Politics And Economy By George Orwell

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” (Orwell 4). These three seemingly contradictory statements are the national slogans of the Party, the totalitarian regime government in George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984. Through psychological manipulation, an authoritarian government can have many harmful effects on society. Orwell’s novel is a prime example of this, and the oversight and regulation the Party has over its citizens is evident throughout the course of the novel. Orwell shows the reader the dangers of a totalitarian government, and the ways in which it can completely manipulate its citizens.

Our life of various kinds of decisions. Now then, how many times a man faces a difficult situation where he should make a momentous decision? Many times and, unfortunately, sometimes people are forced to do some things that they do not want to do. So, in the essay "Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell describes on his personal experience how and authority influences people to sacrifice their own principles. I believe that all people need in a harmony with oneself and not bend before others to try to satisfy other people's needs.

During the 1900s many immigrants were coming to the United States for a better life. Companies would hire immigrants from all over to work in their so called meatpacking industry which had unsanitary conditions. The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair which aimed at the meatpacking industry through the use of socialism. Upton advocated socialism more than capitalism which was used in the book. After the book was written an act was passed known as the Meat Inspection of 1906 which prohibited of misbranding meat products and better conditions for workers.

The author of the novel 1984, George Orwell, is a political critic. Therefore, he used very precise descriptions of situations and words to provide the reader a clear understanding of the entity he is criticizing. When Winston describes the destruction of past records to create new ones to Julia, he says: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” (pg. 162). Here, instead of only saying “Every record has been

The human condition can be described as the aspects of life that compose and form a person. Many novels depict a society where the human condition is manipulated by those in power. In 1984 by George Orwell, the human condition is controlled by the government. The nation, Oceania, is ruled by a strict, hostile regime called the Inner Party. The Inner Party keeps a constant, vigilant watch on their citizens through several methods such as the use of telescreens and thought police. Using this to their advantage, the Inner Party controls their citizens’ daily lives and routine. Failure to follow the Inner Party’s directives ultimately results in death. On the other hand, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 portrays a society where the human condition is controlled by media. In this world, reading books has been outlawed. Books are now burned along with the houses that they are found in. Without books, citizens turn to various media outlets to fill their minds. Television parlors, Seashell ear thimbles, and similar objects encompass the citizens’ lives and continually surround them to the point of brainwashing. Both novels illustrate a harsh, manipulated human condition which is reflected in the societies’ people; however, between the two societies depicted, a more devastating, oppressive and strict human condition is demonstrated in Orwell’s 1984.

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

The ninety-five page novella, Animal Farm, written by George Orwell. Aimed at teenagers and adults, it cleverly shows the flaws within society and how we will never change. This timeless classic was converted into an hour and ten minute long film (in 1954) which is suitable and supposedly appealing to young children.

Inspired by lectures given in 1956 and compiled for publication in 1962, Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom addresses important modern economic issues ranging from the distribution of income to the role of government in education (Friedman vii). According to The Times Literary Supplement, Capitalism and Freedom was “one of the most influential books published since the war” (TLS). In the seventh chapter of Capitalism and Freedom, Friedman addresses the role capitalism and economic freedom plays in the reduction of discrimination against individuals belonging to particular religious, social, and racial minority groups (Friedman 108). Friedman’s argument concerning the power of capitalism and economic power is supported particularly in the increased mobility of African Americans following World War I and II despite the “temporary interruption” displayed by collectivist trends following 1945 (Friedman 11). African Americans, with newfound economic power, were able to curtail coercive political power held by whites. However, Friedman fails to properly address the chain of events which allowed for the establishment political freedom in the African American community. Despite economic freedom granted following emancipation, African Americans were unable to translate economic freedom to political freedom because laws in place to protect civil liberties were not enforced. World War I provided unprecedented economic opportunities for African Americans. Labor shortages provide

The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell at the closing of the Second World War, where the political ideologies of the Stalin and Hitler regimes are combined and amplified. The story is set in Airstrip One, a province in the highly impoverished superstate of Oceania which is under the control of a totalitarian government. Oceania is also in perpetual war with three other superstates, and the Party utilizes various methods to retain their absolute control over the entire population. The Party runs under the ideology Ingsoc, a term used by the Party for English Socialism. The story revolves around the life of Outer Party member Winston Smith who unsuccessfully attempts to rebel against the Party and is ultimately erased from existence. By controlling every aspect of a citizen’s life and preventing the formation of political opposition, the Party is able to maintain their superiority. The Party uses three main tactics to remain in power: public manipulation, widespread government surveillance, and the concept of fear.

