George Orwell 1984 Research Paper

While the government of 1984 takes complete control over the thoughts and actions of each individual in Oceania, the US government only records information and extracts them only for a legitimate cause. In 1984, the Party keeps everyone under its examination at every moment, accusing citizens of thoughtcrime - unacceptable thinking of the Party - for even the slightest hint of suspicion. Winston purposely turns his back towards the telescreen whenever he sits near one, for “anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality,… [such as] to wear an improper expression on your face,… was itself a punishable offense,” (Orwell 69). By restraining citizens and removing those from society who are accused even inappropriately, the government builds fear upon its citizens so that everyone would believe the government’s claims to be true regardless of reasoning. Meanwhile, in the United States, privacy is still recognized, and government searches are not allowed without proper reason. Under the Fourth Amendment, people are protected from “arbitrary governmental intrusions... [for] warrantless searches of private premises are mostly prohibited unless there are justifiable exceptions,” (Cornell University Law School). As seen today, social media allows individuals to think freely, and yet there are no

1984 by George Orwell is a novel set in a dystopian near-future London, the chief city of Airstrip One, Oceania. The people in Oceania are under the control of the Party. Big Brother, or BB, is the face of the Party and the leader of this great power that rules over Oceania. He is a dominant figure who acts as a trustworthy entity for the people he governs, but ironically is their worst enemy in many ways. His posters, captioned “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”, can be seen everywhere in the streets of London. These posters give the reader a physical description of what one can imagine Big Brother to look like. He is a man of about forty-five with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features that make him look scary but leader-like. Most people in this society are unaware of how they are brainwashed and controlled by the Party. Big Brother controls Oceania with various carefully designed techniques, some of which are: keeping the Outer Party in control with the 24-hour surveillance, Reality Control and by controlling the proles -- by keeping them ignorant and luring them through privileges.

In George Orwell’s 1984 Power is gained most effectively through control, fear and violence. Compared to a government like that of America’s, 1984 creates a more threatening structure of government where the public is limited from freedom and happiness. 1984 shows a world of a society where only the upper class has power and freedom from the harsh treatment that the general population receives. The idea of Big Bother makes the population of Oceania believe they are being watched over by a powerful force and oppresses them so they feel powerless and unable to do anything against a “great” force like Big Brother. The well-being of others depends on their willingness to agree with Big Brother and abide by their laws, if you think otherwise then you will be an accuser of thought-crime will be vaporized and removed from society or harshly punished through rigorous treatment and torture methods as was Winston and Julia. Power creates problems for others in which they do not deserve.

In Oceania, the fictional dystopian superstate, every citizen knows that they could be watched at any time. Surveillance is a prominent theme in the novel as there is no privacy amongst the residents of Oceania. Technology especially is an extremely important tool that the Party uses to maintain control over its citizens. For instance, in the novel there are two-way telescreens through which higher ranking Party members watch and record the activities of the citizens in Oceania at all times. Other common forms of surveillance in 1984 are the use microphones, thought crimes, and community involvement.

1984 Final Paper “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,” (Orwell, 79). The quotation above is from George Orwell’s 1984. The meaning behind this is that totalitarian governments cause others to always feel like their actions are being watched. Because of this, those people feel very paranoid since they aren’t doing whatever the norm is.

Oceanians are used to living in a constant state of surveillance either through technology or police patrol. “In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows” (Orwell 2). “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper would be picked up by it” (Orwell 3). Orwell’s description of the telescreen and its role in monitoring and brainwashing the society on behalf of the thought police provides an image of a totalitarian government preventing the free expression of thought. The party’s surveillance tactics and technology are so advanced that even the smallest twitch can betray a rebellious

In 1984 by George Orwell, Big Brother, as an individual entity, survives solely on the deception of the people of Oceania; it attempts to achieve self-preservation through totalitarian government control at the expense of the lives of the rest of society. Specifically in the concept of reality, Big Brother deceives the people through extensive manipulation of facts from the past and the present through the creation of paradoxical ministries and the use of telescreens and extreme laws to maintain a watchful eye on the citizens of Oceania at all times.

