Oppression and Dehumanization in George Orwell's 1984 Essay

George Orwell’s 1984 is more than just a novel, it is a warning to a potential dystopian society of the future. Written in 1949, Orwell envisioned a totalitarian government under the figurehead Big Brother. In this totalitarian society, every thought and action is carefully examined for any sign of rebellion against the ruling party. Emotion has been abolished and love is nonexistent; an entire new language is being drafted to reduce human thought to the bare minimum. In a society such as the one portrayed in 1984, one is hardly human. In George Orwell’s 1984, the party uses fear, oppression, and propaganda to strip the people of their humanity.

1984 examines a future under the rule of a totalitarian society. One of the unique notes about Orwell's 1984, is the views that Orwell presents on humanity, and human nature. Orwell presents humanity as divided into two sides- the dominant, and the submissive, with few quickly-eradicated anomalies in between. Human nature, however, is universal, and all humans

Recent news about trials and light sentences for specific crimes involving a certain group raises questions about how the justice systems favors one group/race more than the other. Other news like those involving foreign affairs with other nations also reveals underlying conflicts we have with other countries. In 1984, the Party has a significant impact on the media, and this does not only involve politics. The Party wants to be portrayed positively and even goes as far to control entertainment and music.The Party members, or citizens, are exposed to the violence they see on the telescreen and the sound of patriotic music. Politics, is something more complex the Party members handle with. An example of this has to do with the interchangeable war with Eurasia and Eastasia. For example, when the Party said they were at a war with Eurasia, they also had said that the two nation had always been at war. However, the main protagonists Winston recalls clearly that the Party was at war with Eastasia a few years prior. It does not matter who is at war, but it is a test to a Party member since they would have to believe that Oceania is at war with Eurasia. The Party has also made many posters and propaganda plastered onto walls that warns their citizens about having rebellious thoughts, or thought crime along with posters of the supposed leader Big Brother that captions: Big Brother is Watching. Media plays a significant role in democracy as

We see how this form of government and propaganda makes it impossible to differentiate between what is real and what is being made up- emphasis on how no one knows the reality anymore, because the world is as the party defines it.

1984 is an eye-opening novel written by George Orwell. Orwell wrote the novel in 1949 to outline how he projected society would be in 1984 if progress continued upon its current track. Orwell published the book as a warning that society must be careful about progress for progress’s sake, or conditions could end up similar to the way society is in his work 1984. The novel is divided into three chapters, or books, each with multiple subunits, and these sections tell the story in chronological order. The book ends with an appendix on the principles of newspeak, the new language of Oceania.

1984, Orwell’s last and perhaps greatest work, deals with drastically heavy themes that still terrify his audience after 65 years. George Orwell’s story exemplifies excessive power, repression, surveillance, and manipulation in his strange, troubling dystopia full of alarming secrets that point the finger at totalitarian governments and mankind as a whole. What is even more disquieting is that 1984, previously considered science fiction, has in so many ways become a recognizable reality.

The outer party is more affected by this since the proles have more freedom than the outer party even though they are the lower class. Proles are able to marry whomever they want to, have a family, watch films or football, drink beer, and other forms of entertainment made from the Party. Even though the Proles can overthrow the government through sheer numbers, they are brainwashed that they are in fact not oppressed at all. The Party appears to be kind and kind to the people rather than oppressive and ruthless. At one point the Party had a broadcast while Winston was working that said chocolate ration was to increase to 20 grams per week, when in fact the ration was actually decreased. The citizens did not realize the government’s lies because of the brainwashing and they thought that the government was here making their lives better. This act was successful since Winston’s job, at the Ministry of Truth, is to construct lies so it fits with what the government’s interpretation of reality. He has to rewrite historical papers so anyone that checks the history, will see that the government has been telling the “truth”. This also crushes any dissent people may cause by talking about the past, since clearly the history says something

They could use this to create a false enemy in public minds. It is said that the biggest motivation is fear and it rules very easily. “Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. ‘Reality control,’ they called it: in Newspeak, ‘doublethink’.” (Orwell 40). Someone who’s scared will not live the life of their choice, will follow authority and avoid going against the government. They will stay well within the Government’s control and do exactly as they say. The way the Inner Party keeps its subordinates happy and loyal is by creating false statistic of achievements in the country. This will never be uncovered because of the limits Newspeak puts on one’s thoughts. In this way, through the use of Newspeak, propaganda can be spread with ease. One of the best examples today is of terrorist attacks. According to an article from Globalissues.org, Anup Shah warns that “the effects of today’s propaganda in terrorism lead to the influence of public opinion and accepting the many policies in the name of the war on fear, whether they are appropriate or not. It is not that there shouldn’t be anything done about it, but the discussion involving appropriate

