In George Orwell's 1984 he portrays his beliefs on what a Utopia really is, but with the lack of freedom the citizens have, is it truly a utopia? Living in that society will strike constant fear and sadness. Freedom is the ability to believe in what you want, say what you please, and not having to fear the society you live in. Having the ability to believe in what you want is what gives us our own personalities. Thoughts and beliefs is what gives us our own individualism unlike in 1984 where it states,”Tearing humans minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing” (Orwell, 155). In 1984 where your thoughts are controlled, did not give their citizens freedom but turned them into their own slaves. Furthermore, they were forced to believe in what the government wanted them to believe and had to accept it or else you would have been murdered. Our minds are …show more content…
Depending on how you use those words can predict the outcome of a situation, in 1984 they believe that all words are destructive as stated “ It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words” (Orwell 28). In their reality they believe that words are only used for hatred. Words to them are nothing more than offensive, unless you bow down to them and praise what they believe. Moreover, our words show us what kind of people we truly are. In the United States of America it states in the first amendment that all citizens have the freedom of speech, in 1984 they will force you to say what they want you to say like when O’Brien says, “Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two equals four. If that is granted, all else follows. In the book they tortured Wilson for saying that two plus two equals four, they beat him down even though it is fact that he is right. Even though being right, that was not the right answer and he was severely hurt for it. Words can hurt sometimes, but as humans we have the right to say what we
Another behavior of human nature majorly violated in 1984 is how they allow one to process information. To take in information through the five senses, sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound, and react in the appropriate manner is how humans survive. The party, however, completely deprives the citizens of Oceania the ability to process information individually. Through the Thought Police, the party has the ability to restrict and even control how everyone is allowed to think, almost destroying any type of rebellion before it can even begin. They take their control one step farther and developed the process of Doublethink. This process makes it nearly impossible for anyone to rely on their own senses, but instead on what the party tells them to see, think, or believe. With the party holding this much control over its citizens, it can be easy to believe the party has violated human nature so far that rebellion or change doesn’t seem possible. However, as Winston states in his diary, “If there is hope, it lies in the proles.” (69). The Thought Police can only do so much. Because of Doublethink, they do not concern
Thirty-three years ago, the terrifying vision that novelist George Orwell dreamt of in 1949 never became the reality he foretold it would within the preceding ten decades or so. The year 1984 was presumed to plummet society into utter chaos, becoming a global dystopia in which everyone lived under the regulation and the dominance of one of three totalitarian superstates. Orwell poured out his predictions into the pages of his book, 1984, creating the fictional universe of Oceania in which the lives of Winston Smith and the other characters living in the superstate give the expression of being genuinely real, especially due to author’s the use of various literary devices. For instance, motifs such as the linguistic concept of Newspeak and the majority of society’s convergence of feelings towards the Party and Big Brother appear multiple times throughout the novel. At the hand of such persisting ideas, a major theme stands out - the lack of self-expression. Living under an authoritarian and oppressive government, party members such as Winston are compelled to pursue the socialist policies of Ingsoc. In the book it is written that, “The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of dependent thought” (Orwell 193). If the general populace of Oceania were to submit the Party, self-expression would be entirely eliminated because everyone and everything would be censored. With such motives made clear,
One of the most important concepts that many individuals in modern day society value the most is the idea that they have the freedom to do whatever they please. The term freedom means “being able to act, think, and speak in any way one wants to without any type of hindrance,”(Dictionary.com). In the book, 1984, by George Orwell, the totalitarian society ruled by Big Brother, in many ways, controls its citizens by hindering any types of freedom a member of the society might have. In a society that is decorated with telescreens, hidden microphones, and strict rules, Orwell illustrates the many ways Big Brother uses that to its advantage to stifle the freedom of its citizens. However, under all the scrutiny of Big Brother, there are
Our founding fathers once said, “ Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one”. The book 1984 is the perfect example of freedom vs security. Some of the characters in the book put off the vibe that they have no freedom. I would have to agree with them. There is no freedom in Orwell’s 1984 because a majority of characters such as Winston, Julia, and Mr. charrington have to live in a world of fear, hostility, and aggression; with the fear of getting caught by The Thought Police for something as simple as writing their personal thoughts in a notebook.
Granted the Party can warp laws and control knowledge, its greatest tool for taking away freedoms and controlling the public is its ability to revise history. This idea is displayed throughout the novel, and is fundamental to our understanding of how perfect the Party is. A prime example occurs when Winston is at his job at the Ministry of Truth, the manipulators of history and truth. He contemplates how he simply substitutes one lie for another in his daily work rewriting history, and explains, “And so it was with every class of recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain" (Orwell 36). This highlights the genius of the Party’s control; there is no history. As mentioned earlier, the Party controls all publications, and destroys all facts that are not helpful. Much of it is simply fake information that bolsters the Party. Thus, when Winston changes
Your world is not real. Kennedy was never assassinated, Michael jackson has actually always been white, and subway is certainly NOT always fresh. Stop thinking you are free, you’re not. Okay, I’m just kidding. But am I really? Because sometimes subway really just sucks. Questioning. With this, through his work ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’, George Orwell has brought to my attention that I should be occasionally thinking for myself rather than constantly abiding by what I’m told is right. More specifically, ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’ suggests the plentiful ways that people can be oppressed in a totalitarian society will result in the loss of humanity and failure to rebound from the government’s control. These forces inhibit and encourage individuals’ actions and is described in the novel by the abundant use of technology combined with psychological manipulation. Orwell also uses symbols and metaphor to explain consequences of totalitarianism on a deeper level.
George Orwell’s theme in 1984 is that an omnipotent and all-seeing government is dangerous and will demean individuality as well as free will. He portrays this through Winston’s failure to rebel while showing totalitarian governments cannot be stopped after they have been completely established. He also depicts his message through the citizens’ total belief in government propaganda no matter how absurd or inconstant as well as through the international solidarity and seemingly permanent nuclear cold war.
Loneliness is something everyone experiences. However, nobody should have to go through the degree of loneliness of being unable to confide in one person. Everybody needs a person. At the start of 1984 by George Orwell, Winston is completely alone and cannot open up about his feelings towards Big Brother to anyone. He is unable to conform to his natural human nature due to a government in total control. George Orwell’s 1984 communicates the threat on society of a totalitarian government by using literary devices such as irony, foreshadowing, as well as characterization.
Thirty-three years ago, the unpleasantry that novelist George Orwell dreamt of never became the reality he predicted it would in 1949. The year 1984 was supposed to take society on an absolute turn for the worst, becoming a global dystopia in which everyone lived under the regulation and dominance of one of three totalitarian superstates. Orwell wrote of this future in his book 1984, creating the fictional universe of Oceania in which the lives of Winston Smith and the other characters in Oceania seemed genuinely real, especially by use of various literary devices. Motifs such as the linguistic concept of Newspeak and the majority of society’s convergence of feelings towards the Party and Big Brother appear multiple times throughout the pages of the novel. Through such recurring ideas, a major theme stands out - the lack of self-expression. Living under an authoritarian and oppressive government, party members such as Winston are forced to follow the socialist policies of Ingsoc. In the book it is written that, “The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of dependent thought” (Orwell 193). If everyone were to give into the Party, self-expression would be entirely eliminated because everyone and everything would be censored. With such motives made clear, Winston along with a minority realize the absurdity in the Party’s ways. Nevertheless, many more others do not, loving Big Brother and embracing
Have you ever been in a situation in which you have gone against what others have said? Perhaps you didn’t agree with what they said. What about breaking the rules for the greater good? Well in the novel, 1984 by George Orwell- Winston goes against the rules that the party has put up. He falls in love with a girl named Julia, and they are taken to trial at the Ministry of love. The theme to best fit the story would be- Freedom is Worth Fighting For.
We have freedom, but are we free? You can have your phone at school/work, but you cannot use it unless specifically given permission to. This is a paradox. A paradox is “a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true” (Merriam-Webster). According to Liah Greenfield, a professor at Boston University and a three-time novelist with books in Political Science, totalitarian societies are democracies with either no cultural traditions or too much free thought. Greenfield goes on to argue we have always had democracy, totalitarian, and nationalism, we just did not have names for them. In fact, we did not have the term “totalitarian society” until one of Winston Churchill’s speeches of Mussolini in 1946. She next brings up that totalitarians are nearly always permeating throughout cultural centers. Finally, she states, the university scene is the seed for totalitarian thoughts. She even mentions that they are like Minitrues, from George Orwell’s 1984. College students change statements or take statements out of context to use to their own benefit. The only difference is that universities do not have a head figure like Big Brother. Greenfield has solid thoughts, but she never gives facts to prove totalitarians are everywhere. She thinks totalitarians are reactions to modernity and too much free thought. George Orwell uses Newspeak, thoughtcrime, and telescreen in 1984 as well o show not giving the people of Oceania a voice will prevent
In the novel 1984, Orwell wanted to show how a free country like England would be if it had a totalitarian government. He explains with great detail the physical and mental abuse the people would receive if they were to disobey or take part in what makes us human; love and our interconnectedness among people. The setting of this novel takes place in London, a place where all the things that make us human were being diminished by the superior. The totalitarian government control people’s thoughts through propaganda and manipulation, all of which is vividly seen throughout America to this present day. We live in an era where no one can be them true selves without being oppressed or discriminated, simply because they do not fall along with the
Imagine living in a world where you could not make your own choices, or be your own person. In the novel 1984, this is exactly what happened. In a place called Oceania where there is no such thing as privacy and personal freedom (Roelofs), the main character Winston Smith, is living a strict life under the demanding party known as Big Brother. Winston decides that he wants his life back to normal and tries to rebel against the Party. Meanwhile, he is thought to be a lunatic because he is living his life how a normal person would, but everyone else is now living under what is thought to be a utopia society. Throughout the book Winston strongly disagrees with the fact that every second he is being keep under surveillance. Though at some points he believes he is being discrete, in reality someone is always watching. In 1984, George Orwell depicts the lack of privacy and loss of individualism which affects the characters and the society as a whole.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the totalitarian government is adamant that all citizens not only follow its policies, but wholeheartedly agree with them. In order to maintain his individuality and avoid the Thought Police, Winston lies about his allegiance to the government and his beliefs and thoughts. He learns that his lies are weak and shallow after he is caught, and he eventually realizes the true power of his lies when he deceives himself. The totalitarian government Orwell presents encourages deception as a means of survival, increasing the government’s power when the citizens are eventually driven to lie to themselves. As the Party grows stronger and individuality crumbles, Orwell displays the loss of humanity as a result of a government built on deception.
As human beings, there are distinct characteristics that separate us from feral animals; the ability to create, to appreciate art, to curiously question the world and most importantly to sympathize for our kind. However, when that exact nature is stripped from us, we tend to become mindless, restricted, cold, and degraded as an entire race. This is the setting of George Orwell’s last book, 1984. A world where human thought is limited, war and poverty lie on every street corner, and one cannot trust nobody or nothing. It is all due to the one reigning political entity, the Ingsoc Party, who imposes complete power over all aspects of life for all citizens. There is no creative or intellectual thought, no art, culture or history, and no