George Orwell's1984 : A Dystopian Society As A Utopia?

A dystopian society is one with restricted freedom, whose values are worshipped by citizens who live in fear of surveillance or punishment. In 1984 by George Orwell, the protagonist lives in a futuristic world, controlled by big brother and the inner party over aspects of human life. In Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, the fear of egalitarian policies, and the dangers of equality take over. In The Purge by James DeMonaco, the citizens relief to self-regulate violence and to protect themselves and their family from the protagonist. All dystopian literature shares similar characteristics, winston which is the protagonist in 1984, he lives in a society where the government takes over and tries to brainwash the citizens making them believe they live in a illusion of a perfect world. Winston is depicted and physically ill, but strong enough not to give in. “Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past.” (Orwell 12). George Bergeron is the protagonist in Harrison Bergeron, the government makes him wear a radio, which broadcasts noise over these radios to interrupt the thoughts of smart people like George. ‘’Screams and barking cries of consternation came from the television set’’ (Vonnegut 2). Sergeant was the protagonist in the purge, he risked his life by saving others life for a night of horror. The Purge, Harrison Bergeron, and 1984 were all based off government, society where there is limiting and controlling the population. ‘’We

George Orwell focuses his belief of the “[disbelief] in the existence of the objective truth because all the facts have to fit in with the words and prophecies of some infallible fuhrer”. He envisions the decay of future society and implements his ideas through his creation of “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. Indications of a psychological fear are examined initially through the progression and change of the human mind, which is built upon the oppression of the Party. Through the construction of a world with no freedom and individuality, the human mind adapts the change of truth and pay utter submission from the Party, to escape the presence of their ultimate weakness. With those who are rebellious of the rules of the Party gradually brings out the ugly nature of humanity. Through the fragility of the human mind, it reinforces Orwell’s idea of a corrupted society, as there no longer remains a variety of human emotions for the next generation to pass onwards. Thus conclusively portraying the defeat of human mind unable to withstand the physical and mental tortures from the Party.

Complete control over a society can brainwash the citizens into believing the government laws and ways of life are normal. George Orwell's 1984 portrays a Utopian society in which the people of Oceania are blind to the world outside the controlling party. Reality control and surveillance of the citizens plays an important role in 1984 by George Orwell because of the negative Utopia that is illustrated by the use of paradox, symbolism, and imagery.

Citizens in the society believe they live in a utopian society because everyone in society is identical to each other, so everyone shares the same basic roles, and all things the party tells is true, as everyone believes what is told to them whether it is a lie or not. Propaganda is evident almost everywhere, but one that keeps being brought up is ““WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”” (Orwell 4). People in Oceania conform to a certain image, and is shown when Winston says “Nearly everyone was ugly, and would still have been ugly even if dressed otherwise than in the uniform blue overalls.” (Orwell 60). All of the sentences from the first quote “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, And Ignorance is strength” are propaganda, and more in depth, doublespeak. This is a large aspect of society because it is basically the motives behind how the government controls the society. People in Oceania dress the same, work at the same places, and follow the same rules; you cannot be better than someone

The world that Orwell presents in Nineteen Eighty-four has often been called a nightmare vision of the future. Writing sixteen years into that future, we can see that not all of Orwell’s predictions have been fulfilled in their entirety! Yet,

George Orwell’s 1984 is a prime example of a deep dystopia with a totalitarian government. Totalitarian governments have full and total control. The Inner Party, which is the main form of government in Oceania, has total control over its people’s thoughts and actions. They use many forms of abuse in order to control them. The Inner Party controls the government and is the upper class. The middle class is called the Outer Party. These people are given jobs from the government and are more educated than the Proles, which make up the lower class. The Outer Party is in charge of executing the Inner Party’s policies, but they have no say in them. The government uses many forms of manipulation to control their people. The members of Oceania’s society do not misbehave out of fear of punishment. People who betray the government vanish. They disappear and there is no evidence that they even existed. The government also uses the threat of abuse to keep its people in line. People of Oceania know they can be tortured or killed for even the slightest misdemeanor. The middle class is led to believe that they are living a high quality life through a method of false prosperity. The government fools people by changing history so the only form of truth the people think they have is their own memory. Many people discard their own memories and believe whatever the Party tells them is truth. Winston Smith is the character in which the book is centered around. He has doubts

