The Government In George Orwell's 1984

Thirty-three years ago, the terrifying vision that novelist George Orwell dreamt of in 1949 never became the reality he foretold it would within the preceding ten decades or so. The year 1984 was presumed to plummet society into utter chaos, becoming a global dystopia in which everyone lived under the regulation and the dominance of one of three totalitarian superstates. Orwell poured out his predictions into the pages of his book, 1984, creating the fictional universe of Oceania in which the lives of Winston Smith and the other characters living in the superstate give the expression of being genuinely real, especially due to author’s the use of various literary devices. For instance, motifs such as the linguistic concept of Newspeak and the majority of society’s convergence of feelings towards the Party and Big Brother appear multiple times throughout the novel. At the hand of such persisting ideas, a major theme stands out - the lack of self-expression. Living under an authoritarian and oppressive government, party members such as Winston are compelled to pursue the socialist policies of Ingsoc. In the book it is written that, “The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of dependent thought” (Orwell 193). If the general populace of Oceania were to submit the Party, self-expression would be entirely eliminated because everyone and everything would be censored. With such motives made clear,

Telescreens and microphones plague the society of Oceania which results in the silences of many voices of its citizens. The fear of having an expression of thought or speech is one of the many approaches Big Brother has in making sure that everyone falls in line with the strict rules it imposes. While the dictator may think it has control over everyone, Winston Smith is able to challenge this obstruction by purchasing a journal and inscribing his thoughts into it. This idea of having a dairy was “not illegal, but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death…,” (Orwell 6). Even though the society has “no laws”, there were still ways that the government provoked fear into its citizens. The use of the word illegal creates an ominous tone to this statement because even though having a diary was not against the standards, by Orwell using that word, it still conveys that there are hindrances in the society that are used to control its people. Since Winston is making the decisive action to “mark the paper,” (Orwell 7) he is controlling his freedom of speech in this society. He is able to control this freedom because every human wants their voice to be heard in any form, whether it is physically speaking or

“I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.” (Orwell 72). These are not the words of a man bereft of virtue. In fact, with these words, Winston Smith expresses his frustration at the falsehood the Party represents. This is, after all, a régime that perpetuates its repression through “double speak.” Its slogans displayed through Oceania are: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” (Orwell 14). Winston Smith’s world is a world where all that is noble is forbidden, and all that is forbidden is noble. Truth and lies are intertwined to the extent of being indistinguishable. The awareness that Winston Smith possesses makes him an uncommon, if not extraordinary man. It is because of this awareness that he rebels against the tyranny of the Party and refuses to conform or adapt, and walk the predetermined path of a meaningless existence that has been chosen for

George Orwell’s 1984, widely known for its chilling descriptions of the dystopian society of Oceania, warns of a world in which individuality is virtually destroyed as one oppressive government controls all aspects of life. Decades after the novel’s publication in 1949, various nations today draw unsettling parallels with the characteristics of the government described in 1984. North Korea is one such example, particularly seen as a controversial topic in global debate. Although North Korea and Oceania in 1984 both possess totalitarian governments that attempt to control and restrict individualism, the means in which each government originated and gained authority differ.

“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one” (Thomas Paine). 1984, written by George Orwell, and Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, are both dystopian novels written to develop the idea of an overpowering government. Winston Smith, the protagonist of 1984, is a member of the Outer Party in the new world of Oceania where all thoughts are observed and each hope obliterated. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth where he erases history in order to form the present, however, Winston wonders about the circumstances of his world, run by the ubiquitous face of Big Brother, and hopes for a time, free of the suffocating hands of the Party, in order to obtain freedom. Along with

The lack of privacy, in both “1984” and present society is detrimental, and has the ability to completely control and intimidate an entire community; therefore preventing society to move forward and progress. In 1984, Orwell is able to establish a lack of security. There are insecurities and worries behind every corner because, “Big Brother is watching you,” and it’s uncontrollable. In Winston’s case, thoughtcrime is a reoccurring theme in his life; and with the lack of privacy in his world, he knows that “thoughtcrime does not entail death, thoughtcrime is death”. Unfortunately, with the everyday struggle that is faced by the people of Oceania, privacy is not, and has never been granted and never will be.

There are many countries in the world, and each one has its own government. Some of the government varies from one to another like how they are run to what type of government it is. There are many different opinions on what the best type of government is and what it should do for its people/country. What George Orwell, who wrote 1984, thought a government should not be able to do was be in complete control over a country and rule by terror/fear. In the novel 1984, Orwell advocates the danger of a government with complete control/power over a country because the result will be losing the fundamental things that makes people human which is the ability for people to think for themselves and have free will to believe in what ever people want to believe in.

