated. Thus, Big Brother can begin to limit true thoughts. Furthermore, the use of technology as surveillance in 1984 also invaded privacies. The constant uses of surveillance devices has become a theme in the novel. On page 117, Orwell stated, “There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones.” This led Winston and the citizens of Oceania to know or to put great value in privacy. As expressed by an inner-party member...
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...The themes in 1984 relate to some of issues or problems happening around the world today. Even though Oceania was a totalitarian government some of the tactics used to control its citizens are being used currently. The themes of 1984 occur in the present. Orwell wrote 1984 to give an example of what totalitarian country would be like in the future. At the time during World War II where dictatorship governments were all around the globe. Some of the things that the government did actually happens today. For example, Oceania used telescreens to spy on the citizens. In America there are cameras anywhere there are buildings and stop lights. Oceania also controlled what news and history the citizens were supposed to know about. Americas government...
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...In George Orwell’s 1984 language has become a tool of mind control of the oppressive government and consequently a tool of rebellion against the Party. Winston Smith and Julia fight for the freedom of knowledge that has been manipulated by the Party’s control of everyday and historical language. The Party has created a language called, “Newspeak” which uses the destruction of words to make it impossible for future generations to think for themselves. The role of language in 1984 defines themes of control and the decision to rebel or surrender in a dystopian society where mind control has finally been enforced through language. The Party’s influence on language becomes crucial for its existence when those in power realized that control of language is the control of thoughts. By hindering...
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...is Watching You" In 1984 - Big Brother was the figurehead of "The Party" and starred in the essential "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" propaganda posters displayed around Oceania. They constantly reminded the public that they were subject to punishment if they committed thought crime and kept them under continuous surveillance through "telescreens", hidden microphones, and flying helicopters. Today - Recently, there have been numerous allegations that the NSA have overstepped their boundaries through unlawful wiretapping, the request of personal information through numerous companies, and the mass warrantless collection of metadata. "Telescreens" In 1984 - "Telescreens" were devices that could broadcast the propaganda and news updates issued by the Party but could also be used as a surveillance system. These systems were installed in all residences of the Party, and in buildings...
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...George Orwell’s 1984 Winston lives in the nation of Oceania, where he is a member of the ruling party in London. Oceania is a totalitarian society with an extremely comprehensive, nationwide surveillance system. In this society, even thinking rebellious thoughts is punishable by death. Winston is increasingly frustrated with rigid regime of the party and purchases an illegal diary in which he can write his prohibited thoughts. Entangled in such criminal affairs he starts fixating on an influential Party member called O’Brien, whom he believes is a member of a secret association that aims to overthrow the party. Meanwhile, he notices a female coworker looking at him and worries that she might be an informant for the thought police. On the contrary, he eventually realizes that she loves him and they commence a relationship. Together they plan to rebel against the oppressive party and seeks aid at O’Brien’s. Yet, it turns out that O’Brien is loyal to the Party and ends up torturing Winston into not only betraying Julia but also submitting himself to the Party and its sometimes-contradictory truths. In his famous novel, Nineteen Eighty-four from 1949, George Orwell succeeds in depicting a dark, dystopian society way ahead of his time. With an ingenious ability to predict future events and technology, not seen since the time of Jules Verne, Orwell warns the western world of the danger of totalitarian states by describing a nation of inhabitants living under absolute surveillance...
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...The book 1984 opened my eyes to the harsh reality of the world we currently live in. It made me well aware of government control and the control within other groups of people. This control can affect not only me, but other people around the world as well. My purpose for writing this paper is to explain the things I have learned after reading 1984 by George Orwell. It was Orwell’s goal to write this book and state his ideas and theories about a strong totalitarian government. He provided clear examples in which we can recognize in our own modern day society. Before reading all of 1984, I only knew of a few situations in which the government or group can control its people. I am now familiar with multiple situations that affect people worldwide...
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...Beale, Lewis. "Opinion: We're Living '1984' Today." CNN. Cable News Network, 3 Aug. 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. Lewis Beale a CNN journalist wrote a news story on how George Orwell's 1984 is happening now in today's society. Beale goes on to tell on how the government is constantly monitoring citizens through social media and surveillance cameras in public areas. using fear to shape citizens into the civilians the government wants them to be. He compares today's society to the scary futuristic community Orwell imagined. Lewis tells on how today's society is willing to give up freedom and their right to privacy because of fear. That the government uses fear to spy on everyone, he gives the example of the government using terrorism as way to spy on citizens through social media. With this article being opinion based, Beale makes it clear and understandable for the reader to see his viewpoint. It has a easy to read layout with bold titles making it clear on what each paragraph is about. The Fact that the article was published on CNN, makes it...
