December 2, 2012
“Satire in 1984 and V for Vendetta” Most nightmares are horrendous. In these delusions, the subconscious’ worst-case scenarios are discharged. Imagine a nightmare come to life. What type of government is there? There is most likely a tyrannical leader forcing upon society oppressive measures, manipulating them through authority and control. This is an example of a dystopia. Analyzing this disturbing situation helps criticize and ridicule something of reality. This is called satire, and in this case, satire of a dystopian society. George Orwell’s 1984 is about a protagonist, Winston Smith, living under a totalitarian government in Oceania. He befriends and forms an intrepid relationship with an audacious dark haired girl,
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If this is the normative role of the government, should they not put their egos aside and become more submissive to the public? Rather than the other way around? This is indubitably ridiculed in both 1984 and V for Vendetta. Control of the public, is intrinsic to the prospect of the government. One way is to control the subject’s emotions. That is why the ongoing theme of control through emotion is so important. In turn, power is allotted to the government, without opposition. In 1984, emphasis is put on the public’s distorted idea of true and false. Through different emotions planted in citizens, facts are skewed. Distorted emotions are exaggerated in 1984 through Winston’s experience amid the “Two Minutes Hate.” He along with everyone involved is subjected to government bias potent propaganda. After watching the ‘Two Minutes Hate,’ he says that, “At those moments his secret loathing of Big Brother changed into adoration, and Big Brother seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector…” (1.1.15) This is a prime example of common sense and knowledge being twisted into thoughts of pure emotion. When thoughts are manipulated by emotion, more instinctive natures arise. Through government propaganda, two groups are set apart; they, as rational and them (the public), being emotional. This secures the government’s power, giving them complete control over the public. Such power can only been
In our society today, we have all these rights, but imagine if we did not. 1984, written by George Orwell, and V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, both paint accurately scary descriptions about the government in the future and the dystopian society. 1984, written in 1949, was intended to be a portrayal of the future and V for Vendetta, made in 2005, shows Britain in power in 2038. Both of these pieces of literature were not far off from their description. As every single year passes by, our own society starts to reflect images from these books. When the government has this much power over the people, the people rebel, but can they be a success or not?
In the film V for Vendetta the viewer is welcomed to a dystopia in which the government not only controls its citizens, but removes their privacy, civil
As Winston Smith reflects, “The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in.” (Orwell, 16) The Two Minutes Hate takes the rage that persons may feel toward the lack of control over their own lives away from the Party and turns it against claimed enemies of the Party. Because Big Brother is declared to be kind and good, any enemy is automatically evil and bad. There are also spies to keep the citizens as ignorant as the prisoners in Plato’s cave. The Thought Police keep people afraid, discouraging independent thinking; even children spy on their parents. The children, Orwell writes in 1984, "were systematically turned against their parents and taught to spy on them and report their deviations. The family has become in effect an extension of the Thought Police. It was a device by means of which everyone could be surrounded night and day by informers who knew him intimately" (Orwell, 133). No relationship should be more important than loyalty to Big brother. Moreover, the last thing that controls the people is the telescreen. The telescreen not only watches citizens, but also tells the Party’s lies that change history. But, like prisoners in the cave, the citizens have no other reality to compare it
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.
The main character in George Orwell’s 1948 novel, 1984, Winston Smith can be seen as many things. To some, he may be a hero, but to others he is a coward and a fool. Throughout the novel, Winston’s characteristics are explored, and readers are shown the reasoning behind Winston’s twisted mind. It is evident that although Winston thinks he had control over his own mind and body, this is an imagined factor. The world of 1984 is one of a totalitarian society, where no one can be trusted, and no one is safe, Winston being the primary example of one who trusted thoughtlessly.
