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1984 Dialectical Journal Essay

Decent Essays

1. There are many things I would like to discuss about this book. I would like to talk about the main character, Winston Smith. I liked Winston because he was just an average guy. He wasn’t your typical super strong and attractive hero. And although I am not a 39 year old man with a varicose ulcer on my leg, I could relate to the way he felt. I liked that he wasn’t afraid to do something to even try to help overthrow the party, even though he completely knew he would be caught. He joins the Brotherhood, which is a secret organization working against the party. O’Brien, the man who brings Winston into the Brotherhood, tells him how his life will play out. “‘You will work for a while, you will be caught, you will confess, and then you will …show more content…

The most important message I took from this book is that when your individuality is compromised, you lose all power over your life and life choices. In the novel, the party, which is the group running the government is able to brainwash the people so they don’t have their own unique thoughts, and will believe anything they say. To the people of London, the truth becomes what the party says. “In the end the party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.”(Orwell, 80) The people are brainwashed enough that if told that two plus two is five, which seems clearly untrue, they will believe it. The party is able to alter the past by changing legal documents, articles, and so on. They can basically change what happened in the past and make tons and tons of people believe it. Since they are so brainwashed to believe whatever the party says they lose their individuality. They are unable to create their own thoughts or carry out their own actions. This allows the party to have complete control over them. The party can place thoughts into their mind. Without their individuality, the people have no power over themselves, and they don’t even realize it. The reader can see this can know to always have their own thoughts to not just follow

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