George Orwell’s 1984, a utopian fiction novel, illustrates what its like to live in a society with unrealistic amounts of censorship. The censorship is taken to the extreme and controls everything, even the society’s history. The Party of Oceania even forces a created language called Newspeak, in attempts to stop political rebellion by eliminating rebellious words from their vocabulary. The people are not allowed to express individuality, engage in sex, disagree with the Party, or have their own personal thoughts. Winston goes against the Party and illegally purchases a diary. In this diary he writes what he cannot speak.

Today almost 60 percent of Americans alone believe that there's too much government control and 20 percent of the rest of the population can’t trust the government. It’s a very interesting fact for the citizens of a country that is supposedly free. In this essay, we will begin talking about the 1984 and Brave New World. In 1984, we follow a character named Winston in his quest to try to break down the government. He will disobey many of the strange and harsh rule that Big Brother has sets for its own people. Here we will learn about the control that the government has on its people and see all types of manipulation that they use. In Brave New World,we follow the savage, John, in his journey to fit into an advanced civilize station. John comes from a place in which there is still religion, mistakes, and plenty of love. His land was very expansive and filled with nature. We see John does not fit in this new world because of no religion and no pride in people. We see that he regrets coming into this new society because of how there is no life in people and how they are controlled over and over again. While both 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley both show a country with full control and consequences it has on society, yet we see similarities and differences in their topics of love within their countries, changes in history, and punishments.

It is clear that power and authority are relevant themes in both Nineteen Eighty – Four and A Taste of honey, as the protagonists in both texts lack power throughout the plot novel and within themselves. A Taste of Honey is set during the capitalist times in the 1950s in a patriarchal society, women where deemed powerless by their male counterparts. In contrast Nineteen Eighty – Four, a dystopian novel, is set in a totalitarian world controlled by a higher authoritative power, that keeps the characters constantly living in fear. Similarly to A Taste of Honey, Big Brother takes the form of a personified male authority. Highlighting the point that women held no power over their lives, the characters within the text prove this, because the power in both texts

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.

As Steven Pinker once said, “The strongest argument against totalitarianism may be a recognition of a universal human nature; that all humans have innate desires for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The doctrine of the blank slate... is a totalitarian's dream.” This quote depicts one of the biggest societal flaws within Oceania and gives the reader a great idea of how Oceania used the totalitarian governing style to control their citizens. Orwell incorporated many of his personal beliefs on real life totalitarian dictators and societies in 1948 to accomplish his purpose of destroying totalitarianism. In 1948 by George Orwell, Orwell used the Party to represent real life totalitarian governments to show people how this governing style

George Orwell’s novel “1984”is based on the dictatorship of the government called INGSOC. The novel takes place in 1984 where it starts off with Winston starting to think about rebelling against INSOC. The problem is that everyone has been taught to love “Big Brother”, the dictator of INGSOC, for a long period of time, so no one really has the idea of overthrowing the Party. But eventually he finds Julia a young woman that somewhat has the same idea as his. They both want to gain freedom from the Party but end up getting caught by O’Brien , an undercover agent for INGSOC, and get brutally tortured for what they have tried. In the process of being tortured, O’Brien forces the idea that the power of the Party is vigorous for society into Winston and Julia, slowly brainwashing them and ending with Winston's deep fondness for Big Brother. Since INGSOC had the support of

In the book 1984, George Orwell describes the life of a man named Winston who works for the Ever prevalent INGSOC. INGSOC is a society controlling government that is split into three parts. The inner party, the outer party, and the proles. INGSOC is omnipotent and all controlling of every aspect of people's lives. This dictatorial society is horrifying to the minds of americans who have nearly total freedom in their actions and thought. However, with recent changes in government policy on surveillance, war, education, and the increase of fear of outsiders, it begs the question. Is America becoming 1984?

Totalitarianism is a system of government that is centralized, dictatorial, and requires complete subservience to the state, the state also recognizes no limits to its authorities. Oceania, the novel’s setting, is a strictly enforced totalitarian society. In Oceania, there are rigorous laws on almost everything there is to think of. A person’s actions, thoughts, feelings, or way of life has to be under the guidelines of their government. If these rules are not followed the consequences can either be very simple or very tortuous. The main character of 1984, Winston Smith experiences firsthand just how cruel the government can be. This can also relate to our government today. It can be an unthreatening crime to other citizens, but the punishment could still be life behind bars, or even death. On the other hand, punishments today may seem inferior to punishments given to the citizens of Oceania. In George Orwell’s 1984, the government of Oceania is very similar, yet completely different to our government today.