This clever play made by the Inner Party distorts time and memory of the citizen. “This day-to-day falsification of the past is carried out by the Ministry of Truth”, with no evidence to back up events occurred, the memory is quickly lost and confused (224). By controlling history, burning the “wrong” accounts and reshaping history so the Part is always right, there is no trace of the truth left and citizens are lead to believe that all the Party does is good and right. This tactic allows Big Brother power over time and minds of the

Things to know: 1984 was a book written about life under a totalitarian regime from an average citizen’s point of view. This book envisions the theme of an all knowing government with strong control over its citizens. This book tells the story of Winston Smith, a worker of the Ministry of Truth, who is in charge of editing the truth to fit the government’s policies and claims. It shows the future of a government bleeding with brute force and propaganda. This story begins and ends in the continent of Oceania one of the three supercontinents of the world. Oceania has three classes the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the lowest of all, the Proles (proletarian). Oceania’s government is the Party or Ingsoc (English Socialism

George Orwell’s key objective throughout his novel, 1984, was to convey to his readers the imminent threat of the severe danger that totalitarianism could mean for the world. Orwell takes great measures to display the horrifying effects that come along with complete and dominant control that actually comes along with totalitarian government. In Orwell’s novel, personal liberties and individual freedoms that are protected and granted to many Americans today, are taken away and ripped from the citizen’s lives. The government takes away freedom and rights from the people so that the ruling class (which makes up the government), while reign with complete supremacy and possess all power.

The Party intent to undermine the happiness of a family. The future of the country is forced to become criminals under the age of adolescence. Ignorant, no awareness of the truth and the lies. " In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it" (89). The math makes the people look inane by brainwashing with a stupid formula, most of the people are considered stupid because no one has enough the encouragement to think that two plus two equal to four. It shows how the basic and simplest addition are controlled by the government turned into a lie easily. They have enough of power to influence the knowledge of the people have. The fear has overwhelmed their minds.

This story takes place in an imaginary country called Oceania; it is one of the three large super states in the world of 1984. Oceania is a society similar to Hitler's Germany; with absolute power in the government and absolutely no individualism. Oceania is ruled by a totalitarian government, the leader of the government was Big Brother. Big brother monitors all the people by telescreens and the thought police. Telescreens watch every move that is made and there is no privacy.

War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. The party slogan of Ingsoc illustrates the sense of contradiction which characterizes the novel 1984. That the book was taken by many as a condemnation of socialism would have troubled Orwell greatly, had he lived to see the aftermath of his work. 1984 was a warning against totalitarianism and state sponsored brutality driven by excess technology. Socialist idealism in 1984 had turned to a total loss of individual freedom in exchange for false security and obedience to a totalitarian government, a dysutopia. 1984 was more than a simple warning to the socialists of Orwell's time. There are many complex philosophical issues buried deep within

Robert Browning once said, “love, hope, fear, faith - these make humanity; These are its sign and note and character.” It is a natural human instinct to feel emotion, as well as to love and to feel loved. It is a longing that almost every single person has in their lifetime. It is this quality that mankind has that can, at times, separate them from the rest. But, can someone love if they are no longer a human being? Can someone feel passion if they have lost all of their humanlike qualities? In George Orwell’s 1984, the answer to that question appears to be no for several different reasons. In Oceania—a large, corrupted world ruled by a very controlling government—people are becoming further and further separated from their humanlike instincts, and are being pushed into a never ending and uncontrollable process of dehumanization. Different manipulation tactics such as thought control, constant surveillance over all citizens, and various forms of torture all contribute to the automatization of a passionless, heartless society. All of this results in one main consequence; the loss of the ability to love, or to be affectionate. This loss of passion created issues and tension in many relationships in the story, including that of the main characters, Winston and Julia. Since the Party (or the government) has taken control over their emotions, it was impossible for them to truly love each other. Winston and Julia did not truly love each other because of the Party’s strong