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Similarities Between 1984 And A Clockwork Orange

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In a totalitarian society, it’s often required of citizens to abide by the ideologies of one’s government. However, when extreme measures taken to exterminate an individual's ability to deviate from current societal norms, the outcome is the loss of self to an extent. Corrupt governments that lead to the loss of the identity of their citizens is depicted in the novels 1984 by George Orwell, and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. The disturbing and thought provoking novel 1984 begins with Winston Smith’s efforts to be an individual while the government bans and sort of individuality. Winston rebels against the Party that keeps the entire population under surveillance by writing in a journal and having a sexual relationship, both of which …show more content…

The novella begins with Alex and his friends harassing and beating a variety of innocents throughout the streets England. When he is finally arrested for his crimes, two years into his fourteen year sentence he begins the testing of the ludovico technique, which would prevent him from partaking in any sort of violence of sexual activity. Upon release, his brainwashing is used against him and he endures a suicide attempt because of the manipulation. After waking from his attempt, he discovers that he had been cured of the brainwashing, and again had control over himself. Although Winston’s brainwashing is permanent, both governments used the manipulation of individuality and in order to achieve a society that's both capable of being controlled, and able to function without fault. The government in both novels use oppression and brainwashing to control their citizens in order to create a perfect society with varying degrees of success. In order to achieve the perfect status of society, the governments in both novels use forms of oppression in order to claim authority and to be beloved by the …show more content…

The Government is capable of controlling the collectives thoughts by using telescreens and doublethink, both of which promote compliance and ignorance among Party members. To begin, telescreens keep the society in a state of oppression as those who don’t comply to the Party’s ideologies are discovered through the device, and then taken to the Ministry of Love to be brainwashed into accepting the party’s principles. The device fulfils the constant need of broadcasting propaganda and keeping the entirety of the population under surveillance and in constant fear. The Party requires these machines as they ensure the absence of conspiracy and thoughtcrime throughout Party members. The telescreens are extraordinarily sensitive, capable of picking up even an irregularly fast heartbeat. Winston was especially careful about his thoughts around a telescreen for that reason, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen...A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself – anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality”(65) Telescreens completely restrict all acts and

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