Over seventy years after he lived and wrote, the works of English journalist and democratic socialist George Orwell, continue to fascinate, stimulate and enrage his readers concerning the structure of society and the organization of government. The controversial writer openly spoke out against the absolute power of any government, warning that a fascist government would deprive its people of their basic freedoms and liberties. Orwell’s novel, 1984, serves as a reminder of the danger of totalitarianism by depicting a future in which all citizens live under the constant surveillance of the “Big Brother.” Through the main character, Winston Smith, Orwell demonstrates the dangers of totalitarianism; writing of the consequences of absolute government in several essays and proposing socialism as an alternative. To Orwell, the role of government is to represent the common people rather than the old and the privileged.

“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”

Unlike the dystopian society of Oceania in George Orwell’s book Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which everyone is ruled by Big Brother; the United States is able to choose their leaders periodically (Orwell). The U.S. is able to elect who will represent them which makes the system democratic and fair. This year the United States is having an election between two candidates that received the nomination by winning the most amount of votes throughout the country. The presidential candidates were able to win because the presidential primary system allows people to vote for their ideal leader. Hillary Clinton won for the democrat party and Donald Trump is running for the republican party this year; even if most of the republican leaders were not in favor

The modern world still deals with racism and dehumanization, but nothing could compare to how people were treated way back in the olden days. To be living in a utopia, it is described to be “A place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions” (“Utopia”). Meanwhile, the opposite of that society is called a dystopia, which is “A society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding” (“dystopia”). It is believed that any utopian society does not remain one, for there is no possible way every person in a community thinks the same way about what a perfect society looks like. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, there is a broad known fact that the Party creates an illusion of a

The idea of a utopia sounds like a great idea, however it always turns into a feared dystopia. This is exactly what happens in the novel, 1984 and in the notorious group, The Ku Klux Klan. The definition of Utopia is “an imaginary and indefinitely remote place” (Utopia). The illusion these groups create never end up being utopias and eventually becomes a dystopia. The definition of dystopia is “an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives” (Dystopia). The KKK and Oceania are perfect examples of a falsified utopias that are simply dystopias.

Imagine yourself in your room, doing activities you would normally do in private. No one to bother you, no worries on your mind. Now imagine that the entire the time someone was watching you. Before one can question privacy, one must define it. So, what really is privacy? In scholarly terms, the Oxford Dictionary defines privacy as, “a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people.” The important context to take out of this definition is “state,” for privacy is simply a perception. Many authors have written works that question privacy; however, one of those authors wrote a classic that will be analyzed for years to come. As compared to today’s world, George Orwell’s dystopian society in 1984 seems as if it is an unachievable

The dystopian society at the center of George Orwell’s 1984, although written years earlier, raises many challenges with freedom of speech and press. The novel mirrors numerous issues with the media that have arose today, and with remarkable accuracy, especially considering that Orwell wrote this novel during the the late 1940s. With the threat of Communism creeping towards America’s doorstep, Americans were focused on strengthening the government in order to withstand the Communist threat. As a result of sharp increases in governmental power that were “necessary” to defeat Communism, Orwell and many others began to see a vision of the future in which the government became so powerful that the freedoms of the people no longer existed.

This essay aims to note the various ways in which our modern times share, although diluted, notable aspects central to the dystopian cities in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and the setting called Oceania in 1894 by George Orwell. In both novels the reality of its citizens have been sculpted by a direct effort from the residing government. Their aim is principally at controlling the one facet that guides and motivates humans, their seeking of pleasure. Their approaches are extreme and are complete opposite from one another, yet strangely enough, both authors predicted and warned about a future that, scary enough, has common aspects that are easy to point out in our own society.

The perfect world has never existed nor will it ever. Someone persons view on something great could be another worst nightmare. In some cases people mistake utopias for dystopias. A utopia is an ideal place of state or living (“Utopia”). A dystopia is a society of characterized by human misery, a squalor, oppression, disease, or overcrowding (“Dystopia”). In George Orwell’s book 1984 the society is depicted as a utopia when in reality it’s not the perfect place, it’s written to represent a dystopia. It takes place in 1984 in a dystopian America where it’s actually called “Ocieana”. The book tries to make itself seem like a perfect society, using propaganda, and presented government. They would look like the perfect society to some people