The Theme Of Torture In 1984 By George Orwell

What does it mean to manipulate? The question is unfortunately becoming increasingly relevant in our society today, especially in the political spectrum. Manipulation, according to its definition, does not necessarily mean to lie to one’s face, but instead it is to control or influence someone unfairly. Throughout the existence of human history, people have been subjugated, unaware of their own oppression due to discrete, manipulative tactics. It’s not hard to find real world examples of manipulation: China manipulates the views of over a billion people through censorship of the internet. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, an oppressive regime simply called “The Party” controls the lives of its citizens through lies and perpetual manipulation, whether it be altering historical documents or castigating outsiders to rally nationalistic “proles.” Currently, in the United States, there is an intense, controversial, and divisive debate on whether the current administration in the White House is employing these types of tactics. However, when the President is constantly being vehemently denounced by the same group of people over and over again, it’s wise to investigate the motives behind those crying foul. Journalism in the United States has run amuck with yellow journalism, criticizing the President, claiming that he is a racist, fascist, bigot, etc. When the national news media, which is managed and delivered overwhelmingly by men and women who have sharply contrasting

Cruelty is a motive that’s often used in literary works to instill feelings of fear and or terror. Its purpose is to belittle characters and make them turn into victims of someone or somethings act of brutality. Usually it functions as a motivation for the antagonist to try and overcome or win over the protagonist, by means of verbal harangue, torture, or malicious physical attacks. In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith faces cruelty that is used to control the whole population of Oceania under a totalitarian regime. He is a prisoner of the party’s Ministry of Love, and he endures the horrors of torture within the ministry.The cruelty that Winston faces reveals the underlying motives of the party, and in the end Winston succumbs to the

When reading part one of 1984 by George Orwell many thoughts and questions popped into my head. Why would a powerful government rewrite and brainwash its citizens? Or why are they under constant surveillance? As I further read along something interested me. One of our main characters and protagonist, Winston, knows or believes that he knows all of the punishments that are done by the Thought Police and the Inner Party. He contemplates on whether or not he should start a diary. He knows it may not be a law in starting one, but he knows the dangers of it if the Thought Police would find it. This part catches my interest the most because he knows that he is doing something rebellious, yet he continues to go along with it since he

“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU”(Orwell 2), is a saying that surrounds society in the classic novel 1984. The author, George Orwell provides his audience with an abundant amount of themes throughout his writing. One very prominent one is Orwell’s psychological manipulation of his characters. As characters within this society are constantly surrounded by sayings such as, “WAR IS PEACE”, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY”, and “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”(Orwell 4), Orwell shows the ultimate type of control within his characters. Orwell is able to achieve such psychological manipulation in his characters through physical control and the abundance of technology. Without Orwell’s use of telescreens, his characters would be able to have their

History reveals that when a totalitarian regime seizes a nation, violence and brutality are often utilized to take control of its citizens. 1984 depicts a world engulfed by the totalitarian ideology. George Orwell applies cruelty as a way to condition the people of Oceania to abide by the philosophies of the Party, Oceania's ruling body. Although the Party promotes ideas of welfare and diligence, their true intent is to accomplish complete dominance over every facet of humanity.

Who control the present controls the past.” (Orwell 2016, Ch. 3 pg. 34) The motif, is a reminder of the Party’s technique of falsify history to brainwash and cause the psychological break down of its people. Orwell constantly foreshadows the outcome in the Ministry of Love, by Winston’s immense fear of rats, this fear first presented itself in the secret room that Winston and Julia frequently occupied, “’Rats!’ murmured Winston. ‘In this room!’…’Of all horrors in the world – a rat!’” (Orwell 2016, Ch. 4 pg. 137) This foundation fear, that the Party soon discovered, would become the very thing that would unravel Winston. As foreshadowed, when Winston is tortured in Room 101 in the ironically named Ministry of Love, it was done with rats. Winston’s fear of rats terrified him enough to betray Julia. Orwell used foreshadowing, propaganda writing styles and personification in the novels to depict how the dictators have power through actions and how the actions of their subjects have

Have you ever been in a situation in which you have gone against what others have said? Perhaps you didn’t agree with what they said. What about breaking the rules for the greater good? Well in the novel, 1984 by George Orwell- Winston goes against the rules that the party has put up. He falls in love with a girl named Julia, and they are taken to trial at the Ministry of love. The theme to best fit the story would be- Freedom is Worth Fighting For.

