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Nineteen Eighty Four Essay - Power

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Individual power is the control held within the hierarchy of ascendancy over others. Although it does take into account the ability to have command over one’s self, with regard to the freedom of influence and authority. In George Orwell’s didactic Nineteen Eighty Four¸ the autonomy of the individual is suppressed. His dystopic, totalitarian society depicts a world where the supremacy of the corporation is maintained through the deprivation of self-expression and the ever present threat of violent coercion. The Party aims to achieve a social order that consists of no relationships, no desire, “no art, no literature, no science” in order that ultimately “no enjoyment in the process of life” be found. This ensures a civilisation where the …show more content…

Highlighting the authority Winston obtains from the sexual relationship with Julia, due to his mental separation from the tyranny of the party. Winston as a result, temporarily gives into his human instinctive desires and satisfies his yearning for individual power. In Michael Moore’s and Rage Against the machines political music video Testify, the message regarding the conflict of power between the individual and the corporation is conversely different to that of Nineteen Eighty Four. The entity is now in control and this ideology is displayed through the videos empowering low angle shots of individuals raising their left hands in order to ‘testify’ against the authority of the government. But this shot of individuals collaborating, ultimately emerges into a collaboration of thousands of people. Reiterating the power of the singular human being, as the change of mindset of one in many can create large masses, and numbers is power. Zach De La Rocha (the vocalist) pin points what he believes to be the weakness of the government, ‘the people’. “We found your weakness (weakness), And it’s right outside your door,” Zac’s use of threatening tone emphasises the power of the individual when collaborated with others and the menace they impose on the government. "Who controls the past now controls the future...Who controls the present now?" The composer illustrates that although

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