Examples Of Totalitarianism In George Orwell's '1984'

Has our nation ever thought about how the government could be manipulating people in believing in anything with the power of language? That is exactly what the book, 1984 by George Orwell does. The government in 1984 controls their people with the fear of having no privacy. In a result from not having privacy, the government can tell who is going against the Party and if they talk bad about the Party then they will be taken away and “vaporized”. Also, if the people do not believe in everything the Party says then they also will be taken away.

What if one were to tell state that two plus two equals five or that war is peace? One would probably say that the speaker is wrong or completely crazy. This is the case in the world of George Orwell’s novel, 1984, here these statements are the complete truth. In 1984, Orwell presents his readers with a dystopian world that is under the tyrannical control of Big Brother and the Inner Party. The Party brainwashes the citizens of this society by completely changing the history of the world to show themselves as the greatest thing in the world.

Through 1984, George Orwell predicted what a state which has absolute power over its citizens would look like in 1984 through the terrors of a government with total power over its citizens. The novel touched upon the deeper meanings of human corruption and evil, guiding the reader through the pain and suffering, as well as the joy and what little freedom that the main character, Winston Smith has in the hands of Big Brother, the symbol of the “Party. It is obvious, that Orwell’s intent was to warn the future generations of the dangers of authoritarianism, however even in the modern world we can find traces of 1984’s themes. There are many similarities between our modern day society and Orwell’s 1984, the most significant ones surveillance,

What if the destruction of language and the past can be used as tools to manipulate the minds of people? In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, this is exactly what is happening. Winston, who works in the ministry of truth in Oceania erases the past by rewriting it. It is a scary world in Oceania when even a movement on your face is enough to be vaporized. Winston must control his thoughts in order to stay alive.

The Party in 1984 Oceania has one main goal: keep the citizens under their complete control. The Party as a group is a massive force that will stop for nothing. Their altercation of the past and the spewing of propaganda tv’s keep the people believing the Party’s every word. The corruption has gone so far that they even drag on wars to make people have a strong sense of togetherness and nationalism. In the book 1984, the villainous qualities of the Party create the biggest impact on the story by causing hatred, converting minds, and creating a new Winston.

In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the Outer Party is silenced in order to evoke a sense of patriotism for Big Brother that is necessary for him to remain in power. This goal is achieved with anti-individualism, architecture, and historical revisionism. Orwell attempts to convey that everything outside of the Inner Party’s control must be stopped by creating an omnipresence of the government described by Orwell as “always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you” (Orwell, 26).

Furthermore, in 1984, Winston Smith entrapped in the dystopian society Oceania with the ideas of totalitarianism, confinement, and control. capable of ordinary human feeling. The people of Oceania, "[Are not] capable of ordinary feeling [and] everything will be dead inside [them]" (Orwell 323). In response, Winston is trying to escape and fight the system. He is aware of the oppression of Big Brother and understand the dictatorship the community faces.

Speaking out against the regime is a dangerous act that can result in the death of you and your entire family. In Oceania, the society in Orwell’s 1984, even having an anti Big Brother (Oceania’s equivalent to Kim Jong Un) thought will result in death. Throughout the novel, Orwell shows the deterioration of a man’s humanity at the hands of Big Brother. George Orwell’s 1984 explores the freedom of human thought and what can cause that to be manipulated; it serves as a warning against a government that will take away the main facet of humanity: freedom of thought.

The following shall be discussed further; the physical (external) and mental (internal) means of control inflicted on the people of Oceania, followed by the interrelationship between both mechanisms of control and if there is a chance for liberation/rebellion. The government uses many methods to control the people of Oceania. The people have no sense of privacy, freedom or independence. They have little say in their personal future.

Dystopia is a society of human misery in which squalor and fear are rampant as the government enforces absolute power over its citizens, controlling them both physically and mentally. Dystopian literature is a style of fictional writing that explores societies crippled by deprivation and oppression. Since the citizens live in constant terror, rebellion is a natural consequence for citizens who want to survive. Winston is a citizen of Oceania who refuses to accept the conditions in which he lives and fights back. Rebellion is an element of dystopian literature that George Orwell uses throughout the novel 1984.

This gives the reader a greater understanding of one way in which the Party controls the citizens of Oceania, through the abolishment and manipulation of history. Perhaps the most significant literary device found in the novel is the use of motif. As the mathematical equation 2 + 2 = 5 is repeated throughout the novel it becomes a motif linked to the theme of psychological independence. ‘In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.’

In 1984, Orwell creates a dystopian world where everyone is constantly being monitored and watched. There are cameras in every room, and even their thoughts aren’t private. If a person so much as thinks about committing a crime, the thought police can catch them and bring them to Ministry of Love where they will be punished. The government, also known as Big Brother, is so corrupt in this society that they have full control over people, places, history, books, and everything else. Language plays a big part in this domination.