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1984 Dystopian

Decent Essays

"War is peace. Ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery" (Orwell, 31) This slogan relates to the dystopian society of Oceania. The citizens who reside in Oceania are perceived to be under constant surveillance. They are also restricted from information, independent thoughts, and freedom. Furthermore, a figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. George Orwell effectively integrates dystopian characteristics into 1984 in order to convey a clear warning to the reader. First off, the citizens of Oceania are under constant surveillance. Every citizen has cameras watching them in their houses and outside their houses. This way, almost all of the spaces could be viewed by the Thought Police. "The telescreen received …show more content…

The Party has employed Thought Police. This police force watches for thoughtcrimes such as hesitation, apparent lack of enthusiasm or patriotism. These crimes indicate to the government that a person's thoughts are rebellious and disloyal. "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--anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face...; was itself a punishable offense" (55) This quote indicates that emotions and habits that seem normal nowadays, were once considered an offense. In addition, this dystopian characteristic shows just how oppressed the people are. The passion and creativity is drained out of the citizens. Moreover, the lack of freedom is so great that keeping a journal is a major offense. "The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This 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... a forced-labour camp "(9) This goes to show that the Party is draining the citizens of passion, creativity and happiness of any

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