Near the end of the novel, 1984, Winston’s, and the way he acts, transforms due to false consciousness. The false consciousness in Winston was generated by his persecutor, using painful methods. Winston was forced to believe whatever O’Brian, the torturer, said, “And if the Party says that is not four but five then how many?” “Four” (Orwell 255) After that point, Winston eventually began to accept that ‘four plus four is five’, due to the pain and torture he was put through. Winston constantly thought and wrote the statement ‘four plus four equals five’. This could be considered as, what is called, memory amplification. “This process tends to involve the subject remembering more trauma than they actually experienced.” (strange/Takarangi 2016). Winston’s traumatized state, caused by O’Brian, led his mind falsely recreate the traumatic events, different from how it actually occurred. This rethinking of the traumatic event, cause Winston to bring about its own sense of false consciousness. The event is in his memory forever, and therefore he begins to believe the statement, even though it’s false. Winston inevitably changes; his mind and what he believes in, all because of his newly reformed state of mind, creating false

In George Orwell's "1984" society is manipulated and guided by an organization called the Party and an anonymous figure named Big Brother, who is used as God. One of the main aspects the Party controls is truth or tries to control is truths in the society and the truth in the minds of the individual themselves. The Party creates what they want to be true to make the individuals ignorant so they can manipulate them easier. This twist of the truth by the Party makes it seem like truth doesn't actually exist, but for Winston it does exist or it once did. Truth does exist if the individual is rebellious to the extent to where it will not get them vaporized and Winston is one of those rebels. He and others are able to experience

Moreover, Orwell uses the technique of loaded words to develop his theme of thoughts being controlled. “With a tremulous murmur that sounded like “My Savior!” She extended her arms toward the screen. Then she buried her face in her hands. It was apparent that she was uttering a prayer” (Orwell 16). Citizens are brainwashed and controlled to have deep feelings about Big Brother and that it is everything. Other citizens are also brainwashed the same way because they see others doing this and follow the people around them, “The horrible thing about 2 Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in” (Orwell 11). Peer pressure makes people think it is right to do many things. “Controlling minds and truth is ultimate power. Truth is subordinated to the Party” (Davis 250). Fake history is also created. Citizens will believe anything the Party puts in books. Their minds are too controlled to rebel against the party. Fake enemies are also created. It relieves the citizens’ anger when they are allowed to say anything against them. It is shown that Orwell uses the technique of loaded words to expand his theme of controlling thoughts.

This shows how even the most rebellious people in Oceania can fall victim to torture and brainwashing at the hands of this inhumane government. Prolonged torture can influence anyone to do unthinkable acts. Eventually, just the threat of torture is sufficient enough to make Winston desert his once defiant thoughts. It is a truly horrible moment for the citizens when Winston succumbs to the Party’s torture, and is ultimately eliminated by the Party. Taking a little ounce of hope of freedom for Oceania with him. Granted, it brings the story full circle in warning the reader about how far a government is willing to go in order to maintain power over its citizens.

1984, Orwell’s last and perhaps greatest work, deals with drastically heavy themes that still terrify his audience after 65 years. George Orwell’s story exemplifies excessive power, repression, surveillance, and manipulation in his strange, troubling dystopia full of alarming secrets that point the finger at totalitarian governments and mankind as a whole. What is even more disquieting is that 1984, previously considered science fiction, has in so many ways become a recognizable reality.

Typically everyone acts in a way that will politically benefit themselves whether with power or wealth. The book 1984 George Orwell clearly demonstrates a dictating dystopia that wants nothing less than pure power and will do anything to obtain it. To control someone’s mental state of mind by regulating their emotions and feelings it will allow for more room to concentrate on what they want to fill their minds with. Also if one has control of the past they control the future because you can either make yourself look superior or inferior.

After capturing Winston Smith for thought crime, O’Brien describes real power as “tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your choosing” (Orwell 266). By this he explains that true power is being able to choose what people minds think. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, Winston, a Ministry of Truth worker who hates the Party, slowly starts to disobey the Party rules such as having freedom of thought and individuality. He entrusts a Party member, O’Brien, with his secret for the hatred of the Party. O’Brien reveals that he is a high Party leader who will fix Winston’s corrupt mind. Throughout this novel, it demonstrates that government is controlling people’s minds and

The Communist Party is considered as a bad government. The Party which Big Brother, a head figure, leader is even worse than Communism. One of the huge differences between the two parties is the idea of torturing the people. A kind of brutal torture, not physical torture, but psychological torture and causing people live in crisis. Through psychological manipulation, the Party is able to make everything it lies become the truth that it desires. When psychological is instability, thinking about a regime overthrown is almost not possible. In 1984 by George Orwell, the Inner Party manipulates the population through torture since birth. The lives of the people are being deprived of freedoms, became a docile slave, serving an anonymous inhuman