The Real-Life Counterparts of 1984's Oceania Essay

George Orwell’s political parable, 1984, portrays an oppressive and dictatorial government, which thereby presents to the reader a palpable sense of danger and malevolence born out of the creation of a counter utopic totalitarian regime. Orwell’s nihilistic creation of Oceania, presents a world wherein every aspect of private and public life is abhorrently regimented and regulated by the autocratic ‘Big Brother’. The whole population at large is forced to conform to the ideals and beliefs of the tyrannical ‘party’ as a means of not only survival but also a means of being able to live an unabated existence. The party opposes all forms of individuality and

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.

The monstrous event that happened on June 4th, 1989 will be forever remembered as one of the most tragic days in human history. However, many decades ago, this event was foreseen and was foretold in the book, 1984, by George Orwell. Orwell saw the rise of totalitarianism, and he was deeply disturbed by what he saw. He believes totalitarianism will be the method that communist party adopts to fight freedom. The book foreshadows many of the events that will happen in a communist society. In many ways, the incident of Tiananmen Square in 1989 echoes 1984, which is a warning that totalitarian government is a power abuser, propaganda manipulator, and democracy suppressor.

1984 was wrote by George Orwell, in the story he created a hypothetical world 40 years from then. In this alternate future three authoritarian states have taken over the entirety of the world. These governments erase history that does not agree with their policies. Ingsoc, the government of oceania that country where the story takes place, used advance survival as all public and private areas had TVs which contained cameras; microphones were also used to keep tab on the citizens. George Orwell used the story to warn about the potential dangers of a large centralized governments, in this instance to warn about the dangers of communism. Because of the satirical purpose which Orwell had in writing 1984, the characters in the book tend favor a shadowy or two-dimensional

When George Orwell wrote his novel, 1984, Hitler and Mussolini had recently been defeated in World War II, the nuclear arms race was warming up and the Soviet Union was a threat to the world. Although these are not problems in today's society, 1984 is still very relevant in current time, "The twentieth century will soon be over, but political terror still survives and this is why Nineteen Eighty-four remains valid today” (Ricks 5). In the novel 1984 the main character Winston is faced with challenges when he meets a woman named Julia. Julia makes him question his loyalty to the government. They are living under a totalitarian government that sees everything you do, hears everything you say, and knows everything you think. George Orwell’s novel 1984 is still relevant in today’s society.

There is the concept of an ideal world, a future where humanity has reached its peak and the global society is at peace. Then we flip the coin to realise that a dystopic future too is possible, one where humanity is lost to the chains of oppression and control. George Orwell’s classic yet hauntingly prophetic work “ 1984” represents this dystopian human society, a frightening yet vivid description of what the world would be if human desire for power and control was given free reign. Although Orwell wrote this text in the context of the rise of Fascism in Europe, the rise of Nuclear Aggression and the Cold War rivalry, the text carries significance even today, as Government control over its citizens, surveillance over every aspect of private

In the book “1984,” written by George Orwell, there is a character that is known as Big Brother. He is a man who could be known as a Demagogue. The reason for this is due to the fact that he was able to rise to such power where he is capable of changing the past. The way he is now, in the story, shows that he didn’t use rational argument to rise to power, but chose to appeal to the majority group of people through desires and prejudice.

Orwell depicts the dystopian nature of the novel through the continual oppression of the citizens of Oceania by the government, “INGSOC (the Newspeak term for English Socialism)” (Mania 2014: Lecture slide 2).The Oceanians live in fear of the thought police and being killed if they are ever found to be

In George Orwell’s 1984 Power is gained most effectively through control, fear and violence. Compared to a government like that of America’s, 1984 creates a more threatening structure of government where the public is limited from freedom and happiness. 1984 shows a world of a society where only the upper class has power and freedom from the harsh treatment that the general population receives. The idea of Big Bother makes the population of Oceania believe they are being watched over by a powerful force and oppresses them so they feel powerless and unable to do anything against a “great” force like Big Brother. The well-being of others depends on their willingness to agree with Big Brother and abide by their laws, if you think otherwise then you will be an accuser of thought-crime will be vaporized and removed from society or harshly punished through rigorous treatment and torture methods as was Winston and Julia. Power creates problems for others in which they do not deserve.