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...well-known people that are considered heroes in today’s society. A hero is typically someone in society who is strong, good looking, and stands out over the average person. From the beginning, in George Orwell’s novel 1984, Winston has been portrayed as a fat old man with a gross varicose ulcer above his ankle. This shows that right from the start he is not the average hero. Winston’s name is ironic because it stands for the greatness of Winston Churchill, but on the other hand his surname is very common. Winston maintains heroic qualities that lead one to believe he will defeat the party, but against their public demands, he is just another one of the many citizens who conform to society. The government controls Winston through doublethink, mutability of the past and love, even though he is a man who can maintain his private virtue, he never stood a chance. The government makes public demands on Winston through forcing him to doublethink, changing the past and love. Doublethink is the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. It is not lying because lying is saying something that is wrong and knowing that it is wrong but still saying it. The party forces Oceania too accept both beliefs for example one week when the chocolate ration was 30 grams and the very next week is was lowered to 20 grams. Even though the ration is lowered drastically the party holds such a great amount of power over the people and their...
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...Throughout the modernist period composers have been continuously creating texts that influence society through the message that they deliver. Modernity typically refers to the post medieval period, but in context insinuates the intellectual and cultural movements of that time. Great composers such as Fritz Lang, T.S. Elliot and George Orwell have created masterpieces, which embellish the meaning and structure of modernity to create modernist texts. Their pieces, Metropolis, Preludes and 1984 display some key features that reflect the ideas of modernity and the situation in the modern era. In the film Metropolis by Lang, there are messages coded into the movie that must be picked out to provide the full understanding of the ideas portrayed by this film. Some of the messages hidden within the foils of the film are futility, loss of identity and power. These three conceptual ideas influence our understanding of the film and our interpretations of its purpose. The aim of this film was to critique aspects of modernity such as the ideas previously listed. Firstly, futility and loss of identity play a major role in this film. These themes combine in one section but have completely different effects on the viewers opinion. Futility is shown by the lack of choice the workers have and how they all must obey the upper classes and act like a machine. Where as the case of lost identity is rather presented in different light but on the same stage. It is portrayed by the fact that all these...
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...‘Dystopian fiction is less about the powerful and more about the powerless’ To what extent is this true in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984? Dystopian fiction usually revolves over a power struggle between an oppressor and the oppressed, alternatively this can be given the label of powerful and powerless. However, the exposure given to one of these groups is often inclined to be imbalanced. For example, The Giver by Lois Lowry has biased exposure towards the powerless due to the simple fact of the third person limited narrator perspective from Jonas, a member of the aforementioned sector of respective society. This is similar to the 1984 narrator where Winston is never truly aware of what goes on when he wasn’t physically present. But, it could be for this exact reason that in 1984 the dystopian genre inclines towards the powerful, highlighting the hold over the powerless. Contrary to this, The Handmaid's Tale (THT) has blurred lines as to whether the dystopian fiction prevalent in the novels are more or less about the powerful. This is majorly due to conflicting plotlines and enigmatic characters, significant in both of the books. For example, the character of Nick could be characterized for the powerful and powerless. Nick behaves with Offred in a manner which confuses the reader about his loyalties. Ultimately, this essay will aim to prove an option that is a fusion between the two rivals of dystopian fiction offering the complex concept of the powerful powerless. The powerful...
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...Our language is fading away right under our noses. All because we are trying to avoid saying what we really mean. Doublespeak is “the use of euphemistic or ambiguous language in order to disguise what is actually being said” (Doublethink, Doublespeak or Double-Talk.). On the other hand, gobbledygook is defined as “wordy and generally unintelligible jargon” (Gobbledygook.). These two terms- however different they may seem -are rather closely related. They are both forms of language that are employed to render language more ambiguous and not come out and say exactly what it is you are meaning to say. Gobbledygook is a form of doublespeak; this being one way in which these two terms are related. They are both closely associated with political...
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