The Perils And Effects Of Totalitarianism In 1984 By George Orwell

Your world is not real. Kennedy was never assassinated, Michael jackson has actually always been white, and subway is certainly NOT always fresh. Stop thinking you are free, you’re not. Okay, I’m just kidding. But am I really? Because sometimes subway really just sucks. Questioning. With this, through his work ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’, George Orwell has brought to my attention that I should be occasionally thinking for myself rather than constantly abiding by what I’m told is right. More specifically, ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’ suggests the plentiful ways that people can be oppressed in a totalitarian society will result in the loss of humanity and failure to rebound from the government’s control. These forces inhibit and encourage individuals’ actions and is described in the novel by the abundant use of technology combined with psychological manipulation. Orwell also uses symbols and metaphor to explain consequences of totalitarianism on a deeper level.

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.

Winston Smith is a thirdy-nine-year-old intellectual, fatalistic, frail and a thin man which is the minor member of the ruling Party in near-future London. We experience the nightmarish world that the writer envisions through his eyes. Winston is extremely pensive, curious and desperate to understand how and why the Party exercises has such absolute power in Oceania. He passionately hates the totalitarian control of his government and the Party. He has his own revolutionary dreams.He wants to test the limits of its power and he commits crimes, have an illegal love affair with Julia to get himself secretly into the anti-Party Brotherhood.

Over seventy years after he lived and wrote, the works of English journalist and democratic socialist George Orwell, continue to fascinate, stimulate and enrage his readers concerning the structure of society and the organization of government. The controversial writer openly spoke out against the absolute power of any government, warning that a fascist government would deprive its people of their basic freedoms and liberties. Orwell’s novel, 1984, serves as a reminder of the danger of totalitarianism by depicting a future in which all citizens live under the constant surveillance of the “Big Brother.” Through the main character, Winston Smith, Orwell demonstrates the dangers of totalitarianism; writing of the consequences of absolute government in several essays and proposing socialism as an alternative. To Orwell, the role of government is to represent the common people rather than the old and the privileged.

Winston Smith, a worker for the Outer Party is dissatisfied with how his life is going. He decides to take up measures to rebel against the government by writing in a diary and even committing the sin of “thoughtcrime”. During the novel, he encounters Julia, another woman who wants to help stop The Party. Together they fall into love, or at least what they perceived as love, and met in secret contemplating the fact that they could be taken prisoner any day. They do get taken prisoner and are betrayed by Winston’s friends. Afterward the outcome of their efforts had been in vain. He is manipulated and eventually changes his outlook on Big Brother. Orwell relays that one must be wary of change; change should be looked upon as bad if it is thought

Winston’s ability to think freely poses a threat to the Party’s pursuit for an eradication of resistance. In the hidden room of Mr. Charrington’s shop, Winston and Julia wake up after and begin to prepare themselves for work. Clothing himself, Winston hears a prole woman singing outside their window, and begins to admire her voice. He thinks to himself, “As he fastened the belt of his overalls he strolled across to the window. The sun must have gone down behind the houses; it was not shining into the yard any longer.

Orwell shows Winston’s state of mind. This passage shows a worrisome state that Winston is in. It also shows that a younger generation lacks independent thought and will do anything to show loyalty

1984 by George Orwell is an extremely negative outlook on a futuristic, seemingly utopian society. People inhabiting the land of Oceania are enslaved to the government, most without even realizing it. The Party uses its many members to enforce its methods of control on the population. While a bit extreme, Orwell was attempting to warn people about the dangers of totalitarianism.

book, living in a one-bedroom apartment. Smith is miserable and keeps an incriminating journal of all negative thoughts of the Party, if caught Smith will be vaporized, he will become an unperson. One day in the office he noticed a dark haired woman staring at him, she is “Julia”. Smith hates her, he desires to rape her and murder her. Winston feels she’s a member of the Thought Police and that she is spying on him ready to denounce him. Her youth and decorative Anti-Sex League (Party League that degrades on the pleasures derived from sexual intercourse) sash disgusts him. Months later Winston bumps into Julia and she slips a note into his hand; the note says “I love you”. They make arrangements to meet and

In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith lives in Airstrip One, a place where the Party, government currently in charge, keeps an iron fist around its citizens with constant monitoring by Big Brother, the Party leader. Massive images of Big Brother complete with his mustache and dark hair are displayed throughout London, often accompanied by “Big Brother is watching you”. The Party’s slogan is “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength”. The citizens of Airstrip One are conditioned to religiously follow and serve the Party from birth, with children often spying on their parents and reporting them in for ‘thoughtcrime’, which is the thought of treacherous acts towards the party. The world which Orwell depicts in 1984 is his view of totalitarianism ‘perfectly’ executed.

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.

Throughout 1984, Orwell warns us how much of a threat totalitarianism poses to society. The civilians in Oceania could not think freely as they are brainwashed into worshiping Big Brother. With language barriers such as Newspeak, the freedom of creativity and individuality become prohibited since it is considered thoughtcrime. This happens to be the same way with the curriculum of Common Core. We have all seen this plan before with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The No Child Left Act of 2001 enforced states to brainwash students with “rigorous” standards and loads of standardized tests, transforming the students into obedient robots with a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Common Core is the latest version of the 2001 act as both are based

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.

Winston's idea of the perfect society, democracy, is crushed by the power of totalistic beliefs. There are three climaxes in this story. One of them is when Winston and Julia make love in the woods. This is a climax because it signifies that Winston is ready to challenge the political influence on his society. This is considered abhorrent in his society because it believes the government is the sole provider and it functions in the best interest of its citizens. Another climax comes at the end of part two in the book when Winston and Julia are caught together by the Thought Police. This denotes the end of Winston's true personality and the beginning of an implanted one. The last climax is when Winston's thoughts of freedom and character are replaced by the beliefs of the government and acceptance of Big Brother. Incidentally, this is also how the novels ends. The plot is predictable because it evokes anticipation from the reader of Winston and Julia getting caught. The reader continues reading just to find out how they get caught and what their consequences will be. The plot contains "signposts" for the reader that foreshadow what will be happening next. The reader does not have a rough time understanding the plot because it contains no surprises or twists. In all, the plot is straightforward, organized, and leaves nothing unanswered.

FORM / STRUCTURE, PLOT: The Novel is divided into three sections, the first one is mainly an introduction to Winston Smith. The second part is when Winston finally makes contact with Julia, whom he had been attracted to for quite some time. The third part of the novel is when the affair of Julia and Winston is discovered by the party. These three parts of the story also have several chapters in the sections. Having the book divided into three parts makes the novel more organized since each part starts and ends at an important part of the book. The writer, George Orwell, does use a foreshadowing technique a few times. For example, when the rat pops out of the hole in the room he the scene describes that he is terrified and he throws a shoe at it. This event foreshadows the torture technique the party uses towards the end of the book. The novel is written chronologically but Winstons, the protagonist, does have several flashbacks, memories, and dreams that end up foreshadowing events further in the book. The flashbacks help give the reader background information as well that help us understand why he is the way he is. The novel starts off with a citizen of Oceania named Winston Smith. We quickly learn about the world he is living in by how the author describes the environment of where Winston is living. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth where