Political Control In 1984 And Persepolis

As much as we citizens want to deny it, government corruption exists everywhere, whether it be a small group of greedy politicians or the system entirely. Is it shouted at the top of the mountains? Of course not, because it defeats the whole purpose of being corrupt, which is to quietly sweep away one’s imperfections and present themselves as honourable people. An appalling level of corruption and political power is described in the book 1984 written by George Orwell. Ingsoc, a political party, runs a totalitarian society, and with no resistance from their citizens, the government deceives them by changing the past and announcing fake news. Ultimately, they limit the thoughts and emotions of their citizens. Although 1984 tells a fictional

The first similarity is that both of the novels are written by Negro slave. They described the cruel experience in southern plantation and escape from the southern slavery to northern freedom.

Is it the common human nature to feel power over others? A totalitarian government seeks to utilize its message of confinement and authority to control the many aspects of life. In the novel 1984, Orwell portrays totalitarianism through psychological manipulation, physical control and the control of language.

People have struggled for power since they have started to live in groups. First, they came together, establish a system that would work, and then try to keep it stable. When they try to do that, sometimes they may think that the ends justify the means and they cut across all boundaries that block them. Therefore, to control the society, a ruler wants his subjects to follow him whether his decisions are correct or not and to do so he would try every plausible option. For example, he tries to wash people’s brain in a sense through chanting slogans, subliminal messages, and censorship. Though these techniques seem to have been used recently, they were

One similarity is in both texts the main person is fighting against the oppressive government. Another way that the two texts are similar is in both the government has put on unfair laws on its citizens. A quote from Harrison Bergeron that supports this is “The year 2081... nobody was smarter than anybody else nobody was better looking than anyone else nobody but it was stronger or quicker than anybody else.”

Picture this, a country manipulated by its government. This is the society described in these books Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1984 by George Orwell, and Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Could our country be on the verge of turning into these societies? The issue presented in these books is that too much government surveillance and control is detrimental to society because it can limit people's freedoms and alter people's beliefs. In Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, the main character, starts to question his role in society as a firefighter. A firefighter's job is to destroy any type of written literature not produced by the government. When he is called to burn down an old woman's house, Guy starts to question the government's control in his society and decides to rebel against the government's control of written literature. The guy starts stealing books from houses that have been burned. Suddenly, Guy's wife turns him in for stealing books and leaves him. Guy runs from the law and finds a group of renegade book readers who retain the knowledge of the books in their heads. An atomic bomb levels the city and the people who survive are left to create a society of their own. Another example is found in Orwell's 1984 which is set in a similar environment of government control and manipulation. In the book, Winston, the main character, lives in a society of total control by Big Brother, which is the government in their society. The society is watched 24/7 through

In the world we live in, there are many secrets that the government hides from us. The novel Fahrenheit 451 by author Ray Bradbury shows the bad that the government has done to the society. An oppressed society represents a systematic mistreatment which can ruin the way the government works. Government control can lead to an oppressed society because they are censoring things from citizens. In the readings from this year, there are many examples of how an oppressed society can come from government control.

Any government with total control is worth being feared and having a group of individuals who go against their government. With complete control, a government is capable of committing acts against their citizens, which can be perceived as “something good” from the government’s point of view. In 1984 by George Orwell, and “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, the main characters, Winston and Harrison, feel oppressed by the government's acts and events, try to overthrow their government, and go through a realization of hopelessness and defeat.

Moreover, Orwell uses the technique of loaded words to develop his theme of thoughts being controlled. “With a tremulous murmur that sounded like “My Savior!” She extended her arms toward the screen. Then she buried her face in her hands. It was apparent that she was uttering a prayer” (Orwell 16). Citizens are brainwashed and controlled to have deep feelings about Big Brother and that it is everything. Other citizens are also brainwashed the same way because they see others doing this and follow the people around them, “The horrible thing about 2 Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in” (Orwell 11). Peer pressure makes people think it is right to do many things. “Controlling minds and truth is ultimate power. Truth is subordinated to the Party” (Davis 250). Fake history is also created. Citizens will believe anything the Party puts in books. Their minds are too controlled to rebel against the party. Fake enemies are also created. It relieves the citizens’ anger when they are allowed to say anything against them. It is shown that Orwell uses the technique of loaded words to expand his theme of controlling thoughts.