During Joseph Stalin’s regime of the Soviet Union, 1984, the Classic Dystopian novel by George Orwell, was burned and banned, because the book shone a negative light on communism. The book, 1984, follows the life of Winston Smith, who lives in a country called Oceania. Oceania is a totalitarian society, ruled by a government known as The Party, whose leader is called Big Brother. In Oceania, every movement and sound every person makes is constantly surveillanced, and one wrong facial expression, statement, or action can cause the ‘Thought Police’ to take the person away to never be seen again. A small percentage of the population questions The Party’s dictatorship, and the novel follows Winston’s struggles to keep his hatred of The Party
Orwell’s novel of 1984 depicts a dystopian society in which people are brainwashed with propaganda and bound to the chains of a strong dictatorship, also known as the Inner Party. Humanity has been filled with lies, as not a single person knows the truth that lies beneath the dictatorship. History is constantly being rewritten to mask their true identity. Any skeptical thoughts may make you disappear."Big Brother" is constantly observing you along with a telescreen watching every facial expression and recording any abnormal body language. However, two citizens called Winston and Julia rebel against "Big Brother's" totalitarian rule which triggers an astonishing warning towards future generations. Orwell is warning future generations of a society
George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 cautions against government having too much/excessive amount of power. Winston Smith lives in a society where a totalitarian government tracks their citizen's every move through telescreens and thought police. The government is divided among the four ministries; the Ministry of Love, Peace, Plenty, and Truth. The excessive censorship in the society leads the citizens to be less individualistic and more alike to one another. Being in an environment where Newspeak is enforced, citizens are unable to express their originality. Orwell's 1984 is a very effective cautionary tale through its characterization of Winston who lacks heroic characteristics, its conflict of man vs society, and its use of dialect.
A society that is run by hate can cause total chaos and destruction within its society causing its people to be untrusting of the government and also question its power and authority due to a belief of a conspiracy of the government. This so called hatred that exists in society consumes it people with remorse and anger against this totalitarian, corrupt government that seeks power and control over its people and society, which can cause a major revolt of its society against the government to try to seek the truth and their individual rights. In the classic novel, “1984”, written by George Orwell, he writes about a society in the city of London, called Oceania, in which Big Brother is in control of the society in every aspect of the people’s lives. Some examples of the governments power over society is the ideology of thought crimes, the creation of Newspeak, and telescreens that watch over and invade the privacy of their people. A society that is based on hate cannot survive and support its society because a society must depend upon happiness and its people in order to survive so it can achieve true happiness and tranquility.
Alan Moore and George Orwell’s stylistic writing choices and parallels between fascist governments and the methods used to oppose them in their pieces “V for Vendetta” and “1984” with the use of rhymes and television to represent a biased sense of view and salvation left in history, and how the Party uses their own symbols to repress that salvation.
In “1984”, lies, myths and false information controls the thinking of the citizens. The Party uses propaganda as the deadliest weapon of control. Propaganda increases the citizens’ morale and makes them think that what the party tells them to do is always right.
Propaganda was a big contributor to the chaos and destruction among citizens of 1984. “Two Minutes of Hate” is one of the methods used in the novel. It is a program that broadcasts on television screens where Goldstein, the main rebellious man against the Party, is seen as a despicable figure of the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is a resistance group against Big Brother. The program claims that “all subsequent crimes against the Party, all treacheries, acts of sabotage, heresies, and deviations, sprang directly out of his teaching.” (Orwell). This translates to all of these acts are not in the standards of the dystopian society in Oceania. Some citizens believe that Big Brother is good and bad at the same time. Which bring us to another type of propaganda; Double-think.
Through the dystopic texts of 1984 written by George Orwell and V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue, the concept of a cautionary tale is portrayed by the dystopic qualities present in the highlighted texts. To which a dystopic text is an exploration of restrictive and controlling societies which reflect modern day concerns. To portray the texts as a warning story, Orwell and McTeigue give depictions of the dystopic qualities of their worlds, through the loss of independence and freedom and emphasise the importance of the individual through its loss in the dystopic societies.
The novel 1984 and the graphic novel V for Vendetta have similar views on how society is being run. However V for Vendetta was based on 1984 since 1984 was written before V for Vendetta. Both of these novels are similar in a way like the themes and how the male protagonists are the one in charge of overturning the government.
In 1984 citizens are compelled to take part in a daily exercise referred to as 'Two Minute Hate'. This is an activity where colleagues are seated in front of a huge telescreen, and shown videos and images of the nation’s enemies as decided by ‘the party’. The hypnotic ‘Two Minute Hate’ serves to build exhilaration in the masses, until the cannot even be contained to their chairs, desperately screaming with fury at the mere image of rebel leader ‘Emmanuel Goldstein’, citizens are then played a national anthem and are left worshipping their leader- ‘Big Brother’. In two short minutes, the public are beguiled to the images they see before them and are convinced to act like raging, blood-thirsty, animals, and seconds later encouraged to become loyal citizens once more. Even rebel Winston and confidante Julia feel the same compelling, hypnotising effects of the