preview

Comparison Of George Orwell'sReading 1984 In The Age Of Trump

Decent Essays

When George Orwell wrote his bestselling novel, 1984 in the year 1949, nobody was expecting the dystopian, science fiction esque to come to life 33 years later than he predicted, in 2017. But, as countless horrific acts of the past are currently being repeated now, so are the ideals of 1984. As pointd out in an article written by Jeva Lange, called “Reading 1984 in the Age of Trump”, there are many different ways in which Orwell’s ideas relate to the current state of America. Here are a few details that seemed horrific and impossible while reading the fiction novel, but have eerie connections to the real world today. The first, and arguably the most obvious connection between 1984 and Trump’s America, is how the Newspeak term “doublethink” applies to our expected behavior as residents of America. On multiple occasions, President Trump and his representatives have told half-truths as well as complete lies. When confronted about these falsehoods, they either ignore the accusations, or declare them as “alternate facts”. These “alternate facts” show an uncanny resemblance to Orwell’s concept of “doublethink”, or the ability to believe two contradictory things at once. The Trump administration expects citizens to know one thing as a fact, and simply accept that the antithetical “alternative fact” can be simultaneously correct. One of the very first lies that President Trump told was about him winning the election. As Donald Trump tweeted after his election, "In addition to

Get Access