Totalitarianism In 1984 By George Orwell

Granted the Party can warp laws and control knowledge, its greatest tool for taking away freedoms and controlling the public is its ability to revise history. This idea is displayed throughout the novel, and is fundamental to our understanding of how perfect the Party is. A prime example occurs when Winston is at his job at the Ministry of Truth, the manipulators of history and truth. He contemplates how he simply substitutes one lie for another in his daily work rewriting history, and explains, “And so it was with every class of recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain" (Orwell 36). This highlights the genius of the Party’s control; there is no history. As mentioned earlier, the Party controls all publications, and destroys all facts that are not helpful. Much of it is simply fake information that bolsters the Party. Thus, when Winston changes

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.

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.

Over the years following the Holocaust, people like Ervin Staub and Hannah Arendt have shared their different views on the idea of evil. Staub and Arendt both have very different ideas and concepts. Arendt’s concept, “the banality of evil” is a very controversial explanation, while Staub’s goes into more depth and his arguments on evil are more powerful. The causes of evil are accessible; not ultimately mysterious and we now can predict genocide. Both people share their explanations of National Socialist evil.

My first quote that shows this in the theme is the main party slogan, “War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is strength.” This shows the paradox that the government has instituted and the backwards principles the people follow. This is important to the theme, because it shows the corruption of the government in having their people believe these things, and forcing it onto them every day, with posters on every street corner, and “Telescreens in their houses and on city blocks, spouting off government issued messages.

George Orwell, the author of 1984, gives the reader a glimpse of the now past future, which is not good at all. Orwell believe that in his future, the year 1984, people will live mindlessly and completely controlled by a totalitarian government. Most of his ideas are portrayed through the narration of Winston, a man who sees the world with an uncontrolled mind. He also uses Julie to help influence the the rebellious mindset of Winston. Both of these characters show the reader how everyone does act, due to both Julia and Winston having to act like they are conformed, and how an uncontrolled mind thinks in this setting. George Orwell mainly uses point of view, along with symbolism, and tone to portray the themes of totalitarianism and rebellion.

Throughout novels and plays alike, authors highlight the values of a culture or society in their novels by monitoring the protagonist’s journey. In 1984, George Orwell creates a totalitarianism super state, Oceania, to serve as the mainstream and societal morals that accentuate the protagonists unorthodox ethics. The state’s societal moral values are determined by the media through the government’s process of doublethink and application of Newspeak. Orwell highlights the societal values of Oceania by following the protagonist, Winston Smith, as an alienated character of society who differs from the population of Oceania because he believes in traditional history, the logical process, and democratic governmental ideals.

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."(Steven Pinker) When we think of a good government system, we think of a democratic government where people are free to express themselves, with human rights etc.. But in the book 1984 by George Orwell this wasn't the case. The government, the Party, controls everything in the superstate of Oceania. They create totalitarianism; a political system in which the state holds total control over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life. However, totalitarianism in a government

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

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.

It is often debated why populations under totalitarian regimes allow the ten percent minority to control the massive ninety percent majority with such inhumane tactics. Although the goals of individual regimes vary on their end goal, the means of achieving that goal are strikingly similar. From the distribution of propaganda exaggerating national progress, using food and necessary aid as incentive to increase productivity, to imposing nationwide terror through the deadly pursuit of enemies to the regime, the blatant commonality between these oppressors is their inventive ways of using fear and tapping into the human survival instinct to keep the population at bay. These tactics can be seen at work in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984

Totalitarian societies are societies controlled completely by the state; all aspects of public and private life are run by the government. Communities like these seem almost far-fetched or even unrealistic to believe; this form of government seems to contain only certain aspects in fictional stories, but to contrary belief, places with these rules and regulations have and still do exist. In George Orwell’s novel 1984, the book parallels between fictional dystopian society, Oceania, and real totalitarian civilizations. The book’s plot is described through the life of protagonist named Winston and is problem with the society in which he lives. Winston believes his government is corrupting it’s citizens and his goal is to overthrow the corruption by starting an uprising. One perfect real life example that directly correlates with this book’s fictional society is the country of North Korea. North Korea and the fictional society portrayed in 1984 share similar dystopian characteristics including propaganda, restricted freedom, and idolizing a figurehead.

The novel, Nineteen Eighty-four or 1984, written by George Orwell concentrates on the idea of a future, a future in which the world is divide into three super state, namely Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia after a global war. The three super state continued to wage war against each other in order to take control of the remaining lands, the war still continued in order to have ideological control over the people. The plot of the novel is set in the province of Oceania which is known as Airstrip one, the residents of Airstrip one are controlled by the ‘inner party’ or the elite group of people. The ‘inner party’ will prosecute anyone who supports the idea of individualism or

In “1984,” Orwell describes a terrible society where totalitarianism reaches the top. In this circumstance, personality and freedom are strangled and thought is controlled. The most frightening aspect is that citizens have no sense right and wrong. Without a doubt, the reason why these happen is the governing of the Party, which is controlling everything in the country, Oceania. Orwell uses the control of language to show the idea that the Party solidifies its dominant position.

In The Origins of Totalitarianism Hannah Arendt writes, "If this practice [of totalitarianism] is compared with that of tyranny, it seems as if a way had been found to set the desert itself in motion, to let loose a sand storm that could cover all parts of the inhabited earth”. This excerpt alludes to the ability of a totalitarian regime to effortlessly acquire and maintain a horrifying level of control. In such governments, beliefs of individual thought, inalienable rights, and intimate relationships are annihilated under the omnipotent leadership. George Orwell’s 1984 aspires to forewarn of the threats that totalitarianism poses to humanity. George Orwell’s totalitarian Oceania assumes complete psychological control predominantly through the government involvement