Two classic novels, 1984 written by George Orwell and Brave New World penned by Aldous Huxley both possess similar topics and themes. In both novels societies are striving for a utopia, or a perfect society. These novels also take place in societies with versions of totalitarian governments, which is a government that rules by coercion. Not only are the topics similar, but in both novels a rebellious character is the protagonist; Winston Smith from 1984 and John the Savage in Brave New World. Another parallel in the books are the tactics that the government uses to instill fear and power over the citizens. A common theme expressed in Orwell’s novel 1984 and Huxley’s novel Brave New World is that government uses

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley illustrates what is actually happening in modern society. The novel is a satire of a totalitarian government and although it is fantasy, there are early traces of it occurring in modern day. It is hard to imagine a government that is solely based on the ideals of the people when there is an elected government body who makes decisions. The government’s goal is to have stability and prosperity and that, at times, is accomplished at the expense of the individuals who are governed. Accordingly, there is danger in having an all-powerful state because personal freedoms are lost. More so, there is power in having knowledge that others do not possess because it is a gateway for the government to control the public

The book Persepolis shows an accurate representation of Iran. Iranian Revolution, imperialism, nationalism, religion and danger all show accurate representations of Iran, especially in the book Persepolis. The book gets pretty intense and confusing parts but all of it is very accurate.

Evident in the abundant arguments regarding freedom and to the extent of which these freedoms are protected by legislation, Americans typically believe that their fellow citizens can be trusted with almost unlimited freedom. Americans exercise many privileges such as speaking freely and having access to news media (whether true or fictitious) that we assume are our basic human rights. We believe that the more freedom we have the better and that we can control ourselves rather than relying on external pressures on freedom However, these are not given to all people and were in fact punishable offenses for Marjane Satrapi in her childhood and young adulthood as a woman in Iran as revealed in Persepolis. While at first she despises the constraints on her freedoms put in place by the government and her family, after struggling on her own with virtually unlimited freedom she goes back to the more restrictive environment in Iran. Satrapi argues that while we should not allow extreme government control of freedom, so restraints made by parents and other family members is crucial in the development and bettering of a person’s upbringing. With too strong of governement restriction of freedom, one has no outlet of self expression or individuality and with too much freedom Satrapi is unable to create a safe environment for herself and remains emotionally unstable and she therefore argues that an environment with some restrictions is best.

The governments in today’s society have brainwashed their citizens into believing everything their leader says and thinks is correct and everything else is wrong. This can sometimes be known as a totalitarian government. George Orwell’s novel 1984 revolves around totalitarianism. The members of the party in Oceania are taught and required to worship their leader Big Brother whether they believe in him or not. In the novel 1984, George Orwell shows the problems and the hatred with a totalitarian government through his use of symbolism, situational irony, and indirect characterization.

Taking place in the late 1970’s, Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” exemplifies a profound illustration of the county of Iran, including aspects of its people and political structure. Unlike a conventional composed novel, the story of Persepolis is expressed through both textual and visual representation; otherwise known as a graphic novel. Through the experiences of the ten-year old character Marjane, the reader is exposed to historical events, movements, crises, and motives that occurred within Iran. Furthermore, the novel has gained much praise in its portrayal of emotions that occurred through the people of Iran. Although there has been tremendous support of the account of Marjane, there have been a few critics of the novel, attacking its overall literary value. For instance, New York’s Ithaca College student paper called The Ithacan, slammed the role Persepolis had on the literary society. In fact, they went as far to say that the novel “...is worth broaching but its literary value, in terms of building vocabulary and furthering comprehension, falls short.” An absurd statement, to say the least. Not only is Persepolis of literary value, it is a glimpse into the past. It allows the reader to understand the various conflicts that the people of Iran were facing. Through the account of Marjane, the audience is exposed to elements of Iranian history, gender roles, religion, and political fluctuation.