Anne Frank, a young diarist, once said, “Look at how a single can both defy and define the darkness.” Anne Frank was fifteen-year-old girl who was executed in Bergen Belsen Concentration camp by Nazis. At the time Nazi Germany was under control by Adolf Hitler. He transformed the country into a fascist totalitarian state. In George Orwell’s 1984, the city of Oceania was under control by a figure known as Big Brother. He centralized executive proceeds unchecked and unlimited closely parallels Nazism.

1984 was written in an age of Nazism and Stalinism, where those totalitarian and fascist governments had their fists clenched around their citizens, controlling and terrorizing them at every move and within every aspect of their lives. The English author, Eric Arthur Blair, better known under his pseudonym George Orwell, wrote 1984 as a warning, to provoke a sense of fear from his audience, which, in turn, makes his purpose, to persuade and inform his readers to question the authority and integrity of their governments and news stations and make certain they do not infringe upon people’s inalienable rights, all the more impactful. Orwell propels his purpose through means of rhetorical devices, such as allusion, colloquialism, and paradoxes in order to build up fear in his audience, which in turn more adeptly and meaningfully develops his purpose.

Big Brother is shown very similarly to Napoleon in the way he uses the people under him to rely and depend on him impetuously to gain and maintain power. This vision of Big Brother has been achieved by un directly accusing him of the sacrifices the people and the nation have to make, like when the citizens of Airstrip One are forced to live with a subordinate amount of food, they are told that they are being accustomed more than ever and they believe it. The reader knows that the promises are not true, and Orwell intends to spark anger in us aimed towards Big Brother and wants to show us the effects of his absolute power on himself and his people and what consequence its corruption has on the people under his control. Big Brother himself is not shown as a person but is represented by the party and mainly O’Brien who is the sole member of the upper party named in 1984. Everything in the society of Oceania is done in favour of and for the party and Big Brother, no-one else. The party ‘Big Brother’ intend to keep the minds of the people sealed from the outside world and from any kind of thoughts. This is to make the

Throughout George Orwell 1984, people in Oceania have no freedom in actions, speech and even cannot use their minds to think or believe in certain things. The society cannot have independent thinking since this will leads them to commit a thoughtcrime, which it causes them to be tortured to death. Big Brother was one of the many propaganda tools used in Oceania. The face of Big Brother is used to promote the ideal man, one who is tall and muscular living in a perfect world. Additionally, Big Brother is the one who has absolute power to manipulate and monitor citizens eternally. In today's world, the government is more present today than in the book as a result of durable high-speed technology.

George Orwell, in his dystopian novel 1984 written shortly after World War II, creates an allusion between Nazi Germany’s past and Oceania’s future in regards to the attitude and structure of the two societies. The novel is told by an omniscient narrator following Winston, a man questioning his memory and the morality of Big Brother’s government, which is most effective for this novel. Thus, through Winston’s internal dialogue, Orwell alludes to Nazi Germany’s past to predict Oceania’s future in order to create a parallel between the structure and attitudes of the two nations, which communicates his theme (and warns his readers) that certain trends in government will lead to violation of individual rights, and therefore

“1984,” is a book that was published in 1949 and written by George Orwell. His reason for writing the book was the hope that humans would read it and come to a realization that our world was headed toward a dictator-like or tyrannical style of government. Some ignorant people living in first world countries might say that he was wrong, but those smart enough know just how right he was. These terrifying places are very much real in the world today. The people living in these cruel environments are often times isolated by their leaders and told they are living in the best country in the world, and that their reason of isolation is to keep the rest of the world out.