In a world where dictatorships were sprouting abundantly, Orwell saw a gloomy future for the people of the world, where technology was being used as the primary weapon against freedom by governments. The Soviet Union at his time was a key influence for Orwell’s development of 1984, the book he wrote to warn people of greedy governments who cared not for the people, but rather sought to abuse new technologies to increase their control over the people. Orwell saw, in countries like Russia, the beginning of a new type of dictatorship that used technology to effectively to create a solid grasp over their people, making it exceedingly difficult to revolt. Today in the USA, we typically view technology in a positive light which has allowed our country

A novel by George Orwell called “1984”, has shown a dark world ran by hate, and people who constantly watched and they can’t be shut down. In my opinion, our world is slowly turning into the “Big Brother” in George Orwell’s novel. Big Brother is a symbol of dictators across the globe. Big Brother serves as a godlike figure to the citizens of Oceania. He is a symbol of power and seen as an all-knowing figure gazing into the lives of every citizen.

In the oppressive, dystopian society of Oceania in the novel 1984, the Party has complete control over thoughts, language, and even the personal lives of Oceanians. The character, Big Brother, is likely a fictional character created by the Party, the most elite and powerful in this authoritarian society ruling over the gullible and brainwashed people of AirStrip One (today known as England). This is monitored with intense and invasive surveillance done through citizens and technology, impeding the character development of the inhabitants of Oceania. George Orwell uses the minor, yet significant character of Big Brother to represent the motif of a dictatorship as well as the motif of surveillance; this totalitarian leader is indirectly

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell Big Brother does not appear in the reading but still has a significant presence in the novel. Although Big brother never appears physically in the novel he is considered the ruler of Oceania. All over Oceania you can find propaganda posters with his face on it. The poster says, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”. Big brothers face is also on coins and telescreens. Even though the ideas and views of Big brother and the party have brainwashed most people except a few like Winston until the end of the novel. With that the party requires citizens to conform to the ideas of Big Brother. The citizens are also required to praise and love Big Brother and if you are caught going against him you will be vaporized.

George Orwell was a literary tactician who won two major awards because of hia advanced and intriguing use of propaganda. At first glance, his books appear to be stories about animals, however, they contain much deeper and influential meanings. Orwell is most recognized for his portrayal of dystopian societies and how they parallel present society. Through intense allegories, Orwell unintentionally crafted novels that are applicable to the totalitarian government systems prevalent in many advanced societies today. His dystopian societies have influenced many on history and government alike, giving it timeless qualities.

The government of Oceania is a totalitarian state who is led by Big Brother, an oppressive dictator to society. Orwell talks about dictatorship in his novel based on previous dictators before WWII. Big Brother leads Oceania with cruelty to the citizens by using them as slaves, giving them less food to eat and treating them like animals. But nobody knows whether Big Brother even exists in Oceania. It is believed the party created Big Brother to use him through propaganda of Big Brother’s face saying, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” to control citizens not to go against the party. In a quote from The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein, he explains more about Big Brother and who he is:

Have you ever wondered if you are really in control of your phone? Do you ever sit back and ask yourself where all the deleted information goes when you press “delete?” Most of the surveillance technologies that are in 1984 are now realities we take for granted. In the novel George Orwell 1984, Orwell discusses how cameras, telescreens, and “thought police”, being the government, are allowed to keep complete dominance over the people.

In 1984, the government, INGSOC, uses telescreens to invade the privacy of citizens, as they listen in on private conversations in the household and watch all the time. INGSOC can use the telescreens to watch and listen to anyone at any time. “You had to live- did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” (Orwell 3). The Government plants telescreens, the device described in the quote above, in every house and in public places. This invasion of privacy is the government’s way of suppressing rebellion. This way literally no action can be hidden from INGSOC. People, including Winston and Julia, can be arrested solely based on what the telescreen heard. Even when there are no telescreens, INGSOC plants microphones randomly to overhear conversations. “ There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your