“What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do” (John Ruskin). John Ruskin was a prominent social thinker during the Victorian era. His beliefs hold true till this day, because he took action on and spread them throughout all of England. Actions speak louder than words, because thoughts, beliefs, and ideas have no impact on the world as a whole without actions. In To Kill A Mockingbird, “Letter to Birmingham”, and “Shooting an Elephant”.

Have you ever thought you have been led to believe something? Or been shown something, maybe even on purpose, to change your opinion and feel scared to make you feel the need to be protected? In the novel 1984 by George Orwell this is exactly what the government did. Big Brother lied, contradicted himself and would hide reality from the people. All of this to make the people of Oceania would love their government and feel like their government created the best life possible to those people. Now,how is our government, the United States of America, related to this?

There is a lot of nations who unlikely to us count with Kings and Dictators. In England Queen Elizabeth II, has not much power over decision or passing laws for example, the prime minister and the parliament are in charge on this because there monarchy believes in constitution. On the other hand there is dictators like Fidel Castro who ruled Cuba for more than five decades, assigning his position to his brother Raul Castro. He became the only party who will rule Cuba, but the most famous one who made horror in history was Adolf Hitler. Close to this way of ruling a country is the novel 1984 by author George Orwell. On his book Orwell talks about the danger and possibilities of living under a regiment and how the basic rights and freedom can be taken away. Currently every single citizen in the United States count with rights and freedoms. This is called The Constitution of the United States that was signed on September 17, 1787 and presented by George Washington. Based on the Constitution there is articles and amendments missing in the novel 1984 and how those missing amendments and articles make our society free and democratic.

“Selfish desire is found in the senses, mind, and intellect, misleading them and burying wisdom in delusion.” Stated by Lord Krishna in the Mahabharata war to Arjuna, this statement is especially true in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and William Golding’s The Inheritors. These classic dystopian novels illustrate the harsh realities of oppression and the selfish mentality of humans who solely intend to claim power. The antagonizing groups in these novels are the Party and the Homo sapiens, who develop several methods to fulfill their lustful intention of ruling eternally through misery by either tormenting or murdering, and by utilizing comparatively advanced technology such as the telescreen and boulders. Their intelligence is suppressed because they do not bother caring for those who are suffering from their unjust actions. In fact, their sole purpose is to claim power by harming innocent people. Hence, although these novels consist of contrasting settings, Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Inheritors are similar because their societies control people through despair and technology for solely claiming power and not caring for morality.

In the world of 1984, the Party seems unstoppable. For most of the younger generation, there never existed a world without it, and seemingly there never will. Small acts of rebellion do appear sometimes, inevitably, but the Party has an entire Ministry dedicated to smothering those out. There is a tiny speck of hope still present, though, and it depends on three primary things: that Newspeak is not effectively implemented, that the central government in Eurasia or Eastasia is overthrown, and that the proles are not monitored more closely or forced to conform with the Inner and Outer Party ways. With these three things and more combined, there is a miniscule but obstinate chance that the Party will be overthrown.

Have you ever said an inappropriate joke at the wrong time and place and then notice an elderly lady staring into your soul making you question your existence? Imagine a world where everything you said, did, or thought was discriminated and controlled not only by the old lady but the entire government. Correlating with the basis of being human, humanity is the building blocks of human life, which goes to show its importance, but what if the blocks were being taken away one by one? In the novel, 1984, by George Orwell, these blocks were being stripped away from the citizens every day. Orwell gives the readers insight in a world where technology inhibits daily life, humans lack intuition, and the repression of individuality.